Holiday Art Crawl, Artist Spotlight on Barbara Umland, and a Time for Gratitude

Town-Wide Art Crawl
Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Annual Art Crawl is a day of Mentone holiday cheer that includes a tour of local artists’ studios, special open houses at area businesses, and ornament making for kids of all ages.

For detailed information about the Art Crawl and the Mentone Tree Lighting, see “A Mountain Christmas: Tree Lighting, Annual Art Crawl, and a Full Day of Holiday Magic.”

Little River Art Gallery Featured Artist: Barbara Umland

Barbara Umland has been an integral part of Mentone’s creative community.

Barbara has called Mentone home for 17 years. She served as a member of the LRAC Board of Directors and remains a dedicated volunteer at St. Joseph’s food pantry. She is well-known as the area’s fairy house design-and-build aficionado, creating enchanting dwellings from natural materials gathered in her wooded yard.

A lifelong lover of art, Barbara credits her older brother — who held a master’s degree in art — as a mentor. Though she pursued a career in nursing, earning her degree from Samford University in Birmingham, art remained a constant passion. Her career included organizing and managing the Lactation Center at Cobb Hospital in Atlanta and later consulting in Birmingham until her retirement at age 70.

Barbara’s artistic journey has taken her far beyond Alabama. A workshop in Giverny, France, where she painted daily in Monet’s garden, deeply influenced her impressionistic style. While today she paints exclusively in acrylics, she considers herself a mixed-media artist at heart. Her paintings are held in private collections across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Wisconsin. In addition to her artistic pursuits, Barbara teaches fairy house workshops, volunteers, and continues to find joy in learning new skills, most recently taking piano lessons for over a year in celebration of her 80th birthday.

Leaf Your Mark on Mentone: Moon Lake Arts Collective

We would like to thank all our volunteers for their generous support of our efforts to provide a place for local artists to be seen. We could not stay open without them!
Pictured: Back Row: Layne Stone, Chris Davenport, Sandra Perry, Barbara Umland.
Front Row: Brande Arno, Sharon Morris, Kathy Dyleski, Helen Allen, Cyndi Yeakle. Not Pictured: David Cummings, Tiffany Parnell, Rhea Pirch, Mary Ann Robbins

The Moon Lake Arts Collective is getting closer to our fundraising goal, most recently receiving a $6,000 grant from the Tillotson-Menlo Charitable Foundation, Inc. This proposed public-access clay and art studio will be a creative hub, offering workshops, artist guild memberships, and community classes.

Every donor will be recognized on the studio’s Donor Wall, and gifts of $2,500+ will be honored with a metal oak leaf on the outdoor Donor Tree, symbolizing the deep roots of Moon Lake School and the new growth of creativity taking hold here. To help make this vision a reality — or to “add your leaf” — visit www.littleriverartscouncil.org.

Art of Appreciation

The Little River Arts Council celebrated our fantastic board members and our wonderful gallery volunteers with a brunch hosted by Cynthia Stinson at the beautiful Mentone Inn. There was delicious food, lots of laughter, and thank-you gifts for everyone. Chris Davenport received the award for Most Dedicated Volunteer, having filled over 30 (3-hour) shifts at the gallery in the past year. Brande Arno received the Sales Excellence award, having transacted the most sales, and Sharon Morris was our Top Sales Performer, with the highest amount sold. Not to be forgotten, our president bestowed nicknames on all her board members.