Holiday fun includes Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s Creole Christmas on Dec. 13, affordable events for families and a giftwrap workshop for adults. Plus, concert tickets and art classes are great gifts for all ages.
ArtPlay’s annual holiday open house Dec. 6 will have art projects for all ages.Give the arts this year and make this holiday the brightest.
Take in a Christmas-themed performance, or give a special arts experience from the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center and ArtPlay Community Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Tickets and memberships make great gifts and perfect stocking stuffers. See the full calendar of upcoming 2025 performances presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Center at AlysStephens.org.
Join ArtPlay for “Home for the Holidays,” its annual holiday open house, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. Sounds of the season will fill the air, with lights and plentiful art projects for all ages. Santa will be available for photos. This is a Pay What You Choose event with registration; simply register to attend at AlysStephens.org and pay what you choose for the tickets.
Make plans to take the kids and grandkids to see the “pawfect” treat for the holidays, “Yuletide in Dogtown,” with shows Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 7-8. Join Spike, Fifi, Scotty and Beauregard on this interactive musical adventure created by local playwright Jerry Sims, as the “Dogtown” pups learn the true meaning of the holidays. With shows at 2 and 5 p.m. each day at the Alys Stephens Center, be sure to arrive early for pre-show activities including an ArtPlay craft, a visit from Santa and furry friends from Hand in Paw. This is a Pay What You Choose performance with registration; simply register to attend at AlysStephens.org and pay what you choose for the tickets.
Get tickets now for Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s “Creole Christmas,”
Preservation Hall Jazz Band will present “Creole Christmas” on Dec. 13. presented by the Alys Stephens Center at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. Celebrate the season with New Orleans classics and best-loved holiday selections with a twist. Preservation Hall played a crucial role in preserving the rich culture of traditional jazz in New Orleans. Established amid the city’s vibrant mix of African, Caribbean and European musical traditions at the dawn of the 20th century, the hall defied segregation norms by welcoming racially integrated bands and audiences during the Jim Crow era. Preservation Hall’s jazz concerts offer the best in traditional New Orleans jazz for all ages. Come early for food trucks and holiday music in the lobby before the performance. Tickets are $40, $50, $60 and $75. Call 205-975-2787 or visit AlysStephens.org.
Learn to make your own stamp and giftwrap at ArtPlay’s upcoming holiday printmaking workshop with Kat Murray and Hannah Lewis from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Participants will create a stamp and make personalized gift tags, bags and wrapping paper. Cost is $80. Register online.
Limited edition books and T-shirts from UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts make unique gifts for lovers of the visual arts.
Give now, enjoy later
Join Spike, Fifi, Scotty and Beauregard in “Yuletide In Dogtown,” an interactive musical adventure for all ages and the ASC’s holiday favorite.At year’s end, what could be better than giving someone you love something fun and exciting to look forward to in the new year?
Give gift certificates or tickets to upcoming 2025 performances presented by UAB’s Alys Stephens Center.
Membership has its privileges
Tickets are on sale now for The Secret Sisters, with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, on April 24, 2025.Give an arts membership and treat them to exclusive benefits. A membership is the perfect present for those who are truly passionate about the arts, or who want to be first to hear about upcoming performances. Arts members may receive admission to exclusive events and pre-receptions, first access to performances, camps and classes, parking, free admission to more than 400 museums across the country, and more.
Learn how in an ArtPlay class
Have a budding performer? Support their dreams with an arts class or summer camp from ArtPlay. Gift certificates are also available. Registration is open now for ArtPlay’s spring 2025 classes. Check out visual art, ballet and creative dance, printmaking, small group keyboard classes, creative storytelling, and spring-themed “fairy door” creation for children. Adults can learn to transform stories from their own lives into compelling narratives or attend a “Galentine’s” event to craft Victorian purse puzzles. Other classes are art for the non-artist, how to bring children’s books and stories to life, sculpting spring fairy figures from clay, and a human figure workshop. Learn more and register at www.alysstephens.org/connect/classes. UAB employees can get a 10 percent discount on classes when they call ArtPlay to register at 205-975-4769.
Give in honor or memory of someone dear
Don’t miss Jon Gries, Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez in “Napoleon Dynamite Live!” on April 17, 2025.Support UAB Arts in Medicine activities, and give patients, caregivers and staff at UAB and in the community an arts break with dedicated AIM artists-in-residence. Activities like storytelling, sewing, visual arts, writing, dance, movement and more are provided at no cost.
Dedicate a brick or name a seat in their honor at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center.
Donate in honor or memory of a loved one to support the missions of UAB’s AEIVA, Alys Stephens Center, ArtPlay and Arts in Medicine, which provide members of the community with meaningful art experiences with the power to transform, uplift and inspire.