Inspired by the aesthetics of the blockbuster Black Panther, the Paul R. Jones Museum takes a look at the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s and its inspirations in the art of Africa. Opening July 6 First Friday, BAM! Black Panther and the Black Arts Movement in the Paul R. Jones Collection features work from Africa, as well as by important American artists David Driskell, Romare Bearden and Emma Amos. The exhibition runs through August 24. Image credit: Charles Lee, Untitled, acrylic on board, Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, PJ2012.0044 The Paul R. Jones Museum is located at 2308 6th St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Friday of every month from noon to 8 p.m. The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team. For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/graduate-programs/art-requirements/.
Student-curated Exhibition Showcases Artists of Color
University of Alabama students under the direction of Assistant Professor Wendy Castenell have curated an exhibition for the Paul R. Jones Museum titled Color by Color, opening May 4 with a First Friday reception in the downtown museum from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The exhibition runs through June 29. In the exhibition text greeting visitors to the Jones Museum, the curators ask, “How many black artists can you name? How many did you study?” The aim of this new exhibit, curated by students in Dr. Castenell’s African American Art (ARH 388), is to showcase the talent of artists whose skin color was the reason they could not show their artwork. The project also gave the students a chance to learn more about these artists collected by the late Paul R. Jones. In addition, Color by Color focuses on the subject matter of artists of different cultures. According to the curators, “Color becomes a reflection of love, life and the generation of a people who’ve overcome a life of discrimination and prejudice to embrace their cultures through their art. With this theme, we see different interpretations of daily life, culture, emotions and a history of African Americans not seen before.” The students conclude, “While we are not able to change past prejudices that prevented black artists from exhibiting their work, we can now move forward to deliberately showcase their incredible skills and understand their experiences. We hope that by visiting this exhibition you will have learned a bit more about these underappreciated artists and fully experience Color by Color.” Josh Allen, Robby Bradford, Hannah Christopher, Elizabeth Essary, Megan Foster, Katie Freeman, Melissa Givens, Clay Hodge, Rachel Irvin, Jasmine James, Kailey Ketter, Alexandra Laroche, Sarah Lipshy, Lydia Mccollum, Marie Owens, Chelsea Parrish, Victoria Sadler, Rebecca Skipper, Hannah Weeks and Alex Willis are the participating student-curators. For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/graduate-programs/art-requirements/. The Paul R. Jones Museum is located at 2308 6th St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Friday of every month from noon to 8 p.m. The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.
Printmaking Students Create “Eclectic” Art Exhibit at the Paul Jones Museum
The public is invited to a First Friday reception honoring intermediate printmaking students and their exhibition at the Paul R. Jones Museum, 2308 Sixth Street, Tuscaloosa on Friday, November 3 from 5:30-7:30 pm. "Eclectic Way" is the culmination of a semester-long research project by intermediate printmaking students working under Associate Professor Sarah Marshall. After visiting the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama and exploring its holdings, each student picked a specific work in the collection for further investigation. Students prepared an interpretation of their chosen work by studying the biography of the artist, and major themes important to that artist's work and by learning more about the techniques used to create the work. Students completed the project by creating an artwork of their own in response to the work of their chosen artist. The students' prints will be shown alongside the work that inspired them, inviting dialogue. Marshall hopes the project will give the students insight into the "eclectic ways" that other artists work. "This opportunity to work directly with a major collection challenges young artists to develop content and technique in their own work," Marshall said. For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/graduate-programs/art-requirements/.
Artist Lecture: George Hunt
Memphis-based artist George Hunt will offer a lecture on his prolific career on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 p.m. in Gorgas Library 205. Hunt is one of the artists featured in the Paul R. Jones Gallery’s current exhibition, Freedom?, through April 28. For more information contact Stacy Morgan, smorgan@ua.edu, (205) 534-3882. UA Event calendar page: https://www.ua.edu/events/event/38008. Press release about the exhibition here: https://www.ua.edu/news/2017/01/guest-curator-ua-faculty-open-freedom-at-paul-r-jones-gallery/ There is also a facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/402743140103256/
Dani Sagirs: “Curating” Summer Jobs
Danielle “Dani” Sagirs has been working three jobs this summer, but she set aside some time last month to tell us about her experiences. The rising senior studio art major, with an art history minor, has been a gallery assistant for the Paul R. Jones Gallery and the University of Alabama Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa for the last six months. She also worked as a bindery assistant and delivery driver at UA Printing Services. And, she worked a few nights a week as shift leader at McAlister’s Deli. Of the three jobs, Sagirs said she enjoys the gallery assistant job the most. Working in that world has only heightened her desire to continue working in the art world after she graduates. The Jones Gallery recently hired a new director, Karen Kennedy. Because Sagirs was familiar with the daily running of the gallery, she was able to help Kennedy learn the ropes and make a smooth transition. Sagirs also assists PRJ Collections Manager Emily Bibb with the exhibitions. “On a regular basis, I assist with the packaging and installation of exhibits, completing condition reports, checking inventory for the Lofts (accommodations for visitors of the College of Arts and Sciences).” She acts as gallery guide with information about the exhibitions and the artists whose work is on the walls. UA Printing Services has been her longest job, having been there more than 3 years. She delivers finished jobs and proofs around campus, works in the bindery department where she assists in the production processes for pamphlets, books and similar items. Beyond this summer, Sagirs has a very practical outlook for her immediate future. After she graduates in May 2017, she said she wants a steady job -- period. “My decision to do this is merely to stay ahead of the game in a society that doesn’t guarantee a job.” But she does plan on going to graduate school, possibly in Library and Information Studies or Museum Studies. And, beyond the next few years, Sagirs wants to stay in the art world. “I have a lot of experience in customer service and I enjoy working with people. I would be happy doing anything revolving around art, whether it was taking photos, promoting other artists or curating. My work at the galleries has intensified these feelings quite a bit.” Our series "What We Did on Our Summer Vacations!" gives a glimpse into the lives of University of Alabama artists and art historians - both student and professional - when they aren't attending fall and spring classes.
Black is Beautiful Exhibition Places “People of Color at Center Stage”
“In a world dominated by white protagonists, we’re placing people of color at center stage,” said Tanesha Childs, a senior majoring in photography. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (from UA's College of Arts & Sciences) — University of Alabama students have curated an art exhibition that responds to stereotypical portrayals of African-Americans. The exhibit, titled “Black is Beautiful,” opens Friday, March 4 at the Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in downtown Tuscaloosa and will be on display until April 29. A reception will be held March 4 at the gallery from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Both the reception and the exhibit are free and open to the public. The students curated the exhibit as part of an African-American art class taught by Dr. Wendy Castenell, assistant professor of art history at UA. Upon coming to the University last semester, Castenell immediately incorporated visits and projects involving the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art into her classes. The collection, housed at UA, includes more than 2,100 pieces and is one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world. “Last semester, with the help of Emily Bibb, the collection’s manager, my African-American art class curated an online exhibition of works from the Jones Collection,” Castenell said. “It was only on Blackboard, and only the students registered in the class could see the work, but it was a success.” Bibb was so impressed with the class’s work that in December she offered Castenell’s students the opportunity to curate a live exhibit. “I immediately accepted her offer,” Castenell said, “because it would clearly be an amazing opportunity for the students.” “Black is Beautiful” investigates the various ways that artists have used the black image to counter stereotypical portrayals found throughout popular culture. After looking through the entire Jones Collection, each student chose one piece for the show—making 12 in total. The exhibit will showcase the photography, sculptures and paintings of Elizabeth Catlett, James Van Der Zee, P.H. Polk, Sheila Pree Bright, Floyd Atkins, Joyce Owens, Artis, Ming Smith, Otis G. Sanders and Lori Crawford. “In a world dominated by white protagonists, we’re placing people of color at center stage,” said Tanesha Childs, a senior majoring in photography. Read the original press release here. The Paul R. Jones Gallery honors the late Paul R. Jones who, during his lifetime, amassed one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world. Jones donated more than 2,100 pieces of his collection, now valued at $10.3 million, to UA in 2008. Jones was known as a passionate collector who sought to collect from both well-known and lesser-known artists, a quality which makes his collection distinct. The Paul R. Jones Gallery is located at 2308 6th St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Friday of every month from noon to 8 p.m. The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team. CONTACT: Courtney Corbridge, communications specialist, College of Arts and Sciences, 205/348-8539, courtney.a.corbridge@ua.edu SOURCE: Wendy Castenell, 205/348-1904, wcastenell@ua.edu
Cassandra Speaks to the University
Bill Dooley, associate professor of art and director of the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art and Emily Bibb, collections manager for The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama, spent a few hours one afternoon recently hanging a new art work, Cassandra by Benjamin Smith, in the foyer of Morgan Hall. An unusual example of a wood block print on paper by Smith, who was born in 1941, the framed piece is 97 inches (8 feet, 1 inch) high and 56 ½ inches (4 feet, 8 inches) wide. Recorded as a block print, on closer inspection, it has been painted over, possibly with printing ink on paper, and then mounted on wood. Smith is an Atlanta area artist whose work Paul R. Jones purchased probably just after Smith created it. The artist went on to teach at the Savannah College of Art and Design, according to Bibb. Paul Jones purchased many works by up-and-coming and unknown artists during his several decades of gatheringone of the largest and most comprehensive collections of 20th-century African American art in the world. Jones gave the collection to the University in 2008, with the stipulation that it be used for education and shared with the community. One of the first things a visitor notices is the scale of the image and its striking presence. Collections manager Emily Bibb said that Smith is known for his exceptionally large and detailed prints. Bibb remarked, "This one in particular is well over life size, and due to the bold lines and strong contrasts of the works, it is very arresting when a viewer first interacts with the work." The work is probably named for the Cassandra of Greek mythology, who was doomed by Apollo to predict the future accurately but never to be believed. Bibb commented that this image of Cassandra "is somewhat of an enigma. Her face doesn’t convey much emotion, and her posture is very straight and still, allowing the viewer to enter a contemplative conversation with the piece, noticing the areas of greater intricacy, the swirling lines of one of her feet, the almost topographical detailing of a hand. She’s a subject that can be returned to again and again, which is wonderful for such a large public space, where people may not have time for a single prolonged examination of the work." Cassandra replaces an oil on canvas portrait of Senator John Tyler Morgan, a six-term U.S. senator for whom Morgan Hall was named. Morgan, who had been a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction, "was notable in two arenas of American politics, foreign policy and race relations." Since the 1960s, Morgan's portrait (painted about 1900) hung inside Morgan Auditorium and later in the front foyer of the building. According to information found in Acumen, the digital platform of W.S. Hoole Special Collections, before that time the painting hung in Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library. The painting was moved in mid December from the foyer of Morgan to W.S. Hoole Special Collections after a discussion between the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English, which is housed in Morgan Hall. The space will become one of periodically rotating exhibitions of works from the Paul R. Jones Collection. When asked why the Morgan portrait was exchanged with a work from the Paul R. Jones collection, Bibb explained that Mr. Jones wanted to ensure that parts of the collection "would be on view for the people of Alabama in perpetuity, and that the collection would be used for education. Mr. Jones felt that artwork could inspire not only individual emotions, but social interactions and needed conversations about difficult topics. While those conversations can take place in a dedicated space like an art gallery or a controlled environment like a classroom, I hope that bringing Cassandra to Morgan Hall will also allow people to interact with not only the art, but emotions and each other in a more spontaneous and casual fashion. Just please, no touching." Morgan Hall location The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama John Tyler Morgan in the Encyclopedia of Alabama View the photos in a Flickr.com slideshow
UA Art Faculty Artwork Acquired for Paul R. Jones Collection
A pencil and organic ink work by William Dooley, associate professor of art and director of UA's Sarah Moody Gallery of Art, has been added to the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art. Dooley's artwork will be included in the exhibition, “Lately: Recent Acquisitions to the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art,” on display through August 7 at the Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in downtown Tuscaloosa. A reception will be held at the gallery July 10 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dooley joins the list of well-known artists to be included in the collection with his piece, Untitled (Composition with Oxbow). His artwork has been included in numerous regional and national juried exhibitions. His drawings and paintings have been curated into group exhibitions and several solo exhibits. Dooley has also contributed his expertise for exhibits and collections management for Auburn University's Rural Studio, an architectural design/build program of the Black Belt. The work was created with ink made from kudzu flowers and other natural sources. In a news release, Katie McAllister, manager of the Paul R. Jones Gallery, reported that more than 400 art works have been added to the collection. New artists (who did not already have works in the collection) include Faith Ringgold and Robert Motherwell, as well as Dooley.
Lucy Curzon Introduces Schoolchildren to Art in the Paul Jones Collection
In October 2014, Lucy Curzon, director of education and outreach for the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at UA, spoke to students from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary and Westlawn Middle schools at the Paul Jones Gallery in Tuscaloosa as part of the gallery’s inaugural K-12 Fellows program. After a ribbon-cutting by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Olin, Curzon talked to students about how to look at and think about the art in the gallery before they went back to their classrooms to make their own art. “The University of Alabama has reached an important milestone in our stewardship of the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art as we welcome students from Martin Luther King Jr. and Westlawn schools to the gallery,” said Dean Olin. “This is the first of what we hope will be many field trip visits by students from kindergarten to high school to view works from the collection. It was Paul Jones’s wish, and ours, that the collection be shared with students to educate and inspire them through the works and contributions of the African-American artists represented in it,” Olin said. Read more about the K-12 Fellows program here. More photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uaart/sets/72157648130194349 [Loupe Spring 2015]