Shelby County Arts Council celebrates 20 years supporting the arts in Alabama
“Imagine. Create. Inspire.” That motto centers the work of the Shelby County Arts Council (SCAC). This year, the SCAC is celebrating two decades of imagining possibilities, creating opportunities and inspiring both emerging and established artists from Alabama and beyond.
“We’re more than a county organization,” said Bruce Andrews, who’s served as executive director of SCAC for 13 years. He wants people to know that the Shelby County Arts Center – the 30,000 square-foot facility that the organization calls home – is open to all. All year long, the SCAC offers arts education classes for children and adults, hosts fine art exhibits (including two juried shows – one for adults and one for high school students), and attracts a variety of performances to its 200-seat Song Theater.
The Shelby County Arts Center mural, painted by SCAC Executive Director Bruce Andrews, displays the mission and motto of the Shelby County Arts Council – Imagine, Create, Inspire. (Javacia Harris Bowser / Alabama News Center)
On November 7, 2025, SCAC will commemorate its 20th anniversary with a special celebration featuring the Birmingham-based singer-songwriter group Act of Congress. The SCAC has also been running an anniversary fundraising campaign to get donations of $20 from 20 people every week for 20 weeks.
“It’s been really fun,” said Leslie Belk, Community Engagement and Event manager for SCAC. She added that the campaign has been a great opportunity for people who can’t make large donations to have a chance to contribute.
Collaborative effort
In 2004, Terri Sullivan and a small group of other Columbiana residents started the Columbiana Fine Arts Center to address the lack of arts programming in Shelby County. The group expanded in 2005, became the Academy of Fine Arts of Shelby County and began to offer more classes. Two years later, it was renamed the Shelby County Arts Council to denote the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization’s role of both promoting arts programs and elevating artists.
The SCAC started its work in a rented storefront. The small space limited the number of arts classes the organization could offer. Today, the SCAC operates out of an $11 million facility – the Shelby County Arts Center at Old Mill Square.
RELATED: Shelby County Arts Council will open new Old Mill Square Arts Center in August
Opened in 2019, the Shelby County Arts Center features:
- Song Theater, a 200-seat black box theater for music, dance, drama and other performing arts;
- An outdoor amphitheater and park that are open to the public;
- A fine art gallery sponsored by EBSCO with rotating exhibits;
- A metal arts foundry;
- A pottery and sculpture studio with classes for artists of all skill levels;
- A visual arts studio for teaching artists to work in a variety of mediums, including drawing, painting, printmaking, graphic design and jewelry making; and
- Music studios and practice rooms for teaching piano, guitar, voice and more.
Andrews said he knows that some people may wonder, “How is this big building in Columbiana? How’d that happen?”
His answer: “It’s all about the collaborative effort.”
Andrews credits the City of Columbiana, the Shelby County Commission, and several grantors for making the dream of the Shelby County Arts Center a reality. The center received support from Alabama Power Foundation, EBSCO Industries, the Altec Foundation, the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and others.
“The fact that everybody came together is beautiful, and it can happen anywhere, but it takes a concerted effort,” Andrews said.
Pushing through the pandemic
Unfortunately, soon after the facility opened in 2019, the world was hit with a global pandemic in 2020.
“It’s like we got dressed for the prom and they canceled it,” Andrews said. “We got in here, and there was instant synergy. Our first four shows were sold out, and then 2020 hit. We had all this energy, and then it just came to a halt.”
But Andrews and his team were determined not to lose momentum. So, the SCAC livestreamed music performances and offered online classes. The SCAC staff met regularly via Zoom to stay connected. And SCAC kept finding ways to pay artists.
When COVID restrictions lifted, local residents were eager to attend shows and send their kids to the center for arts lessons and camps.
“Our arts education program has expanded exponentially,” said Belk, who got her start with SCAC teaching kids’ theater classes. She added that SCAC offers classes for all ages. “We have a lot of adult classes like painting, pottery; adults take music lessons, and we even have a Mahjong class,” she said.
Today, the Shelby County Arts Center is thriving and is an anchor for Columbiana’s entertainment district. In addition to the arts education classes and the EBSCO Fine Art Gallery, the Song Theater regularly welcomes artists like Eric Essix. In December, the theater will host Sean of the South for an already sold-out show. The Song Theater has brought in international artists, too.
Andrews shared that 70% of the SCAC’s overall digital transactions are from outside the Columbiana zip code, which means their programming is attracting arts lovers from a variety of areas, bringing them to Columbiana, where they also patronize nearby restaurants and bars.
“If you come here earlier, you’ll see Main Street lit up like a Hallmark movie,” Belk said. Fun fact: some scenes from the Hallmark movie “Double Scoop” were shot in Columbiana.
As SCAC celebrates 20 years, Andrews is also proud of the organization’s commitment to supporting artists. Teaching artists receive 75% of the fees collected for their classes.
“We’re a hub for artists that are serious about what they do, and artists who are willing to teach and give of themselves,” Andrews said.
Learn more about the Shelby County Arts Council at shelbycountyartscouncil.com.