Studio by the Tracks

Way to go, Michael Hall!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:15:00 GMT

Congratulations to Studio artist Michael Hall, who was awarded Employee of the Year at Flex Digital. Michael was chosen and honored for his exemplary timeliness and attendance. Congratulations, Michael Hall!

Better Pictures Show a Better Art Show

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:26:00 GMT

Thanks to Frank at HAI for sending us some great photos of the Studio artwork on display in the Gallery at HAI!

New York, New York, a heck of a town!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:18:00 GMT

"If you can make it there," so the song goes, "you can make it ANYWHERE." If we believe everything we hear in songs, then Studio By the Tracks has definitely arrived...again.

Hospital Audiences, Inc. is a non-profit organization in New York City that provides an art program for mentally ill adults, similar to the one we do here at the Studio. They also have a gallery space with rotating exhibits of the self-taught artists who have participated in their workshops and studio sessions. They are also very cool about including other non-profit groups and inviting them to show their work as well.

The good folks at HAI recently organized an exhibit of artwork from several different community programs around the country and presented Outsider Art: Survey 2010. Studio has had some of their artists submit work to HAI shows in the past and it turns out they were eager to have us back! That's right...we're popular in New York City.

We shipped an array of fine work and were even lucky enough to get send two of our staff to the opening (yours truly and Children's Program Director Karen Balliet). The opening was on Thursday, January 4, followed by an excellent round table discussion with staff from other programs around the country: Main View Gallery & Studio in Oneonta, New York; Art Enables in Washington, D.C.; and of course the teaching artist from HAI. We were also fortunate enough to be joined by a regular artist at HAI who offered valuable insight into how self-taught artists are helped by these programs.

For any interested New Yorkers or anyone traveling in the NYC area, the exhibit will remain up through April 30, 2010 and the gallery is open Monday through Saturday from noon until 6 PM. Eight community programs have worked displayed and all of it is awesome.

Here are some photos from the SBTT area. They're only taken with a camera phone, but try to let yourself bask in the ultra-cool hipness of a New York City art show anyway...

Thanks and Thanks in Advance!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:55:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone who attended our art opening at Bottletree. It was great to get into a new venue and a lot of people who've never seen Studio By the Tracks artwork were introduced to our awesomeness.

If you didn't get a chance to drop by Bottletree, don't dispair. Studio work will be up all month and we'll also be bringing some new things every Friday afternoon to replinish the walls. The show is cash and carry, so if you see anything you like, you can pay cash or check to the friendly Bottletree bartenders and take it home with you. Instant gratification!

So, go by Bottltree, grab a drink and an appetizer and enjoy the artwork!

Studio At the Tracks Invades Bottletree!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:07:00 GMT

Though there are many cool places in Birmingham, there can only be one coolest and that is definitely Studio By the Tracks. Logically, there can only be one next coolest, and that is certainly Bottletree. If you put these things together, the coolness of the situation will surely take cool to a whole new level it's never been on.

We'll test this algorithm of cool this Friday, January 8th when Bottletree hosts an art opening for Studio By the Tracks. If you're like me, you probably have a little hoard of cash from distant relatives who don't know you very well and you just canNOT spend it on anything sensible, like work shoes or the power bill. I suggest art to beautify the home and calm the soul. Specifcally, art from the Studio.

The opening kicks off around 6 PM and will end around 9 PM (there's a music show scheduled later that night - Eric Bachmann - you might to check his website out and see if you might want to stay). Everything will be cash and carry. Not only that, but the show will be up for the entire month of January and we're going to be adding new stuff every Friday afternoon. There's no better excuse to stop by Bottletree for an end of the week cocktail - just tell 'em you're going for the art!

Come one, come all!

Last Minute Holiday Shopping!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:00 GMT

Hi, All!

If you're wondering where you can find inexpensive and unique gifts before the holidays, ponder no more! Studio By the Tracks still has a some leftovers from our fabulous Holiday Open House, not to mention the wonderful goodies that our students are STILL making!

Next Thursday, December 17th, we'll be hosting an informal get together so you can come in, check out the merch, and shop in a mostly frantic-free environment. Feel free to bring your own cocktail or snack (you don't even have to share) as well as some of your trendy friends with good taste and a wallet full of cash, check or credit (we take all three).

This casual soiree begins at 5:30 PM and will continue until around 8 PM. And who knows, we might be in the mood to wheel and deal if you're buying lots of stuff - after all, we need to clear our gallery walls to get ready for our next show in the spring!

Email or call if you have any questions. Or - you can just comment below!

Hope to see some new faces next Thursday!

Want to get rid of some very specific junk in your attic?

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:45:00 GMT

Lucky for you, the staff at Studio By the Tracks is planning some very special drawing lessons for the children starting in January and we are looking around for WORKING SLIDE PROJECTORS! Yes, these archaic machines certainly seem like a thing of the past since we now have things like computers and digital cameras, but don't be fooled into thinking they're destined for the garbage heap just yet...

If you've got an old slide projector that works well, please feel free to call us at Studio By the Tracks. The number is 205-951-3317. Ask for Daisy. If you can't bring it by, and you don't live a million miles away, she's just crazy enough to come and get it from you! She is really dedicated to art and teaching art to kids! Like I said, CRAZY! She also talks about herself in third person a lot! Like right now!

Stay tuned to the Studio blog for a few casual upcoming events that will allow you to come by and do some last minute Christmas shopping. You'l be glad you did!

Tantalize Your Eyes!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:32:00 GMT

The Holiday Open House is only a little over a week away (Thursday, November 19th from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM) and even WE are amazed at the wealth of beautiful objets d' arte that we've been amassing (and still are).

Check below to see a sampling of fineness...

Flying Girl by Allison.

Dog bowls by various Studio artists.

Stained Glass Window by Herman.

Bird Bowls by James.

Mother & Child Star Ornament by Ross.

Christmas, Christmas time is near...

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:23:00 GMT

We know it's not even Halloween yet, but here in Irondale, we're already getting ready for Christmas. Every year, we fling open our doors for the Holiday Open house and people rush in like crazed shoppers desperate for a Tickle Me Elmo and simply clean us out. The Studio is such a popular Holiday hot spot that we have to start getting ready as soon as possible.

We're doing our part to get ready, so we really need you to do your part and to mark your calendars! We've decided to move the event up a little this year so you can get your shopping in early. On Thursday, November 19th, you can come to the Studio and get stuffers for all your stockings - and maybe even a little gift for out of town family for Thanksgiving!

Email us if you're not on our mailing list and we'll be happy to mail you an invitation with more information about the Studio. Really! We will!

Studio Friends...

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:36:00 GMT

The Studio serves a group of homeless men who live at Safe Haven. They come every Wednesday to their "art class," as they call it, and we usually have a fine old time. We listen to music (they request blues or funk or good old R & B classics like James Brown) and cut up and generally have a blast.

Like any group of people who are around each other all the time, occasionally the guys will squabble about this or that - John and James especially. Those two will get into it sometimes, usually about what CD to put in the stereo. If you didn't know better, you might think these two guys absolutely HATED each other.

Last week, after the usual snipping, John and James proved to us that they're actually more fond of each other than they let on.

James was getting frustrated about his artwork and said he thought he was going to stop coming to art class. We tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't having it. That's when John got up, came over to James' seat and hugged him. Which forced us to yell, "WE KNEW YOU LIKED EACH OTHER!" And it changed James' attitude completely. He got a big smile on his face and when John said, "You know you're going to come back to the art class," James admitted that he would.

I took a picture for proof. I told them that the next time I heard them fighting, I was going to remind them that they actually LIKED each other and then show them this photo...

All aboard!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:06:00 GMT

If you're from Alabama, or even if you're not, you've heard of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. And if you didn't know already, Fannie Flagg set her story in the fictitious town of Whistle Stop - which is based on Irondale and the Irondale Cafe. Yes! Real places! Irondale, coincidentally, is the place the Studio calls home.

Every year, the people of Irondale host the Whistle Stop Festival to celebrate the awesomeness of this little city outside Birmingham (yes, Irondale is a separate city from Birmingham).

The Whistle Stop Festival is tomorrow starting at 9 AM. The Studio will be up and running, selling art for our usual low, low prices and letting people take a look in the gallery. You can get a jump start on your Christmas shopping! We'll be here until 2 PM, so come early and get the good stuff before everyone sleeping late gets here...

As if the promise of getting to hang out at the Studio wasn't enough, there will also be rides and games and even a cake walk. It's guaranteed to be a blast.

5 reasons to call and schedule an appointment at the i.f gallery...

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:21:00 GMT

LET THE GAMES BEGIN was, of course, a smashing success. What Studio event isn't? We'll now start getting ready for our Christmas Open House, but in the meantime, we need to make room for all the new art and Christmas accoutrement that will soon pack the Studio from floor to ceiling.

As usual, I'm sure you'd like to know how YOU can help. I think calling or emailing the Studio to find out when you can come by and wander around the i.f gallery for a while, buying up art so we can make more art to replace the old art, would be an excellent way to contribute. But don't do it just because I said so! Pick any reason from the list below and make it your own! Heck! I'd even be excited to see you add some of your own ideas to the list!

1. Christmas is coming and you need something really unique and irreplaceable to send to your best friend/favorite cousin/special someone who lives out of town. Better jump on the ball now before the Post Office gets overwhelmed with those unorganized people who wait until the last minute to mail their less unique and irreplaceable gifts.

2. It's right by the historic Irondale Cafe. You haven't been there in a while and you've been dreaming about the friend green tomatoes. And you know, it would just be stupid to come all the way to Irondale for lunch and not stop by the Studio.

3. Your favorite young person wants to start an art collection and you want to contribute a fabulous piece.

4. Your favorite not so young person already has a fabulous art collection and you want to contribute a piece.

5. Because Art is Life Itself. We have t-shirts that prove it. They're also for sale.

It's now or never...

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:09:00 GMT

The big day is finally here, sports fans. I know that the first games of the football season are over, so you should be pumped about any and all sports and game activities. I'm sure you've been wondering where YOU can get the perfect accoutrement to compliment your sportsperson's world and I'm happy to tell you that those long, dark days are OVER.

Tonight at studio by the tracks, we will be opening our latest show, LET THE GAMES BEGIN. Our artists have banded together to create art about sports and games - from croquet to poker - and it's going to boggle your mind.

We're almost ready to open the doors. Here's what you'll see...

Also, our good friend Glenny Brock at the Birmingham Weekly featured us on the front of their website today. That is because she is awesome! Go check it out!

More artwork from the upcoming art show!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:43:00 GMT

We're looking at a long holiday weekend and for you poor people who have to work on Friday, you need something to distract you from those last hours before freedom! Spend them checking out some of the art that will be at our next art show, LET THE GAMES BEGIN! Opening reception is Thursday, September 10 from 5:30 - 8 PM at the i.f gallery in Irondale.

The Scrabble Game by Art

Galaxy by Robert

Alabama Football by Wesley

Whammies by Michael Hall

To see more artwork from the upcoming show, as well as other work by our students, please visit our Flickr page!

It's time to let the games begin!

imiller@studiobythetracks.org — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:01:00 GMT

August is usually the hottest month of the year here in Alabama, and we've all been surprised to walk outside the past few days and feel like we're about to usher in Fall. I'm sure it will be hot again in no time flat, but for right now, you can't help but think about all the fun Fall activities we enjoy - especially a little thing a few people are into called FOOTBALL. It doesn't matter if it's Alabama or Auburn who you root for, you know you love the game.

And that means basketball is right around the corner. And then the World Series is coming up. And what about those cold winter nights where you just want to stay at home? Will you be looking for something to do and pulling out all your dusty boardgames: Scrabble, Monopoly, maybe even Twister?

We're a nation of game lovers - games of any sort, from the sport kind to the mind kind. Which is why Fall is the perfect time for Studio By the Tracks to announce our next gallery show!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN is the title and you can guess what that means: sports, sports and more sports, as well as every kind of game. We've dug deep into our memories to recall the most famous Sports Illustrated covers, the most intense sports rivalries, the most favorite of childhood games. There will definitely be something for everyone, especially if you're the type of person who likes to have FUN. Which I don't doubt that you are, because you're reading this blog.

The show will open on Thursday, September 10th at 5:30 PM. We'll be here until about 8 PM, but you know you'll be sorry if you don't come early because you won't get the thing you absolutely couldn't live without and you'll see some other lucky patron walking out the door with it and you will KICK YOURSELF (which is extra painful because it is hard to do).

Here's a small preview of the artwork we've been working on:

The Harlem Globetrotters

White Converse by Michael Moore

Chance and Community Chest by Michael Hall

The Kentucky Derby by Bridgette