The Mobile Arts Council’s ART Works — The Throwdown gave attendees a chance to watch the creative process unfold live during a recent fundraising night on Dauphin Street.
Five artists, one arena
Five contestants worked at tables on a giant blue tarp, swinging hammers, twisting wire, welding, painting and sketching as a crowd looked on. WKRG weatherman and host John Nodar framed the evening as a reminder that, with city budget cuts, keeping art alive in Mobile is up to the community.
Contestant Rando Dixon, a sequential artist and the evening’s underdog as its only primarily two-dimensional artist, recently released his first comic book, The Absentee, through Inverse Press. His war-themed piece — a two-dimensional figure flanked by three-dimensional “W” and “R” — drew the highest bid of nearly $600.
Auction and support
Before the competition, guests browsed and bid on a silent auction of paintings, drawings, sculpture, pottery and photography. The live auction at evening’s end showcased painted canvas dresses stitched by Jamie Brown and painted by local artists.
Two-time champion Jim Hayward, known for form-driven work that protrudes off the canvas, was narrowly overtaken this time. The event drew support from sponsors including Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Hancock Bank and Regions, and dozens of artist donors across the Mobile arts community.