Birmingham a festive nearby draw for arts lovers

One pretty October afternoon, Chris Clark sits on a folding chair in a shady park.

He wears a paint-smeared dashiki and a top hat laden with buttons, beads and a circular clock face that puts one in mind of the Cyclops.

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FABRIZIO FENUCCI

Through Nov. 9, the Birmingham Museum of Art is showcasing a small but significant exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci drawings, on loan from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy.

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Birmingham Museum of Art

The Magic City is home of the Birmingham Museum of Art, one of the largest art institutions in the Southeast.

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Clark, who created the over-the-top top hat and painted the joyous, bottlecap-encrusted art that surrounds him, has been sitting underneath these pine trees every first Saturday in October for the past 15 years.

The occasion is the Bluff Park Art Show, one of a handful of excellent annual arts events in this surprisingly artsy Southern city.

Each fall, thousands venture out to this hill in the suburbs, lured by the promise of Lions Club barbecue and the handiwork of 125 or so artists. You’ll have to wait until 2009 to attend the next Bluff Park Art Show, but there are other artsy reasons to visit the Magic City.

As Clark promises, “It’s always something going on.”

For visual arts lovers

The Birmingham Museum of Art is one of the largest art institutions in the Southeast, with more than 17,000 pieces in its permanent collection.

Spacious and airy, with lots of natural light, the museum surrounds a courtyard that’s home to burbling fountains and rotating sculpture exhibits. Its Asian collection is considered one of the best in the country, and its American and European collections include works by Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O’Keeffe and Thornton Dial.

Another draw: Admission and parking are free.

Through Nov. 9, the museum is showcasing a small but significant exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci drawings, on loan from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, Italy.

The drawings — some made with pen and ink, others with chalk — feature depictions of a beautiful woman and an aging man, a horse’s legs in action and a dragonfly at rest. Also included is the Codex on the Flight of Birds, a notebook containing da Vinci’s research into the science of flying.

Because some of these works are so small, and so detailed, the museum hands out magnifying glasses at the exhibition entrance. Though these provide a fascinating perspective, on crowded days you may get tired of waiting for all the Sherlock Holmeses in front of you to finish investigating each work. Call 205-254-2565 or visit www.artsbma.org.

For theater lovers

Alabama’s official state theater, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, is down the road an hour or so in Montgomery, but Birmingham boasts its own professional musical-theater company.

Red Mountain Theatre Company specializes in musical crowd-pleasers, though most seasons also include at least one straight play. Among the shows on tap this year are “Dreamgirls,” “Sweeney Todd” and “The Producers.” Call 205-324-2424 or visit www.redmountaintheatre.org.

For music lovers

The lovingly restored 1927 movie palace now known as the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts (205-252-2262 or www.alabamatheatre.com) sometimes books concerts. The larger Alys Stephens Center (alysstephens.uab.edu) on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus plays host to bigger names.

But the best place to see an intimate concert in the Magic City is in a downtown industrial complex called the WorkPlay Theatre. You can have a drink in the hipster bar just off the theater’s lobby before entering the main venue, a bi-level space that at some shows is ringed by cabaret tables. Almost every seat is a good one in this intimate arena.

WorkPlay can accommodate 250 to 400, depending on the configuration. It attracts intriguing indie musicians and pop artists on their way up or their way down.

Among the upcoming performers are Galactic (Oct. 26), Duncan Sheik and members of the “Spring Awakening” cast (Nov. 5) and Iron & Wine (Nov. 22). Call 205-879-4773 or visit www.workplay.com.

For dance lovers

Four times a year, the 21 professionals and 24 apprentices who make up the Alabama Ballet pirouette and plié their way across the Samford Wright Center stage.

The Ballet, led by Tracey Alvey, a former principal dancer with the London City Ballet, performs original and classic works, and, of course, “The Nutcracker.”

Coming Halloween weekend is a brand-new work, “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde,” featuring original choreography and music. Later in the season comes “Cinderella” and the Alabama premiere of Twyla Tharp’s “Nine Sinatra Songs,” which features costumes by Oscar de la Renta. Call 205-322-4300 or visit www.alabamaballet.org.

Alabama’s only professional modern dance company, Southern Danceworks, also calls Birmingham home. The company is small and its schedule irregular, so check its Web site at www.southerndanceworks.com for more information.

IF YOU GO

Where to stay

• The Tutwiler Hotel: The swanky Tutwiler opened in the city’s heyday in 1914 and eventually fell into disrepair. Now located in a renovated downtown apartment building and run by Hampton Inn, it’s still one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. From $199. 2021 Park Place North, Birmingham. 205-322-2100 or www.thetutwilerhotel.com.
• Cobb Lane Bed and Breakfast: A pretty yellow Victorian in Birmingham’s historic Five Points neighborhood, Cobb Lane features a long porch with white wicker furniture and seven individually decorated rooms. From $89. 1309 19th St. North, Birmingham. 205-218-9090 or www.cobblanebandb.com.

Where to eat

• Miss Myra’s Pit Bar B Q: Locals rave about the ribs and the chicken in this little neighborhood spot in Cahaba Heights, which is decorated with all manner of pig paraphernalia and serves a special white sauce. 3278 Cahaba Heights Road, Cahaba Heights, Ala. 205-967-6004.
• Bottega Restaurant and Cafe: This is really two eateries in one – a bustling cafe and quieter, more formal restaurant. Both specialize in Italian, Mediterranean and north African cuisine. For an appetizer, try the macaroni and cheese in the cafe or the parmesan souffle in the restaurant. 2240 Highland Ave. South, Birmingham. 205-939-1000 or www.bottegarestaurant.com.
• The Purple Onion Deli & Grill: Cheap, Greek and fabulous, the Purple Onion serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and stays open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to satisfy late-night cravings. 1717 10th Ave. South, Birmingham, 205-933-2424, and other locations.