2025-2026 Community Engagement
BIG ARTS, formally known as the Barrier Island Group for the Arts, was created by and for the community more than four decades ago. Its founding principle remains to this day: to experience and celebrate the artist in all of us and to remind us of our shared humanity. Each year we offer a vibrant cultural palette of performing and fine arts, films, workshops, classes and community events that enrich our lives
I Am My Home
Mariapia Malerba
West Gallery
Artist Reception: Friday, November 7, 2025, 5:00 PM
Without the corals, the octopus has no sanctuary…
Annual Artists Collective
Mezzanine Gallery
Artist Reception: Friday, May 1, 2026, 5:00 PM
This annual exhibit highlights the work of artist-instructors who lead BIG ARTS Workshops and Classes.
Art as Therapy
Dunham Family Gallery
Artist Reception: Friday, May 1, 2026, 5:00 PM
This collaboration between Hope Healthcare’s Art Therapy Program and Lee Health’s Arts in Healthcare Program highlights the healing power of creative expression.
20 Feet from Stardom
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we’ve had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
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Muscle Shoals
A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as “I’ll Take You There”, “Brown Sugar”, and “When a Man Loves a Woman”.
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Little Richard: I Am Everything
The life and career of Little Richard, the one-of-a-kind rock ‘n’ roll icon who shaped the world of music.
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WINE & RAKU MIXER
Artist-Instructor: Tim Smith
Enjoy this fun-filled evening as we begin in the classroom learning about Raku, a traditional Japanese pottery-firing technique.
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SUMMER SOLSTICE
Dana Nicloy
Monday, June 8 & Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Dana will encourage students of All-Levels to explore their creativity during this handbuilding pottery work-shop.
BEGINNING POTTERY WHEEL 101
Artist-Instructor: Tim Smith
Mondays, June 8, 15, 22, 29 & July 6, 13, 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Beginning students will discover how to center a ball of clay and shape it into various objects. Those with prior experience will refine their skills and learn techniques to create more intricate forms.
INTERMEDIATE POTTERY WHEEL 102
Artist-Instructor: Tim Smith
Tuesdays, June 9, 16, 23, 30 & July 7, 14, 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
If you’re comfortable with the basics of throwing and eager to learn more advanced techniques, this class is for you! Students will explore methods for creating larger forms, lidded pieces, and incorporating sculptural and surface techniques.
ADVANCED POTTERY WHEEL 103
Artist-Instructor: Tim Smith
Wednesdays June 10, 17, 24 & July 1, 8, 15, 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Prerequisite: Participants must have taken Beginner and Intermediate Pottery Wheel classes in advance of this class -OR- have significant pottery wheel experience prior to registering for this class. In this advanced pottery wheel course, students will engage in independent special projects.
Intermediate Pottery Wheel 102
Artist-Instructor: Tim Smith
Thursdays June 11, 18, 25 & July 2, 9, 16, 2026, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
If you’re comfortable with the basics of throwing and eager to learn more advanced techniques, this class is for you! Students will explore methods for creating larger forms, lidded pieces, and incorporating sculptural and surface techniques.