The Abroms‑Engel Institute for the Visual Arts is proud to present Young, Gifted and Black: The Lumpkin‑Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art, featuring more than 40 works from one of the nation’s most celebrated private contemporary art collections. This nationally-traveling exhibition highlights established and emerging artists of African descent from the past 35 years, offering a vibrant range of voices, ideas, and approaches. AEIVA will launch the exhibition during the UAB Center for the Arts Block Party on October 3 from 5 to 7 pm, inviting the community to experience these powerful works together.

FEATURED ARTISTS
Derrick Adams • Tunji Adeniyi-Jones • Sadie Barnette • Kevin Beasley • Nayland Blake • Jordan Casteel • Jonathan Lyndon Chase • Caitlin Cherry • Bethany Collins • LaToya Ruby Frazier • Cy Gavin • Alteronce Gumby • Chase Hall • Allison Janae Hamilton • David Hammons • Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle • Lonnie Holley • Tomashi Jackson • Rashid Johnson • Samuel Levi Jones • Jarrett Key • Deana Lawson • Glenn Ligon • Eric N. Mack • Kerry James Marshall • Troy Michie • Wardell Milan • Narcissister • Arcmanoro Niles • Clifford Owens • Jennifer Packer • Adam Pendleton • Christina Quarles • Andy Robert • Jacolby Satterwhite • Paul Mpagi Sepuya • Gerald Sheffield • Lorna Simpson • Sable Elyse Smith • Vaughn Spann • Henry Taylor • Chiffon Thomas • Mickalene Thomas • William Villalongo • Kara Walker • Nari Ward • D’Angelo Lovell Williams • Wilmer Wilson IV • Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Through our dedicated instructor-led group and scene exercises, you will unlock your creativity, get out of your head, and meet a whole new community of kind, fearless, and funny folks who are ready to join the stage with you, culminating in a showcase performance on the Faraway stage.

This is an 8-week class on Tuesdays from 6–8 p.m., starting  September 23.

The Performance Week 101 Showcase time slot is Tuesday,  November 18, at 6:30 p.m. (this time is subject to change).

The Masquerade Presents:

The Lemonheads: Love Chant World Tour

Doors 7pm / Show 8pm / All Ages

Table Reservations in the checkout process.

We are closing out our 2025 season of Fantasy Book Club with a beloved cult classic! Years before Dorothy crash-landed in Oz, Elphaba dwelled there, green and wild and misunderstood. WICKED is the origin story of our most famous witch, and this is the perfect time of year to celebrate her. As always, free and open to everyone!

Atreyu|He Is Legend|Zero 9:36

Experience the intimate side of jazz as these small groups explore a wide range of styles, from classic standards to contemporary compositions, including original arrangements and compositions by UAB students. Directed by Steven Roberts, DMA, Carlos Pino and Maria Bitran.

- Join us on November 13, 2025 for an exclusive and intimate dinner followed by a private concert with Drew Holcomb. This special event will benefit Help One Now.

- Help One Now's mission is to empower families to end the cycle of extreme poverty through entrepreneurship and educational programs. We hope you will join us for this event as we work together to impact 100 families in our partner communities.
For Sponsorship Opportunities, please reach out to Kaitlin Pierce at Kaitlin.Pierce@helponenow.com

@WORKPLAY

Event Begins at 6pm

Line dance with local instructors. For, and by the LGBTQ community 19+. This is a great way to move and build community. No experience required.

Who: Free and open to members of the LGBTQ Community and their pets
What: Free Pet Wellness Drive-Thru Clinic (max of 4 pets per vehicle)

Services available include:
- Rabies
- DA2PP
- Bordetella
- FVCP

Meet us in the Southern Living Garden. This program is designed to promote a love of reading, creativity, and nature, all while gaining the benefits of visiting the Gardens and being outdoors. Free, but registration is required. Weather permitting.

Come get free, affirming, dry-cuts provided by trained individuals who are affirming

Ring in the holidays at Lane Parke! Join us as we light our holiday tree with the help of Santa!

Attendees can enjoy drinks, pop-ups, DJ and kids' activities to get everyone in the holiday spirit! Plus a little extra magic with some {snow} and visits with Santa

Interested in being a vendor? Email vkrupa@crawfordsq.com for a vendor application!

DOORS 7:00 pm
STARTS 8:00 pm

Join Cherith Fluker, author of "Secret Birmingham: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure,\" as she shares excerpts from her book and more Birmingham fun facts and history (including Ruffner Mountain!). Afterwards, you can join us for a hike on the Trillium Trail.

The hike is optional. It\'s a .6 mile hike with a short uphill walk on a paved road and then a downhill trail with several rocks and roots creating uneven terrain. You do not have to participate in the hike to meet Cherith and enjoy learning more about Birmingham!

Cherith Glover Fluker is a freelance writer and ed tech professional who has partnered with destinations across the country to create travel and lifestyle content. After exploring and promoting cities nationwide, she turned her attention closer to home to shine a light on the rich history, hidden gems, and vibrant culture of Birmingham, Alabama.

In her book, Secret Birmingham: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, Cherith serves as a guide to the city’s quirky landmarks, fascinating people, and lesser-known places that often go unnoticed in traditional travel guides. Since writing the book, she has made it her mission to help locals rediscover the magic in their own backyards and to invite visitors to experience for themselves why Birmingham is known as the Magic City.

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Come join us as we celebrate the publication of Craig Legg's " A History of Birmingham Rock & Roll"-  a fabulous book containing more than 350 original paintings illustrating over seven decades of rock music people, places and events in the Magic City.
We will have copies for sale and the artist will be on hand to sign and add a personal message to this perfect holiday gift for any music lover.
We'll also have live music performed by several of the artists featured in the book, along with t shirts, select prints and other swag for sale. Come have a drink with us and get your copy!

Join us for our Christmas Bazaar on Sunday, November 16, 2025, from 11AM–4PM
Shop local vendors, enjoy holiday treats, and even snap pictures with Santa!

Come find the perfect gift, support small businesses, and experience a little holiday magic right here at BFT.

Admission is free!
Birmingham Festival Theatre

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Music, in the College of Arts and Sciences, presents recitals and concerts each fall and spring semester. Most of the performances are free and open to the public, and held in the Hulsey Center for the Arts’ Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall and UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. For the latest information about performances, check the UAB Campus Calendar, contact the UAB Department of Music at 205-934-7376 or visit uab.edu/music.

About The Event
Step into the tent, friend — Sunday Service is in session.
Each week, comedian Matt Davis leads a revival of reason and ridicule: sharp political
comedy, real community voices, and guest speakers working to make change. We
cleanse ourselves in the light of the absurd, mock devils public and private, and
remind one another that laughter is still a civic duty.

Between the hahas, local organizers and activists take the pulpit to share new ideas,
initiatives, and calls to action; audience members are invited to testify, share absurd
headlines that deserve a comedy exorcism, or simply bear witness.
It’s church for people who don’t go to church; a space to connect, unwind, and
leave re-charged to do some good or at least feel a bit better before heading into
another week.

A weekly gathering of comedians, community voices, and recovering believers in
democracy. Bring your doubts, your headlines, and your sense of humor.
Stay for fellowship after the hour; the collection plate is metaphorical, but the community
is real.

More info can be found on: https://our.show/sundayservice

About Laughing Impact Project
This performance is staged as part of Laughing Impact Project (L.I.P.), a civic-facing arts and
activism project that produces participatory live events in partnership with grassroots
organizations. Each Laughing Impact event includes a performance, pre- and post-show
engagement with civic groups, and digital media intended to deepen public understanding and
connection. While “Sunday Service” is its own independent creative work, it is presented inside
these structured events to maximize civic and social impact. Learn more, including how to get
your organization involved in this or future events, at https://laughingimpact.org

About Birmingham Festival Theatre
Opened in 1972, and in its current location since 1973, BFT has staged performance runs for
over 310 productions in its 53 years. The oldest black box theatre space in the State of
Alabama, BFT began with and has continued a mission of supporting the exchange and
development of theatrical talent, ideas and artistic visions, and by presenting shows that can
only be seen in Birmingham on its stage. https://bftonline.org

About Christopher Davis
Christopher is a Birmingham theatre, comedy, and arts staple and immediately recognizable for
his role as the host of The Moth Story Slam series, as a main player in area improv groups Ugly
Baby and E.T.C., and as an instructor at Red Mountain Theatre Company, Faraway Theatre,
and InToTo Arts., and serves on the Advisory Counsel for Laughing Impact Project.
See what else Chris is up to: https://instagram.com/@chrisdavisdoesstuff

About Matt Davis
‘Matt Davis is an intellectually-driven stand up comedy king.’ **** Fringe Review (Perth,
Australia, 2020)
‘Matt is a pro. ...perfect timing... has the comic vision of a Zen Buddhist’ **** Gonzo Magazine
(Edinburgh, Scotland, 2024)
‘A great comedian! Smart writer, always funny’ - Dave Attell
Matt Davis is an award-winning comedian with a long C.V. of global comedy and arts festivals
spanning 25+ years of touring across 70+ countries, including Just For Laughs in Montreal,
Sketch Fest in San Francisco, UICF in Utrecht, Netherlands, the Bengaluru Comedy Festival in
India, Sydney Comedy Fringe in Australia, HICF in Hong Kong, and many, many more. In 2015
his World in Jest project helped to connect disparate emerging comedy scenes, including many
where he was the first foreign artist to perform with local scenes (Mongolia, Macedonia,
Pakistan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina to name a few). This work led to his previous hour,
BadFamiliar, and an on-going effort of the same name that hopes to help connect artists
interested in crushing the notion that “familiar equals good” within their own work.
Matt’s early years of touring, mid-late 90s to 2015, were primarily in North America. During this
time he was racking up 40 weeks a year on the road; toured as opening act for household
names; was featured on Netflix in its early days; released 5 albums he does not care for now;
and was regularly spun on Sirius / XM Radio. In early 2025, Matt founded Laughing Impact
Project, the civic-facing arts initiative producing this event (see above).
For more on Matt: https://mattdaviscomedy.com

Free community yoga for every body and every age. Mats are provided.