The Fire We Share

  No Kings Will Darken Our Light

A Juried Exhibition at

East Village Arts of Birmingham

May 2026

There is a fire we share—an ember that refuses to die, even in the wind of tyranny. It burns for freedom, for one another, for the right to live and create without fear. This exhibition invites artists to kindle that flame through their work—to confront oppression with courage and support resilience through love.

Call for Artists

East Village Arts (EVA) invites visual artists, sculptors, photographers, and mixed-media creators to submit work for The Fire We Share, a juried exhibition exploring art as resistance and love as power. We seek work that embodies the struggle for freedom, unity, and human dignity — pieces that illuminate the unbreakable connection between creative expression, the struggle against tyranny, and the manifestation of collective liberation.

Awards

Judges will select works for the exhibit based on:

·        Alignment with Theme

·        Creativity and Originality

·        Skill and Technique

·        Expressive Impact

Based on the same criteria, six cash prizes will be awarded:

• First Prize: $500
• Second Prize: $200

• Student Prize: $100 (Student is defined as an artist exhibting for the first time.)

 • Three Honorable Mentions: $100 each

For more information and to submit your proposal, click TO BE ADDED.

Stay tuned for more details.

Friday, November  7, 6 PM    Village Voices RISE 

Exhibition by Craig Legg and a Film by Director Katie Rogers

Unveiling of Legg's 10'x12' "Birmingham Jazz Family Tree"

Screening of Rogers' Tuxedo Junction: The Almost Lost Story

6:00 PM:  Meet the Artists and Enjoy the Hospitality

7:15 PM:  Artists Talks

8:00 PM: Film Screening 

Free Admission

Made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

Saturday, November 8, 10 AM - 2 PM Village Voices RISE

Birmingham Jazz Portrait Paining with Craig Legg

FREE exploratory, improvisational workshop. 

Yak jazz, listen to jazz, and paint jazz with Host and Trickster Guide Craig Legg.

Some materials provided; feel free to BYO. 

Made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. 

Saturday, November 8, 7 PM

Electric Return with Cellist Craig Hultgren

Known for his free-style improvisations and committed support of living composers, Hultgren returns to Birmingham playing an e-cello concert featuring Davey Williams’s Solo for Cello & Digital Delay and Mark Lackey’s A Word with Naricissus.

Hultgren invites music improvisors to join him in an improv jam as the concert's finale.  So bring your horn, drum, tambourine, or use one at EVA!

$10 Suggested Donation

Sunday November 9   2:00 p.m. 

Cassandra Griffen: Celebration of Life Memorial 

Cassandra Griffen is a nationally known Civil Rights Movement documentarian. Her photographs are powerful revelations of the journey of individuals and communities of color during her 30 years of intense documentations of civil unrest and cultural challenge.

Open to the public

Sunday,  November  16,   6 - 8:00 PM

Klimchak & Alexandria Smith

PlayPlace with Lauren Jones

Kyle Kessler

Taylor Rouss, LaDonna Smith, And more!

Friday, December 5, 7 - 9 PM 
Village Voices RISE

Jazz Poetry Open Mic Hosted by Craig Legg

Poets, recite your favorites or drop your own.

Musicians, bring your groove and fill the room.

Poetry lovers, join us for an evening of rhythm, reflection, and creative expression. 

Free admission

Made possible in part by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.