The Mobile Arts Council: Art For All

If you read our piece about Roger Fritz’s new book, A Luthier's Life, or better yet, if you attended the book release party at the Mobile Art Council’s Gallery @ Room 1927 next to the Saenger Theater, then you might know a bit about what the arts Council does to support the arts community. 

That evening was a perfect example of how they work behind the scenes to help promote and develop the arts in Mobile. The Council’s definition of “the arts” is all-encompassing and has a tremendous impact on the Scenic 98 Coastal’s footprint on the arts and livability index.

There may not be a more energetic, active, or creative team in all of Mobile working hard to help others in the art community. What a fun group of ladies to sit down with to discuss all the programs they facilitate. Visit their website at Mobile Arts Council, which is updated almost daily to keep up with all they have going on. 

I visited with Executive Director, Lucy Gafford, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Kathleen Kirk Stoves, who goes by Kat, and Development Director, Angela Montgomery. Missing that day, but equally important is Sydney Cramer, Program and Advocacy Manager. She was at the University of South Alabama, attending the inaugural Spooky Shakespeare Spectacular. 

Sydney earned her BFA in performance from USA in 2021 and was asked to return as an alumni director for this production.  Working on The Spectacular is a huge honor for her as it is her directorial debut. She is responsible for managing much of MAC’s gallery programs, the vendor area, and the performance zone for LODA ArtWalk, among other things.

Lucy starts us off, “We are here to build awareness of all the creative arts and promote what the arts community is doing. None of us would be here if we weren’t passionate about art.” A self-proclaimed workaholic, she is a native Mobilian who volunteered at the Mobile Arts Council when she was an art student at the University of South Alabama.

After graduating, she was offered a position as Education Coordinator, working closely with the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama and Strickland Youth Center to foster art awareness and its importance to area children. She is an interdisciplinary artist who works in multi-media art formats such as woodwork, sculpture, ceramics, and costuming. She paints in oils and acrylics and is a creative soul through and through.

In 2019, she was named executive director of the Arts Council. She has a vivacious personality and immerses herself in every event coordinated by the organization.  Just check out her Facebook page. She likes to have fun! She and Angela worked at the A Luthier’s Life event in their Gallery @ Room 1927 space, selling books and serving guests food and drink.

How did this book event come about? Angela knew Roger and his wife, Christy, and friend JD Dyess, so it made sense for the Mobile Arts Council to take a lead role in helping promote their artistic endeavors. The event was well-attended and led to our discussion the following week.

Angela is from Jackson, Mississippi, and majored in Biology and Environmental Studies at Sweet Brier College in Virginia. As the chief fundraiser, she raises  money through private donations, grants, and fundraisers. The Council recently received a $15,000 matching grant from the Daniel Foundation in Birmingham. They were able to raise an additional $15,000 in private funds in three weeks to receive the match. She also coordinates other mini-campaigns and writes grants throughout the year.

For their Annual Fundraising Campaign, The Council hosts several fun yearly events, but the biggest fundraiser is an annual party called The Throwdown. This is a multi-faceted themed event designed to be a creative experience for artists and participants. It includes a silent auction, a live auction, and a Live Art Competition. 

This year, the art theme was Barbie, and they even worked aspects of Diamond Championship Wrestling into the event. Artists had ninety minutes to create a work of art for the live auction. Two hundred ticket holders joined in the fun held at the Temple Downtown. Previous Throwdowns have been at the USS Alabama, the Alabama Contemporary Art Center, and the Central Presbyterian Church.

Like the Food Network contestants, each artist was given a mystery box with items like pink feathers and dolls that had to be used in the compilation. The highest bid for the specific artwork is declared the winner. Brian Tan won this year’s Artist Contest with a $1,000 donation and will have to defend his title at next year’s Throwdown. The event raised over $25,000.

As an arts advocacy group, Mobile Arts Council doesn’t offer in-house art classes like those found at the Mobile Museum of Art or the Eastern Shore Art Center but does work closely with these institutions to help promote their programs.  

Kat is responsible for the Council’s school outreach programs. Originally from New Jersey, she earned her Studio Art Degree at Spring Hill College. She began working with the Council after graduating from college in 2011. One of the primary programs the Council facilitates is Amp Up Arts.

“Our goal is to input arts education in Mobile County Public Schools, the largest system in the state. We believe arts education is essential to the development of every student, and that every child deserves the skill and outlet that the arts provide.” The Council hires teaching artists and arts organizations to go into the schools to connect with students where art access is limited. They also teach at Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the area and were recently named the Champion of Youth Award winner for their work. 

Every other year, the Council holds an art competition between local colleges: Bishop State Community College, Coastal AL Community College, University of Mobile, University of South Alabama, and Spring Hill College to encourage budding artists. You don’t have to be enrolled in art classes to enter, every student is eligible. This competition will take place again in April 2024.

Plans are to begin working with a Collaborative Art Site at Chastang-Fournier School in the upcoming weeks. “We have a heart for this work and believe in the benefits it provides our community,” says Kat. “I started many years ago as a teaching artist for the Mobile Arts Council and  now I’m hiring the teaching artists.” They are involved in representing Mobile, Baldwin County, and beyond in a statewide youth art competition, called the Visual Arts Achievement that takes place every February.

The Mobile Arts Council started participating in LODA ArtWalk when it first began in 2005. “We were lucky if 100 people showed up. Now it's difficult to find parking within a couple blocks of Dauphin Street,” says Lucy. 

A big emphasis was on the revitalization of Downtown Mobile, including the monthly LODA Art Walks, where 10,000 to 20,000 people gather along Dauphin Street for art, music, and more than 40 regular outdoor arts and crafts vendors. It happens every second Friday throughout the year from 6 to 9 p.m., and each ArtWalk has a relevant theme picked by the City of Mobile.

The Mobile Arts Council’s Gallery formerly was located on Dauphin Street overlooking Cathedral Square. They moved to the Saenger’s Gallery @ Room 1927 on Joachim Street a couple of years ago. “It’s taken a while for people to find us, but the Gallery is staffed and open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 until 2 p.m. They feature an Artist of the Month as well as an Organization of the Month. Their website also lists an online Arts Directory. 

“We promote whatever the arts community is doing,” says Lucy. “Whether it’s tickets to the Symphony, art classes, art for sale, a unique experience, anything arts-related, we promote it.” There are several ways to become a member of the Mobile Arts Council. They have almost 400 supporting members including student, artist, patron, and organization memberships.

The Council likes to highlight its members in a timely fashion, especially if one of its members has an upcoming show. You may have noticed the murals painted on utility boxes around downtown. That’s public artwork commissioned by the Mobile Arts Council.

They host the annual Artys Awards, recognizing local artists, businesses, and individuals who have had an impact on the creative community. This past year it was held at Soul Kitchen, and the awards were created by artists and glassblowers, Muffinjaw Designs. The Council also hosts and promotes quarterly professional development workshops for local artists at their Gallery @ Room 1927. They even facilitate a free Find Your Voice workshop for up-and-coming poets through their annual Poetry Out Loud program.

Whatever they are doing, you can pretty much guarantee it’s going to be entertaining. They have their own Mardi Gras footmarching group called the Mystic SOBs. That’s Mystic Squirrels of Bienville (Square) for the uninitiated. They even have a Squirrel Soiree, which takes place on Joe Cain Day during the People’s Parade. This year’s party is February 11th, 2024.

The Mobile Arts Council is a wonderful organization that adds so much to the attractiveness and livability of the Scenic 98 Coastal area. How fortunate are we that these dedicated art advocates work tirelessly to help foster every kind of creative art imaginable? Thanks for all you do, and please keep up the great work! Please consider supporting MAC so we can continue to build on such a good thing. After all, a creative mind is a terrible thing to waste!