Hush Hush…Don’t Remind Me!
For better or worse, the average American’s first thoughts of Birmingham focus on the darkest elements of its history: fire hoses, segregation, Bull Connor and more. But like any city, there’s more to...
View ArticleEmancipation proclamations
“Drapetomania” was a term coined in 1851 by physician Samuel Cartwright to explain the pathology, in his mind, of Southern slaves who wanted to be free men and women. The pseudoscience was disdained...
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High five, Birmingham
In two years both writing about music and working on calendars in this publication, it’s rare to find an event that has the perfect timing, or the stellar lineup, or the ideal array of attractions...
View ArticleThe areas of his expertise
Birmingham nerds everywhere rejoiced when the news came down that humorist, resident expert on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and former professional literary agent John Hodgman would be bringing his...
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A city in stitches
Artist Amanda Browder works with UAB students and other local volunteers at a community sewing day. Photo by David Garrett. You might already have noticed something a little different around the Alys...
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Simple gifts
Image courtesy of beta pictoris gallery. On Friday, Sept. 5, beta pictoris gallery will have an opening reception for Favorite Blues, an exhibition of the works on paper – along with four paintings –...
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The fine art of democracy
Art installation PUBLIC FORUM blurs the boundaries between art and democracy. The police are here to protect us — true or false? Mass transit only helps poor people — true or false? Slavery is over —...
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Birmingham’s White Knight
In the ’70s and ’80s, Birmingham had its own real-life superhero. Photo courtesy of Lee Shook. The city of Birmingham had little to cheer for in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement. Years of...
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The power of language
Slavs and Tatars, “Rahlé for Richard,” 2014. Courtesy of the artists, The Third Line and the Birmingham Museum of Art. On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 20, the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) will host...
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The kids are all right
Project Veracity founder Maacah Davis poses in the debut issue of belladonna magazine. Photo by Zack Carpenter Photography. On the evening of Monday, Oct. 6, Continental Bakery Downtown will play host...
View ArticleModern lovers
To put it simply, Holy Youth are the reason I write about local music. Coming out of college, I had great expectations that I’d be able to cover Birmingham’s music scene — something I had almost no...
View ArticleAround the world in 120 minutes
On the evening of Oct. 23, the bohemian environs of Bottletree Café will play host to a cosmopolitan event benefiting the Birmingham International Center. Globally Challenged, a sequel to a geography...
View ArticleTwo against nature
Nobody’s ever gone broke overestimating rock ‘n roll’s ability to rediscover itself. One of the salient trends in indie rock over the past decade has been a genre-wide rediscovery of new wave music,...
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Taking wing
Photo by David Garrett. When Sarah Heath first moved from Kansas to Birmingham in 2006, she was astonished at the lack of activity in its city center. “I remember driving around downtown and telling my...
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And the winner is…
Weld artist-in-residence Paul Cordes Wilm will be presenting in character as Vincent Van Gogh at The Fountys, an artistic awards show. It’s a small miracle that Space One Eleven even exists at all....
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Magic City classics
When UAB’s football program was unceremoniously canceled a week ago, it was a reminder — disconcerting for some, gleeful for others — that for all the talk of Birmingham’s renaissance, this city is...
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The Magic City goes Pop
“Vote McGovern” / 1972 / Screenprint on Arches paper / 42 x 42 inches / Extra, out of the edition. Designated for research and educational purposes only. / © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual...
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I, PaintBot
A rendering of a dot matrix painting by R2 PaintBot, a system designed by UAB students. Image courtesy of Marc Parker. As befits a city undergoing a cultural renaissance, Birmingham has a vibrant arts...
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Still lives
Johannes Vermeer, “Girl with the Red Hat,” circa 1665–66, oil on panel, 9 1/2 x 7 1/8 in., National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.53 Once upon a time, the Birmingham...
View ArticleLooking for love
Despite the optimism that emerged in Alabama’s LGBT community and its allies following in the wake of a federal judge’s decision to strike down Alabama’s gay marriage ban on Jan. 23, it’s since become...
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