The Mobile Arts Council’s grandest annual affair, aptly named “The Throwdown,” paints the town with creativity and purpose. For over a dozen years, local artists have eagerly embraced this unique live art competition. Five contenders—each fueled by passion and creativity—take their places. Armed with a shared supply table and a tantalizing mystery box, they have a mere 90 minutes to conjure original masterpieces.
Attendees become witnesses to this artistic frenzy. They watch as brushes dance, colors collide, and ideas take shape. It’s like witnessing creativity unfold in real time. And the best part? These mesmerizing pieces are up for grabs! As the clock winds down, the excitement ramps up. A local news celebrity steps onto the stage, ready to emcee the live auction. Attendees eagerly bid on the freshly minted artworks, hoping to claim a masterpiece for their own. It’s a whirlwind of anticipation, and the energy is electric. The artist with the highest bid will claim the title of Throwdown Champion.
This year, it’s all about the educators. 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, Christie LeGros, and Katie Thompson.
Local artists and arts organizations are putting their best pieces up for grabs in our one-of-a-kind silent auction. Plus, we’ve got live music, mouthwatering bites from Heroes Sports Grill and The Royal Scam, and drinks that’ll make your taste buds dance.
In true Throwdown fashion, artists must incorporate a mystery item into their masterpieces. The catch? They won’t know what it is until they arrive at their stations.
Like last year, we’re shaking things up. Instead of everyone grappling with the same mystery item, artists will rally their fans. Attendees can make donations in an artist’s name, and the one with the most support gets first dibs from the mystery box. What treasures lie within? Well, that’s part of the fun—they’ll vary in difficulty, but always within reason.
So mark your calendars, gather your art-loving friends, and prepare for a night where creativity collides with mystery. The Throwdown awaits, and it’s bound to leave you inspired, intrigued, and perhaps even a little awestruck!
Interested in sponsoring this unique event? Contact Angela Montgomery or view the sponsor package here.
Past Highlights: The 11th Annual Throwdown
The 11th Annual Throwdown was one to remember. Newcomers Brian Tan, Kimberly Zukley, Ty Tover, Renee Wallace and Janie Brown Johnson took their corners in the boxing ring to take the Throwdown title from Mayssam Iskandar.
Brain Tan knocked out the competition and took home the title of the 2023 Throwdown Champion!
Attendees enjoyed food provided by Heroes Sports Bar & The Royal Scam, libations by Jack Daniels, and rocked out to music by Disco Lemonade.
The 2023 Presenting Sponsor was Hackbarth Deliveries. Additional sponsors included Diamond Championship Wrestling, Jack Daniels, Mobicon, Heroes Sports Bar & Grille, The Royal Scam, Hargrove Foundation, ProMed Choices, Alabama Public Radio, New Horizons Credit Union, the Mobile County Commission, Airbus, Michael Smith & Karen Carr, Ron Barrett LLC, the Mobile Rundown, Showbiz Theatrical Services, and General Dynamics Mission Systems. Interested in sponsoring this unique and fun event? Contact amontgomery@mobilearts.org and view the sponsorship package below.
Click here for the 2023 Sponsorship Package!
Throwdown artists must incorporate a mystery item into their work of art. Historically, artists have not known the identity of the item until they arrived the day of the competition, and found it at their stations. Last year, each artist was tasked with incorporating a wooden airplane into their Throwdown piece.
This year, we wanted to take the mystery box to a new level! Instead of every artist being tasked with the same mystery item, they will now be encouraged to get attendees to make a donation in their name, and the artist with the most donations will be allowed to choose first from the mystery box. Items in the box will vary, within reason, in difficulty to incorporate.
2023 Competitors
Past Highlights: The 10th Annual Throwdown
The 10th Annual Throwdown was one of our toughest art competitions yet! On Friday, September 16th, artists John Halliday, Devontae Knight, Mayssam Iskandar, Christopher Murray, and Elizabeth Brooks had 90 minutes to create an original piece of art while utilizing a surprise item. Inspired by our event venue - the USS Battleship Memorial Park's Aircraft Pavilion - this year’s mystery box item was a wooden airplane.
During the competition, attendees enjoyed music by Ryan Balthrop, a silent auction, and catering by Heroes and the Royal Scam. Our evening was emceed by the only-and-only Darwin Singleton. The one-of-a-kind artworks created at the event were auctioned off live, and the artist with the highest bid was Mayssam Iskandar – whose piece sold for $700. Collectively, these artists alone raised $2,700 towards our fundraising total of $16,000+! All funds raised will go towards MAC’s mission: to enrich the quality of life in the Mobile area through increasing accessibility to the arts and promoting a vibrant cultural community.
The 2022 event marked the first in-person Throwdown since 2019. We want to thank all of those who attended, everyone who donated towards our silent auction, our wonderful volunteers, and our competing artists for donating their time and talent on MAC's behalf. Special thanks to our event sponsors: e the Mobile County Commission, Noblet Dentistry, New Horizons Credit Union, Heroes Sports Bar & Grill, The Royal Scam, Hackbarth Deliveries, Alabama Public Radio, 1702 Real Estate, Showbiz Theatrical Services, the Mobile Rundown, and Medicare Progress. Interested in sponsoring this event? Contact amontgomery@mobilearts.org!
The full event photo album can be seen online here. Photos by Mike Kittrell. Interested in sponsoring next year's event? Contact Angela Montgomery at amontgomery@mobilearts.org!
The 9th Annual Throwdown
The 9th Annual Throwdown, MAC’s biggest fundraising event, was a part virtual, part live experience. The 2020 art competition happened in the style of a reality show on MAC’s Facebook and YouTube accounts on Thursday, October 29th! Our 2020 Throwdown artists included Monica J. Beasley, Soynika Edwards-Bush, Steve Joynt, Abe Partridge, and Kathleen Kirk Stoves. Each artist had 90 minutes to create an original piece of artwork using an 18x24" surface while incorporating items from a mystery box. The artwork created was available for auction online at the end of the evening. Our event host was WPMI Local 15's Darwin Singleton, and the competition featured some spooky surprises! The 2020 champion was Abe Partridge, and the event raised over $7,000 for the organization. Watch last year's creepy competition online below!
The 8th Annual Throwdown
Last year's Throwdown was our biggest event yet! We want to thank all of those who attended, everyone who donated towards our silent auction, our wonderful volunteers, and our competing artists for donating their time and talent on MAC's behalf. This year's competitors were Anna-Marie Babington, Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough, Brandin Stallworth, Patrick Tucker, and Ginger Woechan. The competition results were incredibly close, but ultimately the winner was Anna-Marie Babington, who is now our new Throwdown champion!
Attendees enjoyed live music by Rogerwood featuring Roger Fritz and catering by Heroes, The Royal Scam, and desserts by The Simple Greek. The evening was emceed by the only-and-only Darwin Singleton.
All funds raised will go towards MAC’s mission: to enrich the quality of life in the Mobile area through increasing accessibility to the arts and promoting a vibrant cultural community.
Special thanks to our event sponsors: Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC, Alabama Public Radio, T.S. Wall & Sons, Hackbarth Delivery Service, Thompson Engineering, Heroes, the Royal Scam, the Simple Greek, Gulf Coast Distributing, Sweetwater, Showbiz Theatrical Services, Berney Office Solutions, and Crescent Theater.
Photos by Mike Kittrell.
