Kennedy Prints

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

“We demand the very best from our clients!” This quote, a manifesto for art over commerce, is from letterpress printer and bookmaker Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., the subject of the documentary film “Proceed and Be Bold.” Kennedy calls himself “a humble Negro printer” whose work conveys a fierce sense of social justice. Cliff Meador, head of the master’s program in book arts at Columbia College in Chicago, calls Kennedy’s posters “beautiful, provocative and powerful… ” His graphic design uses bold blocks of text over layers of pale transparent imagery. His messages reflecting African-American history include “Rosa Louise Parks 1913-2005” and “We who believe in freedom cannot rest.” Formerly based in Gordo in Pickens County, Kennedy has relocated to Detroit.

Photo Credit: mnbookarts.org

https://letterformarchive.org/news/amos-kennedy-jr

Bib & Tucker Sew-Op

Birmingham: Bib & Tucker

Bib & Tucker Sew-Op in Birmingham is keeping the longtime tradition of the sewing circle alive. Its mission is to provide a place for people to come together who want to sew in the role of either teacher or student. Founded by Annie Bryant and Lillis Taylor, Bib & Tucker Sew-Op has developed a sewing-based cottage industry to provide income and flexible working conditions for women who head their households. Several programs and workshops are offered, including youth programs. A nonprofit organization, Bib & Tucker is funded through grants and charitable contributions.

Photo Credit: Bib & Tucker Sew-Op

https://www.bibandtuckersewop.org/

Biscuit Leather Company

Birmingham: Biscuit Leather Company

In her studio adapted from a 100-year-old shotgun house in Birmingham, Becky Stayner handcrafts leather goods that are “soft and buttery like a fresh hot biscuit.” Hence the name Biscuit Leather Company, where leather is cut, punched, stitched and finished by hand to create bags, totes, clutches, belts and other artisan leather goods. These are simple, one-of-a-kind creations that improve with age. Country Living magazine placed the Biscuit Leather Company at No. 9 in its 2018 “The Country’s Most Creative” list.

Photo Credit: Biscuit Leather Company

https://biscuitleathercompany.com/

Standard Deluxe

Waverly: Standard Deluxe

Standard Deluxe is both a graphic design shop that promotes music and a music promoter that prints graphic designs. Founded in Waverly by Alabama native Scott Peek, Standard Deluxe blends the aesthetics of rural Southern culture, contemporary serigraphy and 21st century Southern rock music. Working out of a cluster of historic buildings, Peek’s print work combines retro iconography with pop art printing techniques. Peek also hosts musical events, including the “Old 280 Boogie” held every fall and spring. The National Trust for Historic Preservation calls Standard Deluxe and Old 280 Boogie reminders “of how positive and expansive preservation can be.”

Photo Credit: Standard Deluxe

http://bittersoutherner.com/standard-deluxe/#.W2sudjG0XIU

Billy Reid

Florence: Billy Reid

An issue of GQ magazine features a photo of actor Benedict Cumberbatch in a moss green corduroy shirt. The actor never looked better. The shirt was created by Florence-based fashion designer Billy Reid, one of only four designers to have won three or more CFDA Awards. Reid brings a regional sensibility to his brand that W magazine calls “Southern Gentleman sartorialism.” Headquarters is an old building in downtown Florence. Along with designing clothes, Reid hosts an annual event called Shindig, “a multicultural weekend of fashion, art, food, music & friends” held at locations throughout Alabama including Muscle Shoals. For Reid, music, place and fashion are inseparable.

Photo Credit: Billy Reid

https://www.billyreid.com/

Idyllwilde

Florence: Idyllwilde

Indigo dye is an organic compound that creates some of the most beautiful shades of blue – colors that make chemical dyes pale in comparison. At Idyllwilde – a design company and workshop studio based in Florence – indigo and other plant-based dyes and natural fiber textiles are used to create clothing, accessories and home provisions. Clothing is cut and sewn in small batches and many are made to order. Founder Nadene Mairesse also offers workshops on using plant-based dyes, plant-based printing and denim repair.

Photo Credit: cosmopolitan-corn-bread.com

https://www.idyllwilde.co/

Brooks Barrow

Montgomery: Brooks Barrow

Stone carving might be the world’s oldest three-dimensional art form and one that self-taught stone sculptor Brooks Barrow has mastered with his elegant stone vessels and sculptural objects made of Alabama limestone and marble. Though Barrow primarily works with native limestone and marble, he also carves granite and slate to make his one-of-a-kind pieces that are freeform and not turned on a lathe. Old world techniques and traditional tools are used to create functional objects and works of art that have a modern, minimalist aesthetic.

Photo Credit: Brooks Barrow

https://www.brooksbarrow.com/about-1/

Moulton: Red Land Cotton

For three generations the Yeager family has been doing their part to keep Alabama’s cotton industry alive, growing cotton in the rich, red soil at the foot of the Bankhead National Forest. They harvest their fine homegrown cotton and turn it into bed sheets, pillow covers, bath towels and other high-quality home linens. Farm-to-home produced products also include other items for the bed, bath and kitchen. Their heirloom-inspired bed lines are recreations of those made and enjoyed nearly a century ago.

Photo Credit: Red Land Cotton

https://www.redlandcotton.com/

Cullman: Garlan Gudger and Southern Architectural

Cullman: Southern Accents/Architectural Antiques

Vintage architectural treasures – Edison bulbs, ceiling fans and decorative tile to fireplace mantels, ironwork and antique doors and windows – can be found at Southern Architectural in Cullman. In 1969, Garlan Gudger began salvaging architectural remnants from Cullman buildings set for demolition. Objects were stored in his two-car garage, then a small shop which grew into Southern Architectural where rescued architectural salvage is restored. Southern Accents is now owned and operated by his son Garland Gudger Jr. and his wife Heather. Gudger Sr. was ahead of his time. Back in 1969, not as many people appreciated architectural salvage as they do today.

Photo Credit: Alabama Retail Association

http://www.sa1969.com/

Seale: Museum of Wonder

In Renaissance Europe, “cabinets of curiosities” were rooms that housed an eclectic mix of objects. Not what you’d expect to find off Highway 431 in Seale. Butch Anthony’s Museum of Wonder was described by the New York Times as: “A barnful of curiosities — the ‘world’s largest gallbladder,’ a replica of a human skeleton, a stuffed chicken — and more of Mr. Anthony’s artwork, which includes 19th-century portraits painted over with crisp white images of skeletons and old photographs affixed to paintings of mythical creatures of his own imagining.” Nearby is his Drive Thru Museum made from shipping containers with cutout windows that display a 1930s preacher’s tableau depicting hell, a stuffed two-headed chicken and other oddities.

Photo Credit: Alabama News Center

http://www.museumofwonder.com/the-museum/

Huntsville: Green Pea Press

Founded by Rachel Lackey as the first community print shop in Alabama, Green Pea Press offers memberships, workshops, demonstrations and field trips, custom printing services, on-site event printing, and sells wholesale and retail items. Its studios and retail shop are located in Huntsville and occupy a building considered to be the nation’s largest independent arts center. One studio provides artists with access to equipment in fine art print media. Another studio, The Pea Pod, offers hand-printed items for sale made in-house by Green Pea Press. Custom screen printing production and workshops take place at a nearby second location.

Photo Credit: Alabama News Center

http://greenpeapress.com/

Greensboro: HERObike

HERObike, a nonprofit bike shop in Greensboro, is dedicated to ending poverty in and around Hale County. Former Victoria’s Secret designer Pam Dorr came up with the idea to put indigenous bamboo to use and create local jobs. The premise is to build a better bike out of bamboo – yes, bamboo – which is lightweight but strong, making it ideal for a bike frame. Bikes are made on site and workshops are offered for people who want to build their own. HERO stands for Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, the nonprofit group that got HERObike up and running.

Photo Credit: Alabama News Center

https://designgood.com/creative-profiles/bike-design/

Florence: Alabama Chanin

With her commitment to preserving design and living arts traditions, it’s no surprise that fashion brand founder Natalie Chanin is called a “slow design pioneer.” Clothing is made of 100 percent organic cotton fabric and reclaimed materials. Garments adorned with exquisite needlework inherent to rural communities are sold at Barney’s and other urbane, upscale stores. The Factory in Florence is home to Alabama Chanin’s flagship store and café, design and production studios, and event space. Her School of Making brings initiatives and educational programs to communities.

Photo Credit: alabamachanin.com

https://alabamachanin.com/

Birmingham: MAKEbhm

Ever been curious to try woodworking, welding, ceramics or screen printing, but lack workspace and tools? At MAKEbhm, everything is provided to give a creative pursuit a go. Classes are offered and space is provided in a collaborative environment. MAKEbhm is the pet project of architect Bruce Lanier and his wife Scottie, who renovated the former RAM tool warehouse in Avondale. Several ways to join: co-work and share office space, studio membership for shared equipment and materials, or a residency that provides space to store equipment and materials and a workplace for daily use. Space is also available for light manufacturing and product design.

Photo Credit: Bruce Lainer /Make Bhm

http://www.makebhm.com/

Montgomery: Cotton and Pine

When A.H. Cather Publishing Company in Birmingham closed its door after 100 years, Cotton & Pine purchased its antique letterpress printing equipment to keep the ancient art alive. The Montgomery-based Cotton & Pine offers print design, video and web, and custom letterpress printing. Founded by Daniel Mims and Steven Lambert, who is creative director, Cotton & Pine offers a full-service print shop and design studio that offers all the creative services of a design firm. Its in-house shop, C&P Mercantile, sells their line of ready-made, 100 percent cotton paper goods and hand-crafted items from Alabama and throughout the South.

Photo credit: boxcarpress.com

https://cottonpine.com/

Leeds: Earthborn Pottery

Chefs and restauranteurs in Alabama and across the country love how their food looks on pottery created by Earthborn Pottery in Leeds. Started by master potter Tena Payne, the business has garnered national recognition and has received a number of honors. Her husband and their two children work in the business and in the Earthborn Studio, a team of potters create plates, bowls and platters, serving dishes, drinking vessels and signature items. Artists pay attention to every detail throughout the process from the clay to the glazes. Pottery workshops are also offered.

Photo credit: Hot and Hot plated

http://earthbornpottery.net/

Fort Payne: Zkano & Little River Sock Company

Fort Payne was once the Sock Capital of the World and Gina Locklear is keeping its claim-to-fame alive with Zkano and Little River Sock Company, her two lines of high-end socks. Locklear started the company in 2009 to design and manufacture socks using certified organic cotton and sustainable practices at Emi-G Knitting, her parent’s sock company that is one of the few mills still operating in Fort Payne. All phases of production are in-house from knitting to finishing without the use of harmful heavy metal dyes. Locklear says the company has “no plans to ever leave Fort Payne.”

Photo credit: AL.com

https://littleriversockmill.com/

Florence: hand-crafted brooms by George Jones Jr.

Among the most cherished crafts are those that are both beautiful and functional such as the brooms made by George Jones Jr. in Florence. A fourth-generation broom-maker, Jones uses some of the same equipment and techniques as his grandfather nearly a century ago. Jones makes broom handles from dogwood, oak and other native woods found on the family farm. His brooms are available at regional art shows and the gift shops of the Kentuck Art Center in Northport and the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.

Photo credit: AL News Center

http://arts.alabama.gov/traditional_culture/folkwaysarticles/FLORENCEBROOMMAKER.aspx

Auburn University: Alabama Workshops Toolkit

Though the creative process is often a solitary pursuit, design is becoming more integrated thanks to such innovations as the Alabama Workshop[s] Toolkit, a guide to how craft artisans in Alabama conduct workshops. Created by Robert Finkel, associate professor of Auburn University’s Graphic Design in the School of Industrial & Graphic Design, and Sheri Schumacher, associate professor emerita in AU’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, the toolkit is used to promote a network of Alabama artisans, makers and organizations that offer workshops for craft production.

Photo credit: Sheri Schumacher

http://robertfinkel.com/projects/alabama-workshops-toolkit/

Huntsville: Feather Wild

Sarah Conklin, founder of Feather Wild in Huntsville, starts the process of making her textiles with free-hand drawings inspired by river rocks and other patterns found in nature or in books. She then transfers these original drawings to small quantities of natural and upcycled (creatively reused) fabrics. Some fabrics are hand-dyed, by hand-printing them with water-based ink at Green Pea Press where she teaches printing and is a founding member. Conklin cuts and sews the fabric into items that are beautiful and made to last, such as pouches, pin cushions and scarves, along with one-of-kind wall hangings.

Photo credit: Feather Wild

https://squareup.com/store/feather-wild

Gee’s Bend: Gee’s Bend Quilters

Gee’s Bend’s “eye-poppingly gorgeous” quilts, wrote New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman, “turn out to be some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.” The quilts of Gee’s Bend are sewn by a group of women in this small town southwest of Selma, and they make some of the most important African-American contributions to art in the United States. Their style is described as bold and sophisticated, based on traditional American and African-American quilts, with a geometric simplicity reminiscent of Amish quilts and modern art. Without a doubt, Gee’s Bend quilters have made their mark, stitch by stitch, in the upper echelons of quilt-making.

Photo credit: alafricanamerican.com

http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com/

Fort Payne: Orbix Hot Glass

On 26 acres along Little River Canyon National Preserve in Fort Payne is Orbix Hot Glass, where owner Cal Breed leads a team of glassblowers who hand-craft each piece with attention to form, balance and richly saturated, jewel-like colors. Founded in 2002 by Cal and his wife Christy, the glass art studio and gallery business has made a name for itself with its refined handmade glassware that includes wall art, pitchers, wine carafes, tree ornaments and other items such as those in Auburn University orange and blue. Visitors are welcome to watch the glassmaking process.

Photo credit: Orbix Hot Glass

https://orbixhotglass.com/

Birmingham: Sloss Metal Arts

No better place for the metal arts than Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, the site of pig iron production for nearly 100 years. Sloss Metal Arts at Sloss Furnaces promotes iron-casting and related arts. The program also offers open studios and casting services, workshops; houses resident artists and apprentices; and provides demonstrations at schools, museums and festivals. Sloss Metal Arts also accepts commissions for public art installations. Or try your hand at iron pouring on Bowl-O-Rama night and create your own iron bowl.

Photo credit: Lewis Kennedy

http://www.slossmetalarts.com/

Birmingham: Bib & Tucker Sew-Op

Photo credit: Bib & Tucker Sew

https://www.bibandtuckersewop.org/

Arley: Wood Studio

On Smith Lake at the southern end of the Bankhead National Forest in Arley is Wood Studio, a family owned custom woodworking design and fabrication business specializing in small and medium scale residential and commercial projects. In their spacious yurt-style studio they craft wood furniture and other objects that are aesthetically pleasing and made to last generations. Randy Cochran operates the sales office in Fort Payne and his sons Keith and Dylan run the shop in Arley. Traditional and modern techniques are used to create functional works of art using hand-selected, sustainably harvested materials.

Photo credit: Brian Francis Photography

http://woodstudio.com/