Montevallo Arts Fest draws creatives and crowds

Published 3:38 pm Monday, April 28, 2025

By Dave Domescik

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Arts Fest, an event featuring artist booths, live music and kids’ activities, drew thousands to Orr Park in Montevallo on Saturday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event was hosted by the Montevallo Arts Collaborative, a volunteer group dedicated to promoting and coordinating the arts in the Montevallo area. Melanie Poole, the chair of the Montevallo Arts Collaborative, described the overwhelming success of the event.

“This year’s Montevallo Arts Fest was wonderful,” Poole said. “The weather was gorgeous, the number and variety of artists was the best ever and the music, the food and children’s activities were all well received. We think attendance was about 3,000 people.”

Attendants, according to Poole, took advantage of Orr Park’s natural splendor, bringing their dogs, swimming in Shoal Creek and enjoying the event’s amenities.

This year’s Montevallo Arts Fest had 130 artists from across Alabama, as well as bringing in artists from Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Texas and North Carolina.

Poole described the talent and amenities that drew the most crowds at the event.

“Montevallo is blessed with a great number of local artists, and visitors always flock to their booths to see what’s new,” Poole said. “Of course face painting, balloon art and caricatures are always popular with the kids. Our Best in Show, Best in Fine Art and Best in Fine Crafts artists really exemplify the wealth of talent we have here in Alabama.”

Poole also emphasized the hospitality the artists receive when presenting at the event.

“Our artists are always appreciative of the hospitality they receive at Arts Fest,” Poole said. “They’re greeted with smiling faces and a goodie bag of snacks and breakfast when they arrive to setup on Saturday morning. They appreciate the beauty of Orr Park, and the patronage that our Montevallo residents give them. Montevallo residents always show up for local events, and support local artists. This year was no different.”

Outside of Arts Fest, the Montevallo Arts Collaborative remains dedicated to supporting and bringing the arts to Montevallo. The organization also sponsors the Tinglewood Festival, ArtStalk and the Merry Market.

“We supply the Parnell Memorial Library Gallery and the City Hall Gallery with artwork year-round,” Poole said. “We support local music and theatre events in Montevallo as well. There is such a wealth of talent in our community, whether it’s visual arts, music, drama or other cultural events, and I would encourage residents to come out and experience what Montevallo has to offer.”

The following are the winners of the Montevallo Arts Fest:

 

  • Painting: Anthony Rodriguez
  • Printmaking: Lindsay Dyess
  • Photography: Chris Price
  • Mixed Media: David Livesay
  • Wood: Teresa Wamble
  • Metal: William Colburn
  • Clay: Robin Griffin
  • Glass: Paige Hughes
  • Jewelry: Tonia Mayton
  • Textiles: Charlene Waggoner
  • Other: Natalie Jones Craig
  • First Place in Fine Art: Steve Carmichael
  • First Place in Fine Craft: Mariah Emmett
  • Best in Show: Corinna Nicole

For more information on the Montevallo Arts Collaborative, visit its Facebook page at Facebook.com/montevalloarts.

More Montevallo

Montevallo City Council discusses city branding, reserve funds at meeting

Xcaret Grill opens in Montevallo

Youth Leadership Shelby County class of 2025 honored at ceremony

UM President John Stewart III announces retirement amid university financial cuts

Print Article

  • Polls

    What would make you consider a digital subscription to Shelby County Reporter?

    View Results

    Loading ... Loading ...