Festivals & Events

Cold Weather? Oh it’s snow problem! Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) is back for Winter and is bringing the heat! Presented by Spire, BRW Winter Edition is happening January 14-31, 2021. Support Birmingham’s Premier Culinary and Beverage event with Curbside and To-Go options as well as traditional, but limited, dine-in options, as safety precautions are still being mandated. Patio seating will also be available for those visiting restaurants with outdoor heaters. Family-Style Meal options will also be offered on BRW menus this year. Consider BRW Winter Edition a holiday after the holidays! Put down your cooking utensils and call off the diet - you deserve to indulge.

From fine dining to down-home cookin’, food and drink lovers with a taste for adventure can enjoy special breakfast, lunch or dinner 2 and 3-course, prix-fixe menus ranging from $5 to $50 per person at approximately 50 restaurants. Whether you’re trying something new or enjoying a longtime favorite, this 18-day event makes it easy and affordable for patrons to sip and savor the flavor of Birmingham’s acclaimed and diverse culinary and cocktail culture. Keeping bellies full, hearts happy and restaurants cookin’ is something everyone can contribute toward during BRW 2021 - Winter Edition!

Hungry for more information? Visit www.bhamrestaurantweek.com!

Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle features the series of paintings Struggle . . . From the History of the American People (1954–56) by the iconic American modernist. The exhibition will reunite the multi-paneled work for the first time in more than half a century.

Alongside Lawrence’s paintings, the exhibition presents the work of contemporary artists Hank Willis Thomas, Derrick Adams, and Bethany Collins.

Lucas Blalock uses both traditional and modern photographic processes to exploit the inherent artificiality of photography to present “constructed representations” that reveal deeper truths about our own existence. Referencing the history of photography, visual art, avant-garde theater, and surrealist filmmaking, Blalock’s work is an evolving conversation with itself about humanity’s current “culture of imagery,” and the simultaneous dilution and strengthening of modern photographic imagery.

Blalock’s work conceptually builds upon the foundation laid by the post-modern photographers of the 1960s and 70s, who used “staged” photography to shift the medium away from photography’s traditional function as journalistic documentation – a shift that is largely attributed to the widespread cultural disillusionment associated with America’s involvement in Vietnam. These artists sought to question the role of photography as a reliable presentation of historical fact; a cultural dilemma we, as a society, still face today.

The title of this AEIVA exhibition, Lucas Blalock in T-E-L-E-P-H-O-N-E humorously breaks the metaphorical “fourth wall” by announcing the artist’s own starring role. In its naming, Blalock draws conceptual inspiration from the classic children’s game “Telephone” in which a group of children pass along information to each other through a series of 1-on-1 whispers until the message has evolved into something unrecognizable when compared to the original message. The artworks on display, not easily classifiable as either photographs or paintings, engage in an ongoing “whispered dialogue” with each other; resulting in a playful and sometimes unsettling series of misinterpreted appropriations of themselves. This concept evolves into a visual deconstruction of our culture’s desensitized and convoluted relationship with photographic imagery as well as the way we consume and digest visual information in the 21st century.

Blalock’s self-referential installations offer a metaphorical dialogue between the art and viewer through their exploration of our own reactions to a culture inundated with continuous photographic bombardment, while teasing the possibility of new insights and undiscovered truths these images might reveal about ourselves.

Lucas Blalock received his MFA from UCLA in 2013, and currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions all over the world, including the United States, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and others. His work resides in numerous public and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Hammer Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, just to name a few. Blalock was recently featured in the Whitney Biennale 2019 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.

Special thanks to Lucas Blalock, Eva Presenhuber Galerie (Zurich/New York), and all the lenders to this exhibition. Thank you to our UAB Visual and Performing Arts members and all supporters - without you this exhibition and programming would not be possible.

Does anything important happen on a Wednesday night in your home? What did you, or your girlfriend, daughter, spouse, or any female in your life do last Wednesday night? They more than likely spent time watching their favorite tv show uninterrupted by social obligations, plucked their eyebrows, shaved their legs, or laid around with their cat or dog. Wednesday Night is an installation by Philadelphia-based artist Shona McAndrew. Utilizing sculptures and paintings, Wednesday Night presents a representation of women not often experienced in visual art or popular media; moments of private, personal banality not intended to be viewed by strangers.

McAndrew’s multi-disciplined artistic practice draws on her personal experiences as a plus-size woman and her own struggles with society’s expectations of womanhood. The slightly-larger-than-life figures are modeled after the artist herself or her friends and are presented partially or fully nude – unembarrassed by their exposed bodies and carefree from the viewer’s gaze (even the female gaze). They challenge or even dare the viewer to acknowledge and accept the intrinsic beauty of every woman’s body.

Shona McAndrew holds an MFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BA in Psychology and Painting from Brandeis University. Her solo exhibitions include shows at the Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA (2020); CHART, New York, NY (2019); and Spring/Break Art Show, New York, NY (2019). She has also exhibited in group shows at Stems Gallery, Brussels, BE; Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami, FL; Allouche Benias Gallery, Athens, GR; and Museum of Sex, New York, NY.

The Falcons host Auburn University at Montgomery.

Basketball events are held in the Robert M. McChesney Student Activity Center/Trustmark Arena located at 75 College Drive on the University of Montevallo campus.

Join us on Tuesday, January 19 at 6pm CST for AEIVA’s first Inside the Arts event for 2021 featuring artist, Lucas Blalock! Lucas will share with us an overview of his artistic practices as well as discuss his current exhibition “LUCAS BLALOCK IN T-E-L-E-P-H-O-N-E” on view at AEIVA. (January 18 – April 3)

About the Artist // Lucas Blalock received his MFA from UCLA in 2013, and currently lives and works in New York City. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions all over the world, including the United States, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and others. His work resides in numerous public and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Hammer Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, just to name a few. Blalock was recently featured in the Whitney Biennale 2019 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.

Image Credit //  Lucas Blalock, “The House Guest” 2018 (detail) Archival Inkjet Print. Collection of Ellen and Fred Elsas © Lucas Blalock.

Lucas Blalock uses both traditional and modern photographic processes to exploit the inherent artificiality of photography to present “constructed representations” that reveal deeper truths about our own existence. Referencing the history of photography, visual art, avant-garde theater, and surrealist filmmaking, Blalock’s work is an evolving conversation with itself about humanity’s current “culture of imagery,” and the simultaneous dilution and strengthening of modern photographic imagery.

Learn more about the meaning and symbolism of the Chinese New Year and what it has in store for us in 2021. We will also have a take-and-make craft for families available for pickup at the Fiction Desk -- a Chinese lantern. We will give instructions with each craft kit and during our program. For the program, join Shannon Haddock and Dr. Shuying Rao to learn more about this very festive and important celebration! 2021 is a year of the Ox, starting from February 12th, 2021 (Chinese lunar New Year Day) and lasting until January 30th, 2022. It will be a Metal Ox year.

For more information, visit http://www.hooverlibrary.org/chinese-new-year.

Space One Eleven is pleased to announce that registration for City Center Art 1 and 2 art classes is open! We are very excited about our classes this year! Through the generosity of foundations and private contributors, families may qualify for free or reduced tuition.

City Center Art teaches young artists in grades 2 through 8 the elements of art and the principles of design through individually conceived projects and student collaborations. Space One Eleven’s philosophy is to facilitate the needs of young artists on a concept by concept basis, providing an environment in which young artists can learn, create, explore, and forge their own path into the world of art. Students work in a variety of mediums such as paint, clay, charcoal, and ink. In City Center Art each young artist will learn:

Drawing skills
Color theory
Conceptual thinking skills
Art history
How to formally evaluate their own artwork and the artwork of others
Studio maintenance

Each student will work at their own pace and improve their art making skills. Students who wish to apply to the Alabama School of Fine Arts will develop portfolios for their applications.

Due to the rising number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jefferson county and the state of Alabama, all classes in the spring will be held remotely through online learning. City Center Art classes will meet once a week for a real-time digital class with designated help sessions schedule throughout the week.

Teaching Artist: Tyler Carlisle

City Center Art 1 (Grades 2 – 5)
Dates: Monday, 1/4 to 4/26
Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm

City Center Art 2 (Grades 6 – 8)
Date: Wednesday, 1/13 to 4/21
Time: 4:30pm – 5:30pm
$196 per student or $14 per class
All materials and supplies will be provided to students

Students are welcome to join the class at any time during the school year as long as seats are available. Class cost will be pro-rated for those who join later in the semester.

Join us in the Taproom for 'donate to play' bingo every Wednesday! This month all proceeds will be donated to the Freshwater Land Trust!

Can't make it to the Taproom? Then donate to the Freshwater Land Trust here freshwaterlandtrust.org/donate.

The Golden Bears host Carver College. The match will take place in the Knox-Windham Gymnasium located on Miles College campus.

The Bulldogs host Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Djembe class is much more than what it seems. It’s more like a family, even if you are taking only one 6 week class. Class is made up of people from all walks of life who have a desire to learn in a friendly, supportive, and non judgmental environment.

Students learn the rhythms from Guinea, West Africa and it’s surrounding countries. John has been a student of Grand Master, Mamady Keita.

Mamady Keïta is a grand master of the djembe and one of the world’s most well-known and respected djembefolas. (Djembefola is the Malinké word for “djembe player”. It literally means “one who plays the djembe.”)

John’s djembe class is a direct reflection of the teachings and spirit of the djembe as taught by Mamady Keita

OLLI at UA presents The Wright Brothers Civilian Flight School, Feb-May 1910 with Robert Kane. In February 1910, Wilbur Wright arrived in Montgomery looking for a suitable location for a civilian flight school to teach men how to fly their airplanes. A local businessman convinced Wilbur to select a nearby abandoned cotton plantation. Wilbur accepted the offer and the Wright Brothers established to first civilian flight school in the US. The school only lasted ten weeks, but in April 1918m the War Department selected the same location for an aircraft and engine depot. That installation has since grown into Maxwell Air Force Base. Free event via Zoom technology and registration is required. Not familiar with Zoom; no worries OLLI also offers free training classes. Call 205-348-6482 or see olli.ua.edu.

The Neuroscience Café was launched in 2014 by the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center at UAB in collaboration with the Birmingham area libraries as a way of highlighting the wide range of clinical and fundamental Neuroscience research at UAB. Over this period hundreds of events have been held with over 250 faculty from 6 (SOM, SON, SHP, CAS, SOO and SPH) schools speaking to more than 2000 persons at libraries across Birmingham on neuroscience topics including Alzheimer’s Disease, Depression, Autism, and Parkinson’s Disease, Pain and more. Due to COVID restrictions, the Cafes are currently being presented via ZOOM in collaboration with participating libraries in the Jefferson County system.

Acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright is a steward of American music bringing brilliant color and vibrancy to singular original works and compositions by some of the greatest songwriters of our time. Wright has garnered widespread attention as one of the most venerable popular singers of her generation through the release of five critically acclaimed albums. From her breakout Verve debut album Salt to her forthcoming album Grace on Concord Records, Wright lives life filled with beautiful possibilities centered on the power of song.

Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. She lies beneath the script of human history transcending social divides with an offer of love and deep sense of humanity. Her music accepts the beauty of reality and a collective experience of belonging. For the listener, Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home, wherever we might be physically or emotionally.

At the age of 22, Wright made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday, where her poised performance stole the show. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the release of Salt, which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. Her subsequent albums (Dreaming Wide Awake, The Orchard, Fellowship, and 2015’s Freedom & Surrender) continued to top the charts and her latest single “Lean In” (from Freedom & Surrender) landed on President Obama’s 2016 Summer Playlist. NPR critic Ann Powers included Freedom & Surrender on her list of “Favorite Albums in 2015,” and the album has received rave reviews from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

Join us on Thursday, January 21 at 7pm CST for an intimate, live stream performance starring Lizz Wright, accompanied by Kenny Banks Sr. on piano.

Acclaimed vocalist Lizz Wright is a steward of American music bringing brilliant color and vibrancy to singular original works and compositions by some of the greatest songwriters of our time. Wright has garnered widespread attention as one of the most venerable popular singers of her generation through the release of five critically acclaimed albums. From her breakout Verve debut album Salt to her forthcoming album Grace on Concord Records, Wright lives life filled with beautiful possibilities centered on the power of song.

Through an inimitable voice that The New York Times touts as, “a smooth, dark alto possessed of qualities you might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather,” Wright sings with a soaring reflection of the cultural fabric of America. She lies beneath the script of human history transcending social divides with an offer of love and deep sense of humanity. Her music accepts the beauty of reality and a collective experience of belonging. For the listener, Wright’s songs embody a tradition that allows us to always feel at home, wherever we might be physically or emotionally.

At the age of 22, Wright made a name for herself nationally as a vocalist with a touring concert tribute to Billie Holiday, where her poised performance stole the show. At 23, she signed with Verve Records for the release of Salt, which topped Billboard’s contemporary jazz charts. Her subsequent albums (Dreaming Wide Awake, The Orchard, Fellowship, and 2015’s Freedom & Surrender) continued to top the charts and her latest single “Lean In” (from Freedom & Surrender) landed on President Obama’s 2016 Summer Playlist. NPR critic Ann Powers included Freedom & Surrender on her list of “Favorite Albums in 2015,” and the album has received rave reviews from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

The Panthers host Oglethorpe.

Friday, 1/22 - 6:00pm Women

Saturday, 1/23 - 1:00 Women and 5:00pm Men

Sunday, 1/24 - 1:00pm Men

Sold Out. * Please See our February 19 and February 20 , 2021 dates . New Vegas Themed Murder Mystery Dinner with Optional Ghosts & Spirits of the Past and Haunts Walk of the Mansion and Grounds After Dinner and once the mystery is solved!  First Ever Fun and Interactive Vegas Themed  Murder Mystery Dinner. Explore the beautiful Mansion and it’s collection of historic antiques and artifacts!  All of this excitement is brought to you by the TV Paranormal Investigators Lesley Ann Hyde and The Southern Ghost Girls as seen on A & E’s Truth or Legends in Your Hometown  and Arlington 1840’s Historic House in Birmingham! Fun Party Atmosphere as you participate in the Murder Mystery Dinner. You will enjoy Dinner prepared by Chef Matthew Murphee . After the Murder Mystery Dinner , if you like,  you will Get to Participate in an Exclusive Ghost & Spirits of the Past Hunt of the beautiful Mansion and Grounds as you use state of the art paranormal Investigation equipment!  This is a One of a Kind I Event that you Do not want to miss. Perfect for Friends Night Out, Date Night, Game Night , Family Night, Birthdays, Office Parties and Team Building or just to celebrate the  Season! The Price of your Ticket includes Dinner , Interacting in the Murder Mystery and Tour of the Home and Ghost & Spirits of the Past Hunt . You do not have to participate in the Ghost Hunt if you do not want to or must leave. Weather Permitting we will try to do some of the  Event Outside .
Come join the Southern Ghost Girls At Birmingham's Only surviving Antebellum Home from the Civil War Era that was originally built in the 1840’s . Arlington Historic House and Gardens. 331 Cotton Ave SW Birmingham, Al. 35211. The home has a very interesting and storied past including stories of the Early Founders of Birmingham to Stories Involving the Civil War to a story of A Romance that suffered a tragic ending. The Home has had several unexplained experiences and Paranormal Phenomena We will Tell You about! Lesley Ann and her  experienced several paranormal incidents while investigating before! Last year’s Interactive  tour resulted in capturing many EVP’s, EMF Detections, Orbs, Pictures of ghostly Aparitions and Faces And Much More! You will want to Experience This Yourself! Be a part of the excitement ! We will supply  investigation equipment and you can bring your own. If you’ve ever wanted to participate in something like this at a Historic  Home ....This is the perfect opportunity!! Even the seasoned paranormal investigator will enjoy this! See our website and our Facebook Page  The Southern Ghost Girls Tours For Information under Events on the Calendar. www.southernghostgirls.com
FAQs

Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
PG 13. May not be suitable for young children.
What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Park in the parking lot of Arlington Historic Home Located just feet from the Home in a gated secured area with Security Guards.
What can I bring into the event?
Face Coverings are Reguired to Enter the Home.  You may bring Wine or Beer to be opened at dinner. You may bring your own paranormal investigation equipment. Please note all bags are subject to inspection.
How can I contact the organizer with any questions?
lesleyhyde7480@gmail.com
If you are not able to attend the event you may exchange your tickets for another tour that is the same value .
www.southernghostgirls.com
Lesleyhyde7480@gmail.com
205-305-5098

The Blazers host Rice.

As You Walk Through the Door, Your Hearts Starts Pumping! The irresistible lure of HOCKEY and the buzz of a packed house causes your ADRENALIN to surge. The music is PUMPING, the lights fade and the smoke swirls – and that’s just the beginning. Monster hits, UNBELIEVABLE GOALS and in-your-face hockey keeps you on the edge of your seat. The action is NON-STOP! With heart pounding music, contests, and the prospect of catching a fantastic FREE SOUVENIR, what are you waiting for? Build your team’s SPIRIT by sharing in ours. It’s an EXPERIENCE to remember.