Arty

If you're looking for Arty, he's flown over to Dallas Academy from his original perch at the Carneal building.

The Arts Revive butterfly sculpture was moved once work began on the former auto service place, which will become the home of the arts organization.

The butterfly is one of dozens of sculptures that make up the Butterfly Project.

The "Caring" Butterfly

The pretty blue butterfly in front of the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum is called the "Caring" butterfly, because this building once served as a hospital.

Its hospital exhibits depict the mid-20th Century when it served as the Vaughan Memorial Hospital. Prior to those days, it was a mid-19th Century school "for orphans and children of indigent Masons," and later a Confederate hospital, Freedmen's hospital, county courthouse and military school.

The building houses many other exhibits, including a replica of the late Mayor Joe T. Smitherman's office and much of his memorabilia, Confederate-era items, railroad history and military uniforms.

This weekend, the museum will again serve as headquarters for the Selma Historic Pilgrimage. Stop here first for tickets and a tour.

(The butterfly was painted by artist Sally Jordan and sponsored by Vaughan Regional Medical Center.)
To see more photos of this butterfly, visit The Butterfly Project.

Glorious Flutterer

When the sun shines just right, this butterfly can take your breath away!

The "Glorious Flutterer" gleams with pizazz on Broad Street, Selma's main avenue. This sculpture was painted in warm polka dots by Sister Judith Kaiser and Keyonsis Olds for their sponsor, the St. Edmund Learning Center.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Sister Judy about her art work for an article HERE.

Temple Mishkan Israel, which was built in 1899, is in the background, and you can read more about Selma's Jewish history HERE.

To view more butterfly sculptures, click on over to The Butterfly Project blog.

The Circle of Life

The jungle comes alive in "The Circle of Life" butterfly sculpture in front of Brown Chapel AME Church. Painted by artist Nate Brown along with fifth graders and Knox and Payne Elementary schools,tigers and panthers, parrots and butterflies share a lush landscape. Oh...and I believe this butterfly is looking right at you! To see closeups of this butterfly, click HERE.

Fun with a Nail Gun!

Can a lovely, dainty butterfly be macho?

You bet!

Fuller Building Supply's "Fun with a Nail Gun" butterfly sculpture is the creation of artist Teresa Cammack and is ready to go to work downtown with a hammer and pliers.

I'm told by folks who work on Broad Street that this butterfly seems to gather lots of attention from passersby.

The worker butterfly in overalls is one of 45 butterfly sculptures sponsored by businesses and individuals for The Butterfly Project.

Love, Hope and Peace

What better wish for the new year than Love, Hope and Peace!

That's the name of this flower-flocked butterfly that is easily spotted on Broad Street in front of the fountain.

It's the inspiration of artist Cindy Stoudenmire and sponsored by Randy and Gail Lovelady, Town and Country Realty and CRL Construction.

High Cotton

Here's a break from all the fog, clouds and rain...High Cotton.

One of Selma's Butterfly Project sculptures, "High Cotton" is sponsored by J.A. Minter & Son, which operated a longtime cotton gin in Tyler, Alabama, and is painted by Anne High.

The sculpture graces the grounds of Sturdivant Hall, but depending on seasonal events there, you might find it across the street at Heritage Park.

Selma's Butterfly Calendar

The Butterfly Calendar is here!

Selma's Spectacular Butterflies 2009 Calendar features the 12 butterfly sculptures of patron sponsors. Each represents a month. The cover and January 2010 photos also include the other three dozen butterflies.

The calendar and The Butterfly Project are sponsored by the Dallas County Arts Alliance, which was formed by more than a dozen arts organizations in Selma and Dallas County early this year.

The calendars are available for $15 each at The Frame Shoppe, which recently moved from Water Avenue to Broad Street near Butler-Truax Jewelers. Profit goes to the DCAA for future projects.

Click the photo to see a larger version, and click HERE to view an inside photo at The Butterfly Project blog.

December Theme Day (Circles, Spheres)

Welcome to December Theme Day!
This whimsical critter caught my eye with all its round stones and circles, a "Yes!" for this month's theme.

It's the "Aanea" butterfly, sponsored by the Selma Children's Museum, which is a project in the making. Artist is LaFawnda Watson.

There are 187 City Daily Photo Blogs participating today.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

From Sea to Shining Sea & a Blog Award

Yes! It's Thanksgiving Week, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate post than Kathleen's "From Sea to Shining Sea" butterfly sculpture. While I love visiting countries around the world through City Daily Photo Blogs, at Thanksgiving, I give special thanks for God's blessings and for my country, the USA.

Kathleen, who blogs just up the road in Southern Artistic Touch, is a talented artist, and she captured so many famous American scenes on her butterfly. Her theme is taken from the song, "America the Beautiful."

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Thank you, Kathleen, for a "You are Tagged" blog award!

The rules of this Meme are:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Some of the things about me you may, or may not know:
I'll stick with Kathleen's theme, "Things that make me go "Yes!"

1. Thanksgiving Week
2. When the crust on the pie in the oven doesn't burn
3. When I capture a really good photo
4. When there's time to watch a Hallmark movie on TV
5. When the community works together to produce something like The Butterfly Project
6. When the Alabama Crimson Tide wins yet another football game

Bloggers I'm tagging:
Tanya at Roanoke Daily Photo
Christy at Life with the Woods
Gwyn at Juneau Daily Photo
Jim at Terrell daily Photo
PJ at Pensacola Daily Photo
Mary at Faith, Fabric and Photos

Serenity in Nature

Branches, bark and Spanish Moss trim the elegant "Serenity in Nature" butterfly sculpture.

Sponsored by Pearce Catfish Farm and designed by artist Michael Sims, notice the base. It is cut out and filled with water.

To see more butterflies, visit The Butterfly Project.

To read a recent column about Selma, her butterflies and her metamorphosis, go to "Change Can Happen in Small Towns and Across the Nation."

It is written by syndicated columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson, who once lived in Montgomery. She was in Selma to talk about her latest book, "Poor Man's Provence: Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana" at the Lunch at the Library regional authors series.

"Dog (Cats) & Butterfly

What a fashionably friendly cat...wearing a flower in her furr, wouldn't you say?

She's just one of the whimsical cats painted on the "Dog (Cats) & Butterfly" sculpture sponsored by The Frame Shoppe. It's a butterfly sculpture, of course, and you can see more on The Butterfly Project blog.

The artist is Laura Grossman, who owns the shop in Lafayette Park on Water Avenue.

Reflections of Love and Peace

The courtyard at St. Paul's Episcopal Church welcomes parishioners with "Reflections of Love & Peace." This butterfly sculpture was painted by Sandy Greene and features a variety of Christian symbols and even the church on an outside wing. As you can tell, this butterfly has a stained-glass window appearance. St. Paul's is well known for its beautiful Tiffany stained-glass windows designed by Clara Weaver Parrish, who was an artist, a St. Paul's member and worked for Tiffany & Co. in New York.
To see more views of this butterfly, visit The Butterfly Project.

River Respite

A special addition to Riverfront Market Day this year was the newly unveiled butterfly sculptures. "River Respite" is sponsored by The Restaurant on Grumbles Alley, in background, and depicts the establishment's history, legends and cuisine. The artist is Laura Grossman who owns The Frame Shoppe nearby.
To view a map of the butterflies, click HERE.

Society's Queen City Swallowtail

Selma is the "Butterfly Capital of Alabama," and the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is its official mascot. This butterfly sculpture was sponsored by the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society and painted by member Candi Duncan. It sits on the corner of Heritage Village near Sturdivant Hall.

The Butterfly Project unveiled 45 sculptures Thursday just in time for festival visitors to include the tour in their weekend. The Alabama Tale-Tellin' Festival continues tonight at Pickard Auditorium at 7 p.m., and Riverfront Market Day on Water Avenue is open until 5 p.m.

More Butterfly Project photos can be viewed HERE.

"Hand"some Butterfly

Four hands together make a BUTTERFLY!

This colorful paper creation was made by a day camper at the St. Edmund Learning Center in Selma. Sponsored by Edmundite Missions, the center is working with dozens of children each afternoon for the five-week summer session. Arts and crafts are a favorite activity, but they also get to learn computer skills, read books just for fun, play games and enjoy a handbell choir concert from a group all the way from Illinois...not to mention last week's entertaining and educational McWane Science Center demonstration.

Back to the butterfly...I love the look on this one's face, and of course I must add that Selma is the Butterfly Capital of Alabama. Not only that, butterflies will soon land all over historic downtown in the form of sculptures that are painted and decorated by local artists. It's known as The Butterfly Project. The sculptures will be unveiled October 10 just before the Alabama Tale Tellin' Festival and Riverfront Market Day weekend. They'll be up for sightseeing until Thanksgiving. Come see!