cactusfrog8
Huntsville
Worth visiting!
I grew up in Huntsville, and couldn’t wait to leave…so I left and hated every minute of it, so I came home. Huntsville isn’t like the rest of Alabama…its a town full of rocket scientist!!! The only thing I would change here is the art scene…there isn’t much, though there is a small effort, but its still not enough.
Philip
Memphis
First of all, i’m a fellow ex-expatriate, or whatever you call someone who moves away then moves back.
I liked it a lot more than i expected when i first moved back 6 months ago. In particular i was interested in the art scene as you mention. I’m not a creative person myself, but i like being around others who are.
But after multiple unsuccessful efforts to get involved at the Flying Monkey, i’m about ready to write off the arts scene here as just like any other clique i’m not a part of. I certainly don’t see a desire to make it helpful for well-meaning outsiders to get involved. Am i overlooking some secret?
cactusfrog8
Huntsville
Personally I find the Flying Monkey to be full of shit…they are not very open to “outsiders” trying to get involved and hence, I go nowhere near it. What I have found is the music scene…I really enjoy going to House of Brews, the Klatch, or any of the other smaller bars downtown and listening to local music. Pick up an issue of the Valley Planet for the music calendar.
For visual arts, I really like the Dowtown Arts Stroll and the Monte Sano Art Show. It has more down-to-earth artists. I was really into the art community when I went to UAH and a lot of the people I knew there are involved in the smaller scale art stuff.
I hope this helps…if not let me know and I’ll find some other places for you to check out.
Philip
Memphis
And now i have my “agenda” for things to investigate in Huntsville.
Regarding the Monkey, i guess i’m happy to hear that my impression isn’t just me in a fit of pique or something. Honestly, i don’t get the sense that anyone there tries to be cliquish; they just end up so focused on whatever they’re focused on that they have absolutely no interest in helping outsiders get involved. I used to volunteer at Flywheel in Easthampton, MA, and while it didn’t experience the tremendous growth of the Flying Monkey it also seems that they were much more organized about taking on new volunteers.
I can certainly pick up the latest Planet, and i can surf around and find out when those art walks/shows are. Thanks for the tips!
