ArtsRevive started out as just a group of volunteers wanting to make a difference in the community. 

“I think what I’d like to hope ArtsRevive means and what we’re trying to mean, is a group of people who believe in Selma; that we’re seen as a group of people who believe in the promise of Selma and the people of Selma,” said ArtsRevive Executive Director Martha Lockett.

“It’s not that we don’t recognize that there are problems, but we see that this is a place that has a lot of value, the people here have value, the history here has value.”

The slogan for ArtsRevive is “Where art builds community,” and Lockett said they truly believe that statement.

“We believe that the arts are a vehicle for building community, for bringing people together,” Lockett said.

“This is a place where good things can happen because it’s filled with good people who make to make good things happen.”

Now, a few years have passed and the once small volunteer group is on its way to making a big impact in the Queen City.

ArtsRevive has plans of expanding to create a vibrant and engaging community space through a capital campaign titled “The time for Selma is now.”

The campaign is set up in three different phases. Phase one is turning the current Carneal Building into a true arts and cultural center. That would consist of remodeling the interior to include a community meeting space, classrooms and a multi-use space. Phase two includes creating a new retail space for artists to display and sell their work.

According to the written plans, “The building directly across Water Avenue has been acquired by ArtsRevive and needs relatively few updates in order to become Gallery 905, a fully operational shop and showplace.” The addition will also have studio room, where 10-15 working artists can share a space to fed off of each other and create new work.

“We want very much to be able to support the local artists,” Lockett said.

Phase three is the final phase and is in place to create a community garden that not only acts as a garden, but as a community hub where children can play games, people can enjoy nature and more.

Lockett said ArtsRevive is trying to accomplish all of this within the next year, but to do so, they need to raise $1,000,000.

“I would hope that [the community] sees that there’s a group of people who truly believe in the possibility that’s Selma, and the possibility of people that are Selma; we’re not anything without each other,” Lockett said.

For more information about the campaign or ArtsRevive, call Lockett at 412-8052.