The Jule Collins Museum of Fine Art welcomed art lovers to their grand opening of "Out of the Box: A Juried Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition" Friday.
Along with exploring the grounds, guests had the opportunity to purchase tickets to participate in both a wine tasting tour, and an iron pour conducted by Sloss Metal Artists.
Lights were strung all around the grounds and leading up to the stairs of the back patio overlooking the pond where waiters were serving appetizers of shrimp cocktails, grit fritters and an assortment of desserts. Along with wine selections, craft beer samples were also offered.
Guests began to arrive at 6 p.m. mingling and enjoying the drink and food while The Stephen Lee Band began to play covers from the likes of The Beatles and The Commodores.
In its third iteration, "Out of the Box" continues in its goal of presenting engaging works of art to both the university audience and the broader community.
Juried by New York artist, Jean Shin, who also has her artwork displayed as part of the exhibition.
"MAiZE" is Shin's recycled soda bottle maze installed inside the museum as a way to promote more environmentally conscious thinkers.
Shin chose the 12 finalists who were featured during the exhibit but curatorial assistant Jessica Hughes and assistant director Andy Tennant placed them in and outside the museum grounds.
"We placed them with great care trying to find the best place for the sculptures that would both compliment the art and be enjoyed by the museum-goers," Tennant said.
Tennant said he loves this particular exhibit the most because as it changes every two years, it never becomes stale.
"Every time a juror chooses new artists we get to work with a new crop of just really interesting people," Tennant said. "We've had people from Massachusetts, Troy, LSU and Ole Miss and one of the artists actually came from Birmingham working with Sloss Furnaces."
The Birmingham artist, Ira Hill, created an interactive piece of art located in front of the pond. Titled "American Expressions" it is a fabricated steel and paint piece of the American flag where anyone is welcome to use the provided markers to draw or write whatever they please on the artwork.
"We wanted to make the connection between Ira Hill and something with the opening of the exhibit so we decided to do an iron pour," Tennant said.
Linda Bell, marketing director for theatre at Auburn University, was walking and observing the sculptures that were cited around the Lefthander Art Path and gardens.
"I mainly came out to support my friends and the whole event actually," Bell said. "I visit the museum quite often seeing that this is the other side of the arts that I can enjoy."
Bell said she had many colleagues from the theatre department with her tonight as they are just off celebrating the end of their first show of Antigone.
"[The show] is going very well," Bell said. "We have five more and we're looking forward to our next one which is God's of Carnage which should be a little darker."
Bell said she was happy to be at the museum with her friends on such a gorgeous night but she decided to take a stroll by herself to take in the sculptures.
"You kind of have to out here alone to really take it in," Bell said.
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