Each month, our community gallery features new exhibitions of original works created by local and regional artists in our Gallery @ Room 1927, located at 6 South Joachim Street (next door to the Saenger Theatre). The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Any artists are eligible and may submit a proposal for consideration. Exhibitions are usually displayed from the first Wednesday through the last day of each month.
In addition to our traditional gallery, we are now also accepting proposals for quarterly exhibitions in our window display cases, located between Room 1927 and the Saenger Box Office. If you are interested in creating a window installation, email director@mobilearts.org.
Join us on the second Friday of each month during LoDa ArtWalk for our exhibition receptions. Meet the artists, see their work in person, and create a personal connection with what is on display. Our gallery is open to the public Tuesdays - Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. View our extended Virtual Gallery program, implemented during the 2020 quarantine, online here. View our current and recent exhibitors below!
Our Community Gallery program is made possible thanks to the Daniel Foundation of Alabama and the J.L. Bedsole Foundation. To sponsor an exhibition, please see our Sponsorship Information.
2024 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
Exhibition schedule is subject to change.*
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Stop by MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927 to shop in our gallery gift shop and to see our newest exhibition, the FIVE Show. The April exhibition series is sponsored by the Mobile International Airport and will be featured in the MAC Gallery through April 30th, 2024.
“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. 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.
This year, 47 student artists are displaying 75 pieces in varying mediums, including painting, drawing, ceramics, glass, and more.
There will be a special awards reception during Artwalk on April 12th at 7:00 p.m. Six prizes will be awarded: First, Second, and Third Place; and three Judge’s Choice. Thank you to Sophiella Gallery, Lupercalia Art Society, Ashland Gallery, and the Mobile Art Association for sponsoring this year’s prizes. Prizes include cash, MAC Memberships, Mobile Art Association Memberships, and gift cards from local businesses. Thank you to our judge, Adrienne Clow, for jurying the pieces that make up this exhibition, and thank you to all of the students and professors who make this wonderful competition possible!
This exhibition will be featured in the MAC Gallery through April 30th, 2024. Please contact Sydney Cramer at scramer@mobilearts.org for information.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Dates: May 1-31, 2017
A student’s work from St. Igniatius Catholic School
The Skinny Gallery will be out of this world! St. Igniatius Catholic School students, under the guidance of art teacher Brennan Gibson, have created works around the theme “Space: the Final Frontier”. Their yearlong mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new art and new techniques, to boldly go where no class has gone before. Brennan Gibson is the art teacher at Ignatius Catholic School. She studied Elementary Education and Studio Art at the University of South Alabama and is currently working on a Masters in Art Education. Her favorite thing about being an art teacher is getting to know all of the amazing artists at St. Ignatius and being continually inspired by their creations and ideas. The exhibition will be on display through Wednesday, May 31. Meet the artists during ArtWalk on Friday, May 12 (6 – 9 PM)!
Dates: May 1-31, 2017
“Crab” by Denise Inge
The Small Room will display works by Mobile artist Denise Inge. “Denise Inge: A Retrospective” will celebrate the life and work of the Gulf Coast painter and long time MAC member – serving as a memorial to the artist. “Denise Inge was a friend to all and a mentor to many up-and-coming artists in the area. For those that frequented Market on the Square, Denise was always present with a plethora of paintings and prints. Spunky, cheerful, and full of energy, Denise was an immensely talented and kind soul. We are honored to have the exhibition, and share our condolences to all of her friends and family.” – MAC Program Director, Lucy Gafford Denise’s exhibition will be on display through Wednesday, May 31. Meet her friends and family during ArtWalk on Friday, May 12 (6 – 9 PM)!
Dates: April 1-30, 2017
Featured work from the Mobile Art Association
Members of the Mobile Art Association are exhibiting their annual Spring Show in the Skinny Gallery. Each member could enter up to two pieces of work, which could be 2D or 3D. The judge for the show was Craig Reynolds, currently of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Craig is a professional artist and instructor who has primarily done Plein Air painting since 2006, winning many awards along the way. Participating artists include Joseph Formwalt, Melissa Stuart, Anne Rose, Julie Andel, Corky Goldman, Sondra Carlisle, Sherry Ann Roy, Harriet Cain, Michael Carmichael, Barbara Rettig, Matilde Tellaetxe, Philippe Oszuscik, Benjamin Shamback, Nola Powell, Tamara Jordan Lindsay, Karen McGahagin, Judy Boswell, Jeff Johnston, Claudia McClure, Doris Amster, Deborah Hall, Juli Day, Susy Fox, Marcy Matherne, Karen Smith, Missy Patrick, Karen Spaulding, Gail Bramer, and Carol Wiggins. The exhibition will be on display through Friday, April 28. Meet the artists during award reception at ArtWalk on Friday, April 7 (6 – 9 PM)!
Dates: April 1-30, 2017
Featured work from the South Mississippi Art League
The Danielle Juzan Gallery will feature works from The South Mississippi Art League, an artist collective that was established in 2015 with the goal of creating traveling exhibits and providing an outlet for MS Gulf Coast-based professional artists to promote and display their work. Featured artists include Pat Abernathy, Sandra Halat, Cissy Quinn, Norma Seward, Paulette Dove, Patt Odom, Stacey Johnson, Carmen Lugo, Carolyn Busenlener, Julia Reyes, and George Ann McCullough. Their exhibition will be on display through Friday, April 28. Meet the artists during ArtWalk on Friday, April 7 (6 – 9 PM)!
Dates: April 1-30, 2017
Featured work by Colleen Terrell Comer
“Lay Down” features new, multi media works by artist Colleen Terrell Comer. LAY (verb) 1. put down, especially gently or carefully. 2. put down and set in position for use. At some point, most people must lay down a part of their lives in order to take up other things. Colleen’s exhibition will be on display in the Small Room through Friday, April 28. Meet the artist during ArtWalk on Friday, April 7 (6 – 9 PM)!
Dates: March 1-31, 2017
“Grieving in the Grove” by Renee Edwards
In celebration of Baykeeper’s 20th Anniversary, MAC put out an open call for artwork in any media relating to the Mobile Bay Watershed and/or recycling to fill our galleries. There are three separate components to the show: a photography exhibition, a recycled art exhibition, and artwork in all other media. In addition to landscape and animals along the watershed, the show relates to federally endangered or threatened watershed animals/plants. The exhibition’s goal to educate the public about sustaining the Watershed as well as to raise awareness of Baykeeper’s mission: to provide citizens a means to protect the beauty, health and heritage of the Mobile Bay Watershed and our coastal communities. The exhibition will be on display through Monday, March 5 until noon on Thursday, March 30. 10% of exhibition sales will be donated to Mobile Baykeeper. Meet the artists during ArtWalk on Friday, March 10 (6 – 9 PM)! Visit Baykeeper’s website to learn more about their mission and for information about the Watershed. Interested artists – download the show prospectus for information on how to participate! The deadline for submission drop offs is March 3, 2017. As of now, participating artists include: Ainsley McNeily, April Livingston, Ashley Friend, Bill Morris, Catherine Helmsing, Chris Cumbie, Dawson Morgan, Devlin Wilson, Eddie Erdmann, Elise McClellan, Gail Bramer, Jeff Johnston, Jenn Grainger, Joanne Brandt, Julie Day, Karen Bullock, Karen Spaulding, Kathleen Stoves, Kathy Friedline, Melissa Munger, Lisa Warren, Lucy Gafford, Lynda Smith Touart, Melissa Hinton, Michele Brinkman, Michele Traum, Mike Carmichael, Nancy Milford, Nikki Shaw, Renee Edwards, Ruby Lange, Satomi Kamei, Shawn Berdux, Susan Downing White, and Susan Rouillier.
Dates: January 1-30, 2017
Painting by Jo Patton
This January, MAC’s Small Room will feature “Imagined” – two individual bodies of related works created by Jo Patton (large watercolor paintings) and Pinky Bass (single-folio book pages and small sculptural pieces). Their exhibits will be on display at MAC through January 30th. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, January 13th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9 – 5 on weekdays through the end of the month and will be open select Sundays from 12 – 5 during Sunday Fundays (the 8th and the 22nd).
Dates: January 1-30, 2017
Cropped photo of “Switchcane” by Sharon Strang
The Nature Conservancy in Alabama and the Coastal Alabama Botanical Artists’ Circle are partnering to present “The Flora of Splinter Hill Bog” in the Danielle Juzan Gallery this January. The participating artists are members of the Coastal Alabama Botanical Artists’ Circle, including Elisa Baldwin, Nancy Barry, Gail Bramer, Anne Brooks, Tutta Greer Cone, Carolyn Courson, Julie Day, Roxann Dyess, Jane Funkhouser, Clair Hamlin, Joan Hargett, Phyllis Henson, Carol Hoadley, Catherine Hall Kiser, Karen McGahagin, Nancy Milford, Rinda Mueller, Derek Norman, Missy Patrick, Karen Smith, Karen Spalding, Sharon Strang, and Rosemary Johnson. The artists hope to inform the public of our area’s little-known botanical treasures through realistic depictions of the bog’s flora and fauna. The show features 60 original drawings. The exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of January. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, January 13th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9 – 5 on weekdays through the end of the month and will be open select Sundays from 12 – 5 during Sunday Fundays (the 8th and the 22nd).
Dates: January 1-30, 2017
Painting by Ashley Friend
“Weathering”, a series of encaustic and rust paintings by Ashley Friend , will hang in the Skinny Gallery for the month of January. Weathering is a continual process – as is painting. This show is an exploration of color and form. Ashley Friend discovered encaustic painting while pursuing a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree at the University of South Alabama and has been smitten with the medium ever since. With encaustic painting, the form changes as you heat the paint. The paint cools on the panel, and you apply heat to seal each layer. The process of heating versus cooling is a science – a form of experimentation that Friend finds particularly refreshing. She describes the versatile medium as an analogy for life – you never know what each day will bring. The artist weathers the paintings and creates science – for example, via oxidation and through exposure to air. This exploration of form and color are a self-portrait and expression of Friend. Ashley Friend has been inspired by microcosms ever since her youth – the moss growing on statues, the oxidation of metals, the diversity and complexity of the botanical world. Growing up, the constant of her life was the rising and setting of the sun – along with the changing of the seasons. The beautiful, natural contrasts involve uplifting splashes of colors. She would look to nature and see the various processes working together, and she would find comfort in the land, the sky, and the love of learning about anything and everything in the natural world. The artist’s love of science is reflected in her work. In her words, “Despite the trials in my life, growing up (and even now), welcoming the changing of the seasons has been a comforting constant in my life. This constant continues to embrace me from day to day. Weathering the elements and the storms of life, I looked to nature for inspiration and found it with the majestic landscapes and also through science.” Her exhibit will be on display at MAC through January 30th. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, January 13th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9 – 5 on weekdays through the end of the month and will be open select Sundays from 12 – 5 during Sunday Fundays (the 8th and the 22nd).
Dates: December 1-31, 2016
The Skinny Gallery will feature Michael Smith’s collection of Christmas card art, created by his artists friends and himself between 1995 – 2016. The show displays the original framed artwork as well as Smith’s printed Christmas cards, which will be strung up throughout the gallery. In 1979, after moving back from college and into his own home, Michael Smith threw a party Christmas night for friends in Mobile for the holidays. “I hosted the party for twenty-five years, always Christmas night, and added more people to the guest list each year. During that time, I met and married Karen, started and finished law school, began full-time work, and moved to midtown,” said Smith. In 1993, they began sending invitations to the party. Smith had already collected artwork from his friends and started getting them to do the artwork for the invitations. Generally, the only request was that the artwork be the dimensions of a postcard and that it be Christmas-themed; some friends accepted more particularized requests. Their last party was in 2003, but they continue to send greetings every year with a new Christmas card, created by an artist. According to Smith and his wife, “It gives us great pleasure to share the original art for these cards with you. Merry Christmas.” Smith’s collection will be on display at MAC during the month of December. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, December 9th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9 – 5 on weekdays for most of December, and will be open weekends during Sunday Funday (the 11th) and Holiday Market on the Square (the 17th). The gallery will be closed through Christmas break, from December 26 – 30.
The Artys is an annual awards program that celebrates the important contributions that individuals, groups, and businesses make to the Mobile cultural community. Finalists have been announced in the remaining nine award categories, with winners to be announced live at the event.
Artys attendees will enjoy a night of celebration, complete with food, drinks and entertainment in many forms. A jazz trio comprised of John Milham, Chris Spies, and Chris Severin will play, with performances by Mobile Opera and Joe Jefferson Players throughout the ceremony.
Photo Gallery
