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CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association

PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381

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Over 60 Artists to Display at Annual Jerry Brown Arts Festival

New location for 2011 event

Decatur, Ala. – More than 5,000 people are expected at the ninth annual Jerry Brown Arts Festival (JBAF) where quality folk art from across the South will be on display. Hosted by the Northwest Alabama Arts Council, an estimated 65 artists are expected to exhibit at this year’s event offering one-of-a-kind creations and masterpieces from diverse media including pottery, fabric art, ironwork, metalwork, paper art, glass art, and others.

Headlining the 2011 JBAF will be Smithsonian potter and Hamilton resident Jerry Brown, creative folk artist Charlie “Tin Man” Lucas, and reigning JBAF 2010 Best in Show Robert Taylor. The annual art celebration is set for March 5-6, 2011 and has been moved to the newly renovated airport hangar at the Marion County Airport located at 550 Airport Road in Hamilton. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

The prestigious Southeast Tourism Society selected the festival as a Top 20 Event for March in 2009 and 2010. Visitors from 16 states from as far away as Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania attended the festival in 2010

In addition to the professional artists, student art from local schools will be on display and there will be a hands-on mural which children can participate in painting. Proceeds from the festival support the Northwest Alabama Arts Council’s art education programs in local schools.

The Festival honors Hamilton’s Jerry Brown, a ninth generation potter whose work can be found in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. Brown was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship in 1992, as well as receiving numerous merit awards and in 2003, he was awarded the Alabama Heritage Award from the Alabama Arts Council. Also present at the festival will be Blue the Mule, who faithfully helps him mill his clay for his pottery. For more information, visit www.jerrybrownpottery.com.

For more information, visit the festival’s official web site at www.jbaf.org or call 205.921.9483.

About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)

AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state. It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of chambers of commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, attractions, campgrounds, festivals, communities, counties, golf courses, restaurants, tour operators, accommodations, vendors, financial institutions and individuals. Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available from the AMLA by calling 800.648.5381 or by visiting their web site at www.northalabama.org.

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