As the spread of COVID-19 shuts down entertainment and gathering spaces, the Mobile Arts Council (MAC) has launched the MAC Virtual Gallery as of Thursday, March 19, 2020. Our gallery is open to the public Wednesdays - Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks and social distancing are required.
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 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Any artists are eligible and may submit a proposal for consideration. Exhibitions are usually displayed from the first Monday of the month through the last Friday.
Now, those exhibitions can be viewed here online, in addition to unique arts and crafts created by MAC’s artist members that are available for purchase. The new MAC Virtual Gallery serves our mission by providing patrons the opportunity to support local artists of all mediums and skill levels from beyond the walls of the Gallery @ Room 1927. Be sure to visit monthly for new art pieces, tickets to MAC events, and so much more!
Your patronage of the arts grows Mobile’s collective cultural footprint in a number of ways. It allows MAC to continue hosting exhibitions and artist workshops, award grants to artists and arts organizations, and provide experiences that celebrate the historically heterogeneous culture that makes Mobile so vibrant!
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.
The MAC Virtual Gallery is always open! Click here to view and purchase works from this month's exhibiting artists. Scroll below to view our past exhibitions or to read about what we have on display.
To sponsor an exhibition, please see our Sponsorship Information.
View our Virtual Gallery here!
The Mobile Arts Council is now accepting entries for the 2021 District 1 Visual Arts Achievement Program and Young at Art! For the first time, this year’s program will take place virtually AND in person – teachers and students are not required to participate in person to be eligible to compete. Those eligible for District 1 include public and private schools Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington counties. Every student who receives a District Award will be recognized in the State Awards from the Alabama State Council on the Arts online. All entries, in person and virtual, must be submitted online. Private studios are not eligible to submit work. Entry categories include painting, drawing, mixed media, 3-D/craft, photography, printmaking, and computer images.
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. The District 1 juried exhibition will hang from February 5th to February 26th, and will also be displayed on our Virtual Gallery online.. For those who want to physically participate, entries must be equipped to hang with a wire or sawtooth hanger and will be due on February 1st – 3rd at our Gallery at Room 1927 (6 S. Joachim St. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.). All entries will be due online by February 1st through the online application below:
Concurrently, Young at Art is for 5th grade students and below and not included in the juried competition. These entries must be equipped to hang (with a wire, sawtooth hanger, contact strips, or some other way that does not stick out of the top of the artwork). Unlike VAAP, this show is also open to private lesson teachers. Apply to showcase up to five pieces of elementary school artwork here:
For those who want to physically participate, entries must be equipped to hang with a wire or sawtooth hanger and will be due on February 1st – 3rd at our Gallery at Room 1927 (6 S. Joachim St. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.). If you need an alternate drop off time, or help with photographing and entering your submissions online, we will gladly do this for you at the gallery!
Contact Sydney Cramer at scramer@mobilearts.org or 251-432-9796 for more information. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday – Friday.
This month we will be featuring two exhibitions: Art For All and Nancy Goodman’s Quilts. These pieces will hang through the end of January in the Mobile Arts Council’s Gallery @ Room 1927. The gallery is open to the public Wednesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Mobile Arts Council, The Central Arts Collective, Full Life Ahead Foundation, and L’Arche Mobile are pleased to announce Art for All, an inclusive arts education program for adults. The goal of the program is to bring people of all abilities together to express their creativity and develop their skills in a variety of arts media including acrylics, graphics, watercolors, and more. This January, 58 framed works from Art for All, all created by students with developmental disabilities over a number of years, will be featured in our gallery. 100% of proceeds from these art sales will go toward purchasing supplies for Art For All‘s classes, so stop by and purchase a special piece for your home while supporting a great cause! If you are interested in volunteering or making a financial donation towards this program, please contact Lucy Gafford at director@mobilearts.org.
Nancy Goodman makes art quilts – quilts meant for the wall, rather than the bed. While firmly grounded in the craft of quilting, Goodman’s quilt style is improvisational, made without patterns or templates. She creates her designs using vibrant colors and complicated piecing. A final layer of intricate quilting (stitching that holds all the layers together) fills every inch of the quilt. Goodman exhibits her quilts in national and international shows and has won many awards. She lives and works in Mobile, AL. Within the artist’s featured works, she has included a Peace and Freedom Series. According to Goodman, “All over the world people are struggling for peace and freedom. These quilts commemorate some of those struggles.”
The Mobile Arts Council recognizes that Black artists have been historically underrepresented in the Visual Arts field. During Black History Month this February, we would like to extend an invitation for any Mobile-based Black artists 18+ (no membership required) to be featured in MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927 and/or in our Virtual Gallery online. This application deadline is set for 9 a.m. on Thursday, January 28th. (Featured painting by Soynika Edwards-Bush).
Qualifications
Artists must be Mobile-based Black artists 18 years or older, and are allowed to submit up to two pieces each. All works will be featured in our online gallery, and select pieces will be hung in MAC’s Gallery @ Room 1927. All works will be juried based on available gallery space, and at least one entry per artist will be featured in the physical exhibition. All artistic mediums will be accepted in this application, but dimensions should not exceed 4′ x 6′ in size. Submitted works must have not been previously featured in our gallery. If accepted, drop off of works for the physical exhibition will take place February 1st – 3rd between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 6 South Joachim Street. All 2D works must be equipped to hang with a wire or sawtooth hanger. MAC takes a 20% commission on all sales, and all accepted works must remain on display in the gallery for the entire month of February. MAC reserves the right to approve or deny any submissions.
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Dates: March 1-31, 2016
It’s All About the Hats – AGAIN! But this time, it’s not just Karen. Karen McGahagin’s vibrant hat-centric paintings are already known to MAC visitors who remember her solo show last May, titled It’s All About the Hats. This time, McGahagin is back with even more hats, courtesy of her friends and fellow artists. The show will feature a motley mix of mediums and styles, but the hat theme remains. McGahagin is a board member of the Watercolor and Graphic Arts Society as well as a member of the local and national Sumi-e Society. The group exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of March in the Large Room. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, March 11th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: March 1-31, 2016
”Captured fractions and fragments of seconds with creativity and light” – photographer Vincent Lawson is intent on documenting these fragments in his work. His exhibit, Flow, is a collection of photographs of dancers taken over the past 10 years. Lawson creates images that represent not just the rhythm of dance but of life as a whole. His abstract shapes and arcs of motion invite the viewer to imagine the rhythm that inspired them. Vincent’s exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of March in the Skinny Gallery. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, March 11th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: February 1-28, 2016
Our ChARTing New Directions instructor Kathleen Kirk Stoves collaborated with her students to create a Valentine’s Day window display. This homage to “love” features portraits of some of her students, as well as an abundance of floating hearts with inspiring quotes about the meaning and importance of love. This display will be hanging in MAC’s front windows for the month of February.
Dates: February 1-28, 2016
The environmental-themed artwork is the result of a weaving across the curriculum of science, art, and fashion design. Students of Mrs. Dianne Bernasconi’s Family and Consumer Science classes at Fairhope High School spent time immersed in learning about the local habitat of Weeks Bay Estuaries. Angela Underwood, biologist educator, was a guest in the classes to share the importance of our fragile ecosystem and the importance of learning about water runoff and keeping the habitats clean. Nancy Raia, Community Arts Director for Eastern Shore Art Center, spent three days teaching the art of batik and how to design on fabric
Dates: January 1-31, 2016
Colleen Comer’s show, “Structures,” features paintings of buildings and interiors that she sees in everyday life. Her compositions are dramatic and use saturated colors to bring out the geometry and shapes of her subjects. Colleen “wants each painting to exist as an individual idea and world, not as a mere representation.” Comer receieved her BFA Auburn University, and has shown her work in Charleston, New York, Paris and Mobile, AL. Comer’s work is on display in the Skinny Gallery and Smal Room during the month of January. Come meet the artist on artwalk night, January 8, from 6 – 9 PM. MAC’s gallery is open weekdays from 9 AM until 5 PM..
Dates: January 1-31, 2016
The Visual Arts Achievement Program provides local and state recognition for student achievement in the visual arts. The program is designed to offer encouragement to young artists, showcase their work and offer opportunities for advanced training beyond high school. As an arts in education program, it awards students in grades 6 through 12 that are participating in arts programs within their academic institutions. Students from Private studios are not eligible to submit work through their studio instructors. Before the statewide competition, districts will compete and single out winners to advance to the next level. The Mobile Arts Council will be hosting District 1: Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, and Washington Counties. The District 1 entry deadline is January 30; we will be accepting work at MAC from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Entry forms (all digital) and additional information can be found on the Alabama State Council on the Arts’ website. If you have any questions, email lgafford@mobilearts.org.
Dates: December 1-31, 2015
Shelley Smith’s exhibition, “Beautiful: A Photographic Exploration & Exhibition of Women of all Ages, Ethnicities, and Backgrounds,” features photographs of over 25 women- all ages, shapes, and sizes. Smith’s photography show culminated as a question and exploration of finding beauty at all ages. ”As I, myself, get older and watch my body change as a woman, staring at myself in a mirror, noticing lines and other aspects that we as women study, I begin to wonder how am I defined socially as well as attractively. It may seem a shallow notion, but I think society has made it abundantly clear how we are often (though wrongly) defined. Beauty is not just a form in the flesh, but is what we are and who we reveal ourselves to be internally.” – Shelley Smith Smith’s work is on display in the Skinny Gallery during the month of December. Come meet the artist on artwalk night, December 11, from 6 – 9 PM. MAC’s gallery is open weekdays from 9 AM until 5 PM.
Dates: December 1-31, 2015
Jenna Cape is a graduating art student from the University of Alabama. Her show, “BIT BY BIT,” includes many small to medium sized vessel-like ceramic forms, as well as some oil and water based paintings. Cape’s work expresses her interest in how things relate to each other, and how strange that connection can be. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition. ”My creative process is influenced by the complex relationships that exist within nature. From the ebb and flow of water, the changing seasons, or the spontaneity of cloud formations, nature holds a sense of mystery that I aim to depict in my work. ” – Jenna Cape Cape’s work is on display in the Small Room during the month of December. Come meet the artist on artwalk night, December 11, from 6 – 9 PM. MAC’s gallery is open weekdays from 9 AM until 5 PM.
Dates: December 1-31, 2015
”Bovines, Ovines, Equines and More” is an exhibition of paintings by local artist Joanne Brandt. For the past ten years, she has been working on a series of cow (Bovine) paintings, eventually adding other pastoral or domestic animals such as goats and sheep (Ovines), and burros (Equines), as well as a few family pets. Her work is realistic, with a touch of surrealism in her treatment of the colors and movement of paint. ”My paintings of these ‘divine’ creatures are treated as portraits, rather than animal paintings.” – Joanne Brandt Joanne is active in several local arts organizations, including the Mobile Arts Association (MAA), the Watercolor and Graphic Arts Society of Mobile (WGAS), PleinAirSouth, the Alabama Miniature Art Society, and the Spring Hill Figure Group. She has shown her work at the Space 301 Gallery, the University of Mobile, The Eastern Shore Art Center, the Mobile Museum of Art, and the Mobile Arts Council, as well as a number of local alternative art venues. Her work has won numerous awards. Brandt’s work is on display in the Large Room during the month of December. Come meet the artist on artwalk night, December 11, from 6 – 9 PM. MAC’s gallery is open weekdays from 9 AM until 5 PM..
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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
