TEACHING ARTIST PROJECT (TAP)
Mobile Arts Council has come together with Alabama Contemporary Art Center and Mobile Museum of Art to relaunch the "Teaching Artist Project". This project began in 2016 as a collaborative effort between our arts organizations to create a database of teaching artists who would become known as "floating faculty". Any artist interested in teaching their craft through education programming at any of our three organizations should fill out this form. All three entities will have access to the form once submitted.
Questions? Contact kat@mobilearts.org.
Amp Up Arts
Mobile Arts Council officially gained the title of "Collaborative Site" for Amp Up Arts in January, 2023. Amp Up Arts is a collective impact of the Alabama State Council on the Arts that focuses on the implementation of sustainable arts education for all K-12 public schools throughout the state. With their help, MAC will be searching for teaching artists in our area and training them through workshops and professional development opportunities to be able to effectively provide arts classes in Mobile County schools.
Interested in teaching with us? Fill out this form! We encourage teaching artists and organizations proficient in any and all mediums, including performance art, to apply! Interested in having Amp Up Arts work with your school? Then fill out this form! Email Kat Stoves at kat@mobilearts.org for additional information or to get involved.
2023 Summer Camp Roundup
Summer is just around the corner, and our Summer Camp Roundup is here to help your little ones find creative and educational enrichment over the break. Sign up for a class with one of these organizations today! Your child is bound to gain skills in creative problem solving, public speaking, and more! View this year’s…
Teaching Artists Needed!
Are you interested in teaching with Mobile Arts Council this summer? We are now partnered with Amp Up Arts, the first statewide initiative for arts education, and we need teaching artists! Our first available opportunities will be in the months of June and July this summer. Specific dates and times are to be determined. If…
April Exhibitions: A Ménage à Trois & Not Without Water
This April, MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927 will feature two exhibitions: “A Ménage à Trois” by Frank “Chip” Mayes and “Not Without Water” by Pier Hardin. Frank “Chip” Mayes began painting in 1960 and is a painter of Oils, Acrylics, and Designers Gouache. He enrolled in college as an art major. Being one of the…
Arts Education Workshop 4/18/23
Amp Up Arts and Mobile Arts Council invite you to a FREE full-day workshop on growing arts education in Mobile and surrounding areas. We will begin with action steps for implementing teaching artist residencies and arts programming in schools through in-school instruction, after-school programs, and community events. In the afternoon, we will review available grants…
March Exhibitions: Not Without Water & Blue Mind
This March, MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927 will feature two exhibitions: “Not Without Water” by Pier Hardin and “Blue Mind” curated by Kathy Martin Not Without Water depicts the environments that could not exist without water. Surreal and abstract forests, bog plants, cypress knees, swamps, mythical caves, carp, lily pads, insects, and frogs—water is their…
February Exhibitions: Visual Arts Achievement Program & Young at Art
This February, MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927 will feature two exhibitions: The District 1 Visual Arts Achievement Program and Young at Art. The Visual Arts Achievement Program provides opportunities for students in grades 6 through 12 to be recognized for their contributions to the visual arts at the local and state levels. View the statewide…
Education Is Not A Crime
Sahar Alford recently completed the window installation of her work, “My Endless Dreams,” a project she created through a collaboration with the Mobile Arts Council and female residents at SYC. The project is part of an international movement, Education Is Not A Crime, aimed at raising awareness of human rights issues in Iran. Alford is…
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Art for All
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have created Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, an innovative arts education program managed in partnership with the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA). Poetry Out Loud is a yearly national competition for high school students who are interested in poetry, creative writing, acting, and public speaking. Participants may go on to compete at regional, state, and final national levels. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has reached more than 3.6 million students and 55,000 teachers from 14,000 schools nationwide.
Each year, the Mobile Arts Council facilitates District 1 of Poetry Out Loud's Alabama Statewide Competition in partnership with ASCA. Categories include Original Poetry, Anthology Poetry, and the new Social Justice Poem competition. This program includes free professional development workshops for winner and runner-up competitors, performance training, and the Region 1 Competition. Unlike previous years, individuals are now eligible to compete independently of their schools.
In 2025-2026, Poetry Out Loud will focus on America250 in celebration of the 250th signing of the Declaration of Independence, featuring poems celebrating the rich tapestry of American history and culture. An updated online anthology is available this year, and replaces any earlier online or printed anthologies. Note: the anthology may have additional poems added through the month of October.
- In addition to the updated anthology now available online, please note that for the 2025-2026 program, students can choose any three poems from the anthology. Students do not need to select a poem that is 25 lines or fewer or a pre-20th century poem.
The program is FREE! Participating teachers receive free materials, including a teacher’s guide, lesson plans, and access to audio-visual materials on the art of recitation. Each year, MAC hosts a free Region 1 Poetry Out Loud Workshop. Here, students will have access to poetry analysis, writing, and general competition info. Students will be given the opportunity to practice their poems in the competition space, so they can be as prepared as possible come competition day! The Region 1 Poetry Out Loud workshop will be January 24th, 2026 at the Ben May Main Library from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can register here.
The Region 1 Poetry Out Loud competition will be held Saturday, January 31st, 2026 at the Ben May Main Library at 11:00 a.m. The deadline to register for the 2025-2026 Poetry Out Loud Region 1 Competition is January 24th, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Register for the competition here.
The official website is www.PoetryOutLoud.org
Please visit it to explore all the resources available.
We look forward to signing YOUR high school up
for this wonderful program!!
If you would like yourself or your high school in Region 1 to participate, please contact Sydney at scramer@mobilearts.org or 251-432-9796 ext. 3. She will be glad to answer any questions. Information regarding the 2025-2026 competition should be updated no later than October 1st, 2025. Check back to this page for region-specific updates. These will be made available as soon as possible.
Recent POL News & Deadlines
The "Five" Show
“FIVE” is a biennial juried exhibition of work by students from the area’s five colleges and universities. This exhibition gives young adults the opportunity to showcase their artwork in a professional venue, as well as a chance to meet other artists, win prizes, and gain public recognition. Prizes include cash, MAC Memberships, and gift certificates from local businesses. Entry is open to any student enrolled during the current academic year at Bishop State Community College, Coastal Alabama Community College, Spring Hill College, the University of Mobile, or the University of South Alabama. Students do NOT have to major in art or be taking art classes to participate. Submission deadlines and application will go live in early Spring every other year.
Winners received cash, gift certificates, and other prizes for courtesy of Lupercalia Art Society, Sophiella Gallery, Mobile Art Association, Mobile Arts Council, and Ashland Gallery.
Interested in participating? Email info@mobilearts.org to sign up for our Five email list!
View relevant articles regarding upcoming show deadlines, past winners, photos, and how to get involved in the links below.
Recent FIVE News & Deadlines
Visual Arts Achievement Program and Young at Art
The Visual Arts Achievement Program, also known as VAAP, has been one of the premier secondary visual arts competitions in Alabama for more than thirty years.
After much consideration, the Alabama State Council on the Arts is retiring VAAP effective immediately. During the program’s tenure, hundreds of middle and high school students were celebrated for their talent and dedication to the art form. We know that this is sad news, but we hope you will find comfort in knowing that your students made VAAP one of the most successful visual arts competitions in Alabama — that achievement is something to be proud of.
