by Mark Kelly

SOUTH PITTSBURG, TENN – On June 26, 2021, this historical and picturesque city will launch an art incubator. Coordinating the event is Arts in the Burg, a volunteer organization established to create a weekend destination with open-to-the-public artist studios, tourist-oriented retail, and live music venues.

For many art lovers, their quests to experience and to acquire the best works often sends them to Paris, New York, Rome, Chicago, Florence, San Francisco, London, and other art-centric locations. The devotees are equally drawn to the culinary arts and movie festivals, along with performances by world-renowned musicians and orchestras.

Following the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, in the 1920s, cities throughout the U.S. have joined the preservation movement, with a majority of those communities experiencing dynamic growth in business and vacation travelers, arts and entertainment venues, along with restaurants, and vineyard/winery/distillery/brewery tourism.

Since the opening of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in 1934, northeastern Tennessee and western North Carolina became the core of Appalachian culture and art. The cities of Asheville, NC and  Gatlinburg, Tennessee quickly became destination cities for tourists seeking the previously underappreciated Appalachian culture. Appalachian culture’s core now reaches Knoxville, Tennessee, northwest Georgia, and an ever-expanding list of southern communities accepting the challenge to restore and reenergize locations with a thirst to showcase their unique histories and art.

South Pittsburg – Be a Part of the Art

Arts in the Burg will host a launch party on Saturday, June 26, 2021, in the alley behind the Princess Theatre. The launch party will include the unveiling of the city’s first large mural.

Located in the tri-state region of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia, South Pittsburg is a natural calling card for arts-oriented patrons from Chattanooga, Huntsville, Alabama, Nashville, Knoxville, and Atlanta.

The quaint town has struggled economically through the years, with big box stores located next to Interstate-24’s exit, eroding South Pittsburg’s retail business, with vacant storefronts lining Cedar Avenue. A by-pass to the east to South Pittsburg led to less automobile traffic and further economic decline.

Arts in the Burg’s Director, Dale Woodfin, paints a bold vision for the incubator. “Communities in the southeast and throughout the country are revitalizing their historic districts through the arts and public artworks – think taffy being made in the window as you stroll down the street in Gatlinburg- but here it will be working artists practicing their craft and interacting with the public. With our tree-lined streets, historic architecture, and rich artistic history, we will be inviting regional and national art lovers to weekend experiences in South Pittsburg. Once we start attracting visitors to our downtown area, we expect other unique retail and hospitality-type businesses to open.”

The city already hosts one of The South’s premier festival events.

South Pittsburg is home to Lodge Cast Iron, the world’s leading manufacturer of cast iron cookware. In 1996, community volunteers, Lodge and Martha White Cornbread, teamed to launch the National Cornbread Festival (NCF).

The Festival attracts 30,000 people during the last full weekend of April, with attendees enjoying the National Cornbread Cook-off, the Little Miss Cornbread Beauty Pageant, food vendors, live music, and artists from throughout the Southeast selling hand-crafted art, photography, and other art genres.

Playing off the tourist-oriented momentum of the NCF, the goal of Arts in the Burg is to provide weekly art-related programming, entertainment, and food that attracts travelers from throughout the Southeast. The restored Princess Theater has a loyal following from music and movie lovers who have enjoyed the mid-20th Century facility’s ambiance.

Using Huntsville, Alabama’s Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment District, Paducah, Kentucky’s Lower Town Arts District, and other cities as examples, Arts in the Burg’s goal is to have 20 to 30 working artists in facilities located in downtown South Pittsburg by the end of 2021.

Community revitalization programs endowed by The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) creative grants program include an expansive collection of art centers and historic preservation success stories throughout the country. The Our Town program is the NEA’s innovative program for creative placemaking.

Our Town (https://www.arts.gov/impact/creative-placemaking/exploring-our-town) features 78 case studies of Our Town-funded projects. 

Arts in the Burg is the recipient of a generous donation from a gracious patron of the Arts, as well as a $10,000 grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission to fund the mural and launch party. This grant was awarded to SPARQ for the Arts in the Burg program as result of South Pittsburg’s participation in the Thriving Communities program and the Tennessee Placemaking Partnership.

The Tennessee Placemaking Project is a collaborative pilot project by Thrive Regional Partnership, Tennessee Arts Commission, Southeast Tennessee Development, and the Lyndhurst Foundation. The project is designed to support local communities as they scale up strategies that leverage local arts and cultural assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org/projects/tn-placemaking-partnership

South Pittsburg’s proximity to Huntsville lends itself to a deeper dive into Lowe Mill Arts and Entertainment District. The former manufacturing facility was purchased in 2002 by a local art enthusiast, Jim Hudson. Comprised of two buildings, Lowe Mill has 150 spaces with working artist studios, four performing arts studios, restaurants, and the Iron Bourbon Distillery. Art classes are available to folks with creative ambitions.

Lowe Mill is embraced by the North Alabama community, according to Art Coordinator Eliah McCitchen. It’s also led to collaboration with a similar facility in Massachusetts.

“The important thing for us is that we’ve shown what we can provide the public,” says McCitchen. “The enthusiasm for Lowe Mill has established us as a destination for art lovers and diners, and we work to offer new and exciting programs they will enjoy.”

While McCitchen and his team were developing Lowe Mill, they contacted Western Avenue Studios and Loft. The connection has enhanced the long-term vision of both facilities. “It’s amazing how many things we shared as far as planning and development. That’s led to providing input on what works and what doesn’t.”

Based on the success of arts-oriented preservation stories throughout the country, Arts in the Burg is poised to share similar success. Blessed with communication tools – social media and websites – that weren’t available in the past, the new venture will connect with thousands of daily travelers on I-24 and the Highway 72 by-pass and regional fans seeking enlightening weekend excursions.

With its June launch, Arts in the Burg will prove that when a community restores buildings and offers dynamic works of art, lively entertainment, and a variety of dining opportunities, they will Become Part of South Pittsburg’s Art.

Arts in the Burg is a program of South Pittsburg Area Revitalization Quest (SPARQ),

Website: www.ArtsintheBurg.com  (Sign up for our newsletter)

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ArtsintheBurg

Instagram: @ArtsintheBurg

Twitter: @ArtsintheBurgTN

The Tennessee Arts Commission is supported in large part by the state’s Specialty License Plate program. You can support the Arts by purchasing a specialty tag: https://tnspecialtyplates.org/.

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Arts in the Burg is a program of SPARQ

Tennessee Placemaking Partnership

The Tennessee Placemaking Project is a collaborative pilot project between Thrive Regional Partnership, Tennessee Arts Commission, Southeast Tennessee Development, and the Lyndhurst Foundation. The project is designed to support local communities as they scale up strategies that leverage local arts and cultural assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org/projects/tn-placemaking-partnership. 

Thriving Communities

Thriving Communities is a creative placemaking program of Thrive Regional Partnership designed to leverage local arts and culture assets for economic vibrancy and growth throughout the greater Chattanooga region. To learn more, visit www.ThriveRegionalPartnership.org/Thriving-Communities.

Thrive Regional Partnership

Thrive Regional Partnership inspires responsible growth through conversation, connection, and collaboration across the tri-state greater Chattanooga region. To learn more visit www.thriveregionalpartnership.org.