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| “The Hudson Element,” a stained glass window at Lowe Mill by Julie Gill |
There
are so many things I love about Lowe Mill: the building itself, the history,
the murals, the art exhibits, the artists’ studios (148 of them), artists at work (over 200), and chocolate! There are also concerts, comedy
shows, gourmet popsicles, a weekly artist market at The Flying Monkey Arts Center, a farmers market, poetry slams,
restaurants, and a whiskey distillery.
My kids have enjoyed art classes, swing dancing, the Rocky Horror
Picture Show, and even a prom at Lowe Mill.
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| Selling at the Artists Market |
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| Pizzelle's chocolates - almost too pretty to eat...almost. |
Lowe
Mill opened as a cotton textile mill in 1901. It became a shoe factory after
WWII. In the late 70’s it was a warehouse for heating systems. (Historic photos from the Madison County Public Library)
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| Initial construction c 1901 |
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| Courtyard c 1945 |
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| Interior c 1945 |
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| c 1945 |
In 2001, Jim Hudson bought it and has developed it into the largest privately owned arts facility in the U.S. Typical for the Rocket City, Jim Hudson loves science (he has master's degrees in physics and biology; he founded Research Genetics, Inc., and he co-founded the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology) and, although not an artist himself, he is a supporter of the arts.
“The
Hudson Element,” Huntsville's “geekiest stained glass window” (shown at the top of the post), was installed in the north wing to honor Hudson. I love stained glass and this window is fabulous! It includes the molecular representation
of cotton, periodic table elements spelling out LOWE MILL, and an atomic energy type representation of the elements that spell out HUDSON. Other permanent art includes indoor and outdoor sculpture and this large hanging stained glass window:
There
are several stained glass artist studios:
There
are three floors of artist studios:
There
are six gallery spaces hosting changing exhibits. It’s like a new, free, art
museum appears every two months at Lowe Mill. I especially enjoy the casual
atmosphere for browsing these galleries – no museum guard hovering or
salesperson bothering you. The large art installations are often my favorites.
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Huntsville is a city of engineers and artists, and sometimes they are one and the same. Laurie is a former engineer; we worked together in New Mexico.
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More
fun stuff includes the cool signs on the studios, a dog comfort station, the stairwells, and a swing.
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| Lowe Mill is dog friendly and the artists can bring their pets to work with them. |
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| Lowe Mill “is not liable for accident or injury from you doing something stupid” – love it! |
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| The Alchemy Lounge |
More indoor
and outdoor murals:
More,
more, more:
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| Swing dancing |
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| View from the Happy Tummy Restaurant |
It
seems like they are always opening up more space at Lowe Mill. The latest was
the opening of 5,800 square feet on the first floor of the North Wing. Huntsville
STEAM Works occupies the area where they provide an “engineering playground”
with fab lab equipment for use by the general public. Anyone can work on their
own projects, take classes and attend seminars, do research, or just hang out
there.
