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Image by Charity Ponter, from “Ground Beneath My Feet: Collaborative Portraits with Visual Artist in My Hometown”

With Spring’s arrival, it’s the perfect time for a BIG unveiling. It is our pleasure to announce that Birmingham’s John Lytle Wilson has been selected as the Featured Artist of Magic City Art Connection’s 36th annual downtown contemporary art festival. John has exhibited with the MCAC for many years, winning juried awards along the way and his paintings going into many Birmingham collections.

Today his art and its iconic imagery has reached superhero-like status locally. If you need proof of this, head downtown to see a caped version of his robot subjects towering almost 50 feet in the air in a colossal Morris Avenue mural. But no matter the size of a particular piece, which can be fairly large in scale on average, John’s imagery consistently feels monumental, vibrant, playful, narrative, and often full of action.

That visual energy was abound when he recently partnered with the Birmingham Museum of Art on a collaborative, live paint-by-number experience that utilized patrons attending the Art on the Rocks summer series to help John execute his vision. To learn more about the BMA project, check out this great interview with John.

John Lytle Wilson, “Primary Alliance”

MCAC looks forward to spotlighting John and his art at the 36th annual Festival April 26-27-28. You will find his artist booth on the Fountain Walk across from the Linn Park gazebo, which doubles as the festival info center. But before that, look for his painting, “Primary Alliance”, on the 36th annual festival posters which will be popping up around town very soon. We’ll be revealing the 2019 poster design later this week. Stay tuned!

For more about John Lytle Wilson and to see more of his work, visit his Featured Artist page on MCAC’s website. Click here.

About MCAC’s Featured Artist Program

This festival initiative serves to support and present artists of great artistic talent and integrity to MCAC collectors and patrons. The work of the featured artist is spotlighted on the Festival Poster, T-Shirt, and the larger marketing campaign reaching thousands across Greater Birmingham and the region. Over MCAC’s 36 year history, this distinction has been centered on a gifted group of exhibiting artists and award winners, MCAC Emerging Artist honorees, and artists garnering regional, national, and international attention who have been invited to Birmingham as festival jurors.