Don't Miss the Noontime Performance by The Pillars at the Central Library, Decmeber 28

Vivid memories of work in mines and pipe shops around Birmingham resurfaced when Norman Wooding Jr. and Henry Burton viewed the exhibition, The Birmingham Scene: Seldom-Seen Artwork From the 1930s and 1940s at the Central Library. On Wednesday, December 28, the two will join fellow members of The Pillars for a midday performance of Negro Spirituals and other hard gospel, fast moving harmony pieces, all in a cappella. Their midday performance in the Atrium of the Central Library will be in conjunction with the exhibition which depicts Birmingham daily life in landscapes, industrial locations, rural and urban settings, and African-American life. The program will include a gallery talk on the exhibition by Marjorie White, Director of the Birmingham Historical Society. This performance is one of many offered at libraries throughout the Birmingham Public Library System over the holiday season. Visit the library’s website at www.bplonline.org for programs the entire family can enjoy.

The Pillars gospel sextet includes a total of six members—four who are veterans of the tradition. Senior members include Norman Wooding Jr., Reverend Don Solomon, Henry Burton, and Bob Friedman, all of whom have over fifty years of experience singing, recording, and performing. The group has performed all over Birmingham and throughout the Southeast.

The Birmingham Scene offers a collection of 60 pieces of original artwork and will be displayed through December 30 in the Fourth Floor Gallery. “We have found watercolor landscapes, and everyday scenes with people doing regular chores,” says White. “There are also incredible depictions of industry—notably, a glimmering slag dump etched on aluminum—and wonderful moments from African-American life, including an award-winning woodblock cut of a Sunday supper with people passing the biscuits titled Church Supper that was once on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

Learn more about The Birmingham Scene exhibition.