Downtown Mobile’s monthly ArtWalk returns Friday, September 9, from 6 to 9 p.m., with galleries, studios and shops along Lower Dauphin Street opening their doors for new exhibitions, live music and — this month — a one-year anniversary celebration of the ArtWalk Open House series.
The anniversary party unfolds at Kangal Gallery in the Sail Loft at 58 N. Royal St. from 5 to 9 p.m., beginning with a 5:15 p.m. parade from Cathedral Square led by St. Luke’s Episcopal School’s new marching band. At 7 p.m., the gallery unveils the 2011 Polo at the Point painting, an oil by B’Beth Weldon, with live music by Mike Landry and door prizes throughout the evening.
At Cathedral Square, the Greater Mobile Arts Awards presentation honors six individuals and organizations for long-term contributions to the arts, followed by a reception at the Mobile Arts Council on Dauphin Street.
New exhibitions anchor the gallery circuit: photographer Cameron Pfeiffer’s “Bearing Witness,” her personal collection of Ground Zero images and scenes documenting the South’s response after 9/11, opens at the Mobile Arts Council; “Constructs” brings abstract work by 11 Virginia artists to Space 301; and the Host Gallery debuts new work by Colleen Terrell Comer with a 7:15 p.m. artist talk. The wellbornIdeas studio hosts work by noted street artist Priest, while Edward Jones Investments on Dauphin Street shows pieces by Lynda Smith Touart.
The Crescent Theater joins in twice over — screening “The Guard” nightly and hosting the sign-up meeting for Mobile Bay Film Scramble 3, the fast-turnaround filmmaking competition that gives teams as little as 48 hours to write, shoot and submit a short film.
Down the street, Blue Velvet Studio stages “Vessel 3,” featuring 40 artists across painting, sculpture, fashion, photography and live body painting, with fire-breathing by Bo Poston and an outdoor light piece by JB Bridges; proceeds benefit Penelope House. And around the corner, the Joe Jefferson Playhouse opens the Elvis jukebox musical “All Shook Up” at 8 p.m., with tickets $20 for adults and discounts for seniors, military and students.