Downtown Mobile’s Blue Velvet Studio, at 709 Dauphin Street #2, has rolled out a packed winter-and-spring slate of free events — and issued a call for artists and volunteers to help make them happen. Organizers point to the shows as a chance for working artists to expand their skills and experience, with most events timed to LoDa ArtWalk nights.
A Season of Free Shows
The run began January 21 with a photo shoot focused on lips for an upcoming ArtWalk theme, open to adults of all experience levels. On January 27, the studio hosted a second showing of the Clay, Wood and Stone exhibit, pairing clayworks by Zach DePolo, woodwork by Ched Holder and stoneworks by Mike Baillie under lighting by JB — an evening pitched at builders and interior designers looking to network.
February 10 brought the LIPS theme home during ArtWalk, with paintings and photography capturing mouths in motion, Valentine-themed crafts, a lipstick table, a kissing booth and a raffle benefiting the Animal Rescue Foundation of Mobile, plus a live performance by the Baklava Bellydancers.
March 9 transformed the studio into a kid-friendly 3-D underwater theater for a black-light exhibit called Under the Sea, complete with mermaid, jellyfish, shipwreck and scuba-diver scenes. Artists hoping to enter the international World of Wearable Art costume competition had a March 31 entry deadline, with the studio offering help on design, fabrication, photography and even fundraising and travel planning.
The season closed out in April with a wearable-art runway show during the April 13 ArtWalk, an April 14 fashion show in Cathedral Square during Arts Alive featuring local designers and models, and an April 15 Sew-Off competition that challenged local artists to design, fabricate and model an original creation live before the crowd. All events were free.