Mentone Arts Center Thrives on Steady Leadership and Clear Vision

In October 2020, as much of the country was still shutting down, the Mentone Arts Center at the Chuck Sennett Center for the Arts opened its doors.

“We opened October 22, 2020,” Executive Director Randy Grider said. Five years later, people gathered inside to celebrate the fifth anniversary of what has become a hub of creativity for the town. The anniversary is less about marking a date and more about reflecting on what has been built — a working gallery, a performance space, and ongoing art classes led by both local and visiting artist/instructors and gives the community consistent access to the arts.

Longevity Means Planning for Reality

When asked what he considers the center’s most significant milestone, Grider replied, “I think making it to five years and paying off this building, which we did last year.”

Operating any organization in a small tourist town requires careful planning. From the beginning, the arts center approached its budget with that reality in mind. The board and staff built operating reserves and intentionally scheduled programming during slower months to bring local residents through the doors. Concerts in January and February were not accidental. They were designed to keep activity steady and provide income when walk-in traffic slowed. Grider noted the difficulty many area businesses face is that the highest operational costs (heating bills) coincide with the season of lowest visitor traffic, January and February. “We did plan ahead to get through those months and learned a lot of lessons. It has changed a little up here. January and February are not just total deserts anymore. People do come more than they used to.”

External factors also play a role. When Highway 117 closed due to flooding, the impact was immediate.

“That morning before they closed it, I did $400 in sales before 11 a.m.,” Grider said. “Then it took weeks to make another $400 because the road was shut down. We had to overcome our main artery through town being shut off.” For a nonprofit whose mission centers on supporting artists, fluctuations like that matter. “But we were very lucky when we first opened,” he said. Grider had hoped to bring in $5,000 (just to pay the utilities) from that first October through the end of 2020. They brought in $31,000 from the sale of art. The center takes a 30% commission on artwork sold — lower than many commercial galleries — so that the majority of each sale goes back to the artist.

“We only take 30% here because our mission is to help the artists,” he said. “We have to have other layers of funding — private donations and grants and things like that.”

That structure means the center’s financial health is closely tied to its ability to diversify revenue and maintain community support.

In addition to gallery representation, the center has hosted workshops and classes that give artists opportunities to teach and expand their reach. For emerging artists, those classes can be an entry point into the creative community. For established artists, they offer another source of income and engagement. For a town this size, it’s remarkable that attendance of an acrylic painting workshop demands an encore class from the instructor.

Classes have ranged from painting to fired glassmaking, which is also known as lampwork and other creative disciplines. Residents and visitors sign up to try something new or build on existing skills. In a rural area, access to structured arts education can be limited; the center is one of the local entities that have filled that gap.

Listening Room Atmosphere for Music

Live music has also become a consistent part of the programming. A listening room setting brings audiences into close contact with performers, creating an experience that feels personal rather than distant. Mentone continues to benefit from Grider’s ability to bring in top talent; Grammy-winning artists like Gary Baker; The French Family Band; Lee Farrar Bailey; guitarist Hiroya Tuskamoto, and so many more. These performances regularly sell out. The center also has provided free songwriter rounds hosted by award-winning singer-songwriter Craig Hendricks. These rounds have brought in up-and-coming local and regional songwriters as well as established artists like Kathy Louvin and Randy Brooks.

Grider’s philosophy is simple: provide more than a shopping destination. Rather, create an experience. That focus shapes decisions about programming, pricing, and partnerships. The center works alongside other organizations on the mountain, recognizing that a healthy arts environment depends on collaboration.

Experience Behind the Scenes

Grider did not come to the role through traditional arts administration. His background is in journalism and publishing.

Born in Scottsboro and raised on Sand Mountain, Grider graduated from the University of Alabama. He began at “The Birmingham News” as a sports writer and then editor of small-town newspapers, often hired to stabilize struggling publications. He then spent 13 years in national magazine publishing, managing large budgets and major advertisers such as Shell and Daimler. Those years required strategic planning and staff management — skills that translate directly into nonprofit leadership. The magazine industry was changing and Grider felt he was losing touch with his passion — writing. He and his then-wife decided to start a magazine called “Lookout Alabama,” which was available in 11 states. Eventually, the magazine ended and Grider took a position as publisher of two newspapers in Texas. Living in rural Atlanta at the time, he traveled back and forth in the role for a year, after which he decided to seek a job in this area to be closer to his teenage children year-round.

When members of the arts center board approached him about leading the effort to establish a permanent arts space in Mentone, the project appealed to both his professional experience and his connection to the area.

“They asked me if I would be interested in being the executive director and seeing if we could make it happen,” he said. It was a perfect fit.

Fundraising began for the arts center. The original building plan was eventually scaled and shifted to the current in-town location. Renovations relied heavily on donors and volunteers. Despite the uncertainty of 2020, the group committed to an opening date.

They solicited artists, and with the help of dedicated volunteers, the gallery began to take shape. “We just said ‘that’s the date we’re going to open, no matter what happens,’” Grider said. “And we did.”

Looking Forward

After five years, his goals are practical.

“I always want to see the sales increase for the artists and for our funding,” Grider said. “I would like to see fewer ups and downs through the months.” His goals include expanding class offerings, potentially adding more children’s programming, and continuing to strengthen relationships with other arts organizations in the area. But his longer-term hope is straightforward.

“What I would like to see is, 20 years from now, is that we’re still here and a regular stop for people.”

The Mentone Arts Center’s first five years have been defined less by dramatic expansion and more by steady development, thanks in no small way to Grider’s thoughtful stewardship. The center is now a hub for artists and those who seek enrichment from their work. And today, more than 60 artists and makers are represented in the gallery.

Grider’s favorite part of the job? “I get to be around beautiful art all day, and I get to be around artists who are excited about their work.” Seeing people come in happy and leave even happier feels like a mission accomplished.