Grant's Legacy Will be Serving Others Through the Arts

By: Angie Stryker

“Make a story today, friends,” my longtime pastor and friend said to me after our small group gathering. We had been talking about legacy. What is legacy? What is a life well-lived? How do you attain it? Our collective wisdom said that seeking legacy for the sake of building up our own name is arrogance; while living a story worth telling is different. Making our own name great versus God making our name known is the road less traveled and a more noble pursuit, we decided.

As I reflected on that idea I knew exactly how I wanted to start my story on the local legend, Sylvia Grant.

Sylvia is 82. You may not know her name but you know her by the results of a life well lived. If you’ve ever ventured into the little library, set right in the middle of the town of Wedowee, then you know Sylvia. If you’ve ever visited the Art and Crafts on the Median (twice a year) in the town of Wedowee, then you know Sylvia. If you’ve ever been to the Over the Hill Review, then you know Sylvia. And unbeknownst to me, if you’ve ever called 911, then, you also know Sylvia.

It’s almost like Sylvia has awakened every day of her 82 years asking that same question to herself, "What would make a story today?” She is connected to every talent story in this issue and so much more.

Natural talent. Many years ago, Sylvia picked up a paint brush. She started painting everything she could find. She took some classes here and there, learning oils, acrylics, and watercolors. Some of her favorite paintings are hung throughout her home. She can tell you all about each piece and why she painted it and how.

Living and breathing art. Gene, her husband since the age of 19, was a woodworker. He could make just about anything according to her. They would work together - he would build something, and she would paint it. Then they would travel to arts and crafts fairs in Georgia, three a year. One of their favorite things to create was a bread box that Sylvia painted in every different style you can imagine. She says that one was really popular at the fairs. Asked how many she thought they sold, she exclaimed, “Oh countless, hundreds!” She worked at the post office at the time and she would come home in between shifts and paint and paint and paint some more.

Teaching their craft. Gene had a studio in the backyard that he would have high school students as co-ops. They would come and help with some of the sanding and the pieces and they would get paid and get a grade at school. She names a few local builders who got started out there in Gene’s shop. Sylvia started teaching art in that studio out back. She would offer classes teaching up to 10 at a time. She said she tried teaching kids just once and that got a little messy for her, so she stuck with teaching adults for years out back.

Sharing arts and crafts with others. The East Alabama Art Society is 16 years old this year. The purpose? Celebrate artists and give scholarships to local students headed to school for the arts. You won’t be surprised to hear that Sylvia has been in the society since its inception and at the helm for many years. This was her last year as President but she will remain in the society.

The members give a one time membership fee. They are a small and intimate bunch who are asked to contribute to the monthly meetings and be active in the programming that ultimately raises money for the scholarships.

They have two public art festivals in Wedowee - the Art and Crafts on the Median - every year on the 2nd Saturday of June and October. Sylvia and Gene have sold their crafts at the festival since the beginning. Many of our other talented artists featured in this issue were also in the festival this year. It is a juried show, which means that the society vets the vendors to make sure that the public is experiencing talented artists across the board. The June festival was a hit with incredibly talented vendors and a crowd that showed up and left smiling with new pieces of - jewelry, crafts, painting, bowls, pressed flowers, wooden furniture - art left and right.

The society also hosts the Over the Hill Review in the spring at the Methodist Church in Wedowee. The tickets are just $5 and over 80 people bought tickets this year. The singing and the talent went on for two hours as many different artists took to the stage to sing, dance, play piano, play the guitar, and sing in a trio. Sylvia plays the piano and sings, of course, so this is a natural extension of who she is. (As a first timer at the show this year I was blown away at the talent and the fun).

Talent above and beyond art. Sylvia has a way of finding ways to help others without even trying. She went to the city council one time and asked if she could set up a little box for a free library since there isn’t a library within the city. They pointed her to the former police building, right there in the middle of the median and said she could use that. The city workers built her some shelves and next thing you know, the city has a tiny library that regularly gets state wide attention. She tends to the library every day, walking to town from her manicured garden home (which she manicures herself!) organizing books. She has been amazed at how many people use and love the little library. Recently, you may have noticed, the city aptly named it the “Sylvia Grant Little Library” complete with a sign. She was so honored! In between serving at the post office for years and teaching students in her studio... in 1993 she was asked to oversee the 911 agency in the county. The task was huge-can you coordinate getting 911 setup here? She did that for 11 years. There was a great board of directors already. She was the first coordinator administrator. They had a team that was re-addressing the area and they helped her a lot. She worked with 21 fire departments helping get the addresses right. The team would go with her to select the equipment and go to meeting after meeting after meeting trying to get the best equipment they could and as she says, “we did it.” “A little girl stopped breathing and the 911 board was able to talk the niece into resuscitating her. That made it all worth it,” said Sylvia.

A story each day. Sylvia absolutely embraces living a story each day. She is in a book club, teaches exercise every day at the senior center, tends her own yard, and enjoys gardening. She says she loves to weed eat, “I can do it for an hour and then I have to stop.” She does 30 minutes of exercise in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.

Did I mention she’s 82?