Distinctive Alabama Arts Highlighted In May Public Television Documentary

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A 90-minute documentary, “Coat of Many Colors: A Tapestry of Alabama Artists,” featuring 31 Alabama artists and their various works, will air on Wednesday, May 9, on Alabama Public Television. Production of the documentary was supported by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The program will premiere at an advance screening at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library on The University of Alabama campus, on Tuesday, May 1, at 6 p.m., following a 5 p.m. reception. The event is free and open to the public, although seating will be limited.

The documentary, which is the first locally-produced high definition television program in the South, will showcase musicians, sculptors, painters, writers and others who combine the state’s rich artistic traditions with their own unique visions. Artists featured in the documentary will include Albert Murray, novelist and essayist; Willie King, who plays the blues in elementary schools and uses his music to revitalize his West Alabama community; and Frances de la Rosa, whose inventive paintings are influenced by her childhood at an antebellum plantation home. Other featured artists will include:

Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, bluegrass/gospel musicians.
The Louvin Brothers, a North Alabama country music songwriting duo.
Experimental photographer Pinky Bass.
Mary Ward Brown, author and 1987 PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award winner.
Yvonne Wells, a self-styled quilter, who uses pictures and words in her creations.
“It’s been a delightful privilege to work on this documentary about the arts in Alabama, getting to know some of the wonderfully talented people around the state,” said Carolyn Hales, documentary co-producer along with Birmingham independent filmmaker Michele Forman. “The project has also been daunting. Alabama is home to such a large number and diversity of artists that decisions about who to include were downright agonizing.

“But Coat of Many Colors,” Hales continued, “was never intended as an encyclopedia. It’s a mere sampling that we hope will lead people to further explore Alabama’s artistic riches. As you watch, I think you can’t help but be impressed by the remarkable number and variety of Alabama artists. And then, you realize this program just scratches the surface.”

Over the past 18 months, producers and videographers from UA’s Center for Public Television and Radio have logged thousands of miles with state-of-the-art high definition TV cameras to capture images of artists for the program. The project features a remarkably detailed and realistic picture in a wide screen format.

While Alabama Public Television is not yet broadcasting an HDTV signal, many Alabamians will be able to view the documentary in HDTV at previews in galleries, museums and theatres around the state — including the May 1 showing at UA. But even though the use of new technology has contributed to improving the quality of viewing, it is the story being told that producers hope will become the true focus.

“The story of the arts and artists in Alabama is a colorful one, rich in tradition and dynamic in contemporary expression,” said Al Head, Alabama State Council on the Arts director. “The arts contribute to the quality of life in Alabama and portray the state’s positive personality perhaps better than any other of our resources. The story of the arts in Alabama can be, and needs to be, told.”

Other preview screening dates and locations for the documentary are still being arranged. Announced screening dates and additional information about the program, including biographies of many of the artists previewed, can be found at www.alabamaarts.org, a Web site produced with the assistance of Walls New Media, Inc., of Birmingham.

For more information, contact Brent Davis at the Center for Public Television and Radio, at 205/348-8629.