The Right to Decide: AEIVA hosts international poster invitational
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, signed into law on August 6, 1965, the Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) presents The Right to Decide, an international poster invitational featuring 62 artists from 25 different countries with never-before-seen posters on display through Nov. 16. During the opening reception Thursday, Aug. 6, Yellowhammer Creative artists will be screening Spider Martin Voting Rights posters.
The international artists, hailing from France, Ecuador, Turkey, the U.S. and other nations, are representatives of Posters Without Borders. The collective, created by Eric Boelts, Antonio Castro and Erin Wright, typically focuses on themes surrounding immigration and has created new works specifically for the AEIVA exhibit.
“People are still migrating, and, for many of the same reasons that the earliest humans did — to find a better life for themselves and their families,” explains the Posters Without Borders website. “Whether it is to escape persecution, war, famine, disease or just to find a job that will provide the means to live, the basic instinct to survive means there will always be immigrants.”
The struggle for equality during the Civil Rights Movement saw black Americans striving to secure their rights as citizens and as human beings — an experience shared by many immigrant and refugee populations worldwide.
“As a young child I remember both my parents having to take a test to vote,” wrote Deborah Hill on the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute blog, The Struggle Continues. “I remember them discussing having to pay poll taxes and it was like I felt that it was so unfair that you had to take a test as a citizen of this country in order to have the right to vote; this was something that I refused that I would have to do and when the movement came along about civil rights and equal rights for all Americans.”
5:30–7:30 p.m. Free. Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. 1221 10th Ave. S. For more information, visit uab.edu. Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6
Willie Cole: Transformations — Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts. 1221 10th Avenue S. Internationally recognized artist, Willie Cole is known for his work in mixed media, transforming ordinary objects into sculptures and compositions inspired by African American history and the artist’s personal experience. Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday, 12–6 p.m. Closing August 8. Free. For more information, call (205) 975-6436.
Art Crawl — Downtown Birmingham. August’s Art Crawl will feature the usual bevvy of artists, local talent and unique-to-Birmingham businesses. The Crawl will take place at venues across downtown Birmingham including galleries, restaurants and bars and downtown businesses throughout the historic, loft, business, arts and theatre districts. Specials, giveaways and new art are waiting to be discovered around every corner. 5–9 p.m. Free. For more information, visit birminghamartcrawl.com.
Catherine Beaton Art Show Opening — Rojo. 2921 Highland Ave. Catherine Beaton will be showing her art in Rojo’s side room, which highlights a different local artist monthly. The exhibit opening will allow guests to meet Beaton and partake of Rojo’s exceptional dinner and drink menu. 6–10 p.m. Free. For more information, visit rojobirmingham.com.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7
Mud Dabblers Opening — Red Dot Gallery. 1001 Stuart St. Scott Bennett’s ceramic students will have their pieces on display through Sept. 30, in Red Dot’s first-ever student pottery exhibit. Ranging from beginner to advanced, the work represents all levels of sculpture students. During the opening reception, attendees can meet the artists, shop and partake of refreshments. 5–8 p.m. Free. For more information, visit reddotgallery.com.
SCAC Pottery Collective Gallery Opening — Shelby County Arts Council. 104 Mildred St., Columbiana. The second annual Shelby County Arts Council Pottery Collective Gallery Exhibit opens this week with a reception. Featured artists include Amy Pickens, Aprille Hayes, Candye Lundy, Karen Ingram, Peggy Wood, Sandra Annonio, Stephanie Dikis and Vickie Carter, some of whom will be offering opening night discounts on their pieces. Free. 6–8 p.m. For more information, visit shelbycountyartscouncil.com.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 8
Daily Painting — Alabama Art Supply. 1006 23rd St. S. Carolyn McDonald, a member of the Daily Painters, will share her technique in creating bright oil compositions. Students will receive one-on-one instruction, in-class assignments and watch demos. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $100. For more information, visit alabamaart.com.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 13
It Is Art Opening — Four Seasons Gallery. 2910 18th St. S. Corrine Cox’s collection, It Is Art, highlight’s the artist’s command of pottery and sculpture in the raku tradition. Most pieces in the collection are interactive, whimsical and narrative. Attendees will be able to meet Cox and nosh on refreshments and wine. The exhibition will be on display until Aug. 31. Free. For more information, call (205) 803-4059.
ONGOING
Annual Student/Teaching Artist Exhibit — Space One Eleven. 2409 Second Ave. N. Space One Eleven (SOE) presents the Annual Student and Teaching Artist Exhibition. Collective works by rising second through sixth graders who attended Space One Eleven’s 2015 summer art camps will be on display next to works by the teaching artists who leant their vision to the summer camp “I’M AN ALABAMA ARTIST TOO.” Pieces from the Portfolio Development Course for Teens are also on exhibit. Free. For more information, visit spaceoneeleven.org.
Let Us Now Praise the Roma — Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 520 16th St. N. Karen Graffeo’s collection of documentary photographs offers more than a glimpse into the lives of the complex culture of the Roma people of Northern Italy. The artist spent 15 years among the refugee encampments, caravans, slums and housing projects of the Romani, or “gypsies,” and has emerged with a body of work that is consistently gaining national and international attention. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sundays, 1–5 p.m. until Sept. 13. $12. For more information, visit bcri.org.
Layers of Meaning — Birmingham Public Library. 2100 Park Place. The acrylic paintings in Layers of Meaning surge with emotion and energy that reflect the artist’s intuitive process of discovering deeper levels of color, mood and importance. Matthew Mayes explained that the properties of acrylic paint allow each painting to determine its direction and give the artist the opportunity to exercise confidence in his talent and display an impressive array of themes. Available through Sept. 4. For more information, visit bplonline.org.