Once the group decided to organize, they needed a name and an identity. The name they chose was Maubilans after Chief Tuskaloosa and the Maubilans, who were one of the first tribes to organize and fight against encroaching Spanish settlers.
“That’s kind of why we chose that name, too, because we just want to be artists,” Cicatiello said. “We just wanted to take a stand and say we love Tuscaloosa. We love its culture, we love its history, we love the fact that it has such a strong connection to the arts.”
The group serves many purposes, but their primary goal is to give Tuscaloosa artists the opportunity to exhibit their work.
“There’s such a need for artists to show their work in town,” Cicatiello said. “It shows how Tuscaloosa’s evolved. The fact that people are asking to put their work out there because they know people are going to come see it, that’s huge.”
The organizational structure of the group is fairly loose, meeting often but not regularly. A private Facebook group keeps everyone updated on everything from upcoming show opportunities to paint sales. Members of the group gather in the store during the day, and Cicatiello said she often sees members gathered in the parking lot outside Grace Aberdean as well.
The group hosts a series of smaller shows during the year, all leading to one big show at the end of the year. In the past, the group has faced difficulty in finding a large enough space for everyone to exhibit their work at once. The largest show they’ve done was at Mellow Mushroom, and Cicatiello said while the event was a success, they could still use more space.
Neel Alexander has been a part of the Maubilans since it was founded. He said the group has enjoyed bringing art to venues like Green Bar, Black Warrior Brewery and Twin Restaurant, which don’t normally show art. Although the pattern started out of necessity, Alexander said the nontraditional venues help the group make art as accessible as possible. The showings also provide exposure for other groups outside the artists.
“A lot of people who come to different events haven’t been to the spaces we’re using,” he said. “It’s just as much about exposing local musicians to a new crowd as it is about exposing the artists themselves.”
Beyond First Fridays and similar shows, Alexander said the group aims to involve the community in what they do. Kentuck could not use their interior gallery space while it was being renovated last fall, so the Maubilans came up with a way to have an event for Thursday Art Night in downtown Northport. The group held a live painting in the Kentuck courtyard, where different members of the collective worked on large collaborative murals. Kentuck displayed the works last fall and into the spring.
“We’ve been wanting to do more community-type events like that,” Alexander said.
Cicatiello said one of the group’s goals is to introduce people to evolving art, especially people who are new to Tuscaloosa and may not be aware of the art scene in town.
“I think a lot of times, because it is a college town, people think, ‘Oh, I’m just going to wait tables in college,’ and in other places, being a waiter or a server is a career,” she said. “You could be a career person in the service industry and be an artist or be a lawyer and still play in a band.”
Cicatiello said if patrons want to support the group but can’t afford to buy a piece, they can give donations or buy Maubilans merchandise. T-shirts and other items are for sale at shows and at Grace Aberdean.
