We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
“Having the opportunity to connect through a shared passion can radically change how you see the world and navigate your life moving forward.”
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr
“I’ve always felt that we all are deserving of great love. It might not look how you or someone else imagined or it might take a long time to find. Sometimes, it might not be the first time. But I really do believe there’s a fairytale for everyone. My work is about telling those stories.”
We Create Birmingham: Jon Osborne
“My inspiration comes from listening to music, being a part of a support group, and volunteering. I try to be present in the moment, to focus on my craft, and allow inspiration came and go.”
We Create Birmingham: Kevin Key, Jamie Cottle, & Kyle Roberts
“Legacy is about doing what it takes — recognizing something inside you that drives you beyond your current circumstances.”
We Create Birmingham: Paul Janeway + Jesse Phillips
” I think that’s how creative people cope. When life is disrupted and you feel weird or anxious, you just go create something because that’s what you do to feel fulfilled or keep yourself busy… It’s part of our DNA.”
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Price
“To succeed as an architect, I think you have to be a constant observer of what works over here, what worked there, or what worked a hundred years ago. I hope to know that I’m doing something, while being respectful of wherever I am in the world with the architecture, to create good buildings.”
We Create Birmingham: Tyler and Jennifer Lyne
“People connect over a meal. Food brings people together, and food is tied to your memories and what comforts you… As a chef, that’s easy to see and understand. We know what goes into each slice of bread, the life cycle of every ingredient that made it on to a plate, and what it’s like to work 12 hours for something that’s gone in five minutes but hopefully creates this moment of happiness.”
We Create Birmingham: Talaya Champion
“There is a lot of work to be done in how society views Latinx women. On average, we are the lowest paid minority women. People box us into the roles of housekeeper or cook. I asked myself, “Could I do what I do without bringing my ethnicity into it?” The answer is yes, but I want to be a part of changing that mindset. I’m a Mexican fashion designer.”
We Create Birmingham: Graham C. Boettcher
“This is one of the most creative places in the country; we’ve got a lot of serious practitioners in the performing arts, literary arts, visual arts, culinary arts—people that have gotten national and even international attention from right here in Birmingham… And that’s something our curators and educators have really been focusing on—underscoring the talent within our own community and bringing artists onto our walls and our pedestals and our stages who are from this city.”
We Create Birmingham: Camille Spratling
“A lot of other cities build parks that are designed for tourists. But the primary focus of Railroad Park has always been our residents… We wanted to make sure that if you live in Birmingham, you know that this park is for you.”
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: Katherine Cobbs
We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr
We Create Birmingham: Jon Osborne
We Create Birmingham: Kevin Key, Jamie Cottle, & Kyle Roberts
We Create Birmingham: Paul Janeway + Jesse Phillips
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Price
We Create Birmingham: Tyler and Jennifer Lyne
We Create Birmingham: Talaya Champion
We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto
“I think about Vulcan’s pose a lot and how it aligns with how I feel about my role. He’s looking up and towards the future… He’s a symbol of what can be accomplished through hard work and a link from our past to our future.”
We Create Birmingham: Daniel Grier
“It’s more than sustainability. It’s about adding value to what’s already there.”
We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King
“I have the opportunity to spotlight Black artisans and makers through my work… You can’t help what you don’t know, but I can change that.”
We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee
“When I moved to the States to live with my dad, art connected us. He drew every day, and I began to draw with him. It was a way for us to bond after all this time apart.”
We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry
“CO.STARTERS helped me understand my value and figure out how to grow… I think financial success and emotional fulfillment are often sold as being mutually exclusive, but we get to choose our realities, and having both is possible.”
We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot
“In my family, there were a lot of artists, artisans, and art lovers. So, it’s always been a part of who I am… I knew I wanted to be a part of connecting art and community.”
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: Katherine Cobbs
We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr
We Create Birmingham: Jon Osborne
We Create Birmingham: Kevin Key, Jamie Cottle, & Kyle Roberts
We Create Birmingham: Paul Janeway + Jesse Phillips
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Price
We Create Birmingham: Tyler and Jennifer Lyne