Selma artist sketches out plans for forming a nonprofit to make Byrd School an art center

Selma-based artist and community activist Tres Taylor gave the Selma City Council a preview of his plans to turn the vacant Byrd School into a nest of creativity.  

Taylor told the city council’s building committee Sept. 28 that he plans to create a nonprofit organization that will help raise funds to restore the building and attract artists to the community.

Taylor said a positive reaction to a recent social media post about Byrd School is a sign that people are interested in restoring the school and in supporting the arts in Selma. He said a nonprofit organization could generate support from Byrd School alumni, supporters of Selma and fans of the arts.

The nonprofit and the city could also collaborate on obtaining grants, Taylor said.

“There are models all over the place” of communities that have made themselves an “art town,” Taylor said. He said Paducah, Kentucky, a town not much bigger than Selma, has become a focal point for artists.

Byrd School has more than 30 rooms that could be used as studios or training rooms for artists, according to Taylor.

Taylor, who lives next door to the school, said he watched the city-owned building deteriorate for several years before he and some volunteers cleaned up part of the empty building.

The city has tried to sell the building, but it remains on the city’s property list. Meanwhile, the school has been assaulted by vandals and weather. Taylor approached the building committee in May to discuss applying for a state grant to cover the cost of painting murals on wood panels to cover the windows.