POWERGRAMS

31 He signed a record deal and released a single in 2015 before auditioning for The Voice this year. From March through May, Roberts sang 10 songs as a part of Blake Shelton's team, eventually finishing in third place. The Fayette campus of Bevill State Community College was founded in 1969 as Brewer State Junior College, named after Gov. Albert Brewer. The school with 800 students and 150 employees has baseball and softball teams and fields, a two-story dormitory, natatorium and classroom buildings across 40 acres extending down 25th Street Northwest. Perhaps the most prominent architectural feature of the campus is a central tower modeled after the courthouse belfry. While some visitors to this Alabama Community of Excellence might opt to stay at the Journey's Inn Motel, another option is the Rose House Inn, just north of the courthouse. The Queen Anne cottage built in 1898 and restored into a bed-and-breakfast in 1995 is on the National Register of Historic Places, offering 10 guest rooms with modern conveniences and modest rental fees. ART MUSEUM Twenty years ago, National Geographic declared the Fayette Art Museum a "regional attraction," which was 30 years after the city's permanent collection of local artwork opened. "We're still a place to see," says Glenda Robertson, director of the civic center that includes the museum now celebrating its 50th anniversary. "We're trying to keep it that way," curator Anne Perry- Uhlman quickly chimes in. The elementary school built in 1930 but abandoned in 1973 has been a point of pride for Fayette since it was restored and reopened in 1982 as the community center. The focal point of the building is a collection of more than 5,000 paintings, with more than 200 pieces displayed at any one time in the halls and on the walls of every room. The art collection originated in the old City Hall with 100 paintings purchased by newspaperman Jack Black from Lois Wilson (1905-80), who grew up in Fayette but lived most of her life in New York City. The eccentric artist was the subject of "Treasures from the Rubble," a 2013 documentary shown on the Public Broadcasting System. Wilson's paintings continue to be the heart of the museum collection, with more than 1,000 of hers stored or displayed on the ground floor. "Jack Black recognized her talent, corresponded with her, and she decided to give the collection to her hometown," says Robertson. "He sent her the money to have them shipped to Fayette, then personally framed the canvas or paper paintings." Most of Wilson's works are unframed, on refurbished wood, cabinet doors, an ironing board, some integrating the silver foil linings of her discarded cigarette packs. Many are part of her "American Icon" series that expressed Wilson's political and environmental views. "Here Come the Earth Polluters," states one. "God Gave Commandments – Men Kept Only One: 'Go Out and Multiply," says another. "First the Buffalo and now the breath! Nothing Left to Shelter or Feed or Hold Rain: And Paleface Called us Savages," a third one decries. Yet, there's far more to this museum than Wilson. The same ground floor includes a major entrance display of Sudduth, the internationally known primitive artist. There is a gallery of Sybil Gibson's "brown bag" works and another room dedicated to patriotic gourds and panels by Brother Ben Perkins, both Fayette natives. A third gallery showcases the local art of Margarette Scruggs. Alabama artists Mose Rose House Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Self portrait of Lois Wilson Museum is celebrating 50th anniversary.

• Cover