20 Pages

Through July, Mobile Arts Council presents 20 Pages, an exhibition of twenty-page, wire-bound books created by area artists between January and June. MAC ( www.mobileartscouncil.org ) is located at 318 Dauphin Street and is open Monday through Friday, 9 AM through 5 PM. An artist reception will be held during the LoDa ArtWalk on Friday, July 13, 6 until 9 PM.

In late December, about forty artists (amateur and professional) gathered at Mobile Arts Council to assemble their books from a wide variety of papers –and to meet one another. Then they spent the next six months filling their books with any sort of visual information they wished –drawings, paintings, prints, photos, collages, cut-outs –and decorated the covers.

To get better acquainted and to encourage (and teach) each other, participants joined a private Facebook group, received periodic e-messages, and enjoyed several informal meet-ups.

The deadline for submitting completed books was June 22, and twenty-five books were returned. They display a wide variety of styles, subjects and media. One artist’s book is inspired by twenty songs written by her husband; another depicts signs seen along Fort Morgan Road; another explores the edible flora and fauna of the Delta; others explore themes, such as “abandonment” and “reflection;” still others are informal records of the artists’ lives and observations.

The project was organized by MAC with the assistance of artist Val Webb and was inspired by a number of projects around the country, in particular the Sketchbook Project of ArtHouse Coop ( www.arthousecoop.com )

Participants included a number of Mobile artists, as well as several from Pensacola and one from the Gulf Coast now studying at the Savannah College of Art and Design (Atlanta)

For further information, contact Mobile Arts Council at 251-432-9796.