Media

Silent Auction – Ten Exceptional Trips

A NASCAR Driving Experience for One Person. Imagine yourself behind the wheel of a NASCAR racecar, suited up and speeding along at speeds of up to 150 mph. What a thrill being behind the wheel of a REAL NASCAR race car that has been raced in competition. (Several sites available)

Safari Exploration in South Africa for five nights in two luxury safari camps for two people. (Land only)

Challenge yourself on the Torrence and Kittocks Course in St. Andrews, Scotland for six days and five night at the Fairmont St. Andrews, Scotland for two, including a $900 Fairmont Gift Card for Golf. (Land only)

Enjoy a Taste of Vivacious Tuscany in Cortona, Italy for a 3-night Weekend Stay or a 4-night Weekday Stay for Up to Four People. Apartment is located in the heart of Cortona, allowing you to take in the beautiful culture this city has to offer. (Land only)

Discover the Best of Spain in Madrid and Barcelona for six Nights in a Two-Bedroom Apartment for up to four People, including a Food Tour, a flamingo Show, a half-day Market Tour and Cooking Class, and a Half-day Walking Tour of Modernist Art (Land Only)

Discover Italian Perfection in Praiano, Italy (Europe) for Six Days & Five Nights in a Two Bedroom Apartment with Sea-View Terraces for Four, Including an Amalfi Lemon Tour and an Amalfi Sunset Cruise (Land Only)

Coastal charm, castles and Fado in Lisbon, Portugal for Six days and five nights in a two-bedroom apartment for up to four, including a castle tour of Sintra and Cascais and a Fado Show with dinner (Land Only)

Explore the magnificent North by ice and water in Northern Iceland for six days and five nights in a two-bedroom lodge for four, including a hiking tour of Solheimajokull Glacier and a whale watching tour (Land Only)

The ultimate Top Gun experience in Mesa, Arizona including an Air Combat Mission for one person. Includes an inflight video. (Land Only)

French Flair from the Seine to Champagne in Paris, France for three night at a Four-Star hotel in Paris and Three nights in a chateau in the Champagne Region for Two, including a Seine Dinner River Cruise, a Champagne Tour with transportation and a visit to the Abbey of Dom Perignon. (Land Only)

The quilting demonstration and lecture will take place at the Andalusia Train Depot March 27

Andalusia, AL— AIR Artists, Inc./Cotton Street Gallery, in collaboration with the Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy (FQBL), is hosting an exhibition of Gee’s Bend quilts on March 27 at the Andalusia Train Station.

The event will begin with a reception at 4:30 p.m. followed by a lecture and discussion on the history of the Gee’s Bend quilters and the work they have done to build their community, from 5 to 6 p.m. After the lecture, from 6 to 7 p.m., Gee’s Bend quilters Loretta Pettway Bennett, Caster Pettway, Jennifer Abrams, and Stella Mae Pettway will give individual demonstrations, during which visitors will have the opportunity to try their hands at quilting. Several completed Gee’s Bend quilts will be on display, and smaller items, such as quilt blocks and potholders, will be available for sale.

Sue Wiggins, AIR Artists Inc. founder, said, “We are thrilled to have quilters from Gee’s Bend come and share their story and their talents with us in Andalusia.”

Tickets for the event are $25 each ($10 for children 12 and under) and may be purchased at the Cotton Street Gallery. For more information, email swiggins@airartists.org.

AIR Artists Inc./Cotton Street Gallery would like to thank the City of Andalusia for the use of the Train Depot and the events’ sponsors, title sponsor PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, the Alabama Humanities Alliance, the Andalusia Rotary Club, Clark Trailer Service Inc., Bishop Properties, and the Covington County Historical Society.

The Cotton Street Gallery, which celebrates Southern textile art and artists, is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The Gallery offers textile-related classes and demonstrations for adults and children throughout the year. Proceeds from the gallery benefit AIR Artists Inc./AIR Andalusia.

To learn more about the Gees Bend quilters, visit https://www.geesbend.org/. To learn more about Cotton Street Gallery, visit https://cottonstreetgallery.com/. To learn more AIR Artists Inc./AIR Andalusia, visit https://airartists.org/.

Quilts on display through March 31; Voting is open for People’s Choice

Quilter Debra Morales of Haden, Alabama was awarded Best in Show in the Cotton Street Gallery’s Second Annual Quilt Show for her Caswell Quilt. Sandy Gard, member of the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), judged this year’s competition. Morales took up quilting 11 years ago. Before fulfilling her dream of learning to quilt, she went back to school to become a Master Gardener, and her love of horticulture is reflected in her winning quilt. Based on the Caswell Carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Caswell Quilt design first appeared around 1835.

Morales’ quilt, which is made from yarn-dyed handwoven fabrics, features 25 blocks with flowers and birds intricately sewn by needle-turned appliqué. “Each little piece is turned with a hem so you can’t see the stitches or the raw edge of the fabric,” said Morales. As a Master Gardener, she enhanced the details.

“I fixed the flowers,” she said. “They didn’t look real. I put in the irises, the bleeding heart, the sunflower, and hydrangeas, and I added embroidery and designed the border.” The border is made up of tree branches with climbing flowers intertwined and features the quote “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” She then sent the quilt top to Carolyn Knight, of Mount Olive, Alabama, who added the backing and did the quilting. Morales said her favorite thing about quilting is “the creativity of it. It is very detailed.” As the Best in Show winner, Morales received $500. This is her second time winning the Cotton Street Gallery quilt competition. Gard, the competition’s judge, gave a lecture on quilt making at the Andalusia Public Library on February 1.

Cotton Street Gallery founder Sue Wiggins said, “The attendees were mesmerized. Sandy shared examples of people who were creating art quilts and incorporating objects into their quilting beyond stitches. She encouraged her audience to be creative and work outside the box of traditional quilting.” Gallery visitors can see Morales’ Caswell Quilt and others on display through March 31 and can cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award. The gallery is located at 104 North Cotton Street in Andalusia and is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Quilt show sponsors include the Kiwanis Club of Andalusia, the Alabama Humanities Alliance, and Clark Trailer Service, Inc.

The Cotton Street Gallery celebrates Southern textile art and artists and offers textile-related classes and demonstrations for adults and children throughout the year. Proceeds from the gallery benefit AIR Andalusia.

Debra Morales, of Haden, Alabama, won Best in Show for her Caswell Quilt.

Andalusia, AL—Quilter Debra Morales, of Haden, Alabama, was awarded Best in Show in the Cotton Street Gallery’s Second Annual Quilt Show for her Caswell Quilt. Sandy Gard, member of the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges (NACQJ), judged this year’s competition.

Morales took up quilting 11 years ago. Before fulfilling her dream of learning to quilt, she went back to school to become a Master Gardener, and her love of horticulture is reflected in her winning quilt. Based on the Caswell Carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Caswell Quilt design first appeared around 1835.

Morales’ quilt, which is made from yarn-dyed handwoven fabrics, features 25 blocks with flowers and birds intricately sewn by needle-turned appliqué. “Each little piece is turned with a hem so you can’t see the stitches or the raw edge of the fabric,” said Morales.

As a Master Gardener, she enhanced the details. “I fixed the flowers,” she said. “They didn’t look real. I put in the irises, the bleeding heart, the sunflower, and hydrangeas, and I added embroidery and designed the border.” The border is made up of tree branches with climbing flowers intertwined and features the quote “All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” She then sent the quilt top to Carolyn Knight, of Mount Olive, Alabama, who added the backing and did the quilting.

Morales said her favorite thing about quilting is “the creativity of it. It is very detailed.” As the Best in Show winner, Morales received $500. This is
her second time winning the Cotton Street Gallery quilt competition. Gard, the competition’s judge, gave a lecture on quilt making at the Andalusia Public Library on February 1. Cotton Street Gallery founder Sue Wiggins said, “The attendees were mesmerized. Sandy shared examples of people who were creating art quilts and incorporating objects into their quilting beyond stitches. She encouraged her audience to be creative and work outside the box of traditional quilting.”

Gallery visitors can see Morales’ Caswell Quilt and others on display through March 31 and can cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award. The gallery is located at 104 North Cotton Street in Andalusia and is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, please call 334-504-8824 or email swiggins@airartists.org

Quilt show sponsors include the Kiwanis Club of Andalusia, the Alabama Humanities Alliance, and Clark Trailer Service, Inc. The Cotton Street Gallery celebrates Southern textile art and artists and offers textile-related classes and demonstrations for adults and children throughout the year. Proceeds from the gallery benefit AIR Andalusia.

To learn more about Cotton Street Gallery, visit https://cottonstreetgallery.com/.

To learn more AIR Artists Inc./AIR Andalusia, visit https://airartists.org/.

Andalusia Star News, July 28, 2024

Exhibition will run from last weekend of August through October The Cotton Street Gallery in Andalusia is partnering Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians for an exhibition celebrating the tribe’s rich history of handcrafted regalia and traditional art. Items on display will include powwow regalia, princess regalia, basketry, quilts, reproduction pottery, and copper medallions, as well as arrowheads on loan from the Covington County Historical Museum. Tribal artisans will give cultural presentations at the gallery throughout the exhibition.

Click here to read more

Andalusia Star News, November 7, 2023

The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for Cotton Street Gallery’s first annual quilt show on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Among those in attendance were CSG Founder Sue Wiggins, cutting the ribbon; CSG Advisors Teresa Nelson and Roger Powell; Judy Caputi; Madeline Hawley; Zelda Wilson; AACC Director of Membership Services Maggie Holmes, left of ribbon; Chamber President Jennifer McClung, right of ribbon; Chamber board member Katherine Taylor Jones; City Councilman Presley Boswell; Dist. 4 Commissioner Tommy McGaha; and Sue Bass Wilson. The quilt show will run throughout November, and the public is invited to vote for their favorite quilt from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The winner will receive a cash prize of $200.

Andalusia Star News, October 25, 2023

The Cotton Street Gallery will host its first annual quilt show from Nov. 1-30 from 1 to 5 p.m. daily and seeks quilters to enter this year’s contest with two cash prizes available.

Quilters are invited to submit one quilt of any size for an entry fee of $15 before Monday, Oct. 30, and are asked to call 334-504-8824 to schedule a time for drop-off. Quilts must be submitted by the original piecer.

“I am very excited about our first annual quilt show coming up in November. We are pleased with the response we have seen from quilters all over and have reached out to 46 quilt guilds. We invite the public to join us for this special event and need your help in choosing the people’s choice for the best quilt of our show,” Cotton Street Gallery Founder Sue Wiggins said.

Quilt judge Madeline Hawley will select the Best in Show Award winner. This recipient will collect a $500 cash prize that was donated to the gallery by the Andalusia Rotary Club. In addition, a People’s Choice Award winner will be chosen from votes cast by those attending the show. This recipient will collect a $200 cash prize. Quilters may offer their quilt for sale. The gallery will receive a portion of the proceeds from each quilt sold.

Wiggins asked Teresa Nelson about holding a quilt contest. Nelson retired from PowerSouth and has two daughters and three grandchildren. She currently serves as the advisor for Cotton Street Gallery’s Quilted Treasures division.

“Our area has many talented quilters of all ages and all styles from traditional to modern. Cotton is king here, and cotton fabrics and battings are very important components of our quilts. There will be different styles to see because each quilter has his or her interpretation of what is beautiful. This is where the excitement comes in. We all have different likes and dislikes and bring our life experiences to our quilts. Being a quilter, I am aware of the local talent in our community and am excited to see what these quilters enter. I am always inspired when I attend a show and think this one will be no exception,” Nelson said.

Nelson described quilt shows as inspirational, emotional, and impressive.

“The quilts inspire us to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and create works of art. They can also be emotional in that they can portray events in our lives, creating memories by using a loved one’s clothing to piece together a story of that life. Quilts impress us to use color and techniques we might not have considered previously and are works of art that can speak to each person differently. Quilters enjoy presenting their works of arts and fellowshipping with viewers and other quilters.”

Proceeds from the show will go towards supporting Cotton Street Gallery’s AIR Andalusia. AIR is a unique artists-in-residence program focusing on the textile events. Wiggins stated one of the gallery’s future goals is to have artists residing near the facility.

Quilting is a favorite hobby in Nelson’s family as her mom and sister both quilt.

“I have made many quilts and have a genuine love of fabrics. I remember quilts hanging from the ceiling in a quilting frame at my grandmother’s home and many of her friends sitting around the frame quilting and talking and laughing. It was a wonderful time of fellowship,” she said.

Hopes are that the quilt show will become an annual event during the fall.

“This is our first show, so we will see what kind of interest there is in future events. I think we have a chance at a new tradition here at the Gallery. I would like to thank Sue Wiggins for her leadership in this event and just would encourage all quilters to enter their work. All stages of quilters are welcomed from beginner to accomplished. Just look what notoriety the primitive quilts of Gee’s Bend have attained. All quilts have a story to tell, and I hope we have many stories to share with the attendees. Happy quilting,” Nelson said.