Kathryn Jill Johnson - "Did Your Mother Work at the Castle?"
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | First Floor Main Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Kathryn Jill Johnson which will be on view in the First Floor Main Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
I use an intuitive approach to my studio practice—I set up a situation for making with drawn images and (often) multiple supports. Through direct drawing, selecting and transferring drawn images, adding color, mark-making, and occasional collaged elements, I put together works that have a sort of fractured narrative, a sense of the absurd, and a dark and playful investigation of thrownness. I am interested in psychoanalytical theory, particularly ideas about the uncanny, the mirror stage, and dreams. I am influenced by German Expressionism, Dada, and Surrealism.
I see us as perpetually in a state of medias res, the middle of the action. It feels like our lives are a story, but the force of the past is hidden, malleable and indistinct. The climax is peripatetic and unclear and, of course, the denouement is necessarily unknowable.
Making helps me think associatively about the way we travel, who shows up, the near misses and the head-on collisions, and the mysterious things that make and unmake us.
My narratives exist at the moment before a divination— the tea leaves have settled, the allomancer has flung the salt, the bones have clattered to the ground. But these signs don’t point to the future; they are at this moment right here: a sort of prophecy of the present.

About the artist:
Kathryn Jill Johnson received her BA from the University of South Florida and her MFA from the University of Georgia. She has exhibited widely throughout the US in venues including the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Firehouse Arts Center, Rosewood Gallery, North Charleston City Gallery, Wiregrass Museum of Art, and the Alexandria Museum of Art. She lives in Huntsville, Alabama, with her wife, two dogs, and over 80 succulents. She is a professor of drawing and painting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Artist website: kathrynjilljohnson.com

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Ahmad Austin - Enjoy Life
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | Second Floor Connector Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Ahmad Austin which will be on view in the Second Floor Connector Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
Internationally recognized artist Ahmad Austin believes that good art is like good music: it makes you feel something. Marked by bold colors, movement, and loose strokes, his paintings are sure to do just that.
Built upon years of formal training, Austin’s personal style emerged when he picked up a palette knife and discovered a new artistic freedom that captured more emotion and energy than he ever experienced while painting with a brush. You’ll often find Austin painting to the sound of jazz legends like John Coltrane, creating pieces that capture the essence of jazz. “When I’m painting, it’s as if time doesn’t exist,” he said. Unwinding as he creates, Austin’s personality and his style are both relaxed. Yet, he uses quick strokes and scratching techniques that convey a certain energy that comes off the canvas. “I’m very easy going—maybe a little too much,” Austin said. “I think some of the emotions I hold back come out in my paintings.”
Austin’s work has been showcased worldwide from Italy to Ireland, and he is well respected in his home community of Birmingham, Alabama where his pieces hang in galleries all over town. When he isn’t creating exquisite, award-winning pieces of his own, Austin stays busy teaching others to do the same. By day, he teaches elementary school students techniques to express themselves artistically, and he also teaches numerous classes live and online through his Palette Knife Academy which have been enjoyed nationally and internationally. A patient and encouraging teacher, Austin said his students inspire him with their creativity. Several of his students have developed their own style using the palette knife and have gone on to become professional artists as well. “There’s nothing more rewarding than that,” Austin said.
Whether he’s painting a series of his signature musicians or a landscape, Austin’s work is a lot like jazz music—filled with a calming sort of energy that keeps people coming back to it. He plans to keep “painting jazz” and inspiring others to do the same for years to come.
http://ahmadaustin.com
To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Kimberley A Brown and Jess Braden - Laboring in/to Obscurity
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | First Floor West Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Kimberley A Brown and Jess Braden which will be on view in the First Floor West Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
“If men had babies, there would be thousands of images of the crowning”– Judy Chicago
We labor as phantoms. Our sweat, tears, and successes are invisible.
Throughout the pages of history, women are left making decisions of consequence– unrewarded for our successes or left standing in the spotlight of our failures. Our achievements are only celebrated through the involvement of male counterparts.
“It’s just women’s work.”
Like the impressionists, If we are praised, it is for quiet depictions of gentle pastimes. Because women who know their place are always cause for celebration. What glorious inactivity! Women’s work.
Our labor as women has always been modified and blunted by this moniker.
We do not need our current education as Art & Art History students to know this fact. But it reminds us of the depth of its charges.
We will be seen.
Our education is not a waste. We will explore every form, read every book, unearth the inspirations of artists past. We will try all the ways, and all the means. We won’t let the bastards grind us down.
Our histories have been re-written.

https://kimberleyabrown.com/

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Susan Shoemaker - The WTF Show! Recent work & WTF animal facts
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | Third Floor West Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Susan Shoemaker which will be on view in the Third Floor West Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
Animals are fascinating and even if you think you know all there is to know, you can still be surprised. My work has focused on animals for decades. Why? Maybe I’d rather hang out with animals than with people sometimes. Ok, maybe most of the time….
From my earliest memories, animals have been a part of my daily life. The family dog, an unwisely purchased rabbit (not by me), a pet rat from a girl that lived in my dorm, a re-homed hedgehog that never liked us, various reptiles that my former zoo keeper husband ended up with, and today there is a mix of rescued cats and dogs living rent free in my home. If you dig a little deeper, I’ve also had some experiences that had big impacts on making me care about animals – but that’s a different story for a different show.
The WTF Show includes my most recent work and this time I’ve included some WTF facts about these creatures. From the common backyard visitor to an elusive underground dweller, I want to learn everything about all of them. This collection was inspired by animals I’ve been able to encounter in my daily suburban life, ones I’ve visited at animal encounters and zoos, and the specimens at the multiple natural history museums I’ve walked around in for hours. I’ll never stop being amazed by the inhabitants of our planet. Not the humans, the animals.
Enjoy!

About the artist:
Artist Susan Shoemaker is a native of Birmingham, Al and received her BFA from the University of Montevallo. Although she studied Printmaking in school, once she left UM she found herself as a printmaker without a press, and returned to her first love of drawing as a way of making art. This led to her creating a studio called, “pencilpress”.
When asked about her work, Shoemaker says she finds inspiration from nature and tries to combine her concern for wildlife conservation with a little bit of humor.
“Using animals as my primary focus in art can be tricky & I am always looking to find the balance between straightforward representation and having a sense of humor about myself and about my work. My goal is that the animals are well represented, funny when intended, and always portrayed in an interesting way.”

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Roxie Veasey - One Clover and a Bee
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | First Floor Ramp Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Roxie Veasey which will be on view in the First Floor Ramp Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
My work starts from memory, sensations, and my interactions with the natural world. As I add and subtract images, marks, and color, I let each piece become an “open-ended system” that develops its own identity through my eye and hand. Like nature, the images and materials interact with each other. They play, sometimes violently, overwhelm, engulf and contain each other, and are changed by their relationships. They make gestures and tell stories that seem almost human but, of course, are not.

About the artist:
Roxie Suzanne Veasey grew up in a small cow town in south-central Florida where she hung out with a lot of alligators, frogs, and mosquitoes. After surviving a childhood chased by roosters, being knocked over by cows, and falling off horses she went on to receive her BA from the University of South Florida and her MFA from the University of Georgia. Her work has been shown through-out the southeast US. She currently lives in Huntsville, Alabama, and is a lecturer at the Art, Art History and Design department of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

J. R. from Waverly - Future Primitive
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | North Floor Gallery, 2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35805, United States
This exhibition round includes works provided by J. R. from Waverly which will be on view in the North Floor Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

From the artist:
With a deep love for life and art, I find inspiration in various passions and interests that bring joy and fulfillment. From skateboarding to world travel, playing music to connecting with nature, each experience shapes my unique perspective on the world. Through my art, I aim to share kindness and love with others, creating a space for connection and reflection. Most of the time I paint with no destination in mind. I just simply let the colors take me wherever they want to go. After a while, the piece will slowly start to reveal itself and more ideas will follow. The past is the past and the future is yet to be determined, so I find great joy in just being in the now. Chasing colors on canvas.

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

The Art of Resistance
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | Third Floor East Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by organizer Kerrigan Casey which will be on view in the Third Floor East Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
This project, a collaborative effort among Black artists based in Alabama, transforms archival documents from Alabama’s death row into a traveling multi-and mixed media art exhibit. Centering visual and audio artifacts from people on death row as well as their surviving loved ones, the exhibit focuses on various forms of resistance to capital punishment in the state that sentences more people to death per capita than any other.
Our work allows us to bring a community of artists together to collaborate with people on death row and members of the community to show a different reflection of how people on death row are treated and represented. We want all of us to have the opportunity to create art but this project allows us to create change over time with relationship-building and learning together how we can transform public opinion and eventually state legislation. Community-based artmaking is important because that is the core in developing social change. We model how we want to come together to build on common concerns and shared interests.
The project works toward healing, equity, and racial justice by highlighting the ways in which the current system disrupts, harms, and traumatizes communities, particularly communities of color. It relies on abolitionist frameworks as well as participatory action frameworks that involve and center communities who are most impacted by a social problem. It also relies on a framework of mutual aid through which people come together to share their talents and resources to work toward greater social and political change. In this case, artists are offering their talents, and those impacted by the death penalty are offering their experiences and artifacts, to work toward abolition together.

About the organizer:
Kerrigan Casey is a Florence, Alabama native, artist, community organizer, and a trailblazer in the realm of socially-engaged art. The cultural barriers she faced as a black woman growing up in the rural south have fostered the deep connection she has with her art, which centers black culture, relationship-building, and community power. She works as an independent artist as well as a project manager, developing art installations that create impactful conversations about race, policy, and systemic inequity. This exhibit centers visual and audio artifacts from people on death row as well as their surviving loved ones, the exhibit focuses on various forms of resistance to capital punishment in the state that sentences more people to death per capita than any other state.
To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Susie Garrett - So long Mom, and thanks for all the fish
2024-07-31 - 2024-09-28 | ALWCA Second Floor South Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Susie Garrett which will be on view in the ALWCA Second Floor South Gallery from July 31 – September 28, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 28 from 5-7 pm.
About the exhibit:
Welcome to my mixed-media installation, a heartfelt tribute to my Mom, affectionately known as Mama Bear or Bear. This collection celebrates her life through fish-themed phrases and idioms integral to our family’s culture.
Titled “So long Mom, and thanks for all the fish,” the installation blends a farewell sentiment with her unique sense of humor. Mom often used phrases like “That’s a fine kettle of fish” when our childhood projects turned messy or “Fish or cut bait” to motivate us through chores.
Mom’s positive attitude was contagious. She laughed easily and was a steadfast supporter of me and my endeavors. She said, “I grew up swimming in the Bay; I’ll go out and sleep with the fishes.” Her ashes were lovingly scattered into Mobile Bay, a final nod to her deep connection to the water.
I created these fish for an interactive installation, “The Big Swim Panoply 2024.”
They have been reimagined and incorporated into this installation.
Reimagine, repurposing, and reusing are key components of my work.

About the artist:
Susie, originally from coastal Alabama, relocated to Huntsville in 1969. She is a UAH and Al A&M graduate with a 40-year art career. Currently, she operates out of her studio at Lowe Mill A&E, Studio 126, 1st Floor, where she creates mixed media artworks for sale, commissions, and juried exhibitions.

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Meleah Shrout Piano Lessons - Book Your Own Day/Time
2024-09-25 11:00 - 17:30, 2024-09-27 11:00 - 19:00, 2024-10-02 11:00 - 17:30 (America/Chicago) | Meleah Shrout | Studio 1036
Let Meleah Shrout Studio 1036 in renowned Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment unlock a world of musical wonder for adults and children alike.
Upon completing her Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano, Meleah discovered a deeper desire to express herself through music, which includes sharing her talents with eager to learn students. Meleah believes that anyone can learn to create music and she truly enjoys teaching people of all ages. She finds particular joy in helping adults who are returning to the piano and in working with children on the autism spectrum. Music brings joy to everyone, regardless of age or ability. Let Meleah guide you with her amazing ability to teach you the art of piano.
Click LEARN MORE to contact Meleah.

CREATIVE KIDS ART CLASS
2024-09-25 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-10-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Denise Onwere Gallery | Studio 203
Art Education Group Class
Creative Kids© Monthly Art, all supplies included. We experiment with a variety of materials, tools, and media to create unique and expressive works of art in a fun, creative and non-competitive environment. Allowing young artists the freedom to explore their own potential and nurture their self-esteem, will instill in them a strong repertoire of techniques and skills. This monthly kids class includes 4 one hour sessions (drawing, sculpture, painting and design) schedule your monthly Denise Onwere Gallery Art classes today.

Click on Learn More below to sign up and for additional information.

Meleah Shrout Piano Lessons - Book Your Own Day/Time
2024-09-26 11:00 - 17:30 | Meleah Shrout | Studio 1036
Let Meleah Shrout Studio 1036 in renowned Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment unlock a world of musical wonder for adults and children alike.
Book Your Own Time | Wed and Thurs | 11am – 5:30pm
Upon completing her Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano, Meleah discovered a deeper desire to express herself through music, which includes sharing her talents with eager to learn students. Meleah believes that anyone can learn to create music and she truly enjoys teaching people of all ages. She finds particular joy in helping adults who are returning to the piano and in working with children on the autism spectrum. Music brings joy to everyone, regardless of age or ability. Let Meleah guide you with her amazing ability to teach you the art of piano.
Click LEARN MORE to contact Meleah.

Theatre of Fashion Kids and Youth Sewing Classes
2024-09-28 11:00 - 13:00 | Anyaberry | Studio 2001
Cost is $155 for 4 classes. Classes are 2 hours each.

The Theatre of Fashion is a school of fashion designing and sewing for children ages 9-17 and adults.
Here students learn the elements of design, fashion illustration, sewing and fashion presentation (modeling the designed garments). Classes culminate with a presentation of student’s designs (by students) on a runway!

Cost is $155 for 4 classes. One time registration fee is $15.

Instructor: Anya Sievers is a founder of The Theatre Of Fashion and a small fashion business Anyaberry. She is excited to continually improve the program offered at The Theatre Of Fashion.

FREE CIGAR BOX GUITAR LESSONS
2024-09-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Cigar Box Guitar Store | Studio 106
Visit The Cigar Box Guitar Store in Studio 106 from 12-2pm for free cigar box guitar lessons, almost all of which can be played with just one finger. Drop in for a few minutes or stay for the entire lesson. No experience required. Loaner guitars available. No obligation–just come learn how easy it is to make a joyful noise! Questions? Call 256-886-8554.

Private Tasting Event - Book Your Own Time
2024-09-28 12:00 - 18:00 | Iron’s One Distillery | Studio 2061
Visit Irons One Studio 2061 in amazing Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment for a private tasting
event for you and your friends. This is for small groups – recommended size is from 2-20
people. When you and your guests arrive, the distillery’s doors close and your private event
begins.
The private tasting starts with a guided tour, offering a detailed exploration of the whiskey-
making process. After the tour, you end up in the tasting room where an Irons One bottle is
opened —crafted just for you. Enjoy it during the tasting, and whatever is left is yours to take
home and savor.
Private tasting pricing starts at $200 for groups of up to 10 people, with an additional $20 per
person for groups of 11–20.

Face Painting with Anjuli
2024-09-28 13:00 - 17:00 | Art by Anjuli | Studio 2027
Looking for a fun Saturday activity for the kids? Join Anjuli Farrales Studio 2027 at Lowe Mill A&E for some face painting adventures! Anjuli is ready to transform your little faces into Spider Man, unicorns, mermaids, cute puppies, fierce tigers, and tons of other cool designs! Prices are $7, $10, or $15. Let Anjuli bring smiles and fun to your Saturday afternoons!

To see samples of face painting by Anjuli, click on LEARN MORE below.

Theatre of fashion Adult Sewing Class-Saturdays
2024-09-28 13:30 - 15:30 | Anyaberry | Studio 2001
$155 for 4 classes. Each class is 2 hours.
Join Anya Sievers Studio 2001 in creative Lowe Mill A&E and the Theatre of Fashion to embark on a journey of discovery and skill refinement as you delve into the world of sewing through these expert-led classes! With the guidance of Kim Clinton, a seasoned professional with a rich tapestry of experiences in the fashion industry, you are sure to enjoy the art of garment creation using commercial patterns. Let Anya and Kim help unlock your potential to fashion stunning attire.
$155 for 4 classes. Each class is 2 hours. Enroll on a month-to-month basis, ensuring flexibility and convenience for your busy lifestyle.
Meet Your Instructor: Kim Clinton
From her education at The Art Institute of Atlanta to her tenure in the garment industry and teaching at Bauder Fashion College, Kim brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to every stitch. Specializing in custom dressmaking and design, with a focus on bridal gowns and debutante dresses, Kim is now dedicated to developing enriching adult programs for the Theatre of Fashion.
Get ready to Begin Your Sewing Adventure!

Lecture Series: “Remedios Varo - The Art of Feeding the Soul”
2024-09-28 16:00 - 17:00 | Tania Scroggie | Studio 324 | CandleLight Arts
Tania Scroggie, co- founder of CandleLight Arts Studio 324 in illuminating Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment invites you all to be inspired by the visionary works of Remedios Varo. This installment of her art lecture series will focus on the surrealist painter’s creations which conjure mystery, magic, and the profound depths of the human spirit. Discover how Varo’s art powerfully reminds us to nurture our souls through creativity, imagination, and a bond with the unseen. This lecture will take place in the UAH Project Space Studio 1047 on the first floor. This event is free to all who wish to attend.

Open Studio Night
2024-09-28 17:00 - 19:00 | Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment
At Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment we curate a unique collection of art not seen anywhere else. Our seven galleries change every few weeks to showcase traditional disciplines like painting and sculpture as well as non-traditional art. When our galleries change out, we throw a party! Every gallery rotation features Open Studio Night, a chance for you to meet the artist and see their work in the galleries. Our Lowe Mill A&E artists and makers are also available for you to visit in their studios on Open Studio Night. We welcome all people to explore and experience art, creativity, and our shared community in our repurposed textile mill.

Cheryl Busick - 12
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | First Floor Ramp Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Cheryl Busick which will be on view in the First Floor Ramp Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
A lot of things I liked at the age of twelve, I still like. It seemed like the sun was always shining. I still climbed trees and dreamed of horses. Fall with its deep colors and cool air was my favorite season and October brought my favorite holiday. Halloween. I have a soft spot for monsters. I sought out stories of valor, courage and strength in books, poems, songs, folktales and movies.
Using relief and intaglio printmaking methods as the bones, I tried building up some of my favorite childhood influences with collages of multiple images (one of the great advantages of printmaking) and then experiments with color and with paint/stains and ink often morphed the original ideas. I’m pretty happy with the results.

About the artist:
I was 12 years old, on the darker side of the 1970’s when I was tapped for the New York State pilot program for the gifted and talented. I was given a mentor and allowed to explore in-depth all the arts provided in the Jr and Sr High school.
After high school I met with mostly disappointing experiences in pursuing the fine arts so I kept what talents I had in my back pocket, taking them out occasionally and adding skills whenever possible all while living a pretty full life.
Now my life is not so full and I feel free to devote an honest effort in being an artist. I have a working studio and retail shop on the quiet third floor here at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment #315 Angry Couch Club Studio- juried in as a printmaker.
I found a deep respect for printmaking. A great deal of focus and discipline are required for traditional print editions. I try to do that occasionally. The rest of the time I like playing with an image, seeing what variables can enhance or improve it using skills from other methods and mediums. Some things work, some do not but it’s fun to be able to work the ideas out.
Instagram: @busickcheryl

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Mary Beth Johns - The Big Picture
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | North Floor Gallery, 2211 Seminole Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35805, United States
This exhibition round includes works provided by Mary Beth Johns which will be on view in the North Floor Gallery from October 2 – November 23, 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
My work is usually very large scale. I use my own photographs of the sitter from which to work to create these large-scale representations. I dramatize the sitter’s environment by painting with electric colors such as a bright red, blue or neon green. The big pictures I have created present the subject in their everyday life to achieve the most honest presentation. The amount of space the sitter takes up in the frame depends on the canvas size I have selected, but I mostly try to create a life size image. One very large and very honest representation is Checking in at 49 which displays the scar on my abdomen and the shape of my body at this stage of life. The nature of intimacy between people in an honest representation is one of my goals as well, such as in Adoration; an image of my mother and my niece whom she helped rear. Some works focus on clothes, shoes and gestures to present the sitter’s personality which makes for non traditional portraits. I even hesitate to use the term portrait. I recall Alice Neel’s thoughts about her paintings saying, “I paint people, not portraits”. The large scale I use also negates the qualities of traditional portraiture. The people I paint are mostly family and friends. Many of these big pictures are of other artists here at Lowe Mill A&E. By painting them I have joined a long tradition of artists painting other artists. I try to include the subject’s hands and/or feet because outside of the face – these are the most expressive parts of the body that we can see unclothed. Though I do not paint hands in any kind of detailed way – I do include them when I believe they say something about the sitter’s personality. I often use patterns or very large brush strokes to accentuate the texture of the paint or to demarcate one space from another. I tend to think about the subject as a series of colorful shapes that are mostly flattened on the picture plane. I use limited modeling and shading to this end. I work very fast through dry-brush and owe that ability to the acrylics I use instead of oils. I subscribe to the ideals of Expressionism over Realism. It’s the sincerity in art making that I identify with in this genre and as Barrett says, I engage with the idea that works of art should enliven the thoughts and emotions of the viewer.

About the artist:
Dr. Mary Beth “Bee” Johns has been the Associate Professor of Art Education for Athens State University in Athens Alabama for 12 years – working through the Alabama Center for the Arts in partnership with Calhoun Community College in Decatur Alabama. Dr. Johns received her Master in Art Education from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa and her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. However, it was at the University of North Alabama that she learned to paint with acrylics on a large scale when working towards a Bachelor degree. Presently, Dr. Johns leads the Athens State art teacher education candidates through the Alabama State art certification program and teaches the cap stone classes at ASU associated with this degree. In addition to this she teaches a critique class where new artists learn about aesthetic philosophy and its implementation in studio practice, Prior to accepting her position at ASU Dr. Johns was the museum educator for The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington; now known as The Delaware Contemporary- an art space that infuses contemporary art and creativity into the community through exhibitions and educational experiences. Currently, working out of the Alabama Center for the Arts, Lowe Mill A&E studio 310, she has had the opportunity to engage the community again by allowing the public to view a practicing artist at work.

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

DaNeal Eberly - Scratch
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | First Floor Main Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by DaNeal Eberly which will be on view in the First Floor Main Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
Scratch that itch. The itch to explore, to create, to connect through paint.
Scratch into it. Dig deeper with a sharp object or a sharp eye. Be willing and bold enough to leave a mark.
No. Scratch that. Cancel the sanctimony. Strike out the self-doubt with a pen or pencil. Or a palette knife. Or a brush. Or a randomly selected color (maybe not as random as you hoped).
Sometimes a scratch is a scar. A sign that someone, something broke the skin. Somehow you were wounded and it left a mark. The scratch left a scar. Maybe as I walk and love and learn, the scar becomes a greater symbol of healing. The scratch intended to harm became a catalyst to rebuild and resume. I’m not the victim of the broken skin, broken promises, broken dreams. I am the one who refused to fold. Still creating and questioning. As a creator, I made myself from scratch. I took whatever was available to me: Time, Paint, Experience, Loss, Love, Desire, Creativity and assembled something. Probably not of the highest quality but distinctly mine. I hope something I created gives a moment of connection or recognition.

About the artist:
DaNeal Eberly was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. She graduated with a Fine Arts Degree from Texas Tech University in 1997. She has lived and created art all over the United States. Currently, she lives and paints in Montgomery, Alabama. Her work is part of the permanent collection of Jackson Hospital. Also, she has had work displayed at the University of Maryland, The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and is represented by The Attic Gallery in Vicksburg, Mississippi and Gallery 905 in Selma and Stonehenge Gallery in Montgomery, Alabama. She has had solo shows at Lowe Mill A&E in Huntsville, Alabama, The Carnegie Visual Arts Center in Decatur, Alabama, The Armory in Montgomery, Alabama and Kru on Mt. Meigs in Montgomery, Alabama. She has also been in a number of group shows. She also leads a Life Drawing group in Montgomery and occasionally teaches workshops. Her day job involves teaching after school art programs to preschool and elementary students. Her work is largely focused on figure drawing and portraiture and she also likes to dabble in abstracts.

Instagram: @artbydaneal

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Lavie's Brain - Headphones Encouraged
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | First Floor West Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Lavie’s Brain which will be on view in the First Floor West Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
“Headphones Encouraged” is an exhibit that explores the intersection of music and visual art as a form of meditation. As the creator behind this exhibit, I found myself drawn to the idea of using the music that inspired each piece as a catalyst for creativity and introspection and then condensing them all into zines. Each piece in the gallery is a reflection of the emotions and experiences that emerge from the fusion of sound and visual art. The concept behind “Headphones Encouraged” originated from a desire to share my sketchbook pieces and zines with the world in a meaningful way.
Every zine in the exhibit is accompanied by a song (Qr Code) that served as the inspiration behind the piece. Music has always played a crucial role in my artistic process, with each creation being born out of hours spent listening to a particular song on repeat. By inviting viewers to listen to the music associated with each zine, “Headphones Encouraged” encourages a deeper connection with the art, inviting comfort, focus, and reflection.
One of the staples of my artistic practice is the use of unconventional second-hand supplies to create my art. I believe that beauty can be found in the unexpected and the discarded, and I strive to breathe new life into forgotten materials through my creations.
“Headphones Encouraged” is a space where viewers can pause, listen, and immerse themselves in the transformative power of art and music. It is my hope that this exhibit will inspire others to embrace the beauty of the present moment and find inspiration in the harmonious blend of creativity and sound in the world of zines.

Instagram: @laviesbrain
To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Doug Barrett - The Vanishing Point of Our Frontier
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | Second Floor Connector Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Doug Barrett which will be on view in the Second Floor Connector Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
The title of this body of work is taken from Michel de Certeau’s The Practice of Everyday Life. He proposes that seeing the landscape (during modern modes of travel like a train ride) is like the rubbing together of two picture planes and we experience those images at the exact point of creation, right before they vanish; de Certeau calls the train “a tireless shifter,” always creating and destroying the landscape outside the window. In this body of work Barrett explores roadside imagery, captured in that dreamlike moment; a glimpse caught in the rearview mirror of the mind; looking back at the moment of destruction.

About the artist:
Doug Barrett received his MFA from the University of Florida and a BFA from the University of Central Florida.
With over 20 years of professional graphic design experience, his international clients included, Mars, Inc., VISA International and Banco Popular. His award winning work has been featured in many design publications. His work with UAB’s BLOOM Studio, a student-run design studio that offers design thinking to under-served communities and non-profits was featured in the 2016 book, Developing Citizen Designers.
His research interests include designed fiction and designer as author methods. Fascinated with the practice of commuting, the allure of the roadside and local visual culture–he is interested in exploring and representing found text and imagery in a way that talks about the constructed place. Signage, billboards, graffiti, and ephemera point to the visual culture embedded in our surroundings. By examining the details of roadside culture he explores how meaning is constructed and conveyed through visual and cultural relationships.
Barrett was recognized as one of the University of Florida’s, Graduate Teachers of the year in 2006, and codirected UF’s Tokyo Study Abroad program from 2008 – 2010. In 2012 he was awarded a prestigious Alabama State Arts Fellowship in Design, and was the recipient of a Sappi – Ideas That Matter grant. In 2016 he was awarded the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2022 Barrett was a recipient of the AIGA 50 covers award.

Website: dougbarrett.com
Instagram: @doug.barrett

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Zero Space Collective - PLY
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | Third Floor East Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Zero Space Collective which will be on view in the Third Floor East Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

About the exhibit:
“At the beginning, you work with materials; you don’t know them very well, and you try to get them to do what you think you want them to do. As time goes on you understand the way to make them do what they want to do, but your way.”
Sheila Hicks
From: Ford Foundation, “Begin with Thread”
Focusing on material as a collaborator, the works on display in PLY simultaneously present both sides of the sculptural process: the steadfast forcing of and ultimate surrendering to one’s own materials. In some instances, the body dictates the ultimate form of the material- in others the material forces its own hand, changing the final form of the finished work beyond what the artist originally intended. The artists represented in PLY (gathered from across the country) all share a dedication to the study of materiality as well as rigorous individual studio practices.

About the collective:
Zero Space Collective is a contemporary artist collective with a network across the Eastern US. Our goal is to create space for underrepresented contemporary artists both virtually as well as physically through exhibition opportunities and digital platforms. Our greatest endeavor is to find ways to create inclusivity, equity, and accessibility within the collective. We aim to facilitate advocacy for marginalized populations and dismantle harmful and exclusive social constructions and institutional powers. Our goal is to hold ourselves and each other accountable by working collectively to uphold and maintain our values while acknowledging and challenging our inequities and biases and working toward the direction of social change.

Collective Website:
https://www.zerospacecollective.com/

Participating artists:
Rebecca Fulmer
Audrey Pinto
Laura Esbensen
Kathryn Mahler
Heather Baumbach
Jessica Swank
Lauren Bradshaw
Amalya Megerman
Ashley Rabanal

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Parks Gettys - Fins!
2024-10-02 - 2024-11-23 | Third Floor West Gallery
This exhibition round includes works provided by Parks Gettys which will be on view in the Third Floor West Gallery from October 2 – November 23 2024. Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public. The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you! The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, November 23 from 5-7 pm.

From the artist:
My name is Parks Gettys and I have loved the ocean as far back as I can remember! As a kid, my family would snorkel the jetties of the Florida panhandle, go shrimping in the bay, and deep sea fish off the various wrecks in the Gulf. I was enamored with sharks and octopuses, and would draw them over and over. As I grew older, I received my SCUBA license and had the opportunity to dive all over the Gulf of Mexico. Being in the water was truly amazing and felt like being in a different world. It is a place where all my worries melt away and I am always eager to dive back in.
Over the years, my art has gone in many directions. I dabbled in 3D modeling, portraits, 3D printing, animation, and charcoal drawings. However, I found myself always coming back to the ocean. I love showing and telling people about all the different fish in the sea and the various varieties. So naturally, I began creating art based around sea creatures.
During the last year, I have focused on painting a variety of colorful fish for the Fins! Series and tried to add some personality into every one. Each fish is created using high-quality gouache and ink. My artistic process begins with an initial sketch in graphite, followed by an ink outline. Next I apply layers of gouache paint depending on the fish’s color, light direction, and any translucency of the fins. The layers of gouache are blended together to provide a smooth transition between colors, and the last step is re-outlining the fish in black ink and applying cross-hatch shading. Once the shading is applied the painting is complete!
I hope you find these paintings entertaining and spark your own interest in the ocean! It is a truly incredible part of nature and everyone should see the creatures it contains. Please do you part to keep it vibrant and clean!!
Instagram

To find the the gallery in Lowe Mill A&E, click MORE INFO below (Tickets are NOT required.)

Fall Break Build a Bowl Classes
2024-10-02 10:00 - 14:00 | Wallace Turman | Studio 1066 | Turman Pottery
Wallace Turman with Turman’s Pottery Studio 1066 in amazing Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment invites you and yours to build your own bowl! Whether you’re a lover of ice cream, soup, or cereal Turman’s Pottery will show you the way. These fun and interactive classes are great for beginners as well as seasoned ceramicists. Grab your spoons and dig into the wide world of art, one bowl at a time with Turman’s Pottery!
October 2 – October 4 @ 10am – 2pm
Sign up in studio 1066 or text: (256) 652- 9965.
For more information about Turman’s Pottery click MORE INFO / BUY TICKETS

Coptic Bound Sketchbook with Exposed Spine
2024-10-02 18:00 - 21:00 | Renee Lowder | Studio 127 | Pyewacket Press, Printmaking and Book Arts
Renee Lowder Studio 127 in magisterial Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment wishes to invite you on a three day creative journey of fun and learning with her latest workshop: Coptic Bound Sketchbook with Exposed Spine. In this workshop you will gain the knowledge of the double-needle coptic method in binding a sketchbook.

Night One: Oct 2 you will learn how to get the sketchbook ready to sew. That includes learning about paper grain, tearing the pages, making signatures, and poking holes for sewing.

Night 2: Oct 3 you will sew up our signatures using the coptic stitch.

Night 3: Oct 4 you will finish the coptic stitches and finish our covers and create a closure.

You will be using Arches fine art paper, decorative paper provided by Renee and fine linen thread. You will also receive a blackwing pencil for your sketchbook!

This class is perfect for those 16 years and older.
All supplies are provided.
There are only 6 spots available.
Please email Renee at : pyewacketpress@gmail.com to attend this class.
Click MORE INFO / BUY TICKETS to read more about this workshop.
