Art After 5: Star Wars

Friday, October 28 // 5 - 9PM

Free Admission

Launch into hyperspace in this Star Wars themed Art After 5! Visit the cantina on Tatooine for a night of music, beverages, and art-making to begin your intergalactic journey.

Enjoy a stellar view from your X-Wing fighter with the exclusive, big screen release of the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope — the most powerful telescope ever launched into space. We’re partnering with the Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham to feature the phenomenal images that study every phase of the history of our universe. Gather this important intelligence for the rebels in the interstellar fight with the Galactic Empire! Register now!

Chenoweth Lecture // Frank Stitt + Bryant Terry

Thursday, November 3 // 6 - 7:15PM

Free Admission

Join us for the 2022 Chenoweth Lecture featuring a discussion with James Beard award-winning chefs Frank Stitt and Bryant Terry. The subject of the evening will be "Food and Community in the South, led by moderator Amanda Storey of Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Chef Ama 'Ifágbàmílà' Shambulia of A Beautiful Life Enterprises LLC.

The Chenoweth Lectures were established in 1985 by Dr. Arthur I. Chenoweth as a memorial to his brother and parents.The purpose of these lectures is to encourage international understanding through the presentation of a variety of subjects by specialists in their fields. Space is limited. Register now!

EXHIBITIONS ON VIEW

Hand-Held: The Four Seasons in Chinese Painting

Through the lens of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—this exhibition explores the intimate visual storytelling experience found within small-scale Chinese landscape paintings. Journey through the seasons, from the blossoming peach trees and greening mountains of spring to the pillowy surfaces of newly fallen snow in a winter landscape, in this charming exhibition of Chinese painting.

Wall to Wall: Rico Gatson Presented by PNC

The second iteration of Wall to Wall presented by PNC features Brooklyn-based contemporary artist Rico Gatson, who transformed the walls of the Museum lobby with a colorful, life-size image of iconic Birmingham figure, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and an abstract composition on an adjacent lobby wall inspired by Sun Ra.

On Friday, August 5, guests attending Museum’s signature event, Art on the Rocks, were invited to paint alongside Rico in the lobby to help complete the installation. Through community engagement, Gatson hopes to bring the energy from the Civil Rights movement into the present.

Light Play

Light Play is an exhibition drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection that shows the influence and use of light in art.

In this exhibition, artists examine the many meanings of ‘light’ and ‘play’ through medium, expression, meaning, and form. Light Play brings together contemporary artists and works exploring the manipulation, effects, and emotions of light, including the double meaning of the word ‘light,’ by featuring works that are lively or humorous in subject matter.

Together, these works reflect the expanse of contemporary artworks incorporating light. Whether using it literally, metaphorically, or conceptually, each artist radiates the profound influence of the power of light.

Ways of Seeing: Sports and Games

Ways of Seeing: Sports and Games is an exhibition drawn from across the Museum’s permanent collection that shows the influence of sports and games on art. From ancient to contemporary, art has emphasized the importance of sports to societies globally. While images of athletes and games have had major impacts on artistic practices worldwide, art has also shaped the image of the athlete in popular consciousness. Drawing a parallel between the artists and athletes, this exhibition reveals the longstanding relationship between art and sports and games.

Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen

Bringing together the striking work of rising star—global contemporary artist Manjari Sharma—with the diverse historic collections of the Birmingham Museum of Art, this exhibition introduces nine of the most significant deities of the Hindu pantheon and their contemporary relevance in art and faith, serving as a gateway to the concept of darshan—seeing and being seen by the divine. The vibrant, varied, and sometimes contradictory stories of these gods—as well as their familial relationships with each other—are shared through the works in this exhibition.

SAVE THE DATE

Ring in 2023 surrounded by art with the BMA's inaugural New Year's Eve Party! Beginning with flutes of champagne and a festive DJ set, the evening will include fine food, special performances, a stellar ball drop, and will conclude with dancing to live music into the early morning hours of the new year. Stay tuned for ticketing info!