Skywatch Friday (Lilies of Lafayette Park)

Yellow daylilies stand tall in the flower beds by the St. James Hotel and Bridge Tender's House in Lafayette Park. This week has been mostly sunny and very hot, and it's not quite officially summer.

See more sky pictures at Skywatch Friday.

View from Carter's Corner

It's midday downtown, and here's a view across Broad Street from the Carter Drug corner. The building you see in the background (from left of the tree and to the right of the tree) is the Selma-Dallas County Public Library. Yes, it's a big building! The entrance is behind the tree, and to the left is adult fiction and a large section of large-print books as well as audio books, videos, DVDs and the main desk. Upstairs, you find nonfiction, reference, the computer lab and genealogy. Sections on the right house meeting rooms and offices downstairs and children's and youth books upstairs, along with a big room used for puppet shows and other special events. Today's schedule includes an acrylic painting workshop for adults and teens, Open House Art and a Kirigami Class for ages 8 and up.

I almost forgot! Just inside the entrance to the right is Selma's Visitor Information Center.

(Click on the photo to enlarge it, and you can get a better view of the butterfly sculptures on the street corners.)

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.

Electrifly

April 16 is "Save the Butterfly Day" in Alabama, and rather than post a Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch or some other natural butterfly, I found ELECTRIFLY!

Electrifly is one of the Dallas County Arts Alliance butterfly sculptures that took flight downtown last October. This butterfly was painted by artist Tammy White for patron sponsor Alabama Power Company.

Butterflies are Selma's official mascots and Alabama's official insects.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

"From Sea to Shining Sea"

"From Sea to Shining Sea" was painted by local artist Kathleen Wright.

So what is it, you ask?
It's a "sneak peek" at the butterfly sponsored by Laser Made Creations' and is one of 46 butterfly sculptures that will be unveiled in downtown Selma October 9. Each segment on the wings represents an American scene from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

The artist is also painting Venetian murals in her Queen Anne house in north Dallas County and finishing up portraits for Roseanne Cash (Johnny's daughter). She recently started her own blog as well...called Southern Artistic Touch.

Kathleen grew up in Florida in an Italian family with an Italian restaurant, so that 'splains her love of Venice and Italy!
Hmmmmm...seems Italian style runs in our county! The butterfly sculpture craftsman, Nico Giampietro, is an Italian native.

If you can make it to the butterfly unveilings, come on! It's at 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9 at Lafayette Park right next to the St. James Hotel on Water Avenue. Then, you might as well stay until Friday night when the Alabama Tale-Tellin' Festival begins, and be sure not to miss Riverfront Market Day on Saturday! (PSSST! The Central Alabama Fair is going on that week as well!)

Butterflies in Progress

Master craftsman Nico Giampietro fastens one of the butterfly sculptures he made for Selma's Butterfly Project. After sanding and priming, he delivers the butterflies to the artists for painting. At least 40 butterflies will line the downtown historic district shortly before Tale-Tellin' and Riverfront Market Day weekend Oct. 10-11 and be on display there for at least several weeks.
Giampietro is a native of Italy who studied carpentry with his grandfather, then went to Germany to learn advanced techniques. He owns Nico's Custom Woodwork and primarily makes custom kitchen cabinets. However, he has also designed and made custom furniture, including the furniture in his home.