By Reginald Allen
Special to the Times
Hundreds packed a showroom last week at Birmingham’s Region’s Field for the 14th annual Art, Beats +Lyrics traveling art show.
On Friday, Sept. 28, the Birmingham Barons home field was site for some of the most talented, yet unseen artists. Sponsored by Jack Daniels, the sold-out event united music lovers and art connoisseurs for an evening dedicated to the grown and sexy.
The brainchild of producer Jabari Graham and curator Dwayne “Dubelyoo” Wright, AB+L began as an Atlanta pop show in 2004. More than a decade later, the attraction has become one of the much anticipated events across the country. This year, the show is making stops in Miami, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston.
The traveling pop-up exhibit showcases art in various mediums, including photography, painting and mixed media. Straying from the traditional gallery format allows for better visibility and gives upcoming artists a steadily moving platform.
“It’s just really cool to see an art event not in your traditional space,” Wright explained. “It’s not a gallery-based show. We’re doing stadiums. We have stadiums and arenas this year.”
As the title implies, AB+L merges art, music and live entertainment into a trifecta of entertainment. AB+L is a 21-and-up event that is free to the public. Prior to the event, attendees were required to RSVP online. Tickets guaranteed entrance as well as a free drink token. In addition to the art space, a VR booth was available.
Birmingham’s DJ Rahdu and DJ Gina operated the ones and twos with artist Bas serving as the night’s headlining performer. The Dreamville artist, who performed with J.Cole in 2015 is slated to returned for a solo show at Zydeco, Nov.7. Previous artists to take the AB+L stage include Twista, Manny Fresh, and Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar.
While many artists hail from big cities like Atlanta, Wright added that many of the featured selections come across the world such as Serbia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
For more information AB+L, visit www.ArtsBeatsandlyrics.com.
