The Sella-Granata Art Gallery presents Conversations, an exhibition of works by Ashlyn Pope, November 3 through November 22, 2016. Conversations is part of a dual exhibition with Chris Staley. Everyone is invited to the opening reception on Art Night, November 3 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the gallery, 109 Woods Hall.
Ashlyn Pope makes wheel thrown and hand built ceramic pottery that narrates her own memories and the memories of other victims of abuse through their journey of self-discovery. Her work is influenced by the culturally related and narrative properties of the African American quilt. Her work is also inspired by woodblock prints by which she uses a similar technique to produce powerful, moving images in clay.
Artist’s statement: Through the artist’s autobiographical lens, the works in this exhibition recount the hardships of a Black American child growing up in an abusive home and how the child’s learning to connect to self, family and community is profoundly affected by those experiences. By examining self-history, family history and cultural history, connections and conversations are explored, opening the door to the ageless realization that we may be unable to change our past but we can alter our present and write a new future. With social tensions at an all time high, the work also aims to shed light on the causes, effects and mistruths of injustice seen through the eyes of one Black Woman — a woman who is a continuous sufferer of delineations drawn in the sand of forward momentum established by societal fears.
Ashlyn Pope is a ceramic and printmaking artist from the Atlanta area. Currently she works as an instructor in ceramics at the ART Station, a non-profit, professional arts center that brings arts to citizens of all social, cultural, ethnic, and economic standing. Pope received the BFA in ceramics and printmaking from Kennesaw State University in 2013 and the AA degree in fashion design from Bauder College in 2007. Ashlyn Pope’s visit is generously sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Gender and Race Studies and the College of Arts & Sciences. Ashlyn Pope’s website is here.
Image Credits: all images courtesy of the artist
Contact: Assistant Professor Matt Mitros, Chair, Sella-Granata Art Gallery: matthew.t.mitros@ua.edu or (205) 348-1889.
Funding support for the Sella-Granata Art Gallery comes from the Department of Art and Art History and the College of Arts and Sciences. Admission to the gallery is free. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. The gallery is located at 109 Woods Hall in the heart of the UA campus on Woods Quad. Information about visitor parking is available here:http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/. Parking is free on campus in a legal space after business hours. For more information, contact the gallery at (205) 348-1891 or go to https://art.ua.edu/gallery/sgg/.