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
This September MAC features two new exhibitions: “On the Waterfront” by PleinAirSouth and works by our 2024 Throwdown Artists. This month’s exhibition series is sponsored by The Mobile Airport Authority.
On the Waterfront: The Mobile Bay area is rich with a diversity of water resources, which provide much inspiration for our local artists. The PleinAirSouth artists have spent the past year or so painting scenes of Mobile Bay, Dog River, the Gulf of Mexico beaches, marshes, lakes, ponds, recreation areas, and commercial marinas and port areas. These waterfront areas are celebrated in the plein air studies and studio paintings inspired by their plein air experiences.
PleinAirSouth is an informal group of local artists that like to paint outside in the “plein air” tradition. The group meets once a week to paint together at numerous locations in and around Mobile Bay and the adjacent Gulf coastal areas. Our artists work in various different mediums, including watercolor, oil, acrylic and pastel. Many paintings are completed in a couple of hours; and may serve as a study for a future studio painting or stand alone as a completed painting. The challenge of painting from life is to capture the light, colors, and shadows for a fresh look at the subject when the lighting and weather conditions are constantly changing. Artists learn much from the experience – they must work quickly, applying and honing their skills using portable equipment and limited materials. Local artists interested in painting with the group are encouraged to follow the PleinAirSouth Facebook page.
2024 Throwdown Artists: The Battle of the Art Educators is on! Competitors—seasoned teachers and passionate creators—vie for the coveted Throwdown belt. Last year’s champion, Brian Tan, stands as the one to beat. But who will rise to the challenge? Let’s meet this year’s lineup: Soynika Edwards-Bush, Zak Todd, Christy LeGros, and Katie Thompson. These artists will have 90 minutes to create an original piece of art while utilizing items from a mystery box. At the end of the evening, these one-of-a-kind works will be auctioned off, and the artist with the highest bid will take home the title of 2024 Throwdown champion.
In its 12th year, The Throwdown is the Mobile Arts Council’s (MAC’s) largest annual fundraiser. Whether you are an arts enthusiast or just enjoy a great time, this event has it all!
The Throwdown consists of a live art competition between five of Mobile’s finest local artists, an all-inclusive silent auction, live music, cold spirits, and delicious food.
This year’s event will take place on Thursday, September 26th, from 6 until 9 p.m. at The Temple Downtown.
These exhibitions will hang in MAC’s Gallery @Room 1927 from September 5th through September 28th. **The gallery will be closed September 21st, 2024 for a private event.**
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Dates: July 1-31, 2016
Shawn Branson is a surfer and an artist, so it’s no surprise that he creates his own surfboards. Branson is originally from Saint Louis, MO. He moved to the east coast of Florida in 2007 where he really got into surfing. Eventually he found himself at the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Here, he continued to surf and soon was building custom shaped surfboards – something he always wanted to do. Branson hand-shapes both wood and foam boards using a variety of materials: epoxy resin, wood, burn pen, poly foam, EPS foam, acrylic paint, and resin pigment. According to Branson, “I design and hand shape custom surfboards for the gulf coast waves. Every aspect, from design to artwork, flows together to allow you to dance with the rhythm of our shoreline.” During ArtWalk night, the artist will give a live demonstration on shaping a wooden surfboard in the gallery. Branson’s exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of July in the Small Room. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, July 8th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays (closed July 4th).
Dates: June 1-30, 2016
The pine tree has offered much to Alabama’s culture, development and industry. From the longleaf pine forests that covered Alabama before settlement to the millions of acres of loblolly pine plantations that are part of our contemporary timber industry, pines have played a crucial role in Alabama culture, development and industry. Pines are symbolically and ceremonially important trees to many Native American people, but their meaning varies from tribe to tribe. Some view the pine tree as a symbol of longevity that denotes wisdom and harmony with nature. Today’s long-term management of pine forests produces a renewable resource, erosion protection, watershed, recreation and habitats for wildlife. For this exhibition, three Alabama artists look at pine from a variety of perspectives: Photographer Elmore DeMott of Montgomery tells the story of the life cycle of a pine tree with special focus on controlled forest burns through her photographs. Photographer Chuck Hemard of Auburn explores old-growth pines in his series of large-format photographs. Sculptor Chuck Moore of Valley have transformed salvaged pine and given the wood a new life as artwork. PINE will be on display in MAC’s Skinny Gallery and Small Room throughout the month of June.Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, June 10th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: June 1-30, 2016
PleinAirSouth in the Pines features an array of plein air paintings created by the members of Mobile’s PleinAirSouth group, adding a local element to the PINE show organized by the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Artists participating in this exhibit include Joanne Brandt, Roxann Dyess, Carolyn Green, Satomi Kamei, Tamara Lindsay, Karen McGahagin, Ainsley McNeely, Missy Patrick, Melissa Root, and Karen Spaulding. PleinAirSouth is a group of artists from the Mobile Bay area who enjoy the tradition of painting “en plein air”; i.e., painting from life outdoors. The plein air painter attempts to capture the atmosphere and light conditions of the landscape, and must often work rapidly, under sometimes arduous conditions, to capture the scene before the light and weather conditions change. Artists may work in watercolor, oil, pastel or pencil, but must carry all necessary supplies and equipment with them to work on site. The painting completed on site can be used as a quick study to assist in future studio paintings, or may itself be considered a finished work of art. The PleinAirSouth artists have captured scenes from the Longleaf Pine Preserve at the Mobile Botanical Gardens, and other pine forests along the Gulf coast. PleinAirSouth in the Pines will be on display in the Small Room throughout the month of June. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, June 10th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: June 1-30, 2016
Red Energy – The Dynamic Movement of Competitive Sports is an exhibit by Ardith Goodwin that explores the physics and motion of the human body during the act of competing from the literal to the abstract, through mixed media. Ardith explains: “As an athlete in my younger years, dynamic movement was integral to performing well, and my love for it never left. As a painter, it is part of my technical framework and how I manipulate marks and color to convey meaning.” Along with expressing that explosive movement, Ardith wanted to capture the energy and passion athletes share when they are in the act of pushing the human body to its limits during competition. Red Energy is a show celebrating the visual expression of all things sports. Ardith’s exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of June in the Danielle Juzan Gallery. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, June 10th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: May 1-31, 2016
Kindergarten-8th grade students from St. Ignatius Catholic School (under the instruction of art teacher Brennan Gibson) will be presenting an ocean-themed exhibition “Sea Change,” featuring papier-mâché sculptures, mixed media collages, assemblages, and paintings. Most of the projects will utilize recycled materials. Students explored a variety of techniques including printmaking, mosaic, and collage. Grades K-5 made art inspired by different sea creatures and their habitats. Grades 6-8 created artwork in response to pollution found along our beaches and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The artists goals are to highlight the beauty of our oceans and marine life while bringing attention to the dangers facing our oceans. Specific artwork will be for sale and all proceeds will go to MAC and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The student exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of May in the Skinny Gallery. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, May 13th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: May 1-31, 2016
The word “icon” means “image,” but since the early centuries of Chrisitianity, the “icon” is normally used to refer to images with a religious content, meaning, and use. In this series of artworks by Skylar Nicholson and Sandra Cassibry, icons are used explore subject matter and medium. Skylar’s body of work focuses on a religious style of iconography that involves contemporary imagery. It symbolizes an international ancestral worship theme. His icons are a modern take of old views – worshiping the people from the past that still currently hold importance in the same aspect that religious figures such as Jesus Christ, Christian Saints, Buddha, and Confucius are held by their followers. The images in his work are centralized around significant people in his life. Glass is the main material that he used to execute his ideas. According to Skylar, “The glass itself is a symbol of fragility. It symbolizes how religion, people and ideas can be forgotten or broken. We use icons to have a visual memory of ideas and memories.” He uses contemporary frames in his art to let the viewer relate the icons to a less formal setting. Sandra’s iconic paintings were inspired by stained glass windows from churches and cathedrals along the Mississippi and Alabama coastline. The transparency of the watercolors, her chosen medium, permits the white reflective surface of paper to shine through. Similar to stained glass, watercolors have an attractive, airy quality, which is perfect for capturing the illusion of atmosphere, space, and light. The artists’ exhibits will be on display at MAC during the month of May in the Small Room. Meet the artists on ArtWalk night, May 13th, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. The gallery will be open from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays.
Dates: May 1-31, 2016
Artist Adam Underwood has produced a series of local landscape paintings titled “Around Mobile.” Adam’s exhibit will be on display at MAC during the month of May in the Large Room. Meet the artist on ArtWalk night, May 13th, 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
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.
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
