Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Art Mill in the City of Millbrook has officially moved from a department of one to a department of two. Special Events and Cultural Arts Director Danae Morgan now has the help and whimsical vision of Arden Baltzell as the new Cultural Arts Assistant.
While Baltzell is originally from Missouri, she now calls Alabama, and Coosada specifically home. Baltzell and her family moved to Auben when she was 17, where Baltzell also studied art at Auburn University. Her primary medium was and still is pottery, however Baltzell stated she’s loved doing art her whole life.
“As a kid I was out in the woods gathering nature bits and turning them into mice and like cute stuff. So, I’ve always been doing creative stuff,” Baltzell said.
Baltzell started as a graphic design major and quickly realized that was not the path for her, and on her first day of drawing one class, she met her husband who happens to be from the Millbrook area.
Now a mom of three, Baltzell stated her, and her family moved around a lot but ended up back near family, but even between moves and homeschooling, art has always played a major role within her life.
“This couldn’t be more perfect like the timing the Place like this is just wild and it’s been I mean there. I’ve been home, I’ve been momm-ing and it’s kind of intimidating to break back into the work world especially trying to have find the niche of art. When this became available, I was like, this is too good to be true,” Baltzell said.
Baltzell’s husband, also a creative like Baltzell, teaches guitar at the Art Mill once a week, and their kids also participate in the art classes available.
“My daughter, she just turned 10 and she has always been heavily leaning into the arts, and she loves to draw and so when I found out that Danae was offering art classes. It was a no brainer to come down and see what this was all about,” Baltzell said.
Before landing this position, Baltzell held other positions in artsy shops and studios, however she stated she’s excited to be able to get integrated into the community and help people find their artistic abilities in a fun and positive way.
“In a short time, Baltzell has proven to be a valuable asset to the City of Millbrook’s Cultural Arts & Special Events department. Her eagerness, impressive work ethic and arts background will help elevate our department to reach its full potential. Arden is such a great fit for this position, and I couldn’t have asked for a better assistant,” Morgan said.
Both Morgan and Baltzell have big plans to come for the Art Mill and City of Millbrook’s Cultural Arts & Special Events department, where Morgan stated that with the help of Baltzell, a pottery studio is in the works, more opportunities for art camps throughout the year and greater opportunities for special events to be even more spectacular.
“We’ve got some cool ideas in the works and some fun stuff. She’s (Morgan) built such an incredible foundation here and it’s really cool to be able to come alongside her and facilitate growth. I’m really excited to be here and be part of the community. Not just move here and live here but to be a part of the community and be contributing to Millbrook, and helping it grow into a place that our kids are going to be excited to have come from,” Baltzell said.
The Art Mill is free to the public, located at 3560 Grandview Rd. in Millbrook. Their hours are Tuesday through Thursday 9:30 to 4 p.m. For questions and artist inquiries please contact The Art Mill by phone at 334 320 5472 or via email at [email protected].
