Our History
Founded by Bennetta “Bennie” Nelson West
Bennetta “Bennie” Nelson West
Our Founder
Bennetta “Bennie” Nelson West used her business acumen and passion about the value of African American arts and culture to help celebrate and nurture the arts in her community. Born on October 19, 1944 in Memphis, Tennessee, to letter carrier Benjamin H. Nelson, and educator Jeannette Brown Nelson, Nelson West is the Founder of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, Inc.
Nelson West earned her bachelor’s degree from now Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1962. She later received her M.S. degree in business administration from Columbia University in New York City in 1979 and pursued both a doctorate in higher education from the University of Memphis between 1986 and 1988. While living in New York City, Nelson West became active in the black arts movement where she studied and participated in the theatre, dance, and visual arts industry, settling on a part-time career as a potter operating ClaySpirits Studio in Manhattan. Seeking to merge her arts and business interests, Nelson West received additional training in Arts Management from the New School of Social Research in New York City and the Arts Management in Community Institute through the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund and the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts.
Upon return to her hometown in 1978, Nelson West joined the Continuing Education Department of Shelby State Community College, where she organized the First National African American Crafts Conference & Jubilee and edited a companion book with noted African American artist and scholar Dr. David Driskell. This conference became a precursor to the National Black Arts Festival. In 1982, while continuing as a college administrator, Nelson West organized artists and arts groups to found the Memphis Black Arts Alliance, Inc., the city’s first regional arts and cultural organization which celebrates and nurtures artistic excellence and black heritage, headquartered in the historic FireHouse #12, built-in 1910.
Under Nelson West’s leadership, the organization introduced the Greater Memphis region to nationally recognized black artists in touring theater and dance companies, writers, and art exhibitions as well as supporting the development of local talent with the FireHouse Community Arts Academy, the FireHouse Little Theater and the Fire House Gallery. Additionally, in 1999, she conceived and organized the annual Soulsville USA Festival on the lawn of the FireHouse on Bellevue, the Gateway to Soulsville.
Nelson West is the widow of visual artist Leonard D. West and the mother of three.
Lar'Juanette Williams
Executive Director (2016-2025)
Carrying the Torch Forward
When Lar’Juanette Williams returned home to Memphis after more than two decades working across stages and screens around the world, she brought with her a fire that would help shape the next chapter of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance.
In Fall 2015, then–Executive Director Bennie Nelson West approached her, not just as an award-winning performer, but as a visionary arts administrator and producer, and invited her to take the helm of MBAA. Lar’Juanette said yes, and from 2016 onward, she carried the torch with boldness, imagination, and deep community love.
Under her leadership, MBAA produced hundreds of engagements, reaching thousands of youth and employing countless artists of color. The Historic FireHouse became more than a venue; it became a sanctuary and launchpad, hosting rehearsals, readings, exhibits, and events for a diverse community of arts organizations and hundreds of Black artists across Memphis.
Lar’Juanette’s own career was as vibrant as the artists she championed. She lit up stages in productions like Ain’t Misbehavin’, Hairspray, and Hello Dolly, and starred as Effie White in the national tour of Dreamgirls. Her screen credits included Seinfeld, NYPD Blue, E.R., Spy Hard, and Ghosts of Mississippi. She was honored with the Georgie Award, BroadwayWorld’s Best Actress in a Musical, and the Ostrander Award - accolades that barely scratched the surface of her impact.
She also held degrees in Sociology and Communications, trained at the Stella Adler Academy, and founded Optasia Productions, producing hundreds of theatrical and media projects, and crafting original arts education programs that reached over 100,000 students across Tennessee.
Lar’Juanette was a woman of deep faith and fierce commitment. A member of Christ Missionary Baptist Church, she believed the arts weren’t just for applause - they were for healing, storytelling, and transformation.
Though her passing in 2025 left an profund hole in our hearts, her vision endures. The programs she built, the artists she empowered, and the doors she opened continue to shine with her light.
Our Home
The Historic Firehouse No. 12
History of
Fire House No. 12
The FireHouse Community Arts Center, formerly a one-truck fire station was converted in 1984 into a multi-purpose community arts and cultural center. It serves as a creative and inviting space & lawn for performances, exhibits, community events, receptions, meetings, reunions, birthday parties, etc.
Since its conversion from a one-truck fire station to the multi-purpose FireHouse community arts and cultural center, the build has not undergone major renovations to serve its new purpose. Consequently, there are major functional deficiencies with the building that need to be addressed.
Significant building improvements are also needed to the FireHouse Community Arts Center to meet basic programming needs and necessary upgrades to ventilation, heating, lighting, and functional spaces. Mechanical, electrical and life safety systems could result in unavoidable disrepair and potential catastrophic failure. The building systems are old and approach or extend beyond expected operational life. The facility also lacks restroom capacity, lobby space, efficient food and beverage concession space, loading dock area and theatrical staging systems.
The Firehouse Community Arts Center is available for private reservations after public hours. Impress your guests with this incredible space and simultaneously support Memphis Black Arts Alliance, Inc. programming.
