Pop-art favorite Kenny Scharf headed back to Mobile in November 2013 to put the finishing touches on “MOBLOBZ,” his vibrant mural gift to the city, and the Centre for the Living Arts threw open its doors for the occasion with a free Community Day.
The event ran Thursday, November 21, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CLA, 301 Conti Street downtown — with admission free all day.
A Working Artist, Up Close
The draw wasn’t just free entry. Visitors could watch Scharf at work completing the mural in real time, a rare chance to see an internationally known artist mid-creation rather than admiring the finished piece after the scaffolding comes down.
Scharf’s connection to Mobile had been building through the CLA’s Futures Project, his exhibition inside the gallery that anchored the season’s contemporary art programming. His playful, candy-colored aesthetic — born of the 1980s East Village street scene alongside Keith Haring — made “MOBLOBZ” one of the most visible public art gestures downtown Mobile had seen.
Hands-On for Everyone
Alongside the live painting, the CLA set up Scharf-inspired art-making in its Futures Lounge, letting visitors try their own hand at the style. Families could also enter a drawing for a free family membership, extending the day’s giveaway spirit beyond the front door.
For a museum still working to cement downtown Mobile as an arts destination, the free Community Day doubled as an open invitation: world-class art, made in public, at no cost — a template for how the CLA hoped to keep Mobilians coming back to Conti Street.