The public is invited to Flow Tuscaloosa’s “An Evening at the Pool,” Saturday, May 21, which begins at 7:00 p.m. with a Lantern Parade. Lineup for the parade begins at 7:00 p.m. on Tuscaloosa’s Riverwalk near the Bama Belle’s old dock (near Hotel Indigo) at the north end of Greensboro Avenue.
The Lantern Parade is the much-anticipated culmination of three lantern-making workshops during April’s and May’s First Fridays and an Art Night, organized by Flow Tuscaloosa.
Flow Tuscaloosa is made up of UA assistant professors Jamey Grimes (art and art history) and Julia Brock (history), with a team of artists, curators and historians, including the Selvage Collective, made up of Brock, Teresa Bramlette Reeves, and Kirstie Tepper, and in collaboration with UA Museums and the Friends of Hurricane Creek, to bring visual art to environmental stewardship in a series of public events this spring. Flow Tuscaloosa recognizes the successful restoration of Hurricane Creek, a Tuscaloosa natural resource, as inspiration to ignite action to protect the resources of the Black Warrior River watershed and bring attention to environmental justice efforts in West Alabama. Drawing from expressive and visual art as a stimulus for dialogue, engagement and play, the project nurtures local commitment to environmental stewardship through arts-based workshops culminating with a community lantern parade on May 21 and three curated exhibitions in May and June.
“We’ll wait for the sky to darken a bit before we start the procession at 7:30,” said Brock, who has been organizing Flow Tuscaloosa’s spring and summer events. “If you came to a workshop and would like to use one of our lights, arriving at 7 will ensure we have time to fit your lantern with a light.” There will be a lighting display along the Riverwalk designed by Jamey Grimes.
The parade will end at Tuscaloosa River Market, at 1900 Jack Warner Parkway, before crossing the street (with the help of escorts) to the Warner Transportation Museum, on the site of the historic Queen City Pool. There participants can join the event, “An Evening at the Pool” complete with a light installation by UA’s Lyndell McDonald on the grounds of the old Queen City pool. Organizers at the Transportation Museum said they are excited to work with McDonald on “a stunning light display” on the old pool grounds.
The Warner Transportation Museum is hosting Swimming Together, an exhibition about the history of swimming in the Tuscaloosa area and the Queen City Pool, now on the National Historic Register of Places, including its building as a WPA project by Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice Don Buel Schuyler, and the history of the pool’s segregation and then desegregation.
Along with the specially designed outdoor lighting, Brock said, “You can hang your lantern, enjoy food trucks, and view the Swimming Together exhibit in the Transportation Museum.” Events will last until 10:00 p.m.
Information on parking, weather notices and more can be found on Flow Tuscaloosa’s website FAQ page: https://flowtuscaloosa.com/faq/.
For more information about the programs in the UA Department of Art and Art History, go to this page or contact the department at (205) 348-5967.