Coastal Arts Center of O.B. remains open for holiday

Coastal Arts Center of O.B. remains open for holiday
Although its popular Christmas Light Up The Arts has been postponed until December of 2021, the Coastal Art Center of Orange Beach is still open for Christmas shopping through Dec. 23 and is even offering special pricing from resident artists, who CAC Director Desiree Blackwell calls “the creative backbone of what we do at the Arts Center.’’
The CAC is located at 26389 Canal Rd. in Orange Beach and the campus includes frontage on Wolf Bay, a fine arts gallery & gift shop, The Hot Shop and The Clay Studio. Hours are Mon. thru Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more info, go to Facebook and Instagram, call 251-981-ARTS or visit CoastalArtsCenter .com.
“We look forward to 2021 being a year of healing and strengthening of relationships, as well as a year filled with creative expression as never before,’’ said Blackwell.
Featured Artists
• Left: CAC resident glass artist Kerry Parks earned her BFA from the University of South Alabama in 2014. Over the last decade, her glass work has evolved from traditional vessel forms to sculptures inspired by various life forms in the Gulf of Mexico revolving around a cool, calm color palette resembling the Gulf waters. She has created glass pendant lampshades and a 300 piece chandelier for the CAC gallery space, along with multiple permanent wall installations in the Welcome Centers in both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
• Right: Although he has had a lifelong interest in art and creativity, it was the gift of a glass blowing lesson in 2011 that gave Dan Rush his artistic direction. He began to learn lamp working and torch work to make glass beads and he is now a resident glass artist at The Coastal Arts Center. A busy man, Dan, a semi-retired pastor and educator, and his wife Cathy also own Wolf Bay Coffee, a supplier of freshly roasted coffee to local establishments.
“Glass is such an interesting artistic medium because it can be shaped in such creative ways,’’ he said. “It is well suited for color application as well. Working with glass has given me the opportunity to meet and learn from other artists and transfer techniques to my personal work and several large collaborative pieces.”