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We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer
“Looking back, it’s easier to see the moments that were crystallizing for me…. One friend asked me what I was going to do, and I said, ‘I don’t know, but I know I want to make a difference.'”

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: Irene Latham + Karim Shamsi-Basha
“One small act can create change… That can happen anywhere.”

We Create Birmingham: Katherine Cobbs
“Moving here and immediately being immersed in the food scene with local chefs allowed me to really get to know Birmingham, Alabama, and the South through this culinary lens. It was indoctrination by food!”

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: 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: 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: 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
