BMA is excited to announce the line-up for the ninth season of Art on the Rocks, a sundown series filled with live music, creative expression, themed beverages, and specialty foods. This season will showcase Birmingham artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and designers whose performances are inspired by works in the Museum's world-class collection. Musical guests this year include St. Paul and the Broken Bones, The Weeks, and Man or Astro-Man?; read more about the bands and what's in store this year from al.com!
Saturday, June 1 // 10:30AM
M Studio for Kids presents a Saturday Studio for kids ages 9-14, Painting Pet Portraits! The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Manufactory was commissioned to paint hippo portraits on an entire set of china. Bring in a photo of your pet (or favorite animal) and create your own pet portrait with artist Meagan Vucovich! Click here for pricing, to reserve your spot, and to learn more!
SATURDAYS MAY 11-JUNE 22 (NO CLASS MAY 25)// 10AM // MUSEUM'S SCULPTURE GARDEN
Energize your chakras with Vinyasa flow, the Five Tibetan Rites, Breathwork, and Chakra meditation. If you would like to boost the energy in your body and balance your emotions, join us for this fun six-week session! All levels are welcome. $60 for all 6 sessions ($50 for BMA members) or $15 to drop-in a class. Click here to learn more and register.
During First Thursday on June 6 // 7PM // Steiner Auditorium
We are pleased to welcome Robert M. Edsel, author of the nonfiction books Rescuing Da Vinci and The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. His newest book, Saving Italy, follows two Monuments Men as they struggle to protect and save some of the world’s greatest treasures located in Italy, including works by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Last year, George Clooney announced he would write, direct, and star in the film version of Edsel’s book, The Monuments Men.
Special thanks to Alabama Booksmith for coordinating this program. Click here to learn more!
BMA was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times, along with several other Birmingham cultural institutions, in recognition of our city-wide commemoration of 50 years since the Civil Rights Movement. The article praises the city for "embracing its complex history" and says that "anyone who cares about U.S. history should plan a trip here." We look forward to contributing to this historic year with our series Art Speaks: 50 Years Forward. Click here to learn more!
Have a special lady in your life you'd like to celebrate? BMA has Mother's Day weekend covered! With poetry, jewelry, membership, and more, we have it all. See this al.com article to learn what's happening for moms this weekend!
Would you like to be a part of our fall exhibition, Etched in Collective History? Artist Shinique Smith needs donated items to create an installation, in honor of the lives lost in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. "I will be gathering materials during the installation of the work, but I wish to involve the Museum's community," says Smith. "My ultimate goal is to create an environment that viewers will be able to walk through and contemplate the past, present, and future with a sense of commemoration and joy."
If you are able to donate, we are accepting the following gently used items: doll clothing and accessories, children's clothing (infant-18 years) and accessories, action figures, storybooks, and stuffed toys (nothing larger than 24"). We will collect items through May 10 at the desk in front of Steiner Auditorium during Museum hours. If your item is not used in the installation, we will donate it to a local charitable organization. Thank you for contributing to Art Speaks: 50 Years Forward!
BMA's exhibition, Look of Love: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection, has been named a finalist for the 2012 Association of Art Museum Curators Award for Outstanding Small Exhibition! Look of Love is among the top 5 exhibitions in the nation as a finalist for this award. The prizes will be publicly announced at the AAMC conference in New York in May.
A community art project coordinated by Birmingham City Councilman Steven Hoyt and the Birmingham Museum of Art is a finalist for a national neighborhood award! As part of Councilman Hoyt's annual Party With a Purpose, BMA's artist-in-residence Toby Richards helped create and compile artwork from festival participants to create a 2013 community calendar. "It is imperative that as a community we rally around the youth and give them the proper guidance they need to become productive citizens of society," Councilman Hoyt said. "The Birmingham Museum of Art continues to be an active civic partner committed to changing lives through the creative process. Each year, Party With a Purpose flourishes because of concentrated efforts from volunteers, vendors, and community organizations." Click here to read the full article!
Livability.com recently listed Birmingham as one of the Top 10 Spring Break Destinations for Families! In the article, BMA was mentioned as a must-see attraction while visitors are in town. Not only are we a great spot to visit anytime, but we have a lot of Spring Break fun planned in the coming weeks! With special family programs on Wednesdays March 20 and March 27, BMA offers free hippo-themed fun with art activities, tours of Hip, Hippo, Hooray!, story time, scavenger hunts, film screenings, and more! Click here to learn more about Spring Break fun!
On Thursday, March 14, Dr. Bridget R. Cooks, associate professor of art history and African American studies at the University of California Irvine, will give a free lecture in BMA's Steiner Auditorium. Dr. Cooks's lecture will discuss her groundbreaking book Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum. In her book, Dr. Cooks discusses several African American exhibitions that challenged the status quo in American musuems at the times they were presented. Following the lecture, Dr. Cooks will be available to sign copies of her book! Click here to learn more!
Our monthly after hours program is back for March! We are open late just for you - come unwind from a busy week with a relaxing evening at the Museum! Sample an array of beers, hear live music, enjoy a contemporary art gallery talk, and see a film, all for free! Also, Oscar's Café will have cocktails and a Tuscan-inspired tapas spread available for purchase. Click here to see what First Thursday is all about!
Spring is just around the corner and what better way to welcome it than with a celebration of color? Celebrate HOLI with us Saturday, March 9, with a full day of free family fun! Art activities, scavenger hunts, Indian food, and cool henna tattoos will be provided throughout the day, while several scheduled events will happen from 11AM-3PM! Events include live performances, storytelling, a color celebration, and more! Read the full schedule here and learn more about the event from al.com!
Want to come explore our new family-friendly exhibition? Fun, family tours will take place on every Tuesday and select Saturdays for the duration of Hip, Hippo, Hooray! Join us at 10:30AM to explore the world of the hippos, get creative with hippo art activities, and then have fun in Bart's ArtVenture, our hands-on family gallery! The tours are free, for children ages 3-8, and no reservations are required! Click here to learn more about the exhibition, Hippo Adventures, and other upcoming family events!
Our newest family-friendly exhibition, Hip, Hippo, Hooray!, is almost here. Opening February 17, 2013, the exhibition features a beautiful and charming porcelain dinner service, complete with images of hippopotamuses from all over the world! To read the story about how the hippo porcelain service was created, click here. Plan your visit to see the exhibition with our upcoming programs, including plenty of family-friendly events for everyone to enjoy!
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we've looked to our collection to tell us a love story. Benjamin West's Erasistratus the Physician Discovers the Love of Antiochus for Stratonice (1772) is loosely based on a legend from Greek history. West's work tells the story of Seleucus, the king of Syria, who has summoned the eminent Greek physician Erasistratus to diagnose a mysterious ailment affecting his son Antiochus. After observing the prince's behavior, the doctor concludes that Antiochus is suffering from unrequited love. West depicts the moment when Erasistratus - taking Antiochus's pulse - discovers that Antiochus longs for his own stepmother, Stratonice. Erasistratus, testing the king's judgment, tells him that Antiochus longs for his own wife, rather than his stepmother. Hastily, Seleucus orders Erasistratus to give his wife to Antiochus; however, Erasistratus's trick proved that Seleucus would do anything for his son to live. "I'm glad to know where you stand," said Erasistratus, "because, in actuality, your son longs for your wife, not mine." Realizing that he must follow his own orders, the king gave his wife to his beloved son, saving his life. To learn more about this painting and other works in our collection, see our book Birmingham Museum of Art Guide to the Collection.
