I Create Birmingham: Phillip Forstall & Annette Taylor

“Art in schools is an investment in Birmingham’s future. Many of the creative thinkers and problem solvers of tomorrow will come from our public schools.”

Name: Phillip Forstall & Annette Taylor
Occupation: Owners of Forstall Art Center
Creative Industry: Visual Arts & Crafts

1. We are excited to have you as Downtown neighbors! What made you decide to relocate your business?
Buying a building has been a dream of ours for years. Not only will we be moving our business downtown, but we will be living there as well. We love what we do and have always wanted to live above our store. Downtown was the obvious place for what we envisioned for our business and home. It’s going to be a great place to live.
2. How will the new location allow you to expand your business?
With three floors, our new location will be much larger, allowing us to offer more classes and workshops as well as artist studios. Since we will be living on the premises, we’ll be able to offer later hours and more access to artists working in their studios, attending classes or just making a late night supply run.
3. Downtown Birmingham is seeing resurgence. How do you and Forstall Art hope to be a part of that?
We’ve always been proud of our local art scene here in Birmingham and are excited about all the new opportunities for artists. By moving downtown, we will be better able to support Birmingham’s art community with more classes and workshops and a larger selection of art supplies.
4. Where did the idea for Salvador’s Deli come from?
We believe in giving back to our community and knew that many of our local art teachers are underfunded and unable to provide their students with the experiences necessary to nourish creative thinking. Together with some of our favorite art professors, and other friends in the art community, we created a fundraiser to supply local art teachers with materials. The idea of having a completion of artwork created from food was from Larry Thompson, Associate Dean for the Department of Visual Arts and Professor at Samford University.
5. What sort of role do you think art plays in the public schools? How can we foster that?
Art in schools is an investment in Birmingham’s future. Many of the creative thinkers and problem solvers of tomorrow will come from our public schools. We can foster this investment by supplying our city’s art teachers with the materials they need to give their students fulfilling art-making experiences. Being in the art supply business, we are aware of all the studies that show how valuable art is for the wellbeing of society.