MOBILE, Ala. — George Washington Carver was revered as a botanist and man of science, not as an artist, but like all great intellects, he also painted, read and wrote poetry, played the guitar and piano. His extraordinary range of interests and his restless curiosity about the world around him led many to regard Carver as a polymath, or... Full story »

Aerialists, strongmen, contortionists, jugglers and mimes — just another Saturday night at the concert hall. For the acrobats of Cirque de la Symphonie, that is precisely what it is: an opportunity to display gravity-defying magic and dazzling virtuosity as the audience listens to Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Saint-Saens. It is a safe bet that symphony audiences have seen nothing like... Full story »

In November 2005, Louisiana-born filmmaker Zack Godshall set out with a camera, tripod and microphone to interview Floyd Banks Jr., a divinely inspired castle builder living in east Tennessee hill country. More than three years later the 30-year-old Godshall completed “God’s Architects,” an 82-minute documentary that studies and celebrates Banks and four other solitary builders from Arkansas, California, Louisiana... Full story »

FAIRHOPE, Ala.  — Spanish Fort resident Jean McKee took the Ethel Knight Pollard Award for Best of Show for her acrylic painting “Turquoise Bay” during the March 5 opening of the Eastern Shore Art Center’s Members’ Juried Show.  The painting depicted sailboats on the bay in vibrant blues and greens. With the recognition, McKee also was awarded a $300... Full story »

Page & Palette Bookstore will offer DVD copies of “The Utopian Fairhope,” a collaborative documentary film, from 1 until 5 p.m. March 19-20 at 32 S. Section St.  The two-day event will give local residents an opportunity to own and view the film before its April 15 opening at the annual Arts and Crafts Festival in Fairhope. The P&P... Full story »

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Eastern Shore Art Center will host its 38th Annual Outdoor Art Show from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. March 19-21 on the Art Center’s grounds in downtown Fairhope. Approximately 200 exhibitors are included in this year’s show including Yoram Gal, an artist from Old Jaffa, Israel. Gal was born in Jerusalem in 1952 and was... Full story »

PENSACOLA, Fla. — “Hubble,” a new IMAX film, invites viewers to travel through distant galaxies and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in National Aeronautics and Space Administration history. The large-format movie opens March 19   at the National Naval Aviation Museum’s IMAX® Theatre Giant Screen and offers viewers an inspiring, unique look into... Full story »

In war, courage is often measured in pain. Each new theater of battle is scarred by the psychological anguish of armed conflict, the emotional trauma of violent death, and the physical suffering of those who survive. Such pain can be heard and deeply felt in “Wounded in Action: An Art Exhibition of Orthopaedic Advancements” (http://www.woundedinactionart.org/index.php), on view this week... Full story »

NEW ORLEANS, La. — Nationally acclaimed Cajun artist George Rodrigue, most famous for his “Blue Dog” series of paintings, announced a three-day celebration of the newest art and cultural attractions of New Orleans. The citywide unveilings, titled “Rodrigue’s New Orleans,” will take place throughout New Orleans March 19-21. The artist will be in attendance at all functions. taking the... Full story »

One guitar is sublime; four guitars is something like a celestial choir. Since 1991, when the Zagreb Guitar Quartet was founded, “the idea was to play anything that a solo guitarist is not able to play due to relatively small repertory for the guitar,” says longtime member Melita Ivkovic. Also, “to play music that we are passionate about, music... Full story »

Next week HBO begins airing the 10-hour miniseries “The Pacific,” based on the memoirs of Sid Phillips and Eugene Sledge. The production follows the pattern of the miniseries “Band of Brothers” and tracks several U.S. Marines across the South Pacific in World War II. (Web: http://www.hbo.com/the-pacific/index.html.) Mobile is one of several regional sites for the premiere. HBO and Comcast... Full story »

In opera, it is the aria; in ballet, the pas de deux defines the moment and lifts the art form to that lofty place where dancers soar without wings. Mobile Ballet’s revival of “The Sleeping Beauty” provides that moment when Aurora, danced by Kathryn Morgan, and her New York City Ballet colleague, Tyler Angle as Prince Florimund, perform the... Full story »

Spring is in the air. And when the pollen count begins to rise, so does the level of fun stuff happening on the Gulf Coast. Some notes on the first wave of spring activity follow:   “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard of Birmingham will make an appearance Saturday at Wind Creek Casino in Atmore. The bad news: He won’t... Full story »

The nonprofit Centre for the Living Arts announced that president and CEO Carlos Parkman, a fixture with the CLA for almost a decade, will retire no later than Sept. 1. Parkman, 66, will remain as the Centre conducts a search for a successor, according to a news release. The Centre (http://www.centreforthelivingarts.com/), created in 1999 by Ann and Palmer Bedsole,... Full story »

A new exhibit of Pieter Favier's work is on display at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science.  Full story »