The Shelby County Arts Council celebrated the opening of the fourth annual Fine Folk Art Gallery at a reception on Friday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m. The gallery features folk art from artists around Alabama.

“We’re trying to put in a proper exhibition for some really good, proven, regional folk artists,” SCAC Executive Director Bruce Andrews said.

The Fine Folk Art Gallery features work from Marian Baker of Oneonta, Mary Ann Casey of Auburn, Diana Hiott of Clanton, Jim Jones of Shelby, Larry Stewart of Union Springs and Teresa Wamble of Calera. Wamble served as the gallery’s curator, and selected the artists who were featured.

“I do a lot of outdoor shows, and I’m on the lookout for people I want to bring to this,” Wamble said. “A lot of people don’t do the art circuit, and they’ll never see these artists if they don’t come to this show.”

This is the third year that Wamble has been the Fine Folk Art Gallery’s curator.

At the reception, visitors met with the artists and had the chance to purchase some of their art.

According to Andrews, the Fine Folk Art Gallery became an annual event after it became popular during the first year.

“As a gallery, we do eight to nine rotations per year. When we land on something that we think is meaningful, we make it an annual thing,” Andrews said.

Andrews said the gallery places an emphasis on folk art, which is often reflective of life in the south.

“A lot of times, folk artists aren’t considered fine artists, just by virtue of the fact that many of them are not trained,” Andrews said. “The product of what they do is soulful and meaningful, and it usually has great stories behind it. That said, we advocate for training your skills, if you have an opportunity to do that.”

Refreshments were provided, and live music was performed by Barbara Snyder and Josh Arnold of Intermission.

The Gallery will be open to the public from Friday, Jan. 13, to Sunday, Feb. 26. SCAC gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Thursday.

For more information about events and classes at SCAC, visit Shelbycountyartscouncil.com, call 669-0044 or send an email to info@shelbycountyartscouncil.com.

“The Shelby County Arts Council is all about building the artist community. The southeast is rich with talent, rich with folklore and the byproduct of that is folk art,” Andrews said.