Neighborhood Events

Birmingham City Council Highlights 7.5.22

Here are a few of the legislative highlights from Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting, in case you missed it.

ITEM 15

The Birmingham City Council voted to approve spending for roughly $25 million of the Covid State and Local Recovery Fund Budget dollars that were allocated to the city. The ordinance appropriates $3,992,058 to the Birmingham Police Department, $2,430,199 to the Department of Public Works, $1,124,066 to the Birmingham Fire and Rescue, and $18,000,000 to district specific projects.

The City received $141 million in two separate tranches of roughly $70 million each. This money is part of the second tranche. 

Here is the item as it appeared on Tuesday’s agenda:

An Ordinance “TO FURTHER AMEND THE COVID STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUND BUDGET” for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, by appropriating $3,992,058.00 to Birmingham Police Department, $2,430,199.00 to Public Works Department, $1,124,066.00 to Birmingham Fire and Rescue and $18,000,000.00 to District-Specific and City-Wide Councilor Projects per funds received from the American Rescue Plan Act. (Submitted by the Mayor) (Recommended by the Mayor and the City Council)**

Boards and Agencies

The Birmingham City Council is currently seeking applications for two positions on the Birmingham Parks and Recreation Board. Councilor Carol Clarke, who chairs the Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee, is asking all interested parties to please send a letter of interest and their resume to her office: Carmen.mays@birminghamal.gov

The goal of this board is to oversee the operation and maintenance of all of Birmingham’s parks. Qualifications for the board include: Resident of the City of Birmingham, registered voter, over 21 years of age, taxpayer and real property owner

Update on Access to City Hall

In anticipation of the 2022 World Games, Birmingham City Council staff began temporarily working remotely on Thursday, June 30 until July 18, following the conclusion of the games. Due to security measures being put in place, there will be limited access to City Hall. There will not be a Birmingham City Council meeting held on July 12th.

A temporary satellite office has been established until Friday, July 15 so that the business of the city can continue unimpeded. That location is 1200 Tuscaloosa Ave, Birmingham AL 35211. Hours of operation for the permitting office will be 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and the finance office will be open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Please stay tuned to our website, www.birminghamalcitycouncil.org for updates about future meetings and more.

Below is a map of the downtown road closures and a graphic indicating what can be brought into the games. 

Black Lens Filmmaker Grant: Applications due July 20

Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema and The Law Firm of Stacey A. Davis have partnered to create the Black Lens Filmmaker Grant with a goal to support Black voices in film. The Black Lens Filmmaker Grant invites filmmakers of all levels and welcomes all stories.

Applications are due on July 20th, and the grant recipient will be announced at the annual Sidewalk Film Festival awards ceremony on August 28th.

The grant recipient will receive a $1,000 cash prize funded by The Law Firm of Stacey A. Davis and a 1-year Director’s membership to the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema ($2,000 value + 1 free year of education/outreach programs).

In addition, every applicant who completes the application by the designated deadline will receive a 1-year Sidewalk Filmmaker/Industry membership to the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema ($100 value).

What's Happening in Education and Outreach at Sidewalk

One Night Only! No One Wants to Read Your Script with Brad C. Hodson
June 29 | $50 | 7PM

How do you cut through the noise and get someone to read your work? What’s a waste of time, and what might really help your career? What does it take to make someone read your first 10 pages, then hook them until the ending? In this course, you'll learn tried and true tips from writers in the trenches actually pitching, optioning, and selling scripts, tips for letting your voice and personality shine through on the page, even when it can't be filmed and more.

BRAD C. HODSON is a screenwriter and script doctor in Los Angeles, CA. He's worked on dozens of feature films and currently has original features in various stages of production with directors like Rob Hardy, Alejandro Brugues, Adam O'Brien, and Orlando Jones. He's also pitched to every studio in town and has the emotional scars to prove it.

Upcoming Events at Space One Eleven Arts Center

ARTfix! Adult Art Classes

Still Life Painting Workshop with David Baird (16+)

Two Day Workshop

Saturday, July 9, 2022 | 10am-4pm

Sunday, July 10, 2022 | 10am-4pm

$240

This class will primarily focus on mixing color in oil paint from observation. Working from a still life motif, students will learn to produce harmonious color relationships from observation. Paintings will be developed over the course of two days, beginning with broad color notes and working toward more refinement in the color and drawing. Through the introduction of concepts like hue, value, and chroma, as well as basic color theory, students will analyze their perceptions and recreate them with mixtures of paint, learning to guide themselves toward more meaningful, sophisticated color and tonal relationships.

Click here for more information


Post-Impressionist Painting and Collage with the Figure with Amy Peterson (18+)

Two Day Workshop

Friday, August 5, 2022 | 5:30-8pm

Saturday, August 6, 2022 | 9am-4pm

$235

This workshop is inspired by Post-Impressionist paintings. For the Impressionists, emphasis was on light and atmosphere. For the Post-Impressionists, emphasis shifted toward color, pattern, and symbolism. Flattened forms of objects and figures, plus heavily patterned interiors, make a scene appear abstract at first glance. In this workshop, you will be using techniques of Post-Impressionist painters to create an interior scene.

On Friday, students will create sketches from a live model. On Saturday, they will paint and/or use collage to create an interior scene on canvas. Students may bring photographs to use as references, or may use their memory or imagination to create the scene. Knowledge gained during the live model sketch from Friday night will be used to incorporate a figure into a Post-Impressionist interior painting.

Click here for more information


Spots are filling up quickly!

Join The Race For Freedom With The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), in partnership with The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, NASCAR, Honda, Southern Custom Exhibits, Microsoft and The Southern Center for Broadening Participation in STEM, is pleased to announce the opening of a special exhibit on July 7, 2022 in conjunction with The World Games. Race to Freedom: African Americans in Sports & The Marathon for Progress will be an interactive display bringing into focus the powerful symbol of the wide-ranging challenges and triumphs in the nation’s history of race and racism - sports.

The exhibit will take visitors through an observation of the space within society where African Americans have engaged in inventive ways to incite change and advocate for equality. The narrative and full-sensory experience will encourage visitors to consider the harrowing intersection of racism in sports and sports as conduit for progress. The points of reflection, or marks on the track of progress, include Segregation, Discrimination and Stereotypes, Activism and Change.

Adorned with a real BCRI branded NASCAR stock car that will be on display at the Institute as part of the presentation, this special exhibit is expected to bring thousands of visitors to learn more about the struggle for equality that Black athletes have faced for centuries. Race to Freedom will include weekly giveaways, a Gee's Bend Quilt, interactive features, unique photo opportunities with celebrities, sports archives and memorabilia. Featured objects and narrative pay tribute to athletes and athletic organizations tied to Alabama, including but not limited to: Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Alice Coachman Davis, the Birmingham Black Barons, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, NASCAR, and others. Throughout, visitors will face statistical data related to racism and sports before exiting with their batons to continue the race for equality.

Birmingham City Council Highlights - June 14, 2022

Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council Highlights for June 14, 2022

Here are a few of the legislative highlights from Tuesday’s Birmingham City Council meeting, in case you missed it.

ITEMS 2-19

Today, the Birmingham City Council unanimously approved a series of interlocal cooperation agreements with municipalities across the state that will be providing resources and equipment for the 2022 World Games next month.

Some of the resources include, but are not limited to, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency providing up to 91 troopers, four bomb technicians, three K-9 teams and 98 vehicles; the City of Fultondale will provide a Sky-Watch tower; the City of Huntsville will provide up to 10 officers, two K-9 units and 5 drone tech equipment and operators. The entire list of municipal contributions can be found on Tuesday’s agenda on items 2-19.

Councilor LaTonya Tate, who chairs the Council’s Public Safety Committee, said she is pleased with the level of regional cooperation that has taken place in anticipation for the 2022 World Games.

“When you have an event of this size, you have to think about the logistics, equipment and manpower that goes into making it go smoothly and safely for everyone in attendance,” Councilor Tate said. “All of these items had to be approved by each municipality, from all corners of the state. It just goes to show the level of regional cooperation and leadership we’ve seen in leading up to this event. Safety is at the forefront of this event and today’s vote sends a strong message out to the community that they’re going to be taken care of.”

Boards and Agencies

There are two board openings that the Birmingham City Council is seeking applications for currently.

1) The Birmingham Parking Authority Board – The only qualification is that applicants be a resident of the City of Birmingham. This board regulates city parking spaces, decks and lots.

2) The Birmingham Jefferson County Port Authority – The only qualification is that applicants be a resident of Jefferson County. This board works to develop waterfront property for recreational, transportational, agricultural, industrial, and commercial purposes by financing, acquiring, enlarging, improving, replacing, owning, operating, selling, leasing, and disposing of a project or projects

For all interested parties, please email your resume and letter of interest to Myeisha Hutchinson (myeisha.hutchinson@birminghamal.gov ) and/or Councilor Darrell O’Quinn (darrell.oquinn@birminghamal.gov

Man Up Breakfast

On Saturday, June 18th, Councilor Clinton Woods will be hosting the annual Man Up Breakfast at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The annual event is aimed to celebrate fathers and highlight positive male role models in Birmingham. This year will feature keynote speaker Art Franklin, who built a career as one of Birmingham’s most trusted news anchors.

“We are very excited to have Art Franklin as our speaker this year,” Councilor Clinton Woods said. “Not only has he built an incredible career in journalism here over the decades, but he was the first African American man to anchor primetime news in Birmingham. Beyond his storied career in news, he also brings a wealth of knowledge about what it takes to be an entrepreneur and to run a business.”

This year’s Man Up Breakfast will also feature a panel focused on “Closing the Wealth Gap;” distinguished panelists include Isaac Cooper with IMC Financial Consulting, Greg Jones from The Jones Group LLC, and Abra Barnes with Barnes and Associates.

“This group is going to bring a lot of insight about what we can do to build wealth, and what work is needed to close the wealth gap,” Woods said.

Jermaine “Funnymaine” Johnson will serve as the emcee for the event.

Doors will open at 9 a.m. and the event is free and open to the public. To register, please visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/man-up-breakfast-2022-registration-337395758797

Call for Summer 2022 Art Camp Volunteers!

Call for Summer Art Camp Volunteers

Space One Eleven is looking for volunteers to help with summer art camps for (rising) 2nd through 12th-grade students.


I'm an Alabama Artist, Too! (rising grades 2-5):

  • June 13-17, 9 am - 3 pm daily

  • June 20-24, 9 am - 3 pm daily

Specialty Camps (rising grades 6-12):

  • Drawing, Printmaking, and Zine Making Camps

    • June 6-10, 9 am - 3 pm daily

  • Drawing, Digital Art, and Clay Camps

    • June 27-July 1, 9 am - 3 pm daily

  • Clay, Finding Your Creative Voice, and Sew Cool Fashion Camps

    • July 11-15, 9 am - 3 pm daily

  • Sew Cool Fashion, Architecture, and Portfolio Development Camps

    • July 18-22, 9 am - 3 pm daily

  • Photography Camp

    • July 25-29, 9 am - 3 pm daily

The World Games Reveals Medals for 2022 Events in Birmingham

The World Games unveiled its gold, silver and bronze medals Tuesday at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, an event that featured three medal-winning Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Birmingham can't wait to host this history-making event starting July 7.

For tickets are more information, click the button below.