Aug. 31, 1971  

The Legislature passed a joint resolution establishing the Alabama School of Fine Arts to provide tuition-free instruction for talented and gifted students from throughout the state. The school’s roots date back to the 1950s when parents expressed to lawmakers the need to serve students interested in ballet and music. Located in downtown Birmingham, ASFA today provides focused specialty instruction in creative writing, dance, mathematics and science, music, theater arts and visual arts. Students also complete all the core academic requirements of a regular Alabama public high school diploma. ASFA can house up to 375 students in a complex that consists of studios, classrooms, labs, practice rooms, performance spaces, a library, cafeteria and dormitory space for up to 80 individuals.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama. 

Located in Birmingham, the Alabama School of Fine Arts is a public school that offers tuition-free instruction in the arts for students in grades 7-12. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama School of Fine Arts)

The visual arts program at the Alabama School of Fine Arts includes instruction in sculpture. These suspended canoes decorate one of the entrances to the school. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama School of Fine Arts)

Alabama School of Fine Arts, 2017. (Erin Harney/Alabama NewsCenter)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.