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Photo courtesy of Hank Spencer, Image Arts.
The 2016 Beaux Arts Krewe Ball court. This year’s Krewe Ball will be Feb. 24 at Boutwell Auditorium.
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From left: Margaret Meador Troiano, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Meador Troiano; Sarah Elizabeth Cain, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Edward Lyle Cain Jr.; Mary Stewart Beasley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Martin Beasley Jr.; Teresa James Walker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Orr Walker Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Allan Rexford Wheeler; Elise Faircloth Nesbitt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mills Nesbitt IV.
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From left: Mary Virginia Adams, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Seth Adams; Sarah Sims Parker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Stanley Parker; Herron Elizabeth Taylor, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Barton Taylor; Anna Katherine Healey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Seale Healey; Frances Elizabeth Kenan, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Kenan II.
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From left: Caraway Mims Bruhn, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Glover Mitchell Bruhn and Mr. and Mrs. John Calhoun Morrow; Elizabeth Harris Forsyth Donald, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Marion Donald III; Turner Nicholson Hull, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hewes Turner Hull; Alice Elisabeth Martin Bradford, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Aubrey Bradford; Elizabeth Baylee Edwards, daughter of Julianna Trammell Edwards and the late Sterling William Edwards.
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From left: Mary Maude Crenshaw, daughter of Dr. James Hill Crenshaw and the late Victoria Darby Crenshaw; Alice Adelaide Bromberg, daughter of Mr. William Gregory Bromberg II and Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cummings Randle; Mae Rose Tyson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc Bryant Tyson; Caroline Frances Clark, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crawford Clark III; Collier Morris Ogilvie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan Oslin Ogilvie Jr.; Allison Murray Manley, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Duncan Young Manley Jr.
It’s a scene out of a 16th-century fairy tale.
The king, in an immense train, welcomes revelers to the annual ball while the community, dressed in brilliant reds and deep purples with gold accents, watches as young ladies in bright white gowns are presented to society by their fathers.
And while it sounds like fantasy, it is the scene that has both brought the community together to celebrate and support a cause for 50 years.
The annual Beaux Arts Krewe Ball has its origins in 1966, when Anne Kidd, who was in charge of the annual Jewel Ball, which raised money for the Birmingham Museum of Art, was dismayed to find that after the event, the decorations were discarded.
It was then former ball aid and correspondence secretary Winston Carl said that Kidd decided the event needed a formal support group.
That way, she said the group could continue to regularly support the BMA, while not wasting the intricate costumes and decorations.
Carl said Kidd pulled together 125 local men who were highly involved in the community and in their support of the BMA, and the Beaux Arts Krewe was founded.
Inspired by the history of royalty, Westminster Abbey and Mardi Gras, Carl said the theme going forward was set.
“In the early years, the costumes were hysterical,” Carl said, describing how the wives of the founding members set to making the decadent costumes and banners, cutting, sewing and gluing each by hand.
Originally, each banner and costume cape corresponded to a particular name or family, but Carl said a leak in the warehouse where the items were kept caused many of the originals to be ruined, and now the banners are generic.
As to the reason the theme was chosen, Carl said most agree it came out of Birmingham’s lack of a formal Mardi Gras celebration.
Where Mobile and the coastal communities have parades and there are some small celebrations by civic clubs, Carl said it was always too cold or the weather to inclement for the city to set up anything that was continuously attended.
And besides, she said, Birmingham is more about partying for a cause.
“Birmingham seems to always have organizations that support something,” she said. “When they do an organization, it has a purpose.”
Proceeds of the Ball were set up in a fund, so that whenever enough was accumulated, the museum could purchase a piece, rather than each event trying to fund an item. Over the last 50 years, the Krewe has raised over $1 million for art aquisitions.
And while things have certainly grown since 1966, Carl said the heart of the event remains unchanged.
“The whole idea is basically the same,” she said.
The young women are presented by their fathers or sponsors, a queen and ladies-in-waiting are chosen from the year’s princesses, and members gather to celebrate in their opulent attire.
“It’s a very pretty presentation,” she said. “There’s a lot of movement.”
While the 2017 Krewe Ball will be no different, Carl said the Krewe does plan to recognize former kings and queens at the presentation in honor of the 50th anniversary, which was formally celebrated in November.
The 2017 Krewe Ball is Feb. 24 at Boutwell Auditorium.
