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Inside the BMA’s Galleries and Exhibitions: Africa to the Americas

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA)—located at 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35203—has more than 27,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative pieces representing diverse cultures: Asian, European, African, American, Pre-Columbian, Native American, and others.

Published

7 years ago

September 6, 2019

Oakland Post

A portion of the piece, "Love is Blind" by artist Paul Cordes Wilm is shown at the Birmingham Museum of Art. (Photo by: Mark Almond)

By Erica Wright

The Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA)—located at 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd., Birmingham, AL 35203—has more than 27,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative pieces representing diverse cultures: Asian, European, African, American, Pre-Columbian, Native American, and others.

It also houses an extensive Contemporary Art Gallery and features a broad range of special exhibitions, including the currently running “Barbie: Dreaming of a Female Future” (Aug. 10, 2019 through Jan. 26, 2020, in the Arrington Gallery) and the soon to come “Ways of Seeing: Portrait” (Aug. 31, 2019, through March 8, 2020, in the Bohorfoush Gallery).

Here’s a closer look at some of the BMA’s galleries.

Contemporary Art

Contemporary art is defined as the art of today, produced by artists who are living in the 21st century. At the BMA, the contemporary art collections consist of artworks created after the 1970s up to today.

In the contemporary gallery, located on the first floor of the museum, hangs a large portrait of Birmingham-born artist Kerry James Marshall’s “School of Beauty, School of Culture.” The piece depicts a scene of black males and females in a beauty school, but its meaning is far more complex. It is a setting, familiar to most African Americans, that not only teaches a trade but also educates its clientele about African American culture through fellowship.

“When I was going through the permanent collection, I was very much thinking about the artists I know, love, and am familiar with, and then the different themes I’ve observed having been here in Birmingham,” said Hallie Ringle, the BMA’s Hugh Paul Curator of Contemporary Art, who has been in the Magic City since October 2018.

The work of prominent African American artists, many of whom hail from Birmingham and across the state of Alabama, are important in the gallery, said Ringle, who is responsible for planning exhibitions and caring for the permanent art collections.

“There are so many artists from Birmingham that I think are incredibly significant, like Joe Minter. We have his ‘Reparations Now’ piece; it’s a new acquisition,” she said. “I want to think about what labor meant. What does it mean to spend your whole life working for something, especially when that labor isn’t always visible or isn’t always credited? … I kept thinking about those things in terms of Birmingham. We see all these things happening around us, but who actually does [the work] and what does this mean in terms of a larger society?”

Aside from the “School of Beauty, School of Culture” and “Reparations Now” pieces, the Contemporary Art gallery features many other notable pieces, including a portrait of activist and Birmingham native Angela Davis titled “Revolutionary” by Wadsworth A. Jarrell. Words from her speeches—struggle, resist, black, beautiful, revolution—swirl around her and emanate from her hair.

In selecting works that will be displayed in the gallery, Ringle’s goal is to bring people closer to the artists.

“I want to recognize how they experience art wherever they are,” she said. “Birmingham is a very creative city. … Maybe it’s in a sign that you’ve seen or a mural that you painted or whatever you do in your life that’s creative and artistic.”

In addition to considering how she can connect viewers to the piece or the audience, Ringle does extensive research when selecting works for the gallery.

“My process is a little different from that of my colleagues because the artists are living for the most part. One of my favorite things to do is work with living artists and make sure their dreams are executed in our galleries,” she said. “Sometimes I pick art that’s on the walls. Sometimes I might commission an artist to make something. Sometimes it’ll be a work in our collection that already exists. For the pieces that are currently in the gallery, I picked some pieces that already existed in our collection and built a show around them.

“[For instance], I started with ‘Reparations Now’ … [and] ‘School of Beauty, School of Culture.’ Then I included [pieces from] Amy Sherald, [who was commissioned to paint the official portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery]. [Then I added the] Angela Davis [piece], and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, these don’t make any sense together.’ Then I thought, ‘What are these really about?’ Even though it’s not always apparent, Amy Sherald’s [‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’] looks like a portrait and is a portrait, but it’s also about childhood, who we see as children, and, as a society, what we are protecting these children from—that is labor, often invisible labor.”

Click to view slideshow.

African, Native-American and Pre-Columbian

The BMA’s African, Native American, and Pre-Columbian galleries are on the second floor. Art from the pre-Columbian era line the walls, along with sculptures, paintings, and traditional clothing from that era. Farther down, the African and Native American galleries feature similar works, as well as head masks and a section of African ceramics.

“The African ceramics … are pretty new. We acquired a big collection of 403 African pots, so we decided to open a brand new gallery dedicated to just that art form,” said Emily Hanna, PhD, senior curator of the Arts of Africa and the Americas. “It’s really beautiful. People love to just stop, sit, and watch the video [of African women making pottery] in that section.”

The BMA has about 2,000 works of African art, which is much more than what’s on display. Because the collection is so large, Hanna changes the gallery out about every six months or so. She does the same with the pre-Columbian and Native American galleries.

“Anything that is fabric, works on paper, anything that is light-sensitive has to be changed out often. You just can’t leave them out [because they] will fade,” said Hanna. “Some of our galleries don’t change out; the things that change are for special exhibitions. In my galleries, I try to keep things moving. I have enough textiles that if you come every three to four months, you’re going to see something different.”

Hanna considers visitors who haven’t seen these types of work before and how they can connect to them.

“People might have preconceptions about [certain works] if they haven’t had the chance to visit, so you have a really short opportunity to capture people’s interests and get them to read a label if they wander in,” she said. “Maybe they’re interested in the way something looks, but think about it: How much time will you give a label or really take to learn something?

“That’s the challenge: to create an installation that will attract someone to look at and learn about something. A lot of people who saw [the movie] ‘Black Panther’ are now very interested in textiles, costumes, clothing, architecture, and Afro-futurism. [We offer] a window for people to come in and see if what we have here is what they saw in the film.”

The Birmingham Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from noon until 5 p.m. For more information, call 205-254-2565; visit www.artsbma.org; or follow on Facebook @Birmingham Museum of Art and on Twitter and Instagram @Bhammuseum.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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4 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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4 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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4 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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