On Thursday, July 21, Councilor Carol Clarke (District 8) announced that South Arts has named the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame a “Southern Cultural Treasure”, making the organization eligible for grant funding. Keep reading to learn more about the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Southern Cultural Treasure initiative.

Named to the Southern Cultural Treasure Initiative

South Arts (formerly Southern Arts Federation) is a nonprofit regional arts organization that aims to empower, “artists, organizations, and communities, and [increase] access to arts and culture.” The organization is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies and a variety of public and private donors.

One of South Arts’ newest initiatives, Southern Cultural Treasures is a four-year, $6,000,000 program that aims to support Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and -serving arts and cultural organizations in the Southeast. Selected organizations will receive critical funding and resources that South Arts hopes will enhance their impact on the cultural landscape.

Announced in July, the Southern Cultural Treasures cohort includes:

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Inc. (Birmingham, AL)
Art2Action Inc (Tampa, FL)
Asia Institute, Inc. (Louisville, KY)
Ballethnic Dance Company, Inc. (East Point, GA)
Catawba Indian Nation (Rock Hill, SC)
Collage Dance Collective (Memphis, TN)

Colour of Music, Inc. (Mount Pleasant, SC)
Deep Center, Inc. (Savannah, GA)
Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (Miami, FL)
Efforts of Grace, Inc. (New Orleans, LA)
JazzArts Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
Junebug Productions, Inc. (New Orleans, LA)

BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center (Indianola, MS)
Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Utica, MS)
Otis Redding Foundation (Macon, GA)
Teatro Avante (Miami, FL)
True Colors Theatre Company (Atlanta, GA)

About the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

Founded in 1978, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organizations that honors the state’s jazz legends and encourages the next generation of jazz musicians in Alabama. Inductees into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame include:

Erskine Hawkins
Fess Whatley
Sun Ra
And many more!

Since 1993, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame has had an exhibit inside the historic Carver Theatre in Birmingham’s Fourth Avenue Historic District. Currently, the Carver Theatre is undergoing a major city-led restoration.

Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame: (205) 327-9424 | Email | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Location: 1701-B 4th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203

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