Artist & Cultural Strategist / Birmingham, Alabama
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and cultural strategist. I create visual art, music, games, and participatory experiences, and work with museums, nonprofits, and organizations to develop programs, partnerships, and meaningful community engagement.
Background & recognition
From the studio to the museum to the community, each chapter shapes how I create, collaborate, and bring people together.
2024–Present
ExperienceDirector of Programs & Partnerships
Leading programs from conceptualization to execution: program design, partnerships, team management, implementation, and community participation across youth leadership, civic learning, economic opportunity, and cultural programming.
Explore the work — Foot Soldiers Park & Education Center (opens in a new tab)Since 2023
Editorial workContributing writer & interviewer
Writing profiles of fellow Southern Artists for Social Change artists, tracing the ideas, cultural histories, and community relationships behind their work.
2021–Present
ExperienceCo-founder & artist
Bringing artists, exhibitions, and commemorative tree plantings together to honor victims of racial terror in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Explore the project — The Black Cherry Tree Project (opens in a new tab)2020–2024
ExperienceManager of Public Programs & Partnerships
Developed public programs and partnerships across artist conversations, digital engagement, and in-person experiences. Co-hosted the Amy Sherald conversation and hosted Artists in Quarantine within the Learning & Engagement team.
Read the museum’s account — Birmingham Museum of Art (opens in a new tab)From 2019
ExperiencePrograms Manager
Co-developed community arts programs and supported their daily operations, using creative practice to respond to local needs in York, Alabama.
View CV — Coleman Center for the Arts (opens in a new tab)2019–2020
ExperienceProgramming Director Intern
Created and coordinated arts programs while building relationships that supported community development in Selma and Dallas County.
View CV — ArtsRevive (opens in a new tab)2018–2019
ExperienceCo-editor
Helped connect audiences with exhibitions across Alabama through the editing and distribution of a weekly arts newsletter.
View CV — Alabama Arts Log (opens in a new tab)2016–2017
ExperienceAdministrative Associate
Supported a nonprofit contemporary arts organization through installations, community relations, communications, and event organization.
View CV — Space One Eleven (opens in a new tab)2015–Present
ExperienceFounder & Creative Director
An event series and artistic project that grew into conversation games, original music, collections, and participatory experiences, including Wildcard.
Explore Vibes & Virtues — Vibes & Virtues (opens in a new tab)2015–Present
ExperienceFounder
A community outreach and media production initiative connecting artist sustainability, financial literacy, and community building.
View CV — DoReMe Media Group (opens in a new tab)2012–2013
ExperienceIntern · University of Alabama
Collaborated on arts initiatives that connected campus life with creative ideas and cultural participation.
View CV — Creative Campus (opens in a new tab)2012–2013
ExperienceStudent Assistant · University of Alabama
Helped students use media production software and equipment to develop their own creative work.
View CV — Gorgas Library Media Center (opens in a new tab)01 / 12
2023
Project grantNational Performance Network
Selected for Cohort 3, with a $25,000 project grant supporting The Black Cherry Tree Project.
View the announcement — Southern Artists for Social Change (opens in a new tab)2022
AwardAlabama Art Education Association
Recognized with the association’s 2022 award for service beyond the art education profession.
View résumé — Outstanding Service Outside the Profession (opens in a new tab)2021 grant cycle
Project grantInaugural grant recipients
The Black Cherry Tree Project was selected for the inaugural cycle of this Alabama artist grant program, supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation.
View the announcement — Verdant Fund (opens in a new tab)2020
Leadership programSouth Arts & WESTAF
Selected for the inaugural Southern cohort, connecting cultural leaders through professional development and shared practice.
Meet the cohort — Emerging Leaders of Color (opens in a new tab)01 / 04
June 2026
PanelistAFTACON · Americans for the Arts
Brought Foot Soldiers Park’s experience to a national conversation in Albuquerque on how the arts strengthen rural communities.
View CV — Arts & rural community development (opens in a new tab)May 2026
Guest speakerForecast Public Art
Shared lessons from Selma on cultural leadership, belonging, and community participation in the Creative Power, Civic Purpose series.
Explore the conversation — Deep Roots of Belonging (opens in a new tab)2023–2025 · Selected writing
Writing & interviewsNational Performance Network · Voices from the Network
Ten artist profiles exploring cultural preservation, public memory, Indigenous media, film, and community change across the South.
July 2025
EssayGrantmakers in the Arts · The Reader
An essay on the relationship between artistic practice, collective memory, and community building in Selma.
Read the essay — Marching Toward Tomorrow (opens in a new tab)01 / 04
Use the left and right arrow keys to explore cards. Home moves to the first card; End moves to the last.
01 / Selected work
Paintings, participatory artworks, music, and public programs. Explore the ideas, the collaborators, and the work behind each one.
Showing 11 projects.
A selection from an ongoing practice.
02 / Inside the practice
Wildcard connects the things I make into something you can take part in. Follow the experience from a first question to a shared cultural record.
What is Wildcard?
Each theme creates an invitation to reflect. A question becomes a way into conversations about our lives, our values, and the world we share.
Explore the current theme
People gather around the artwork, play the game, and connect through their perspectives. The work takes shape through participation.
June 2026 · Theme 02
A living soundtrack, shaped by an ongoing conversation.
Dad Mode returns to a question first explored in Fathers of Change: what does it mean to be present, and what do we pass on?
A reflection on Black fatherhood, responsibility, and generational change.
The puzzle artwork and War Ship conversations ask what children learn from our presence, silence, and inherited patterns.
Those reflections evolve into a song about guidance, vulnerability, and the everyday work of showing up.
The Cultural Archive brings reflections from these experiences together. Explore voices, discover patterns, and compare themes, cities, venues, and events.
Enter the Cultural ArchiveThe practice, out in the world
VibeLink / Designed for real life
A bridge between the table and the room. VibeLink brings conversation, shared play, and opportunities to meet into physical spaces.
Discover VibeLinkTap to open the conversation.
Interactive social-signal demo
Explore patterns in the archiveA view of the living archive · September 2026
The Wildcard Cultural Archive
Explore the collective record of interactive art experiences. Read reflections, compare perspectives, and follow the questions further.
03 / Sound as another canvas
I write and produce my own music, and create custom commissioned work for other artists and projects. Explore the catalog, then get in touch about original production, a commissioned track, or a live performance.
A question of identity. Produced by Carey Fountain.
Fatherhood, in full color. Produced by Carey Fountain.
Featuring Wescam. Produced by Carey Fountain.
Work with Carey
From an original artwork to a new public program, I collaborate with people and organizations to develop thoughtful ideas and bring them into the world.
An idea made visible—or heard.
Murals, public art, exhibitions, installations, original music, and custom production for other artists.
A commissioned mural, a community design workshop, a site-specific artwork, or an original track.
A clear path from purpose to participation.
Program development, partnership strategy, implementation planning, and advisory support.
A program concept, partner outreach plan, delivery roadmap, or facilitated planning session.
Make room for people to contribute.
Interactive gatherings, workshops, community conversations, and customized organizational experiences.
A facilitated workshop, conversation series, or participatory experience shaped around your group.
Give the project a coherent voice.
Project concepts, narrative direction, writing, and interviews that give an idea a clear voice.
A creative brief, interview series, narrative framework, or set of tools that invites participation.
Consulting engagements begin with an agreed scope, deliverables, timeline, and fee.
Tell me about your ideaMedia production through Meridian
I also work through Meridian, collaborating with a team to create films, photography, interviews, and content for organizations. From a focused shoot to ongoing production, we can bring the people and creative support your project needs.
For branding, websites, campaigns, and automation, explore Meridian’s full services.
Photography & content production
Impatient Creations Inc
04 / The person behind the practice
The studio and the community are part of the same practice.
I’m Carey Fountain, a multidisciplinary artist and cultural strategist based in Birmingham, Alabama. I began with music and found new ways to explore identity, perception, and possibility through painting, installations, games, and public art.
My institutional work at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Coleman Center for the Arts, and Foot Soldiers Park has shaped how I develop programs, build relationships, and invite people into a shared experience. I bring an artist’s curiosity to the planning—and practical experience to bringing an idea into the room.
As the creator of Vibes & Virtues and Wildcard and a co-founder of the Black Cherry Tree Project, I also build platforms for others to contribute. Whether the result is an artwork, a conversation, or a public program, I want people to leave with a new way to see and connect.
I also collaborate through Meridian, bringing a wider creative and production team to projects that need it.
From the studio & the community
Exhibition / 2026Art, history, and community at Historic Bethel Baptist Church.
In conversation / 2026Youth engagement at the African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium convening.
Wearable art / September 2026A theme keeps evolving through music, artwork, and what we wear.
05 / For press, curators & collaborators
Read a conversation, explore the background, or find the materials for your next story, exhibition, or event.
For exhibitions, commissions, programming, speaking, and creative collaborations.
2026: There IS a Balm in Gilead, curator and artist; Leaving the Estuary, a collaborative painting with Case Fountain at Lowe Mill; World Waste at Lawson State.
2025: Bound Together and Threads of Remembrance, lead curator and artist at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
2021–2024: The Black Cherry Tree Project at Indian Springs; Branches of Memory at Gallery Vox; Different / Fit at Alabama Contemporary Art Center.
2018–2020: Elevation vs. Infatuation at Vinegar; Mendin’ Fences at Gallery 905; For Freedoms Alabama.
My publications include artist profiles for National Performance Network, an essay for Grantmakers in the Arts, photography and videography for Sara Garden Armstrong’s Threads and Layers, and a contribution to Charity Ponter’s The Ground Beneath Our Feet.
Recent speaking includes the 2026 African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium convening, AFTACON, and Forecast Public Art’s Creative Power, Civic Purpose series.
Explore dates, credits & the full artistic CVI make paintings, music, games, and shared experiences that ask how we see ourselves and how we relate to each other. A song can hold a feeling. An image can interrupt a familiar way of looking. A question can change what happens in a room.
I move between these forms because each offers a different invitation. Through projects such as Wildcard, Vibes & Virtues, and the Black Cherry Tree Project, I bring personal expression into conversation with collective memory and participation. The work takes shape through both what I make and what people bring to it.
My practice also includes organizing, listening, and making space. Work in museums and community arts has taught me to attend to the conditions around an experience: who feels welcome, whose knowledge is present, and how someone can contribute. I want the work to create openings for curiosity, honest conversation, and new possibilities for connection.
Download artist statement06 / Make something meaningful
An artwork. A gathering. A new way to bring people into the conversation.
Share a little about your project, organization, or idea. This is the place for artistic opportunities, consulting, program strategy, and collaborations.
carey@vibesandvirtues.comVisual art / Place / Participation
Art that belongs to a place. A process people can belong to.
Mural artist · Designer · Workshop facilitator
A wall can hold a story—and the people who help shape it. I create commissioned murals for schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and public spaces, with a process that can include listening, workshops, collaborative design, and community painting.
From the first conversation to the finished surface, I connect the artwork to its place and the people who use it.
Selma Rising / October 2024
With Foot Soldiers Park’s youth leaders, I led a workshop around what “Selma rising” meant to them. Participants developed ideas and sketches; I brought their contributions together into design options. The group voted for their favorite, and we painted the chosen design at the Selma Rising Mural Festival.
The work: workshop facilitation, concept development, collaborative decision-making, mural design, and on-site painting leadership.
Watch the festival’s filmFestival film shared by Making Art Connections Across Selma.
Maxey Street / Selma / 2020
Through ArtsRevive, I used a similar community-led approach to the Maxey Street mural: listening and developing a shared direction before bringing the design to the wall. The project connected my roles as an artist, facilitator, and community arts organizer.
The work: community engagement, collaborative design, and mural execution.
Selected mural portfolio
Amazon facility, Birmingham (2022); Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project / CERC collaboration (2024); Bayer Properties’ Birmingham timeline mural (2020). These commissions are documented in my artistic CV.
Commissioning a mural
Share the location, approximate wall dimensions, timeline, and what you want the space to communicate. We can discuss a standalone commission or a process that includes workshops and community participation.
Birmingham Museum of Art / 2020–July 2024
Artist conversations, public programs, and a wider welcome.
Manager of Public Programs & Partnerships · Programmer · Interviewer
Develop public programs and partnerships that connect the collection, visiting artists, and Birmingham’s communities. My work moved between digital access, artist dialogue, and in-person cultural experiences within the Learning & Engagement team.
As the museum closed its doors, I helped develop #BMAfromHome and hosted conversations with local artists. Artists in Quarantine made space for their practices, questions, and everyday experiences to remain part of the museum’s public life.
I joined curator Hallie Ringle in conversation with Amy Sherald for the museum’s Chenoweth Lecture, exploring her painting practice and the stories held in portraiture.
Watch the Amy Sherald conversationMy tenure included the museum’s return to in-person programming, artist talks, Art After 5, and community celebrations. The museum’s 2022–23 report documents 34 public programs and 62 community partnerships across the institution—not individual totals.
Explore the museum’s program reportFrom the museum’s interview archive
Three conversations hosted by Carey, preserved with the Birmingham Museum of Art’s original cover designs. Select an interview to watch here.
Interview videos and cover artwork: Birmingham Museum of Art.
Foot Soldiers Park · 2025–2026
A film festival rooted in Selma, open to the world.
Carey’s role: Festival Director · Programs & Partnerships
Create a place for independent film, intergenerational exchange, and young storytellers in historic Selma.
Carey directed the festival with Foot Soldiers Park and its collaborators. The inaugural program brought international submissions together with local audiences and a student showcase.
Screenings and a youth showcase connected the FSP Youth Advisory Board, Troy University’s Will Jacks and students, the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Wallace Community College Selma, and Appalshop.
The inaugural 2025 festival received more than 200 film submissions. The second edition ran in March 2026, including a social-justice film panel moderated by Carey with Selma’s mayor, a judge, and a local faith leader.
Foot Soldiers Park · 2025–2026
Make the learning something people can take part in.
Carey’s role: Co-designer · Programs & Partnerships
Help high-school students in Selma connect financial concepts to decisions they can make in their own lives.
Carey and University of Alabama finance professor Joshua Pierce designed the pilot together. Pierce brought financial curriculum expertise; Carey connected it to the community and shaped the participatory experience, using game money and friendly competition to help students engage.
A three-week pilot combined financial fundamentals with participatory activities and a stock simulation.
Foot Soldiers Park reports that 111 students in grades 9–12 joined the late-2025 pilot.
The next chapter / 2026
At Selma City Schools’ Brothers Rising summit, Carey and Joshua Pierce adapted BUILD UP into a fast-paced, 15-minute breakout. Interactive discussion connected wants, needs, patience, and everyday spending with the choices students could make for their futures.
The session extended the 2025 pilot into a new setting, helping the team refine the program through participation.
Read the Brothers Rising story
Live event series · Birmingham area · 2026 onward
The artwork is only the beginning.
Wildcard’s 2026 gatherings began in February, moving through galleries, a college campus, and community spaces. The Wildcard Social Club at Blank 600 followed in June. Art, music, shared stories, and conversation connect each chapter—and each leaves a record beyond the room.
Creator · Artist · Event host
Director of Programs & Partnerships / 2024–present
Build the program. Bring the partners together. Make it happen.
Program design · Partnership development · Team leadership · Implementation
I lead programs and partnerships at Foot Soldiers Park, taking ideas from conceptualization through execution and ongoing improvement. My work includes designing programs, building relationships, managing a team, coordinating collaborators, and shaping how participants experience the work.
This is a connected body of work: youth leadership, economic learning, civic education, cultural programming, and historic preservation in Selma.
Youth Leaders, the National Youth Advisory Board, Footprints, and Youth Changemaker Labs create paths from learning history to leading projects.
Explore this program areaBUILD UP brings financial learning to young people; LIFT UP and the Community Resource Center connect adults with tools for financial stability and opportunity.
Explore this program areaThe Civic Engagement Corps, voter education, Footprints, and Faith & Family connect civil rights history with participation and community relationships.
Explore this program areaHistoric tours, tour-guide training, commemorations, and developing oral-history and digital-archive work connect Selma’s stories with future generations.
Explore this program areaFrom strategy to the room
Co-designed with University of Alabama finance professor Joshua Pierce, the pilot paired financial fundamentals with interactive activities and a stock simulation. FSP reports 111 high-school students participated. The work continued into the 2026 Brothers Rising summit.
Read the program story
As festival director, I connect independent film, youth storytelling, screenings, and conversation. The second edition included a social-justice film discussion I moderated with local civic and faith leaders.
Read the program story
Public celebration brings history, music, community gathering, and intergenerational participation into the same space. This is part of the broader cultural programming I lead with FSP’s team and partners.
Read the program storyJoshua Pierce and I led a fast-paced financial learning session for young men. We adapted BUILD UP into a participatory format that connected everyday decisions with future opportunities.
Read the program storyMy role connects program concepts, partner relationships, staff coordination, delivery, and reflection. FSP’s published reports describe the organization’s collective outcomes; the work is built with colleagues, educators, community members, and partner organizations.
Participation · Ongoing
The audience becomes part of the artwork.
Wildcard brings visual art, music, games, and personal reflection into a shared experience. People contribute their perspectives, connect through play, and assemble an artwork together. Those reflections live on in the Cultural Archive.
Creator · Artist · Experience designer
Visual art · Selected works · 2021–2025
A visual language for the things we are still figuring out.
Across painting, drawing, and mixed media, Carey explores identity and perception through layered figures, symbols, and abstraction. These selected works offer an entry point into the larger visual portfolio.
Visual artist
Participation · Art, remembrance & dialogue · 2021 onward
Art, remembrance, and a living legacy.
Founded in 2021, the Black Cherry Tree Project commemorates the 33 African Americans lynched in Jefferson County, Alabama. Local artists use historical research to honor their lives through art, exhibitions, dialogue, and commemorative black cherry tree plantings. The work invites a fuller understanding of each person beyond the violence of their death.
Co-founder · Artist
Recent work / 2026
At Historic Bethel Baptist Church, Carey brought together work by the Black Cherry Tree Project, Vibes & Virtues, and DUBH LEON in an exhibition connecting healing with the history of racial violence.
Watch the exhibition walkthrough
Participation · Ongoing
A card game that starts something bigger.
Vibes & Virtues turns a question into an invitation. The card game creates space for conversation across families, friends, and new connections—and provides a foundation for a wider practice of participatory experiences.
Creator · Game designer
Music · 2022
An invitation to listen across generations.
An interactive, kid-friendly multidisciplinary installation, silent listening party, and community discussion. Collaborative digital prints with Caisen Fountain brought another voice into the visual experience.
Artist · Musician · Collaborator
