birminghamal.gov
The City of Birmingham will present its annual AWAKEN event in celebration of local changemakers who use creativity, advocacy, and service to advance social justice and community progress.
This year’s program theme is “Art as Resistance — Awakening Justice Through Creativity” and will honor Joe Minter, a world-renowned sculptor, community historian, and founder of African Village in America, whose visionary art chronicles the Black experience and the struggle for freedom, justice, and unity. The event, which is orchestrated by the Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity, will take place on Friday, Oct. 24, at 9 a.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
“Art has always been a language of liberation,” said Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “Through AWAKEN, we celebrate artists and advocates like Joe Minter who remind us that creativity is not only an act of expression, but also an act of resistance—a tool to awaken justice in all of us.”
AWAKEN, held each year during Magic City Classic Week, was created to spark meaningful dialogue, reflection, and education around Birmingham’s enduring legacy of activism and leadership. Each year, it serves as a bridge between Birmingham’s historic struggle for civil rights and the city’s modern movement for equity—bringing together artists, activists, and community leaders who continue to push for justice through creative expression.
As part of the program, Mayor Woodfin will present the Putting People First Award to Minter, recognizing his vision that embodies Birmingham’s ongoing pursuit of equity and justice.
Joe Minter is an artist and cultural historian living in the Titusville neighborhood, surrounded by his magnum opus, a sprawling didactic artwork that he has dubbed the African Village in America. He recently exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Mana Contemporary, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Alabama Contemporary, Atlanta Contemporary, James Fuentes Gallery, and Tops Gallery, and he was featured in the 2019 Whitney Biennial, curated by Rujeko Hockley and Jane Panetta. Minter’s work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and many others.
The program will also feature a musical performance by trumpeter Nathaniel Bagley, poetry by Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green, and spoken word by Quang Do, president & CEO of Create Birmingham. There will also be a panel discussion on “Art as Resistance” featuring storyteller and craftivist Wilhelmina Thomas, visual artist Willie E. Williams, Jr. and arts administrator John Fields, senior director of UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts. Gina Mallisham, the executive director of the Jefferson County Memorial Project, will moderate the conversation.
Since its inception, AWAKEN has honored Birmingham’s trailblazers who continue to shape the city’s story of resilience and reform.
Past Themes & Honorees:
- 2024 – Staying Woke in Voting Rights: Honoring Judge U.W. Clemon
- 2023 – Lifting Voices: Changing History: Honoring The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir
- 2022 – Family Reunion: Stories Never Told: Honoring Dr. Shelley Stewart
- 2021 – Building the Beloved Community: Honoring Odessa Woolfolk
- 2019 – Hope for the World: Honoring Mayor Richard Arrington
