UAB's Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, AEIVA

10/02/2026

Thanks for the shoutout Bham Now ! AEIVA’s fall exhibition opens Oct 22! 🍁

🥳 BERNADETTE PETERS IS COMING TO BHAM: Catch the Broadway legend live Oct. 9, then keep the fall fun going with a free new art exhibit + Halloween crafts for the kids. 👇 NowPartner

09/30/2026

Coming up at AEIVA!

𝗞𝗮𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗜𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝟰𝟬𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘀 (𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗘𝘀| 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝟰𝟬𝗼𝘇_𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀)
October 22, 2026 – March 13, 2027
Opening and artist talk: Thursday, October 22, 5-7pm
Irving will be in conversation with Lauren Haynes (Lauren Haynes), Executive Director of Atlanta Contemporary beginning at 5:15pm

🧱

AEIVA presents an exhibition of new and recent works by St. Louis-based artist, Kahlil Robert Irving. Following his participation in the critically-acclaimed MONUMENTS exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Irving will show a series of new, large-format paintings and amassment sculptures that confront the legacy of historical broken promises and political mixed messaging in his hometown and across the US. Through work combining digital imagery and references to his surrounding environment, Irving’s exhibition stages an encounter between the web of media and the web of materials, producing a record of experience in which the street and the screen are equally present forums for public life.

Image credit: Kahlil Robert Irving, 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘉𝘢𝘳|𝘚𝘒𝘠𝘊𝘏𝘌𝘚𝘛_ [𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴+𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘳&𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘢_𝘢𝘴𝘩](𝘛𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺)𝘎𝘙𝘈𝘚𝘚, 2023–25, glazed and unglazed ceramic, personally constructed image transfers (decals), metallic enamel, colored enamel (no found objects). Courtesy of the artist.

Kahlil Robert Irving

09/21/2026

UAB Department of English and Creative Writing presents Spoken Word at AEIVA. Students will perform poetry written in response to some of the works and themes in AEIVA’s current exhibitions. The reading will be followed by a Q & A led by Adam Vines, English professor and editor of Birmingham Poetry Review

Free and open to the public. Light refreshments provided.

🗓️ Sept 21, 5:30pm
📍 AEIVA

09/14/2026

📣 AEIVA is seeking a passionate Senior Director to join the UAB Center for the Arts leadership team! This role will advance AEIVA’s strategic vision, oversee daily operations, and strengthen partnerships across campus and the broader arts community.

Successful applicants will have a demonstrated record of strategic, visionary leadership, deep knowledge of contemporary art and its publics, and a collaborative, interdisciplinary mindset.

Visit the link in our bio to apply!

UAB Center for the Arts UAB - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

09/11/2026

🐊 Next Thursday, 9/17 at 5:30pm join us for a special screening of Alex Garland’s 2018 sci-fi thriller ANNIHILATION presented in conjunction with our current exhibition, Erin Jane Nelson: 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨.

Loosely based on the first novel in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy (2014), Annihilation follows a group of scientists who enter a mysterious, quarantined zone called the Shimmer, where evolution has taken a twisted turn.

UAB Film Studies professor, Gareth Jones will introduce the film and lead a discussion after the screening. Come early for a chance to tour the exhibition beforehand.

This event is free and open to the public. Pizza and beverages will be provided. 🍕

Image © Paramount Pictures

09/09/2026

Check out this excellent piece by Robert Alan Grand on our current exhibition, Erin Jane Nelson: Living and Working—up now through Sept 26!

An early-career survey of the artist and photographer’s work runs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham through September 26.

09/04/2026

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 @ 𝐀𝐄𝐈𝐕𝐀 returns on Monday, September 14! 🎶

Curated by UAB Department of Music professor, Dr. Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk, the night’s program will include performances by:

– Composers William Price & Matthew Scott Phillips
– Alabama Sympony Orchestra’s principal flutist, Lisa Wienhold
– Pianist Yakov Kasman
– Cellist Sam Nordlund playing pieces by Fran Griffin, Debussy, Phillips, and Rachmaninoff
– Jazz trio Steve Roberts, Carlos Pino, and Abe Becker playing music by Antonio Carlos Jobin and Hoagy Carmichael

A reception begins at 5:30pm, followed by the concert at 6—arrive early to mingle, enjoy light catering, and explore the art that inspired the music.

📸: Eric Gray

08/27/2026

🎨 Birmingham, come celebrate the arts with us on Sept. 18 for our annual Arts Block Party!

Whether you're an artist, art lover, student, or neighbor, there's something for everyone. Join us for an evening of exhibitions, live music, local vendors, family-friendly activities, and creative community.

✨ Free and open to the public. We can't wait to celebrate with you.

🎨 FREE BLOCK PARTY IN BHAM: Two-time Grammy winner Terrance Simien headlines this free outdoor concert on Sept. 18 — plus local food trucks, art vendors, interactive crafts and gallery tours, all in one night downtown. 👇 NowPartner

08/27/2026

08/03/2026

The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) congratulates our Director, John Fields, on his appointment as Managing Director of the Jordan Schnitzer Arts Program for the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation in Portland, Oregon.

After fifteen years at UAB, John will conclude his tenure at AEIVA later this month to begin this exciting new chapter.

Since joining UAB in 2011, John has helped shape AEIVA into a nationally recognized university art museum. As the inaugural Lydia Cheney and Jim Sokol Endowed Director, he oversaw the addition of approximately 1,000 works of art to the museum's permanent collection, organized more than 100 exhibitions, strengthened partnerships with artists and institutions across the country, and championed innovative exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives that have connected thousands of visitors with contemporary art.

John's leadership has left a lasting mark on AEIVA, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Birmingham's cultural community. While we will greatly miss his vision, passion, and friendship, we are incredibly proud to see him take on this important national leadership role.

Please join us in thanking John for his years of service and in wishing him and Jennifer all the best as they begin this exciting new adventure in Portland.

Congratulations, John! We can't wait to see what comes next.