City News

In December 2025, The City of Tuscaloosa and Mayor Walt Maddox issued a call for poster submissions to represent the City in the America 250 City Poster Project. Created by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), this initiative celebrates America's Semiquincentennial this year. 

Local artist Jude Weaver's design was selected out of numerous submissions to represent Tuscaloosa. The poster debuted in January in Washington D.C. and will be on display again in Long Beach, CA, in June. 

"As an Alabamian, I studied local history in the 4th grade. The foundation of our city has its roots in the natural landscape and the Native Americans that lived here," said Jude Weaver. "I wanted to honor both of those things prominently while showcasing what civilization has done in the area over the intervening years. I also wanted to illustrate how diverse the flora and fauna is in Alabama. With those things in mind, I decided to use an illustration style similar to my childhood textbooks. I hope the poster shows my pride in the beauty of our natural world and our community and the work we have done to build a better place for everyone to live and thrive."

Signed prints of Weaver's poster will be available for free at Druid City Arts Festival this weekend. The festival will take place Friday, April 10, from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, April 11, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m at Government Plaza. To learn more, visit druidcityartsfestival.com.