BIRMINGHAM — Glowing artifacts from Birmingham’s past are lighting up the Civil Rights District after dark in a free public art installation that runs nightly through Dec. 13.
“The Sacred Ordinary,” created by local studio 1504 with the National Parks Conservation Association and inspired by artist Joe Minter, is a self-guided walk through the district, open nightly from 5 to 8 p.m.
Visitors start at Kelly Ingram Park, at the Four Spirits statues across from 16th Street Baptist Church, and text “HERE” to 205-784-2321 for instructions and narration. The walk takes about 30 minutes.
Stops include a Birmingham News/Birmingham Post-Herald newspaper box in Kelly Ingram Park, an empty lot behind 16th Street Baptist Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church and the entrance to the A.G. Gaston Motel, where a phone booth stands. At St. Paul United Methodist Church, a blue mailbox holds an early-1960s card asking movement volunteers to sign a pledge of nonviolence and daily meditation and prayer.
A free panel discussion, “Beyond Signage — The Future of the Birmingham Civil Rights District,” takes place at 5:30 p.m. today at the new 16th Street Baptist Church Education and Visitor Center.