On the first Thursday of every month, Art Night takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. in downtown Tuscaloosa and Northport. This month, two University events, featuring both student works and works from earlier time periods, coincide with Art Night.

“The 8,” featuring the artwork of eight current female students, will be shown in the Ferguson Gallery. Each of the eight students has their own variety of pieces in the showing, creating a blend of different artistic styles.

For senior art and psychology major Mary-Coulliette Baxter, this will be her last Art Night as a student. While she said it is bittersweet, Baxter said she is excited about the work she has featured in “The 8.” Baxter blended her majors together to create her pieces.

“My pieces are ‘l’existence précède l’essence,’ Gestalt, and the instinctual mark pieces,” Baxter said. “These pieces combine what I have learned in art and psychology at The University of Alabama.”

Senior studio art major Elizabeth Alexander said she is also looking forward to participating in Art Night this month as one of “The 8.”

“While I have been a part of a lot of art shows, I have never been able to participate in Art Night,” Alexander said. “I have two oil paintings on paper that are featured. It will be a great show.”

The second UA collection featured at this month’s event will be out of the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art’s Permanent Collection. The Permanent Collection refers to the gallery’s collection of nearly 800 pieces of modern and contemporary art. The pieces have been collected by the gallery since the mid-1960s and are taken care of by the gallery staff. Each year, a different selection of works is shown in the gallery from this collection.

“We are showing 50 pieces this year, a variety of pieces created in painting, printmaking, photography and drawing,” Bill Dooley, director of the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, said. “A number of pieces date back to the late 1930s-1940s. Most of the works date after 1970.”

This year’s Permanent Collection has been titled “Straddled,” which Dooley says carries significant meaning.

“Our exhibit title refers to the fact that the dates for the exhibit this year span the end of this semester and the beginning of spring semester,” Dooley said. “The word also refers to the relationship that can be made among the works on display in the gallery.”

Both “The 8” and “Straddled” are only part of the overall Art Night event. For more information on Art Night and all of the participating galleries across Tuscaloosa, visit tuscarts.org/artnight.php.