For the third consecutive year, first-grade students in Tuscaloosa have the opportunity to display their art through a professional showcase.
Monster Makeover, sponsored by the Tuscaloosa News and the Arts Council, features children’s drawings of monsters and local artists’ interpretations of those monsters.
The child’s drawing and description of the monster, as well as the artist’s interpretive piece, are on display at the Bama Theatre.
“They get the recognition,” Sharon Rudowski, the education director for the Tuscaloosa Arts Council, said. “This isn’t about the artists. The students are the center of attention.”
The exhibit will be on display for the remainder of October and will culminate with a reception on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The reception will feature a silent auction for both the children’s and artists’ work, as well as T-shirts and commemorative books that illustrate each of the pieces, Anthony Bratina, graphic editor of the Tuscaloosa News, said.
The event has nearly doubled each year, with 53 students and more than 73 artists participating this year. With the growth of the event, the team is hoping to make $5,000 to benefit the city schools’ art programs.
Rudowski said the artists enjoy being a part of the show for the students’ sake and to exhibit their own work. They volunteer their own time and materials.
Throughout the gallery, viewers can see stuffed animals, an end table, sculptures and oil paintings, all representing the imaginations of children. Artists are allowed to use the medium of their choice for recreating the children’s drawings.
“The first year, I remember talking to the kids, going around and saying, ‘So, what do you think?’” Mark Hughes Cobb, arts writer for the Tuscaloosa News, said. “They were like, ‘Cool, but mine’s better.’”
Cobb said the theater will also host “Druid Dread Night: A Haunted Variety Show” for adult audiences on Monday, Oct. 29. The event will feature music, comedy, ghost stories, drinks and a costume contest.
“It’s one of the ways we show the community that we’re human beings, partially, and it’s just freakin’ fun,” Cobb said.
Tickets for “Druid Dread Night” on Oct. 29 or the closing reception of Monster Makeover on Oct. 30 can be purchased through the Bama Theatre. For more information, visit bamatheatre.org.
