JOE MINTER IS HERE
“Joe Minter Is Here” is a community-based art installation of never-before-exhibited work by the visionary artist and ambassador for peace, Joe Minter (b. 1943).
Located inside the historic Marc Steel warehouse, in his Birmingham community, this immersive exhibit will be a landmark moment to celebrate Joe Minter, introduce his story to new generations, and highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage.
This site is significant to Joe Minter’s family history and Birmingham’s industrial history, as well as the lives of other prominent artists in Mr. Minter’s peer group, including artist and musician Lonnie Holley and artist Thornton Dial.
Mr. Minter has lived in the Titusville community for more than fifty years where he has created the sprawling African Village in America on the half-acre property around his home. Part sculpture garden and part memorial, this art environment is filled with sculptures made from scrap metal and found materials. Its theme is recognition of African American history from the first arrivals of captured Africans through slavery to the convict labor system and the Civil Rights Movement to the systemic racism and violence that persists today.
“Joe Minter Is Here” is Produced by 1504. Presented by Create Birmingham. In partnership with Navigate Affordable Housing Partners.
Mr. Minter’s pieces have been in major US exhibitions and are in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Birmingham Museum of Art. While he has been the subject of solo shows elsewhere, Joe Minter is Here will be the first exhibit in Birmingham that focuses solely on his work.
The sculptures will be shown alongside new audio and film components created by 1504 that will contextualize the importance of Mr. Minter’s work. Free public programs will take place throughout the October exhibit.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
“Joe Minter is Here” will open October 3 and run through October 20
Exhibit open Thursday – Sunday
Thursdays – Saturdays: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sundays: 1:00 – 5:00 pm
The Marc Steel Building is a historic warehouse in Birmingham’s Titusville community.
The Marc Steel property was developed in the late 1800’s as a steel foundry and manufacturing center. The property was first used by the Decatur Cart Company to make wheels for train cars.
ADDRESS
600 6th Ave South
Birmingham, AL 35233
Free parking is available on-site.
Opening Night Celebration
Thursday, October 3 | 5:30 – 7:00 pm
REGISTER HERE
Gather to celebrate the artist, Joe Minter, in his first local exhibition, featuring Imani Perry and a special performance by Lonnie Holley.
The opening day of the exhibition will culminate with a long-overdue gathering to honor Joe Minter among civic leaders, artists, friends, and special guests. While free to attend, the opening ceremony has limited capacity, and program attendees must reserve tickets.
“Titusville is Here” Community Day
Saturday, October 12th | 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Joe Minter Cultural Heritage Panel
Friday, October 18 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm
REGISTER HERE
Gather for an in-depth, national conversation on the opportunities and challenges for preserving the work of artists like Joe Minter.
The closing weekend of the exhibition will feature a panel discussion open to the general public in conjunction with the biennial symposium of the Association of Historians of American Art (AHAA).
The symposium will attract scholars from around the country for presentations at the Birmingham Museum of Art and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. On Friday afternoon, a special site-specific panel will take place at the historic Marc Steel warehouse, hosting the “Joe Minter is Here” exhibit.
The session is titled: “Joe Minter’s African Village in America and the Paths for the Preservation of Art Environments.” Moderated by Jade Powers (Birmingham Museum of Art), the conversation will feature Katherine Jentleson (High Museum of Art), LaStarsha McGarity (Tuskegee University), and Laura Bickford (Kohler Arts Center).
At a moment when much of Joe Minter’s art environment and personal collection face uncertain futures and environmental decay, this conversation has an urgent backdrop for one of Birmingham’s and the country’s cultural treasures.
While free to attend, the panel has limited capacity, and program attendees must reserve tickets.
“As long as you can put one foot in front of the other, never stop learning.” – Joe Minter
Thank you to our incredible community for your overwhelming enthusiasm and support! All available slots for FREE guided field trips to the exhibition have been filled. However, self-guided tours will remain available until October 20th, the final day of the exhibit. We are truly grateful for your support and interest in providing art education to youth and adults.
For those who have booked guided tours, please note that we ask for 24 hours’ notice for any cancellations. For questions or assistance, please contact Glenny Brock at education@createbirmingham.org.
We look forward to continuing to engage with you and creating meaningful art experiences for our community.
MEET THE TEAM
Tyler Jones Director
tyler@1504.co
Tyler Jones is a writer, filmmaker, and experience designer from Florence, Alabama. He is a founding member of 1504, where he has directed over 40 multimedia projects worldwide. Today, he leads the studio’s narrative strategy and place-based work in The South.
On September 8, 1504, Michelangelo unveiled his David. The 17-foot statue, carved out of neglected marble by a 26-year-old, was placed in the square outside of Florence’s town hall, where it quickly symbolized several things: a political statement on civil liberties against the ruling class; a technical milestone unmatched since antiquity; a spiritual narrative from the Hebrew Bible about a boy moments away from slaying a giant.
500 years later, the founders of this studio met through studying in Florence. Inspired by the Renaissance trade guilds and humanism’s integrated mind, body, and spirit, a studio formed in the spirit of 1504. Italy would go on to host its first storytelling workshop and series commission.
Today, the studio is differentiated by its method of blending art, experience design, and commercial practice. But within this alchemy, there is always room left for the mystery of story that no process can contain.
1504 is based but not biased in The South, the front lines of many complex issues facing America, where it draws inspiration from the rural landscape, traditions, and a strong presence of chefs and ghosts.
education@createbirmingham.org
The exhibit’s education coordinator Glenny Brock earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) in 1999 and worked as a journalist for more than a decade, serving as editor-in-chief of Birmingham Weekly and the founding editor of Weld for Birmingham. Her reporting has appeared in Architectural Record, The New York Times, and other publications. She completed an MFA at Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., and taught creative writing at BSC for 14 years. In 2018, in partnership with her friend Mia Watkins, she founded Dead Mother’s Day Brunch. The former outreach coordinator for the Lyric and Alabama Theatre, she is now working on the renovation of the historic Lincoln Theatre in Bessemer, Ala. Joe Minter is one of her heroes; she has been visiting his African Village in America for more than a decade.
Carol E. Clarke, Birmingham City District 8 Councilor
“Joe Minter is Here,” is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
This project is also supported in part by South Arts, Alabama Humanities Alliance, Birmingham City Councilor Carol Clarke, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Navigate Affordable Housing Partners, Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation, and Regions Foundation.