Arts + Culture

At the heart of Big Spring International Park – and Huntsville’s arts scene – is the Huntsville Museum of Art. This world-class museum contains 14 galleries, with a permanent collection that primarily focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American art. One of its most noteworthy exhibits, Buccellati: A Silver Menagerie, contains the world’s largest public collection of Buccellati silver. Traveling exhibits also make a frequent appearance at the art museum, ensuring that guests always have something new to discover.

A not-so-hidden gem in Huntsville’s historic Twickenham district is the Weeden House, built in 1819. This museum offers a unique look inside life more than two centuries ago with its antebellum architecture, preserved furnishings, and period décor.

A quick walk around downtown will provide an introduction to some of Huntsville’s most prized public art pieces, from statues and sculptures to larger-than-life murals. The City of Huntsville even has an official public art collection, titled Amazing Spaces, with several of the pieces prominently featured inside Huntsville City Hall. Arts Huntsville, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts in Huntsville and surrounding Madison County, hosts free guided tours of the city’s public art on the first Friday of each month. Visitors can also pick up a map from the Downtown Huntsville Visitor Information Center to help them follow the “Secret Art Trail.”

Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment holds the distinction of being the country’s largest privately owned arts facility. This historic factory building houses studios for more than 200 artists as well as seven galleries, a theatre, performance venues, and a community garden. Several additional art galleries can be found across Madison County.

Performance art flourishes in every pocket of the Huntsville area. The city has five Arts and Entertainment Districts – Quigley, Village of Providence, S.R. Butler Green, MidCity, and Bridge Street Town Centre – which are home to live music venues and many cultural events. Two of the largest venues, the Von Braun Center and The Orion Amphitheater, regularly play host to artists from around the world. Originally built in 1898, Merrimack Hall is now the Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center, equipped with a 300-seat performance hall, a 3,000-square-foot dance studio, and multiple community spaces.

Since its first rehearsal in 1955, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra has grown to become one of the leading musical ensembles in the region. An HSO orchestra season typically includes classical concerts as well as pops series. The Huntsville Ballet Company and School is the only professional ballet company in the city and performs classic ballets such as The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella. Opera Huntsville serves as the city’s preeminent opera organization, with a mission to produce high-quality productions and educate the community on the operatic art form. Entertaining the Rocket City for nearly 70 years is Theatre Huntsville, a nonprofit community theatre and one of several troupes that produces plays and musicals for the area.

Enriching Huntsville with both local art and history is the Huntsville Revisited Museum. Here, visitors can view old photographs and unique artifacts, as well as learn stories of people and places significant to the city’s past. More history can be experienced at museums like Burritt on the Mountain and the North Alabama Railroad Museum.

Support for the arts is easy to come by in Huntsville, thanks to a few dedicated organizations. Arts Huntsville seeks to connect, educate, and produce some of the city’s favorite events, including Concerts in the Park, the Monte Sano Art Festival, Christkindlmarket, and Panoply – a weekend-long arts festival that brings more than 100 visual artists to Big Spring International Park every April.

A nonprofit artists’ cooperative, Huntsville Art League helps local artists showcase their work and grow their business while also providing education, sponsoring workshops, and hosting special exhibitions. The primary advocate for the city’s music community, the Huntsville Music Office spearheads initiatives to support artists, venues, and the local music industry. In Madison, nonprofit Madison Arts Alliance brings the arts to life through local live performances, art exhibits, creative workshops, and community projects.

Huntsville’s neighbor, Decatur, is just as immersed in the arts. Downtown Decatur boasts Alabama Center for the Arts, a four-year art college that provides visual and performing arts instruction. The Carnegie Visual Arts Center hosts both local and global art exhibits as well as programs throughout the year. A landmark for more than a century, the Princess Theatre is now a beloved performing arts center. The free MoCo Mural Trail and MoCo Art Trail guide visitors around Morgan County to view some of its greatest masterpieces. A juried festival that takes place in downtown Decatur each October, the River Clay Fine Arts Festival features artists from northern Alabama and around the country.

Just west of Huntsville, Athens is another vibrant hub for artists of  all ages. The Athens Arts League is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting art education in the area, including sponsoring weekly art classes at the historic Scout House. Each fall, the Athens Storytelling Festival produces a lineup of internationally renowned storytellers for a slew of memorable performances.