Saturday, August 10th marked the first volunteer work day organized by The Fly Arts Center to help kick-off renovation efforts at the historic Shelbyville building.
Over 30 volunteers (ranging in age from 16 to 80) from the community came together to clean, organize, paint and repair the main floor of The Fly Arts Center and its exterior grounds. The main room received a new coat of paint on the walls and doors, while an old storage area was converted into a concession stand for the art center's many events.
"We hope to organize more volunteer work days in the future," said Jennifer Meloy, The Fly Arts Center's Director of Marketing. "It would be wonderful if we could come together again as a community to work on improvement projects each season to show this old building some much needed love."
Built in 1927 to house The Fly Manufacturing Company, the arts center was renovated by the Bedford County Arts Council in 1992. "The Fly" has been the non-profit organization's official base of operations ever since. The Fly Arts Center is home to The Fly Community Theatre, The Fly Art Gallery and the Bedford County Museum. As a community arts center, the building hosts art classes, theatrical plays, live music/concerts, festivals, craft/art markets, art exhibitions, community meetings and more.
The Bedford County Arts Council was founded in 1976 by Carol Price when she began teaching at the Webb School as a Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC) artist-in-residence. The Bedford County Arts Council seeks to encourage, promote, foster, sponsor and develop the cultural arts in Bedford County and surrounding areas for the benefit of the general public.
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The Fly Arts Center strives to reach out to the Bedford County community in order to educate and engage its members in creative art-making, to encourage community members to participate in art related activities, and to enrich our town through meaningful, inclusive, art experiences, in order to help create a community that recognizes and appreciates the value of visual and theatrical arts.
The goal of the art center is to have our participants learn the skills, techniques, and methods necessary to create unique pieces that will expand and enrich their lives and foster a greater appreciation of the visual arts, as well as to facilitate social interaction, mutual support and friendship among our members. The Bedford County Arts Council hopes to provide a sanctuary here at The Fly Arts Center where people can come and capture their passion for the arts.
"Our vision is to create a welcoming and inspiring creative place where everyone in our community can come to connect with art," said Vice President Jennifer Dawn Smith.
"We would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers," stated Jody Barnes-Turner, President. "Without your support, none of the work done could have been accomplished. An organization like ours is strong only due to such strong volunteer support."
The Fly Arts Center would also like to extend a special thanks to Cass Waste Systems, Smolicious Mobile Eatery, Lowe's Shelbyville and The Express.
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