Discover The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation

What is The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation? 

The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation is a historic and cultural destination that is part of the Greater Birmingham area's narrative as a foundational part of the Civil Rights movement and African American history. Imagine a place of reckoning and reclaiming. Where the past, present, and future connect to reconcile past atrocities, grow reparatively together, and move towards a bright and hopeful future. This is the vision of The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation, a historic plantation site transformed into a place for truth-telling and healing. On the grounds of the former Wallace plantation in Harpersville, Alabama, there is opportunity to engage in dance, music, poetry, visual arts, and education that helps us acknowledge the past and embrace the future.  

Where is the Center?  

Located at 35184 Highway 25, Harpersville, AL 35078, the home of the Wallace family was built in 1841 by enslaved people with lumber from trees cut on the land, bricks fired in Calera, marble from a quarry in Sylacauga, and nails hand-forged on site. The site itself and the descendants of the families who built the house are deeply tied with the land and many of the artworks and ceremonies now present at the Wallace Center are representative of this.

The grounds of the Wallace Center include: 

•  The Wallace House 
• The John Mallory House/ Root Cellar 
•  The Artist Residency and Visitor Center 

Completed artworks include the sculptures: 

•  With Love, For Grief, created by Elizabeth M. Webb and Salaam Green 
• Bearing Witness: Praise House, created by Tony M. Bingham.  

Plan a Visit: 

The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation hosts events and art installations throughout the year. Their annual Homecoming celebration draws Wallace descendants and is a tradition for preserving the past and striving towards an equitable future. The Wallace House also hosts guided tours by appointment at info@wallacearts.org. You can check their website for upcoming event dates.  

Accolades  

The Wallace Center for Arts and Reconciliation has received national acclaim and accolades from a variety of sources. You can read more about their success on NPR, My Modern Met, The Washington Post and CNN to name a few.