A downtown Mobile gallery spent the month showing off a different kind of art walk favorite: familiar album covers reimagined with a distinctly local twist. Optera Creative, located at 5 N. Jackson St., hosted the display as part of a contest organized by the Mobile chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the national professional organization for graphic designers.
The challenge was simple in concept but wide open in execution: take a well-known album cover and rework it with a Mobile spin. Entrants ranged from working design professionals to college students, and the results covered everything from local landmarks to city officials standing in for pop icons.
“We were very loose with the rules,” said Katie Vogtner, the local AIGA chapter’s events coordinator. One of the entrants, Megan Cary, serves as the chapter’s president and teaches at the University of Mobile, where she encouraged several of her students to submit their own designs. “So some were professional, some student work, kind of a mix,” Vogtner said.
The artwork went up Nov. 9 to coincide with a LoDa Artwalk event, marking the first time AIGA’s local chapter had organized a contest tied to the popular monthly gathering of downtown galleries and shops. Vogtner said the response from art walk visitors was strong enough that organizers are already talking about bringing the contest back.
Steven McNider took first place with “Mob Town ‘Celebration,'” a reworking of Madonna’s “Celebration” album art. Second place went to Chris Graham for a Mobile-themed take on Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” which swapped in the Battle House Tower area as a backdrop for the album’s famous handshake image, with one figure engulfed in flames as a wry nod to the region’s brutal summer heat. Third place was awarded to Jacob Burkhardt for “Sandy Stimpson ‘Mobile,'” a play on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” that put Mobile’s mayor front and center.
Several other entries earned honorable mention, including Vogtner’s own “Holiday Inn Yankee Foxtrot,” a riff on Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” and a second piece built around Frank Sinatra’s “Nothing But the Best.” Vogtner said the Sinatra cover was inspired by her appreciation for how Stimpson carries himself in office. Other honorable mentions went to Julianne Patterson for a Stimpson-themed cover based on Dave Barnes’ “Carry On, San Vicente,” Gin Mathers for a reimagining of The Doors’ “Morrison Hotel,” and Cary for an Alabama-flavored version of David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane” built around former Mobile County Commissioner Steve Nodine.
The broader submission pool pulled from a wide range of artists, including covers inspired by Green Day, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, Josh Groban, Fleetwood Mac, Freddie Mercury and Simon and Garfunkel, giving the gallery walls a mix of eras and genres alongside the local references.
Vogtner said her own creative process leaned on simple inspiration rather than an elaborate concept. “I just did a Google image search for album covers and scrolled through until I found something that inspired me,” she said, describing how the Wilco cover came together once she landed on the idea of the Holiday Inn.
With the first contest behind them, organizers are already looking ahead. “This is our first go at this so I’d like to say maybe we could do this again next year, maybe change up somehow,” Vogtner said, floating the idea of a future contest built around reimagined movie posters instead of album art.
The exhibit remains on display at Optera Creative through the end of November, giving downtown visitors additional chances to see the full collection of entries in person.