PLACEMAKING
We work with community advocates and non-arts organizational partners across the state as a ‘placemaker’ to help make blighted property into new cultural assets.
When a community imagines an arts or local history basis for revitalizing the built environment; i.e. when they have a story to tell, want a new museum, arts and culture center, gallery and/or interpretive center, we work with community stakeholders, developers, and architects to imagine what a building can be. We support the creation of spaces rooted in a local identity, and built for long term sustainability.
Got a building? Although we are happy to be brought on at the end of a project to commission murals and public art projects, we prefer (and have found) the earlier we are brought on to a project, the better the result. To inquire about becoming a placemaking partner, email us!
ACE THEATRE
501 Congress St,
Mobile, AL 36603
Under Development. Located on “the Avenue,” the Ace Theatre is one of the last surviving movie theaters that served all-Black audiences in Mobile. It was built in 1943 by James Huestis King, who operated King, Inc. and Southern Theaters, Inc. which also operated Pike and Crown Theaters.
Read More
HISTORIC AVENUE CULTURAL CENTER
564 Dr Martin Luther King
Jr Ave Mobile, AL 36603
As a founding partner of the Historic Avenue Cultural Center (HACC), we plan programming and exhibition content that acts as a vessel to empower the community of the newly established Civil Rights and Cultural Heritage District. At the annual block party and other programs throughout the year community members share stories that reclaim the narrative of the neighborhood that was once dubbed “Black Main Street.”
Read More
MARC STEEL
600 6th Ave S,
Birmingham, AL 35233
The Marc Steel property was developed in the late 1800’s as a steel foundry and manufacturing center. a landmark of North Titusville’s industrial past, the property was first used by the Decatur Cart Company to make wheels for train cars.
The project site is approximately 6.5 acres. Currently zoned Mixed Use – Medium and contains two buildings; the historic Marc Steel property and a warehouse building. The Marc Steel building was constructed in the late 1800’s and is a structural steel framed building with metal cladding and is approximately 40,000 sf.
Alabama Contemporary is working with Red Thread Development, Titusville Marker Committee and community stakeholders to create arts+local history opportunities and visual story-telling programs that inform a community-led plan for the redevelopment of the Marc Steel building. Beyond preservation, this project seeks to transform the space into a vibrant hub for business, community engagement, and the arts.
THE DAVE PATTON HOUSE
453 Hickory St,
Mobile, AL 36603
The Dave Patton House is a historic house in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The two-story structure was built for Dave Patton, a local African American entrepreneur. He purchased this property in 1900 and completed the Mediterranean Revival style house, designed by local architect George Bigelow Rogers, in 1915.