Sharing appreciation of the arts: Leeds Art Council

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When the experts at Harvard's Saguaro Seminar considered the aspects of life that build community and encourage bonds between individuals (see www.bettertogether.org), the arts came high on the list. But it didn't take experts from up east to spread that message in Leeds, where the role of both visual and theater arts has been a focus of visionary volunteers.
"We wanted young people to be able to take advantage of the positive influences of the arts in their lives," recalls Johnnie Hargrove, president of the Leeds Arts Council, a board of some 20 volunteers.
Over the past few years, council members worked with the school system to enhance local offerings with arts programs for youngsters. From displays of children's paintings to performances by a traveling theater troupe, the council supplemented the efforts that the schools were making to expand cultural experiences.
The council also organized its own community theater productions, held in the auditorium of Leeds High School. Performances by the Missoula Children's Theater began to attract a wide following in the schools. All this, according to Hargrove, made the residents of Leeds more aware of the arts and their role in improving the quality of life in this fast-growing small town.
"People started to appreciate us, because we touched the hearts of parents for the first time," she says. "But it's a two-way street - they appreciate us and we appreciate them."
That mutual admiration and shared goals led to efforts by the Leeds Arts Council to purchase a downtown building and convert it into an arts center, a $337,000 project included space for art classes and a gallery as well as a modern theater. Two grants from The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham for a total of $20,000 helped to offset the cost of the conversion of the building into what is now known as the Leeds Community Arts Center.
"When we used the high school, attendance was alright," says LAC member and project financial assistance chairman Grady Sue Saxon. "But, with the recent production of 'Hello, Dolly' (in the new theater), we had six performances and we turned away people on four nights. We are so pleased with the community support of our activities now that we have a comfortable, modern facility."
The place was so full, Saxon recalls, that a visit by a police officer caused a brief moment of panic for the organizers, who feared that they might have overfilled the place. Instead, it turned out that he wanted to know how to try out for the next show.
"It's thrilling the response that we've had," Saxon says. In November, the center hosted rehearsals for two Christmas-related plays that involved casts of 25 to 35 area children each. The 200-seat theater served audiences estimated at about 1,300 for those December productions.
"For many of these children, it was their first experience in a play, their introduction to the arts," says Saxon. "They are already asking about the next play."
A variety show in January featured the talents of local adults and the Leeds Community Chorus, co-sponsored by the Alabama State Council on the Arts, has a concert set for March 11.
The gallery has been busy, too, with shows focusing on individual artists as well as the works of local quilters. The center hosts art classes on a regular basis, as well as a number of other community functions.
"We try to have a program each month, with varied topics," says Hargrove, adding that the center has had audiences totaling some 3,350 people in its first 10 months of operation.
As Leeds continues to grow, offering a chance to live in a small-town environment just 30 minutes east of downtown Birmingham, members of the Leeds Arts Council and its supporters look forward to the chance to see newcomers and longtime residents alike seated side by side in this vibrant community space.