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Artist Tim Kerr to paint mural at Dothan's Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston

Matt Boster

Viewed: 1809

Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Aug 18 2016 8:24 AM


DOTHAN: In collaboration with the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Tim Kerr, an Austin,Texas-based artist and musician, will paint a mural at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston in Dothan beginning Thursday, August 18. The mural will depict the Club's founder, Alveta Houston Hawk, her husband, and the likenesses of past members taken from historical photographs. The mural will be painted on the wall of the Club that faces the 300 block of Chickasaw Street. 

 

Current director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston, Mrs. Altha Newman, is hopeful the mural will increase the visibility of the Club in the neighborhood. Newman, who has worked with the organization for more than a decade, welcomes the partnership with WMA and Tim Kerr as a means to revisit the history of the Club and relate it to the present-day, surrounding community. 

"A mural honoring our founder, Alveta Houston Hawk, is not only a dream come true --but an honor. When the Wiregrass Museum of Art presented its proposed mural project to the board of directors it felt surreal. The fact that it came at a time when we are making every effort to increase our visibility makes it more special. Collaborating with Tim Kerr and the WMA on this project has allowed me to delve further into the history of the Club, its founder and this Baptist Bottom community. I appreciate and have a greater respect for the rich, beautiful, and positive history that, I believe, will make all citizens proud. I hope that when the project is done, others will have the same respect and appreciation," Newman remarked.

Dana-Marie Lemmer, Director and Curator of the Wiregrass Museum of Art, explained the desire to reach out to the neighborhoods near the Museum and the community at large by pairing local organizations with contemporary artists to create a positive change in the community. 


"Hawk-Houston is a tremendous asset to our community and they provide many resources and programs to our area's youth. Their history is incredibly rich, and I am so honored that the Wiregrass Museum of Art will be able to play a small role in that history by bringing Tim here to work with them." 

Commenting on the role art can play in helping to transform the community, Lemmer continued to say: "Art is more than a pretty picture on a wall. Art has the ability to effect change. As we continue to expand our reach into the community, we will be focusing on the idea that whether celebrating our history, activating public spaces, beautifying neighborhoods, or working with artists to develop creative strategies in growing business, art can be a tool in solving problems and in social and economic growth."


 

This will be a return trip to Dothan for Kerr, who exhibited at the Wiregrass Museum of Art in January and February of 2016. He spent a week in Dothan in mid-January installing his exhibition, "Keep on Moving: the Rosa Parks Show by Tim Kerr and Friends," which had previously been on display at the Rosa Parks Library and Museum at the Montgomery campus of Troy University. He also led a community art project with area youth at WMA on a Saturday during his visit to the Wiregrass area. Kerr has designed and painted similar murals across the United States, including one this summer at Harry Wirtz Elementary School in Paramount, California. 

 

Once the work is complete, members of the Club will have the opportunity to make their mark on the mural by adding a hand print. This aspect of collaborating with the people who will see the mural every day is an important one for Kerr.

 

Altha Newman summed up the impact of Kerr's mural on the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston this way:

 

"We have been here for fifty-two years and that in itself is a big accomplishment. In the long run, I feel certain that the mural will not only increase the visibility of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston in this once-thriving and productive historic "Baptist Bottom" community but will revitalize both the Club and the Community. The history and legacy of Mrs. Hawk is worthy of being preserved for today's and tomorrow's generation. We're very excited."



The Boys and Girls Clubs of Hawk-Houston is located at 329 Chickasaw Street in Dothan, Alabama. They are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and also offer summer and after-school programs. Membership is open to children ages 6 through 18. According to their website, the mission of the Club is, "To provide a support system that will enable, encourage, and guide youth, especially those who need us the most in the Wiregrass area, to reach their full potential as productive, caring responsible citizens."

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