Art Forums
In addition to exhibits and concerts, MVAC invites a local artist of note to make a presentation on some aspect of being an artist. You get to ask questions, meet other artists and art fans, and enjoy the current art and quilt exhibits. Watch this page for updates as new forums are added.
You are invited on
at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue, Guntersville, AL
No admission fee or registration required.
If you have recommendations of Marshall County artists of any genre for 2025, please contact MVAC via info@mvacarts.org or 256-571-7199.
Art Forum - Tuesday, January 7th, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
MVAC is starting the new year off right by featuring Dr. Whitney Snow and her mother, Barbara Snow in the first Art Forum. They will discuss aspects of researching and writing non-fiction books and the art of collaborating on a book as a mother/daughter team. Whitney is currently a Professor at Midwestern State University in Witchita Falls, Texas, and Barbara Snow is a long-time resident of Guntersville. When living closer to Guntersville, Whitney volunteered at the Guntersville Historical Society serving as co-webmaster and working with the Marshall County Archives.
A historian specializing primarily in the New South, Wnitney’s areas of interest include agricultural, environmental, and rural history (also pop culture). Shye earned her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and her PhD from Mississippi State University. Her scholarly research has been published in myriad peer-reviewed journals like the Southwestern Historical Quarterly; Forests, Trees and Livelihoods; The Alabama Review; Journal of Mississippi History; and Journal of East Tennessee History. As for books, Whitney has written and/or co-written Cathedral Caverns (Arcadia, 2017), Lake Guntersville (Arcadia, 2018), Alabama Bill & The Bowery (Sunbury 2020), and Guntersville (Arcadia, 2021). For the past couple of years, she has been annotating a Civil War diary written by a teenage girl. The Civil War Diaries of Cassie Fennell: A Young Confederate Woman in North Alabama was published by the University of Tennessee Press in November 2020. Currently, Whitney is editing the diaries of a WWII sailor.
On a personal note, Whitney’s hobbies are bass fishing, mystery novels, classic movies, and country music. Her favorite authors are Preston & Child; Steve Berry; and James Rollins. When it comes to actors, she make a point to see anything starring Sam Elliott, Idris Elba, and Diane Keaton. Her favorite tv shows are Yellowstone, Poirot, and The Golden Girls. She also has a penchant for country music, especially the songs of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Alan Jackson. She adores traveling and have toured Egypt, Costa Rica, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and Germany. Whitney’s newest and most favorite activity is her son, AJ, who is less than a year old.
Barbara Snow
Saturday, January 18, 2025 10 - 11 AM and 11:30 - 12:30 PM
Quilt Turning with Anne Barrett from Grove Oak, AL
Anne Barrett is a renown piecer and hand-quilter from our area. The quilt behind Anne in the picture above has over 14,000 pieces in it! Rumor has it that at southeastern quilt shows, quilters will ask if Anne has a quilt entered in a category, and if so, they won’t even enter their quilts! She has taught classes on how to make Dear Jane quilts (a mere 5,602 pieces of fabric in each) as well as other pattern workshops.
Although she has exhibited many of her quilts through MVAC’s previous quilt exhibits including a solo quilt exhibit in April 2022, this Art Talk is the first time Anne will be leading a “quilt turning” in person. Sometimes it is called a “bed turning” in which the quilter carefully turns back quilt after quilt layered on a bed while explaining and answering questions. Since MVAC will be hosting this “turning” without beds, we are calling it a “quilt turning”.
We expect the entire quilt turning will take about an hour, so Anne will start one at 10 AM and at 11:30 AM, but you are welcome to come in any time or stay for both sessions. Come join us for this free quilting experience!
Framing Facts from MJ Venrick, Master Framer - Saturday, April 12th, 1 - 2:30 PM
MJ Venrick of Albertville has a long checkered past with art - painter, welder, framer, gallery owner, museum manager, and more. Along the way, she achieved her “Master Framer” status and will be sharing her framing and gallery expertise with all artists and others who want to improve the framing of their art, regardless of the art medium (it varies!). Attendees will receive a small booklet of MJ’s advice to keep on hand. In 2025, MVAC will implement a new condition of exhibiting in their galleries - no sawtooth hangers, only wire hangers. MJ will show you the best way to install wire hangers on your art.
In this area, MJ has exhibited in the MVAC Gallery, the Guntersville Courthouse in the Probate Court and County Council offices, and the Lt. Governor’s office suite in Montgomery. She paints in acrylics, oils, and watercolor from realism to abstract styles. She is currently serving on the MVAC Board.
PREVIOUS ART TALKS
ART FORUM - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Mountain Valley Arts Council will host an Art Forum featuring Robert Posey on Tuesday, October 8th, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville. Photographers, hikers, explorers and waterfall fans will especially enjoy this MVAC Art Forum.
Robert Posey is an author and photographer from Arab who graduated from Arab High School in 1999. Robert became infatuated with abandoned structures as a teenager when a friend dared him to spend the night alone in the old abandoned Arab Hospital which has since been demolished. He now travels throughout the southeastern United States photographing and documenting structures that are seemingly forgotten. He published his first book “Abandoned North Alabama: Where the Stories Ended” in 2023.
His explorations include a wide variety of locations. Robert’s favorites are an amusement park that was closed when Hurricane Katrina did irreparable damage, an amusement park high up in the Smoky Mountains, a house that showed traces of the civil rights struggles of the 50’s and 60’s, and a hospital where even blood samples were left behind. He explores these locations with a group of Urbex Youtubers he’s become close with and his daughter, Lacey, when she’s not at JSU.
Robert considers himself an explorer first and a photographer second. His passion to understand the reason things were left behind and forgotten is what drives his exploration. He believes the architecture and items left behind give us a historical understanding but walking through a structure left almost exactly the same after a significant amount of time gives us an understanding of the people.
Robert is an advocate for local tourism and has been an ambassador for Visit North Alabama and the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association for three years. Much of his free time is spent visiting and promoting local attractions, primarily hiking trails and waterfalls. He was a guest on the waterfalls edition of Unexpected Adventures Podcast where he provided information on visiting many of the local waterfalls. He’s a running enthusiast and completed his first two marathons at the end of 2023, after which he frequently jokes about having to re-write his bucket list. Robert has been a 911 dispatcher in Marshall County for 17 years and is the boy’s head soccer coach for Arab High School.
Photographer Danny Head to speak at MVAC Art Forum
Mountain Valley Arts Council will host an Art Forum featuring Danny Head on Tuesday, August 13th, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville as part of its Art Forum series.
Danny is an award-winning landscape photographer who travels from Cade’s Cove to the tropical and frozen reaches of the world to capture fabulous pictures. You will think you have been on a world tour just seeing his work.
Professional and amateur photographers are especially invited so they can ask Danny about the specific photography equipment and settings he uses for his photos and his journey in photography.
Danny was born and still resides in the mountain lakes region of northeastern Alabama. After graduating from Auburn University, he pursued a career in his logistics major. Later he leveraged his secondary studies in art into a new career. He was President and Product Designer for an art framing components company.
Danny’s interest in photography grew out of his 3D art, which was recognized in several publications, and won top honors in regional, national, and international competitions.
His favorite subjects are travel and rural scenery. Whether it be the scene, the light, or the subject, he feels his best work are the ones where he has made an “emotional connection” to the subject. He considers the biggest compliment to his work is when someone tells him that the photograph made them feel as if they were there.
Today, several publishers market Danny’s photography worldwide. The focus and target market of his photography centers around the home décor and hotel industry and is published under the names, Danny Head, D. Burt, and Andy Amos (his dogs’ names).
Here is Danny (right) in Iceland right before a huge wave took all his photography equipment out to sea. Not one of his favorite memories! Not only is it a cool picture, but it might make you feel a bit cooler here in hot August. For a sneak preview, go to dannyheadphotography.com.
Here is Danny (right) in Iceland right before a huge wave took all of his photography equipment out to sea. Not one of his favorite memories!
ART FORUM - Tuesday, June 11th, 5:30 - 7 PM
Four Nonfiction Authors featured at MVAC Art Forum
Mountain Valley Arts Council will host its Art Forum on Tuesday, June 11th, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville. This Art Forum will feature four well-known history buffs including Pete Sparks, Larry Smith, Tyrus Dorman, and David Jones. The discussion will center around research local sources, writing, collaborating, and publishing nonfiction books, so if you are interested in documenting your family or land history in Marshall County, here is your chance to learn from local pros for free.
Dr. Julian F. (Pete) Sparks, a Guntersville native, and his wife Rhonda reside in Guntersville and have a daughter Jilli who is attorney for Health and Human Services. He graduated from Marshal County High School, University of Alabama, and UAB Dental School. Pete served on the Marshal County Health Care Authority board for 24 years and is currently president of the Guntersville Historical Society. He is also a 40-year member of American Battlefield Trust, a Certified guide at Shiloh National Battlefield Park. Pete is the author of “A River Town’s Fight for Life” and contributes to many Civil War journals and periodicals.
Larry Smith, an Albertville native, attended Snead State Junior college and graduated from Jacksonville State University. He served as associate editor of the Sand Mountain report for four years. He is a past president of the Guntersville Historical Society and the Marshall County Archaeological Society. He has contributed to several local history books and two publications for the National Parks Service in conjunction with the Trail of Tears Association.
David Jones is a practicing Marshall County attorney. He grew up in Albertville where he became an Eagle Scout. He and his wife, Shannon, now live in Guntersville. He was the first swim team coach for Guntersville in the mid-70s. David graduated from Auburn University and Cumberland Law School before starting his 45 year and counting career as an attorney. He is the current Chair of the Industrial Development Board and a past president of the Marshall County Economic Development Board, Guntersville Historical Society, and the Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce during the current building’s construction. David’s main historical interest is the early navigation of the Tennessee River which provides interesting historical entertainment when he is the speaker.
Tyrus Dorman grew up in Guntersville and still lives in Warrenton with his wife Melanie (Rowe). His first interest was in the Andrew Jackson Trail of 1813 that goes through Tyrus’ yard in Warrenton and Fort Deposit. Tyrus is currently co-authoring a book about the location of Fort Deposit, the Jackson supply road, and the Cherokee people living here during and after the Creek Indian War of 1813-1814. He is a past president of the Guntersville Historical Society and has volunteered at the Marshall County Alabama
Archives since retiring in 2016. Currently, the Archives are being moved from the Courthouse basement, cleaned, and organized so that it will be accessible to the public every Monday from 8:30 AM to 2 PM. The Archives include original documents from as far back as 1836 when Marshall County was first established.
Mountain Valley Arts Council will host a free book signing for Cindy Morton Egger on Tuesday, April 9th, from 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville as part of its Art Forum series. Her book is an interactive devotional journal called “Finding the Lord Every Day in Unexpected Ways,” so anyone who purchases the journal becomes a co-author. The journal is a blend of her colored pencil and written creations.
Cindy Morton Egger has spent 25 years using her God-given talent as an artist, creating her gift line, "Steps of Faith." She has sold in gift shops across the United States. National magazines have featured her art, and she has authored featured articles. Her love to minister, inspire, and encourage others shines throughout her life. Cindy shares her story at markets and speaking engagements such as this Art Forum.
Since recently retiring from 40 years as a hairstylist, she has more time to embrace life, learn new things such as drumming, and serve the Lord. Follow her adventures at CindyMortonEgger.com.
Other local authors’ work will also be available during the Art Forum.
The MVAC Art Forums occur every other month and feature one or more artists so that the public can hear the backstories of the artists and their art and ask their own questions during Q&As. Future Art Forums are on MVAC’s website mvacarts.org. Thanks to the generous MVAC members and sponsors who fund these Art Forum events.
Thursday, November 16th, 12:30 - 1:30 PM - Lanette Blankenship, Art Instructor at Snead State Community College speaking on “How Art Strengthens Your Learning Skills”
Mountain Valley Arts Council will host Lanette Blankenship who is a full-time Art Instructor presiding over Snead State Community College’s Art Department in Boaz, Alabama. This Art Talks should interest parents and grandparents of school-age children since Mrs. Blankenship’s topic is “How Art Enhances Your Learning Skills”.
Lanette received her Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in 2011 from The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Master’s of Fine Arts in 2014 from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ.
Since 2012, she has taught in graduate school, at non-profit after-school programs like Space One Eleven in Birmingham, AL, and with Auburn University’s Prisons Arts Education + Project where she went inside a prison to teach watercolor classes. She taught for three years as an adjunct instructor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and for five years as the full-time lead Art Instructor in the art area in the Humanities and Fine Arts Department at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama. With this deep background in art education, she is very well-equipped to discuss art and learning skills.
Lanette coordinated an exhibit of her students’ art at MVAC in April 2023. She worked the exhibit logistics (contracts, inventories, labels, insurance, receptions) into the classes’ learning. The exhibit was such a success that another exhibit of her students’ art will be held at MVAC March & April 2024.
These monthly ART TALKS are free and open to the public since they are funded by Marshall County business sponsors including Citizens Bank & Trust, Sand Mountain Toyota, Rodney’s Flowers, MVAC members, and the City of Guntersville. Attendees will be surrounded by the current Holiday Art Market which features some 25 artists’ work that will make unique holiday gifts.
TUESDAY, July 18th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM (NOTE NEW DATE AND TIME!) - Robert Bailey, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of “Rich Blood” and “Rich Waters”, books set in Guntersville. Robert Bailey is the bestselling author of the McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers series, which includes The Final Reckoning, The Last Trial, Between Black and White, and The Professor. The first two novels in the series were Beverly Hills Book Awards legal thriller of the year winners, and Between Black and White was a finalist for the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year.
For the past two decades, Bailey has been a civil defense trial lawyer in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, where he lives with his wife and three children. They also enjoy a home in Guntersville which leads to the accuracy of the businesses and locations in the books, For more information, please visit www.robertbaileybooks.com.
June 15th - Dana Pritchett, Author from Huntsville
Radio Boy is part of an expanding tale that follows a group of middle-American children through their misadventures and growth. It is a study in the untainted openness and curiosity of youth that leads to friendship, trust, sometimes danger, as well as the aspects of self-discovery. It is fiction created in a mind that read Huckleberry Finn, watched the Little Rascals on TV, and marveled at the comic book fantasies of the twentieth century. The author hopes that this book will spark memories of readers' own youthful exploits, adventures, narrow escapes, or broken bones, triumphs and failures, special places and special friends. Maybe open the minds of youthful readers to the possibilities in their own dreams.
About the Author:
Dana Pritchett is just another small-town kid from Iowa, raised in a time when kids were told to "go play, supper's at six." Left to their imaginations and wiles to survive their contrived adventures. His family wasn't blue collar. They called it "brown collar," and his parents worked really hard to make a better life. All along they pushed Dana to do the same while supporting his dreams and even some stupid ideas. He fell in love with music at an early age, starting to play harmonica at the age of eight and continuing until today. He now plays seven instruments and sings. He studied music and literature in college, hoping to pursue a career as a musician and songwriter. After fifty years, a hundred bands (with varied success), and a couple hundred songs written, Pritchett decided to write a book about band life. That turned into another book, then another, and so on.
Radio Boy is his fifth attempt, and eight years later, after numerous rejections, Dorrance Publishing has finally seen promise in it. Currently he is working on finishing a recording of several of his best musical compositions, hoping to be released within the next year. At sixty-seven, Pritchett has retired from a life of construction labor, cooking, and all the "physical" aspects of the music business. He is focused now on babysitting grandkids, "playing" music, and traveling.
Radio Boy is a 142-page paperback with a retail price of $14.00 (eBook $9.00). The ISBN is 978-1-6495-7158-8. To buy the book visit our Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc.’s online bookstore at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/radio-boy/
May 18th - Kathy Murray, a local quilter - “What’s in a Name?”
Kathy Murray lives in Guntersville with her husband Jeff. She grew up in Colorado Springs and met her husband there. They moved to Guntersville after Jeff retired from the Air Force and settled on the lake. She is a retired registered nurse. Kathy has always loved crafts, starting at a young age with macrame, pottery, and sewing. When they were first married, she decided she needed a hobby and took a beginning quilting class. She has been quilting in some form or other for nearly 40 years.
In the early years, everything was done by hand. Tools like rotary cutters and specialty rulers were not developed. As the years passed, quilting has evolved into computerized sewing, machines to do your cutting, heat presses to fuse quilt pieces, and even light tables to assist in tracing. Kathy now has a 12-foot quilting frame with a computer tablet mounted where designs can be personalized to each quilt top she finishes. Thread colors are endless and add to the overall look of the quilt.
Along with projects she completes for friends and family, she quilts for the public, volunteers to quilt tops for Quilts of Valor, and teaches and demonstrates on subjects related to quilting. She also loves to kayak and enjoys time on the lake with family. Her Mountain Valley Arts talk is called "What's In a Name?", and she will discuss how quilt blocks got their names, the meaning behind the names, a bit of history on quilting, and how the blocks have changed over time.
David A. Myers was born in the Crescent City. David has worn many hats over the years: teamster, riverboat deckhand, U.S. Marine, Ironworker. Following his Marine Corp stint, he studied at and graduated from Delgado College in New Orleans with a degree in Computer Science. He spent a career working under contract to NASA. David lives with his wife, Rose, in the Appalachian foothills. They visit New Orleans frequently.
You'll note that, even in his stories set in the hills, there are connections to the Big Easy. That shouldn't be surprising. New Orleans is indeed a 'southern' city, albeit a distinctively atypical one. New Orleans, Louisiana, gave birth to jazz. . . and to red beans and rice and po-boys. Old Jefferson section of town lies on the river ridge, just upriver from 'uptown' New Orleans. Old Jefferson lies between the Mississippi River and the multi-track train lines that descend the Huey Long bridge and carry freight into the city. It's just upriver from New Orleans' Carrolton district. Old Jefferson gave birth to 'Page Thirteen' books and was where David Myers was raised.
The Old Jefferson area has been unique in several ways. For one thing, it was defined by semi-hard borders with Jefferson Highway being its lifeline. In addition to the north and south borders, the river and the railroad yard, East/West borders are identified as the Orleans Parish line and the Huey P. Long Bridge respectively. The neighborhoods on either side of Jefferson Highway produced a citizenry of hard-working, well educated, and charitable people. In many ways it was a rough and tumble part of town, a curious blend of city and country living.
Below are photos of audience members who were “volunteered” to do readings from both series. The audience was mesmerized.
David’s comments about Page Thirteen - A Book: My first book! It was a challenge, I'll admit, but oh, what a story. My wife, Rose, owned a bookstore on Brindlee Mountain, and I helped on my days off. Without a doubt, this stimulated my interest in fiction writing. As Easy says in the early pages of Page Thirteen - The Book, the nuns at St. Agnes made sure that we learned to read and write. So, why not? I wrote this one after leaving the Big Easy and heading for the hills. This story brings aspects of that journey to its pages. A note of interest: I've recently completed my sixth novel. It will predate my first and serve nicely as a prequel to Page Thirteen - The Book. Watch for it. Hope you enjoy and God Bless. - David A. Myers
It was the mountains of North Alabama that gave birth to the 'Mountain Village' books which include Katelyn Manor, Mona White's Diary, and The Shadow Man.
"The streets, sidewalks, storefronts, town halls of these mountain towns are special. Walk down the street, and the town literally begs to be set by a storyteller. I wanted to tell these stories. I told a few." - David A. Myers
Aynslee is an artist, mother, pastor, and teacher. She has a B.F.A. from the University of Mississippi and an M.F.A. from The University of Alabama. During the week, she teaches preschool, elementary, and middle school art at Holy Spirit Regional Catholic School and on the weekends she serves as a licensed local pastor at Valley United Methodist Church.
Her artwork has been included in juried exhibitions around the country and has become part of several private, corporate, and museum collections throughout the years, including CBS College Sports and the permanent collection of the Wiregrass Museum of Art in Dothan, Alabama.
She also creates artwork that is a part of the liturgy at Valley UMC, beautifying the church, to illustrate sermons, and to inspire congregation members as they walk their spiritual paths.
Her medium for most of her artistic career has been oil paint, but in recent years, she has focused on creating mixed media work primarily using pen and watercolor. Her inspiration comes from nature, songs, dreams, stories, and watching the growing lives of her children unfold.
Onsite Interview with Tattoo Artists from Ink Monkey Tattoo - August 2022
NORTH ALABAMA WOODTURNERS ASSOCIATION - FEBRUARY 17, 2022
Five members of this association exhibited their work in the MVAC Gallery in February, and Howard King and Staten Tate provided demos of turning a bowl and a top for a group of fascinated woodturners and wood appreciators. Staten Tate commented, “this is a hobby that can kill you.” Well, with that lathe rotating at 1800 - 2200 rpms and wood being tricky, we understood why they wore heavy masks during their demos. Bill Cash showed pictures of his major chest bruises cased by a piece of wood that went flying from the lathe. Note taken!
If you enjoy shop talk, you missed a good one. Some of the non-woodturners commented that they had no clue what at least a third of these guys vocabulary meant. Tools, lathes, wood types, turning techniques, and tricks of the craft were discusssed at length.
August Art Talks with Donald Walker - “Making Art for Everyone”
Mountain Valley Arts Council is delighted to host muralist Donald Walker for its free August 19th Art Talks which will be 12:30 - 1:30 PM at the MVAC Gallery at 440 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville. Donald will be speaking on "Making Art for Everyone”.
Donald Walker was born in Arab and has spent most of his 54 years there. Working as a full-time artist and using the tools and opportunities that he has been given, he has produced art for masses. He has created murals for schools, libraries, churches, restaurants, businesses, hospitals, municipalities, and individuals in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Adding up how many people who have seen his work is impossible.
He has painted in every school in the Marshall County school system as well as many schools in Arab, Albertville, Boaz, Grant, Guntersville, Huntsville, Vestavia Hills, and Madison County. One creation that is seen by a special audience is the beautiful four-wall mural he created for the Marshall County Juvenile Court in Albertville where children can be entertained while other family members are in court. In addition, he has created public murals all over Alabama and in several surrounding states.
Donald Walker is also known for his pumpkin carving which he has demoed in several locations in Marshall County including MVAC and Guntersville FallFest. He often carves for family events such as Halloween and 50th anniversaries.
Please join us for chance to talk with Donald Walker about his art – art you just have to go see. MVAC would exhibit his work in our gallery if we could. Here is some of his recent work in Boaz, AL.
