The fifty-second annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts was hosted at Kentuck Park in Northport, Alabama, on October 14 and 15. With over 270 vendors, the festival spanned almost the entire length of the park. Booths lined winding paths and were stacked together side-by-side with countless unique pieces of art. Some pieces were actively worked on over the duration of the weekend, making creation a primary focus of the festival. This year’s judges brought together an array of talented artists and artisans from Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas to showcase their work and celebrate the rich culture that exists among the arts community.
One of the main highlights of the festival were the “demonstrating” artists. As the name implies, these artists demonstrated their creative process in real time. One example of this presentation would be Sloss Metal Arts, a metalworking collective from Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama. With the assistance of a large furnace, their team melted iron and copper into a variety of different molds. Historically, demonstrating artists have worked with a wide variety of mediums: painting, weaving, metalworking, ceramics, and many more. Visitors were able to view and purchase these pieces as they were created, as well as talk with the artists about their creative process and inspirations. (I personally purchased a lovely handmade dark green frog from a local vendor, Lucy’s Toys.) The festival served as a great opportunity for budding art enthusiasts to learn more about the art world and what it takes to produce an exhibit-worthy piece of art.
The heart of the festival was the opportunity to hear work given from the Kathryn Tucker Windham Spoken Word Stage, a space for avid poets, writing enthusiasts, or simply interested visitors. Of particular interest was Ashley M. Jones, the Alabama poet laureate 2022–26, and Dr. Trudier Harris, a world-renowned scholar of Black literature, distinguished UA professor, and recent inductee into the Alabama Writer’s Hall of Fame.
As a poet and educator, Jones’s work was heavily focused on identity, race, history, and social justice. Reading selected pieces from her collections, she provided thoughtful reflections on personal experiences and the complexities of being Black in America. Her work was topical and relatable by addressing both personal and social struggles. Similar to her poetry, Jones has an honest yet composed way of communicating her words. She occasionally joked with the audience between poems, breaking down the wall between speaker and audience. I found the ways that Jones promoted empathy, understanding, and finding a dialogue with important issues in her work beyond admirable.
In a similar vein, Dr. Harris’s work focused primarily on African American literature, folklore, and Cultural Studies. During their time on stage, Harris delved into the rich history of oral traditions, exploring the various forms of storytelling, spiritual beliefs, folktales, and customs that have shaped African American culture. It is through her research that she has helped to preserve and highlight the importance of these traditions, while also shedding light on their enduring impact on African American literature and society. With Harris being both a skilled orator and significant figure in academia, the opportunity to listen to her insights was a priceless experience.
Another speaker of note was Charlie “Tin Man” Lucas, an Alabama folk artist known in part for his metal sculptures. He recounted stories about Windham, the namesake of the Spoken Word Stage. Considering that this was the festival’s final year in Northport, its home for over five decades, it was a bittersweet experience to be able to collectively reflect on her legacy. I listened intently to Lucas’s stories about how Windham became an integral part of the festival, preserving an American tradition of oral storytelling and captivating visitors with her enchanting narratives. She is particularly well remembered by Lucas and long-time visitors of the festival for her ghostly tales. There is a short yet poignant quote from Windham that I believe encapsulates the essence of her legacy: “Storytelling is a way of saying ‘I love you’—’I love you’ enough to tell you something that means a great deal to me.” A writer myself, this reaffirmed my own sense that the act of storytelling is an expression of love, trust, and connection between the speaker and the listener.
I also found enjoyment in listening to the poetry of Sara Pirkle, a UA creative writing instructor and American poet. Other readers included members of Pure Products (a local reading series), as well as a members of UA’s Writers Guild, a select group of undergraduate writers. It was wonderful being able to hear poetry and prose from my peers and inspiring to see their commitment to the storytelling tradition at Kentuck.
For visitors who preferred more hands-on activities, the festival also offered live music shows, food trucks, various workshops like guitar making and collaborative painting, and even a musical petting zoo. These activities immersed visitors in the spirit and culture of Kentuck, which is to engage with and cultivate a deeper appreciation for the arts. Another exciting component of the festival were the family-friendly activities that were available, which included arts and crafts, face painting, and storytelling. These opportunities provided visitors and their young children with the perfect chance to experience the joy of art and explore their creativity.
Overall, the Kentuck Festival of Arts served as a celebration of the rich culture and artistic traditions that exist in its surrounding regions. Though it may not be continuing in its original location in Northport, the legacy of the festival will live on, although no doubt very differently as it moves across the Black Warrior River into Tuscaloosa. Through its exhibitions, classes, performances, and more, visitors celebrates community, culture, and the beauty of the art that springs from them.
The 2023 festival featured over 270 vendors and artists. See the festival website for a complete list. In addition, current students at UA that were featured included Skyla Pearson, Kylei Miller, Marin Poleshek, Gracelyn Mitchell, Cassie Montgomery, Autumn Carpenter, Ever Wood, Mo Edwards*, Abby Armstrong*, Christin Stephens, Ben Iboshi, Noah Saunders, Anna Luis, and Jermaya Martin. (* denotes authors published by Red Rook Press, a UA student-run organization.)