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We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody
“I’m immediately invested in people’s success. Everything that I already am has helped me help others. At Create Birmingham, it’s just been improved because now I feel like I know more people to connect you to.”

We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith
“I can’t just teach dance. I use dance to teach life.”

We Create Birmingham: Anthony Waller
For me personally, it was also just good because the more time I spend downtown, the more of an intimate feel I get for it. I didn’t even know all these businesses were down here, and it was really nice to frequent them and actually have a better understanding of everything Birmingham has to offer.

We Create Birmingham: Viola Ratcliffe
“Also, quilts mark a place and time in something tangible. They link generations together and connect us in surprising ways. Textile art has the ability to break down barriers because you can see it and analyze it independently while embracing its warmth, humanity, and history.”

We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro
“Your passion needs to reach beyond the food. It has to be about the people who come to eat here and make memories here. It’s all about the people.”

We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee
“I think a lot of folks think about the Arts & Culture scene as something reserved for bigger cities, but I take dance wherever I go. The arts are for everyone – including those in small communities.”

We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton
“I look for subtlety. Being able to capture the feeling underneath a calm exterior is challenging… and that’s what I aim for — to capture personality and emotion that isn’t always outwardly expressed.”

We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman
“I strive to leave something better than I found it. And if I can do that in any small way, here in Birmingham, that’ll be an accomplishment.”

We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell
“We, the arts, are having an enormous economic impact on the success and vibrancy of this city… We are literally creating jobs – and in a field where it’s so hard to find an artistic home.”

We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier
“I want to encourage curiosity and make sure our programs are as accessible as possible… The online film or Film Twitter community can sometimes feel insufferable — there’s lots of gatekeeping about knowledge and taste. My personal mission is to burn that to the ground.”

We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody

We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith

We Create Birmingham: Anthony Waller

We Create Birmingham: Viola Ratcliffe

We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro

We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee

We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton

We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman

We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell

We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier

We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer

We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto

We Create Birmingham: Daniel Grier

We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King

We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee

We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry

We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot

We Create Birmingham: Irene Latham + Karim Shamsi-Basha

We Create Birmingham: Dr. Leah Tucker
“Jazz is democratic because everyone has a chance to add their own voice to the music. I want to keep passing that on. It’s the only original art form created in this country and now it’s celebrated in so many countries around the world. If it’s not passed down it may disappear.”

We Create Birmingham: Tyler Jones
“We don’t want to add noise. We want to put something in the world that moves someone. We want to be thoughtful in our work, not just reactive.”

We Create Birmingham: Edina Shrestha
“My design is inspired by my culture. We are deeply spiritual people, and I can see myself in every customer.”

We Create Birmingham: Cristal Laraé Brister
“When you know what you want, when you know who you are, regardless of the space, it makes it a lot easier to be able to navigate life and do what you need to do.”

We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody
“I’m immediately invested in people’s success. Everything that I already am has helped me help others. At Create Birmingham, it’s just been improved because now I feel like I know more people to connect you to.”

We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith
“I can’t just teach dance. I use dance to teach life.”

We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody

We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith

We Create Birmingham: Anthony Waller

We Create Birmingham: Viola Ratcliffe

We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro

We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee

We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton

We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman

We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell

We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier

We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer

We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto

We Create Birmingham: Daniel Grier

We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King

We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee

We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry

We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot
