News | Department of Art and Art History

UA Alumna Cofounded Innovative Photography Business

May 4, 2017

Olan Mills Studios, 1938, at the corner of 7th Street and 22nd Ave., Tuscaloosa, from an advertisement in the Tuscaloosa News, July 3, 1938.
Image Credits

Mary Stephenson Mills cofounded "one of America's most significant twentieth-century portrait photography businesses" with her husband, Olan Mills, in Tuscaloosa in 1932. Mary Mills lent creative and technical expertise to the business she and her husband started together and built into one of the most innovative portrait photography businesses in the US until the Mills' family sold the company in 2011. Mary Eula Stephenson (1905-1974) majored in art at The University of Alabama and graduated in 1927. One of her early post-graduation jobs was as a finisher in her hometown of Selma in the studio of Jesse B. Williams, who took over Edgar Cayce's portrait photography business. Mary Stephenson married Olan Mills in 1930 and they opened a studio in Selma. A couple of years later the couple moved to Tuscaloosa where they established Olan Mills Studios, which remained a family-owned company until 2011. Among their early clients was The University of Alabama. The Millses were awarded a contract to take student portraits for the 1933 Corolla, "which provided cash flow in the business's first year and allowed them to expand their business," according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. "By 1935, Mary Mills, who was experienced in art and in hand-finishing photographs, had created a distinctive, easily recognizable portrait style for Olan Mills Studio. This new style, an 8x10 duotone portrait lightly touched up with oils, replaced the old 8x10 black and white prints. Duotone printing produced tonally rich images that needed only a quick touch of handwork to create a suggestion of color. Mary Mills's new strategy resulted in quicker production because less handwork was required than in older hand-coloring methods." -- more at Encyclopedia of Alabama Sources: Frances Osborn Robb, "Olan Mills Studio in Alabama," Encyclopedia of Alabama Frances Osborn Robb, Shot in Alabama: A History of Photography, 1839–1941, and a List of Photographers, UA Press, 2017

Art History Professor Publishes Groundbreaking Study in Visual Culture

May 1, 2017

Associate Professor Lucy Curzon has published the first full-length study of the British group Mass-Observation's engagement with visual culture. Mass-Observation and Visual Culture – Depicting Everyday Lives in Britain (Routledge, 2017) critically analyses the role that visual culture played in the early development of the innovative British anthropological research group founded in 1937. In Curzon's new book, she explores the paintings of Graham Bell and William Coldstream; the photographs of Humphrey Spender (brother of Stephen Spender); the paintings, collages and photographs of Julian Trevelyan; and Humphrey Jennings’ photographs and widely recognized Mass-Observation film, Spare Time, among other sources. Her research positions these works as key sources of information with regard to illuminating the complex character of British identity during the Depression era. Curzon is associate professor of art history in the UA Department of Art and Art History. Her research focuses on issues of identity politics as they concern the production of visual culture in twentieth-century Britain. She has previously published work on LGBTQ+ portraiture, as well as articles or chapters on the Ashington Group and Humphrey Spender’s photographs of Blackpool in the 1930s. She regularly presents her work at national and international conferences. She received the PhD in Visual Culture Studies from the University of Rochester in 2006 and holds a doctoral certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies. In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Curzon has organized numerous exhibitions showcasing the work of both regional and nationally recognized artists. She serves as Director of Graduate Studies for Art History and is editor-in-chief of FutureForward, the journal of Integrative Teaching International. For more information about The University of Alabama’s Department of Art and Art History degree programs, go to our website.

UA Students Give Rare Tour of Historic Home

April 21, 2017

Sunday, April 30, UA art history students will give special public tours of Lyon Hall, a historic Greek Revival home in Demopolis, Alabama. Talks on the historic architecture, art and decorative arts in the home will begin at 2:00 pm and occur every twenty minutes until 5:00 pm. Under the direction of UA assistant professor Dr. Rachel Stephens, five art history students have engaged in a semester-long study of Lyon Hall, built in 1852. To research the home, they were given access to the Lyon family archives, which have remained largely untouched since the mid-nineteenth century. The tours and talks are the culmination of research by student guides Laura Wymer, Olivia Turner, Amy Smoot, Jamie Reschke and Lauren Eich. Lyon Hall, owned by the Marengo County Historical Society, is not usually open to the public, so this will be a rare opportunity to view this historic home and learn about its inhabitants. Refreshments will be provided. The event is free and open to the public. Any donations received will benefit the preservation of this historic landmark through the Marengo County Historical Society. For more information about art history and other degree programs in the UA Department of Art and Art History, go to our website.

Art and Art History Students Present Research at URCA

April 21, 2017

FLIGHT SIMULATION Senior BFA major Kalypso Homan made a head-spinning presentation at the recent Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference held at UA. Art history majors Nadia DelMedico, Sommer Hallquist and art history minor Reed O’Mara presented their research in posters during a session held in the Heritage Ballroom at Ferguson Student Center on UA campus. Homan explained how her dizzying idea was brought to life: “The aim of this project is to use a HTC Vive headset to bring the viewer on a 3D time-based immersive virtual reality experience. With our research we are exploring the possibility for a realistic flight simulation from the point of view of a bird. This simulation takes the form of a predatory chase. The player will enter the role of the prey fleeing a supernatural force, the goal being to add a sense of speed, urgency and fear to the simulation. The entire experience should be so intense that the player might suspend disbelief for long enough to believe that they are flying, or even flying for their life.” ART HISTORY RESEARCH POSTERS Junior art history major Nadia DelMedico presented original research into extant slave dwellings on the antebellum UA campus. Her poster titled, “Too Close to Home: The History of Slavery on the University of Alabama Campus,” was selected as the third place winner in the Arts & Humanities category of the URCA poster sessions. DelMedico’s poster also won second place in the Harrison Awards for Excellence in Research at the Undergraduate Poster Presentation during the 22nd Annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History at UA’s Bryant Conference Center. Other presenters at the URCA poster session included senior double major in art history and anthropology Sommer Hallquist. Hallquist's poster was titled "Images of Antichrist within Bible moralisée Codex Vindobonensis 2554, Vienna, Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek." Economics and German major Reed O'Mara presented her art history research poster, "Getting Ahead: The Roles of Headless Saints in the Contest for Coronation Site."

BFA Alumna Accepted to Post-Baccalaureate Program

April 18, 2017

Meg Howton, BFA 2016, was accepted to the ceramics post-baccalaureate program at the University of Florida. She will be in Gainesville in the fall of 2017 working in the ceramics studio while developing a portfolio of work to submit with applications to graduate school or other artist opportunities. "My plan is to continue on to either a graduate program, residency or fellowship, where I can refine my work while expanding my horizons," Howton said. As an undergraduate in the UA Department of Art and Art History, Howton earned the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a primary concentration in ceramics and a secondary concentration in photography. She exhibited her work in a group exhibition, Opposites Attached, at the UA Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center and was selected for the 2016 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition and the 2015 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition. She also participated in the first annual Pop-up Show in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery in 2016. Howton received a scholarship to the Alabama Clay Conference in 2015. She participated in Empty Bowls in 2015 and 2016, a fundraising project of several organizations hosted by University Presbyterian Church. She worked as a gallery attendant in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery and been a demonstrating artist at Kentuck Festival of the Arts and UA Homecoming. Howton was a member of the Crimson Clay Club, where she served as president and treasurer, and was a member of the the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). For more information about the BFA degree and our other degree programs in the Department of Art and Art History, go to http://art.ua.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/babfa-in-studio-art/ or contact the department at (205) 348-5967.

Art Students Explore Ideas of Nature and Femininity in “Out of Eden”

April 17, 2017

APR 24-27 Out of Eden, Sella-Granata Art Gallery APR 24 Opening Reception, 5-8 pm Out of Eden showcases the work of five graduating senior printmakers and painters in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery April 24-27, 2017. Artists Erika Busse, Sarah Johns, Rachel Jones, Emily Pickert and Ivey Scott exhibit paintings and prints that explore the overlapping themes of femininity and nature. The show represents the culmination of their time as student artists and each one has a particular point of view on the show's themes. The public is invited to an opening reception to meet the artists Monday, April 24, 5-8 pm. After seeing the students' work, Associate Professor Sky Shineman suggested that the students create the exhibition, the first time they have worked together. "The themes and materials shared by these women reveal a sophistication and curiosity about the world in which they live. Mythology, appreciation of natural beauty, craft and the powerful agency of art-making are a shared language among these works.” Shineman said that this exhibition highlights the way art-making can create relevance and meaning when combined with other departments at UA. "It is really exciting to see these engaged and enlightened artists from a variety of areas of study bring their voices together.” Erika Busse is a double major in studio art and general business with a minor in art history. Busse says she is inspired by nature and believes it is the purest form of beauty. "I want everyone to want to be in it as much as possible to draw inspiration in their own lives." She explains, "I am outside all of the time and try to bring the beauty of nature into the printmaking studio and my paintings. I use natural objects in my processes. I want my work to bring people the peace that I find in nature and remind them of its simple beauty." Sarah Johns is a senior in New College. Her depth study is titled Creativity and Mental Health, which combines art, psychology and social work. Johns says her work in this exhibition explores femininity and the fragility of the body. "I have paintings of bruises that range from abstractions to more realistic interpretations, and a few prints that depict women as the subject matter." After graduation, Johns plans to spend a year serving as a fellow at The Road in Atlanta, part of the Episcopal Service Corps, a nonprofit that advocates for social change. Rachel Jones is a BFA major with a concentration in printmaking and a minor in the Blount Scholars Program. "My work finds inspiration in the narratives of Classical mythology and traditional fairytales. By bringing physicality to their gaze, I hope to upend the expected representation of feminine characters, and to explore their stories through a modern feminist perspective that gives them agency over their own myth and environment." Emily Pickert is a senior in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Arts Management. "My work is about women’s experiences in this world and the vulnerability we face." Pickert points out that all the work in the show "forms a cohesive language of art and its story without sacrificing personal identity. Every piece from one artist adds depth to another’s in a way that would not be possible in a single-person show." Currently an intern at Kentuck Art Center, Pickert plans to take a year off before returning to graduate school to continue her studies in Arts Management. Ivey Scott, whose BFA concentration is in painting, noted that all the art works and the ideas are related by the subjects of nature, feminine exploration and by the techniques the artists used. Scott presents a series of landscape scenes in oil paintings and relief prints in which she creates certain moods. She hopes to share her love of the outdoors by taking the viewer into the picture. Go to our website for more information about the Department of Art and Art History’s degree programs. Funding support for the Sella-Granata Art Gallery comes from the UA Department of Art and Art History. Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery is located at 109 Woods Hall in the heart of the UA campus on Woods Quad. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. 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. Contact the gallery at (205) 348-2783 or go to http://art.ua.edu/gallery/sgg/.

Ann and Henry Betak Exhibit ‘Side by Side’

April 15, 2017

Wellness Walls for Art presents a special exhibition, Side by Side: Paintings of Henry and Ann Betak, at the University Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, now through July 4, 2017. The exhibition is part of an ongoing series at the healthcare facility, Wellness Walls for Art, curated by another UA art alumna, Deborah Hughes. Hughes said that Side by Side is a unique opportunity to see the work of two longtime local artists - Ann Betak, MFA alumna and her husband, retired UA Professor of Art Henry Betak - who rarely exhibit together, yet have worked closely and influenced each other over the years. Hughes observed that the Betaks' art in this exhibition appears in a spectrum: "His linear abstractions are at one end and her nature studies at the other and in the middle that are some intriguing overlaps." Both Betaks still actively produce work, and Hughes thinks this is the first time in a long time they have shown their work together. "I do believe it is quite some time since Henry's work has been showcased so extensively." The UMC is located 850 5th Ave E, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401. The exhibition is open during its regular business hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-4:45 pm. A Facebook event page is here. About the Artists Ann Mottershead Betak has had a wide-ranging career as an artist and art instructor. She received the BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University and the MFA from The University of Alabama. Recently retired after two decades as a Kentuck Studio artist, she has been a Hambidge Fellow, designed stained glass windows, taught as adjunct studio faculty at The University of Alabama and held painting classes for many years at Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church and Student Center at UA. Ann Betak has participated in numerous solo, invitational and juried exhibitions over her long career. Juried exhibitions include the Montgomery (Ala.) Museum of Fine Arts; Delaware Museum Annual; Ten Artists of the Mohawk-Hudson Region, University Art Gallery, University at Albany-SUNY; Cape May National Midsummer Competition, Cape May, New Jersey; and Wiregrass Biennial Art Competition, Dothan, Ala. Invitational exhibitions include Philadelphia Women in Fine Arts, Moore Institute; Annual Cheaha Exhibition, Talladega, Ala.; and Women’s Invitational Exhibition, Skidmore College. Her works are in public collections including Phifer Wire; Southern Progress; The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa, Ala.; The University of Alabama Permanent Art Collection, Sarah Moody Gallery of Art; and the Delaware Art Museum, as well as many private collections around the country. Henry Betak received the BFA and MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University. His long career in academia includes teaching at Tyler School of Art, Skidmore College and twenty-six years teaching painting, drawing and design in the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Alabama. Henry Betak has participated in numerous solo, invitational and juried exhibitions, including Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston Salem, NC. Juried exhibitions include The Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio; Artists Biennial, New Orleans Museum of Art; Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, NY; The Columbus (Ga.) Museum; and the Red Clay Survey, Huntsville Museum of Art. Invitational exhibitions include Brenau University Galleries, Gainesville, Ga.; Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, Ala.; Business Center of Alabama, Montgomery; and Southeast Artists Traveling Exhibition, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art. His works are in public collections including BellSouth; Bank of Tuscaloosa; New York State Arts Collection for Public Buildings; Eastman Pharmaceuticals; The Butler Institute of American Art;The University of Alabama Permanent Art Collection, Sarah Moody Gallery of Art; University of Delaware; Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; and Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church and Student Center, Tuscaloosa, as well as many private collections around the country. He has been a Hambidge Fellow and Hambidge artist-in-residence, and is currently represented by Corporate Art, Montgomery. Artist and UA art alumna Deborah Hughes has curated the Wellness Walls for Art changing exhibitions at the University Medical Center since 2013. Exhibitions have included A Brush With Art – Paintings by The Tuscaloosa and University Painters; The Many Faces of Art in Adult Continuing Education; A Sense of Place; The Artist's Studio, Inside and Out; About People and Quilting and Carving; and More Quilters, Carving and Printing Too! featuring the prints of Isadora Bullock and quilts by the West Alabama Quilters Guild. For information about Wellness Walls for Art, contact Deborah Hughes at deborahhughes50 [at] gmail [dot] com or 205-310-5939.

UA Professor Wins Select Southern Art Award

April 14, 2017

Assistant Professor of Art Pete Schulte has been named the 2017 South Arts State Fellowship recipient for Alabama and awarded $5,000. The South Arts State Fellowships are awarded to one artist each in nine southern states whose work reflects the best of the visual arts in the South. Artistic excellence is the sole criterion for selection. The South Arts Southern Prize and State Fellowships acknowledge, support and celebrate the highest quality artistic work being created in the American South. The program is open to individual artists living in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Schulte is now eligible for the South Arts Southern Prize to be awarded in Atlanta on Monday, April 24. First place will receive $25,000 and a runner-up will receive $10,000. Pete Schulte is Assistant Professor of Drawing in The University of Alabama Department of Art and Art History. He received the MFA in painting and drawing from The University of Iowa in 2008. He has held solo exhibitions at Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson New York; Whitespace, Atlanta; Luise Ross Gallery, New York City; Biggin Gallery at Auburn University; and UAB Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His work has been in recent group exhibitions at Zeitgeist Gallery, Nashville; Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta; Transmitter Gallery, Brooklyn; Galerie Look&Listen in Saint-Chamas, France and Jeff Bailey Gallery, New York City. Schulte has been awarded art residencies at the Hambidge Center, Yaddo, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Atlantic Center for the Arts and Threewalls. His work has been reviewed in Art in America, World Sculpture News, Burnaway and New Art Examiner, among other publications. Schulte lives in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2013 he co-founded The Fuel And Lumber Company curatorial initiative with artist Amy Pleasant. His work is represented by Jeff Bailey Gallery in Hudson, New York and Whitespace in Atlanta. Go to our website for more information about UA’s Department of Art and Art History degree programs.

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