Community Gallery

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. Those that are vaccinated are not required to wear masks in the gallery. 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.

2023 EXHIBITION SCHEDULE

23 Exh. Schedule Text_Updated 1.23.23

Exhibition schedule is subject to change.*

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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 source of life, just as it is ours. Reflected clouds on a pond surface, a meandering stream that courses underground, a hollowed cave—all are evidence of water’s complex and vital omnipresence. The recurring lines, shapes, and patterns observable in the plants and animals that thrive in or at water’s edge define Pier Hardin’s aesthetic sensibility, and hold her in thrall at the miraculous connectedness of nature. Pier’s paintings tend to put the viewer closer to the subject, and often have no horizon lines in sight. This magnified tete-a-tete with a pitcher plant or a frog swimming to the surface of a pond often results in an intimate point of view. The bold colors she chooses express extremes of darkness and light, frequently lending a surreal or fantastical mood to the subject matter. She uses organic line and careful placement to move the viewer’s eye intentionally about the compositions, just as water moves us with rhythm and fluidity. As a Mobilian, a proximity to water has profoundly shaped Pier’s understanding of beauty and mystery. She hopes that her oils and watercolors reveal a reverence toward the biodiverse world of nature that exists in Mobile’s estuary systems. These primordial places where tides meet streams continuously bind Pier in their spells.

“Life in us is like the water in the river.” – Henry David Thoreau

“Blue Mind” is a term used by scientists to refer to the healing power of water and the benefits it has for emotional health and physical wellbeing.  Evidence shows that being near, in, on, or under water can make you happier, more connected, and better at what you are doing. All the artists in this show live on the water, and are inspired by its presence in their daily lives. Whether it is the trickle of a stream, the crashing waves of the ocean, or a colorful sunset over the Chesapeake Bay, the sights and sounds of a body of water are woven into each of the creative minds of this group and influence their work in a powerful way.  Participating artists include Jan Finn-Duffy, Janie Brown Johnson, Renee Wallace, JoAnn Cox, Susan Rouillier, Kathy Martin, Susan Downing-White, Janie Zetsch, and Anna-Marie Babington.

Contact Sydney Cramer at scramer@mobilearts.org or 251-432-9796 for more information. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday – Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday. The gallery will be closed Saturday, March 18th.

PAST EXHIBITIONS

Bovines, Ovines, Equines and More: Paintings by Joanne Brandt

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..

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