Community Gallery

call for artists graphic

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

calendar of events

Exhibition schedule is subject to change.*

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

September: PleinAirSouth & 2024 Throwdown Artists

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

Nature’s Beauty

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

Structures

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..

Visual Arts Achievement Program

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.

Beautiful: Photographs of Women by Shelley Smith

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.

BIT BY BIT

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.

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