The Department of Art and Art History proudly presents, Foundations and Introductory Classes Exhibition, January 21 through February 10, 2019, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery in Woods Hall. Thursday, January 24, there will be a reception for the artists in the gallery from 4 to 6 pm. The exhibition showcases the breadth of introductory art work done by UA students during the past semester. Faculty from each of our studio concentrations and our Foundations area have selected work to showcase. The work, hung high up the walls in the traditional salon style of 19th-century academic exhibitions, highlights of the students’ creativity and technical skill in media in the areas of Ceramics, Digital Media & Graphic Design, Drawing, Foundations, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture. MORE ABOUT UA STUDIO CONCENTRATIONS Ceramics, Digital Media & Graphic Design, Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture 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/. 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) 348-1891 or go to http://art.ua.edu/gallery/smga/.
Art and Art History Scholarship Applications Open Now
Image Credits
Scholarship applications are now available for current and incoming undergraduate students in studio art and art history in the UA Department of Art and Art History. Deadlines begin February 1, 2019. Students are urged to download application materials now and begin the process of applying. Last year, the Department of Art and Art History awarded almost $110,000 to our students, through in-coming, merit-based and need-based scholarships, which are made possible by our very generous donors. Scholarship applications and guidelines and contact information for questions are available on this page: https://art.ua.edu/academics/scholarships/ For Current and Incoming Undergraduates FARLEY MOODY GALBRAITH ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP (art history and studio majors) Due date: February 1, 2019 ART HISTORY SCHOLARSHIPS Due date: February 6, 2019 by 4:00 pm STUDIO ART SCHOLARSHIPS Due date: February 6, 2019 by 4:00 pm INCOMING UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP Due date: February 18, 2019 For Incoming Graduate Students Contact our graduate directors about scholarships and assistantships for graduate study: Dr. Lucy Curzon, Director of Graduate Studies, Art History Professor Sarah Marshall, Director of Graduate Studies, Studio Art For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.
A Gentlewoman in Verona: UA Graduate Student Researches In Italy
Sometimes there’s no substitute for seeing the object you are studying first hand. For more than three semesters, from a graduate seminar in medieval cathedrals, to intensive thesis research, art history graduate student Rebecca Teague has focused on the sculpture programs of three 12th-century cathedrals in three small towns in northern Italy. She is now writing her master’s thesis on the cathedral facades designed by the sculptor Niccolò in Verona, Piacenza and Ferrara. Teague’s research focuses on what may have shaped the iconography of the programs, especially local influences. “My thesis looks at some of the large-scale political issues going on at the time of the cathedral was built, filtered through a local lens," she said. "Why, for example, was a less common historical figure or saint chosen over one more commonly used? You have to delve into what the local people valued, what the local culture was like at the time. So, not only do sources for some of this imagery come from farther afield, such as the Lateran in Rome, but there are similar examples of the imagery at sites nearby.” Then, during a study-abroad trip with the Department of Art and Art History last May, Teague got to see the cathedrals in context. She was able to visit Rome, Florence and Venice with the student group and served as a teaching assistant to Dr. Tanja Jones, who is also her thesis advisor. After the main part of the trip was over, Teague and Dr. Jones made a side trip to Verona, to view first hand the cathedral doorways at Verona, and nearby Piacenza and Ferrara. Teague made her home base in Verona for four days. Each day she would work on one of the cathedral sculpture programs. She traveled to each town to experience the space, take photos and make notes about details that particularly struck her as she viewed the work up close. To get to Ferrara, for example, she traveled by train, which took a little over an hour. Once there, she explained, “I would spend the rest of the morning taking photos of the cathedral all the way around.” After lunch, she returned to the cathedral square to take more photographs. “I would look at the interior and take photos of the architectural plans that nearly every church displays in the crypt. I would also often take a walk in the area surrounding the church and make notes about nearby buildings. Then I would check to see if the same buildings were around during the time period that the cathedral was being built.” Getting to see the buildings and their sculptures up close, and to explore the town around the cathedrals, some of which existed in the 12th century, helped her understand their reality. She said, “I devoted all my time to the actual experience of the space,” and saved researching sources for when she was back in the US. This fall, with her thesis almost completed, Teague hadn't forgotten about the real-life experience of her research subjects. She still sounded in awe of the scale of the architecture she was able to see: “I got a sense of how weathered they are, how large they are, their sense of power.” Rebecca Teague received the BA in psychology at Auburn University at Montgomery before being accepted in the MA program in art history at The University of Alabama, where she was awarded a teaching assistantship for three years. In 2017, she was awarded a mid-year Academic Merit Scholarship from the Joseph and Carolyn Bolt Endowed Support Fund in Art History. At the 22nd Annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History, she won second place for the Harrison Award for Excellence in Research – Graduate Paper Presentation for her paper, “Nanni di Banco’s St Luke as a Statement Against Albizzi Control.” After defending her thesis, “Carving Politics: Niccolò’s Façades at Piacenza, Ferrara, and Verona Cathedrals,” Teague hopes to graduate in December and take some time off before she continues her studies in Romanesque art in a doctoral program. For information about UA Art and Art History's programs, go to: https://art.ua.edu/academics/. For information about our trip to Spain in 2019, go to: https://art.ua.edu/study-abroad/
Students Gain Insight into the Experience of Medieval Artists
Students in Dr. Jennifer Feltman’s ARH 360-Early Medieval Art course created their own artworks as a way to reflect on the materials and methods used to make early medieval (and a few Byzantine) works of art. Each student chose an object that dates from between 250 and 1150, and researched the original work focusing on the materials that had been used to make it, its context, function and what it meant to the people of that time. Then, the students created their own artwork inspired by the past. The goal of the project was to encourage reflection on the importance of materials and processes that medieval artists used in making a work of art. Students were also encouraged to make connections and distinctions between the past and present. Junior Rachel Balding, a psychology major with a minor in studio art, painted a folio – or page – of text and images. Inspired by the famous 6th century manuscript Vienna Genesis, for her project she drew an analogy between the devotion given to narratives in religious art and the football legends of UA. The original manuscript, an expensive object likely made for the Byzantine Emperor, was dyed purple and its script was written in silver. Balding dyed her page in grape juice and inscribed the UA fight song in gold using Roman Uncial script. Another student, junior Elizabeth Essary, a double major in art history and studio art, created an icon using woodblock printing, a process through which multiple copies can be faithfully replicated, much like the concept of the icon as a true image itself. "It helps students to see that the works of art we study are more than just images projected on a screen. They required meticulous attention, extended amounts of time to make, often in precious materials, all of which contributed to their meaning." -- Dr. Jennifer Feltman For this assignment, students created their own work of art and conducted research and wrote a short paper, explained Dr. Feltman, “I’ve designed this project to be both a little fun and also challenging. I think it really helps students to see that the works of art we study are more than just images projected on a screen. They required meticulous attention, extended amounts of time to make, often in precious materials, all of which contributed to their meaning.” Here are photos of some of the students' work with images of the original medieval works they were inspired by: Above: Rachel Baldung, junior psychology major with a minor in studio art, and the Vienna Gospel folio. Above: Emily Craven, junior advertising major with a minor in studio art, and the Church of Santa Costanza in Rome. Above: Elizabeth Essary, junior double major in art history and studio art, and the Icon of Christ. Above: Ryan Hogan, junior double major in creative media and studio art, and the Sutton Hoo Belt Buckle. Above: Maggie Hocutt, junior BFA major in painting,with a minor in history, and the Book of Durrow. Above: Victoria Andry, senior double major in studio art and marketing, and the Matthew folio of the Ebbo Gospels. For more information about the UA Department of Art and Art History academic programs, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.
UA Art Students Conspire in Monster Coup of Tuscaloosa
Terrifying monsters of all shapes and sizes have overrun the city of Tuscaloosa! Termed the "Monster Takeover," official reports verify that UA art students were heavily involved in the invasion of bronze handmade monsters, stationing their terrifying, but usually tiny, metal miscreations in key locations around town. Track them down at your own risk! Multiple locations in downtown Tuscaloosa are the sites of Monster Takeover, an extension of the Monster Makeover program established by the Tuscaloosa News in 2010. Combining the creative talents of local elementary school children and UA students, the Takeover features bronze sculptures placed at various locations in downtown area. Monster Takeover used the same process as the original program, but the artists were all students in the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Alabama. The UA students’ works, based on past Monster Makeover participants, were all sculpted and then cast in bronze, under the direction of Professor Craig Wedderspoon. Placed in various locations throughout downtown Tuscaloosa, the monsters are now on public display. Junior BFA major in sculpture, Ringo Lisko's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Lawson Kelly, is on the I-beam at Harrison Galleries, 2315 University Boulevard, overlooking the sidewalk. Lisko is also co-creator of the Monnish Park sculpture, Amaryllis, with Amber Daum. Said Lisko, “I am very excited to be a part of Monster Takeover, especially since I got to be in on the very first wave of monsters to go up around town. It was a great experience working with the kids’ drawings, and trying to do justice to their awesome imaginations. I’m also thrilled to be adding to the public art of Tuscaloosa. I strongly believe that public art is an integral part of a well-rounded and lively community, and I hope that these monsters help to keep that momentum going!” Recent BFA graduate Kalypso Homan's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Lili Gann, is at the corner of University Blvd. and 23rd Street. Sophomore double major in art history and English Sarah Murphree's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Natalie Nelson, is located on 6th Street and 23rd Avenue (Water Collection?) under the park bench. UA Student Maddie Kennedy's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Jordyn Green, is located near the Light in Government Plaza. Senior BFA major Jenn Gault's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Sally Poole is at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center on the corner of Greensboro Avenue and 7th Street. Gault has a concentration in sculpture and ceramics with a minor in anthropology. Senior BFA major Jonathan Lanier's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Ryan Zheng, is located in Five, on 6th Street, above the bar. UA graduate student: Josh Dugat's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Denny Stuffel, is located near Babe’s Doughnuts on the corner of University Blvd. and Greensboro Avenue. Senior double major in New College and studio art Megan Fletcher's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Megan Roberts, is at the Government Plaza 6th Street entrance pillar, crawling toward the plaque. Sophomore art major Zane Boyd's sculpture, inspired by the art of elementary student Dai’Quan O’Neal, is located at the Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Avenue. For more information about the UA Department of Art and Art History academic programs, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.
UA Art Presenters Hail SECAC Meeting Success
The University of Alabama was well-represented at the recent national conference meeting of SECAC held in Birmingham October 17-20, 2018. Faculty, students and alumni of the UA Department of Art and Art History presented research and chaired sessions at the annual meeting of one of the largest art conferences of its kind in the US, hosted by UAB's Department of Art and Art History and nicknamed "SECAC Y'all." UA art faculty who gave presentations were Dr. Wendy Castenell, Jonathan Cumberland, Dr. Jennifer Feltman, Dr. Kate Kocyba, Giang Pham, Dr. Rachel Stephens and Dr. Doris Sung. Bryce Speed and Dr. Stephens chaired sessions. A PARTICULAR ACHIEVEMENT Of special note was art history graduate student Morgan Heard, who presented her research paper, “‘May the Points of Our Needles Prick the Slaveholder’s Conscience:’ Women’s Abolitionist Needlework and the Anti-Slavery Fair,” in a session titled “Historic American Painting.” Dr. Rachel Stephens, who introduced Heard to the topic through Stephens’ course, “Slavery and American Art,” pointed out that it was a particular achievement for an MA student to present research. “SECAC is a friendly conference and inclusive of scholarship at all levels,” however, Stephens added, “more often, it is advanced PhD students who participate at SECAC.” Heard said that this was her first time presenting at a conference of this scale. “Although I was nervous, I enjoyed being able to share my work and receive feedback and encouragement from those who attended.” Heard’s research probes the little known work of anti-slavery women in producing abolitionist items to sell at anti-slavery fairs. These handmade objects, she asserts in her research, became important signifiers of early female activism within a domain (sewing) that was considered appropriate for women during the antebellum period. Heard became so interested in the topic that she decided to make it the focus of her thesis research. UA ART ALUMNI Several UA art alumni also participated in the annual art conference. Recent graduate Reed O’Mara (BA 2017, double major in German and economics, minor in art history) presented “Strasbourg’s Prince of the World as Political Foe and Sinful Suitor.” Last year, as a UA graduate student in medieval art history, O’Mara won a competitive Barbato Fellowship in art history to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, which awarded her a graduate assistantship with a full tuition scholarship and stipend. National conferences often bring new friends and colleagues together. Rachel Stephens met presenter Laura Lake Smith, a UA art history major from 2000. A recent Ph.D. recipient from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, Smith presented "An Origin in Absentia: Richard Tuttle’s First Work" at the conference. She is currently visiting lecturer and teaching associate at Coastal Carolina University. Other alumni presented research in a wide array of subjects, including Amy Feger (MFA 2012), whose work was selected for the 2018 SECAC Juried Exhibition, which was juried by Peter Baldaia, head of Curatorial Affairs, Huntsville Museum of Art. Corey Dzenko (MA 2007) presented "The History of Graphic Design as a Discipline: Surveying Student Responses to Curricular Changes;" Jenny Fine (BFA 2006, photography), chaired a session and presented research titled "Time as Material;" Michelle Moseley-Christian (MA 2000, BA 1997, art history) chaired a session and presented "Hairy Female Bodies and the Early Modern Wild Woman in Visual Art;" and Raymond Gaddy (MFA 2000, painting) co-presented with Ashley Waldvogel, "Are You Vulcan’ Kidding Me? Mythology Everywhere." SECAC, formerly known as the Southeastern College Art Conference, promotes the the study and practice of the visual arts in higher education and is now the second largest national organization of its kind. This year's conference, hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the first in Alabama since 1986 when the annual meeting was held in Tuscaloosa. For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, go here: https://art.ua.edu/academics/.
BFA Exhibitions: Caroline Japal and Candace von Hoffman
The University of Alabama Department of Art and Art History is pleased to present two Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibitions, November 19-29, 2018. Youth Expressions by Caroline Japal, and Sensory Notions by Candace von Hoffman, will be held in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery. The public is invited to a reception for the artists in the gallery Tuesday, Nov. 20, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. In her exhibition, Youth Expressions, CAROLINE JAPAL focuses on portraits of young people and their experience of coming of age in Birmingham, a small Southern city, something that Japal realized had never been done before. "In researching this," she said, "I found only photo projects that focused on youth culture in larger cities and none in small cities like Birmingham, or in the South." Japal's photos of young people feel personal because the artist actively engages with her subjects while she takes pictures. "I meet with them in a public place, like Railroad Park or UAB campus, and we walk around talking while I photograph them." She says she catches "the in-between moments" when her subjects are open and unself-conscious. "I think viewers will be able to relate to them whether they know my photographic subjects or not." Birmingham native Caroline Japal is a creative director at Belladonna magazine, the first fashion magazine founded in Birmingham, Alabama. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Art Concept Magazine and owner of Caroline Japal Photography. Japal was recently featured in Freelancer Magazine: http://frlmag.com/meet-woman-on-the-rise-birmingham-based-photographer-caroline-japal/. She has exhibited her work in UA's 2018 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition and in the Loft Show in Birmingham, and TheMix Birmingham Showcase. Japal is the recipient of the Carol B. Merkle Endowed Scholarship in 2017 and the Windgate Charitable Foundation Endowed Studio Arts Scholarship in 2016. Her website is https://www.carolinejapal.com/. Throughout her college career, CANDACE VON HOFFMAN has experimented with the overlapping the media of painting and photography. The body of work in her exhibit, Sensory Notions, von Hoffman said, "is guided by the idea that our bodies are in constant conversation with our surroundings. I am curious about exploring the relationship between the body, the human sense, and the fragility of perception. What does it mean to inhabit the body and how do our bodies direct our perception of reality?" Alabama native Candace von Hoffman has exhibited her work in UA's 2018 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition at Harrison Galleries; in a four-woman show, Canorous, in 2018 and in the 2016 and 2017 Open Media exhibitions in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery. She is the recipient of the Farley Moody Galbraith Endowed Scholarship in 2018 and the Julie Peake Holaday Memorial Endowed Scholarship in 2017. Image credits: (top) Caroline Japal, Ana, 2018, photographic print, 30” H x 20” W. (bottom) Candace von Hoffman, Untitled Study 4/16, September 2018, multimedia collage, 4 x 4 inches. Both images courtesy of the artists. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the professional degree for the artist; it is also the foundation for the masters program in studio art at UA. 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. Woods Hall is a five-minute walk from the Campus Drive Parking Deck and Bus Hub on Hackberry Lane. Gold 1, Crimson, Blue and Bronze CrimsonRide buses stop between Garland Hall and Gorgas Library. Information about visitor parking is available here: http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/. For more information contact Rachel Dobson, communications specialist, at (205) 348-1893 or rachel.dobson@ua.edu.
UA/UAB Joint Program in Art History Announces Call for Papers
The University of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Joint Program for the MA in Art History announces a call for papers for its 24th Annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History. This year, the symposium will be hosted by the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Alabama on Friday, March 1, 2019 and will take place on The University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. The symposium’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Catherine Zuromskis, Assistant Professor of Fine Art in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. MA students in all fields of art history are invited to submit paper proposals on completed research as well as works in progress. Presentations are limited to 20 minutes and will be followed by discussion. Please submit a 250-word abstract and a one-page c.v. on or before Friday, December 14, 2018 (by e-mail) to both: Dr. Lucy Curzon (lcurzon@ua.edu) and Dr. Cathleen Cummings (ccummings@uab.edu). Notification of acceptance will be made by January 7, 2019. Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Curzon or Dr. Cummings with questions. In addition, a call for Undergraduate Poster Session Proposals is also announced. To encourage the work of emerging scholars in the discipline, the faculty of the Joint Program invite undergraduate art history majors to submit proposals for presentations of senior-level or thesis work in a poster session, to be held during the day of the symposium. Proposals should consist of a 250-word abstract regarding the project and be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the student’s advisor or major professor. Please submit completed proposals Friday, December 14, 2018, (by e-mail) to Dr. Tanja Jones (tljones10@ua.edu). Notification of acceptance will be made by January 7, 2019. Please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Jones with questions. Every year, the Joint Program for the MA in Art History presents the Annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History, which provides a forum for the presentation of graduate student research drawn from all areas of art history, as well as an undergraduate poster session. The symposium also features a keynote lecture by a leading scholar of art history. Previous speakers have included Paul Barolsky (Italian Renaissance art), Allison Kettering (Dutch Baroque art), Michael Yonan (18th-19th century European art), and Graham Boettcher, the William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
UA Seniors Present BFA Exhibition
Tuscaloosa – In one of the culminating events of their degree program at UA, Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates Allie Gant and Jennifer Gault present an exhibition, titled Raw & Unfinished Business, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, November 5-8, 2018, with a closing reception on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Gault, who works in sculpture and ceramics, specifically in raw, unfired clay, said that she has been exploring “forms that communicate a personal mythology of emotions and memories.” She added that the raw clay she often uses in her work “represents the changeability of emotion, fallibility of memory and the transience of life.” Gant, who works in printing processes and ceramics, describes her visual ideas as attention to her own self care, as well as the things which “catch her eye,” such as flowers, trees, sunsets and people, the subjects of her work: “Through the course of being an art student over the last few years, I’ve made a ritual for myself to pay attention to what I pay attention to, meaning to spend a little extra time thinking about why I am drawn to certain things and try to figure out why.” Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Jennifer Gault's BFA concentrations are in sculpture and ceramics, with an anthropology minor. She has exhibited her art work in the 2018 Student Sculpture Exhibition, and the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition, both at Harrison Galleries, and in QuickTurnaround at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in 2017. In addition, she has published art work in UA's Marr's Field Journal in 2018. Gault is the recipient of the Angelo Granata Endowed Scholarship, the Elmore Endowed Scholarship, and the Windgate Charitable Foundation Endowed Studio Arts Scholarship. She works full-time as a certified Fire Alarm Technician in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at UA. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Allie Gant's BFA concentrations are in printmaking and ceramics, with an art history minor. In 2017, Gant exhibited her work in Eclectic Way, an exhibition of art from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art and art by UA students inspired by those works, at the Paul R. Jones Museum. She participated in Geeza a Wee Exhib, a Scotland study abroad student exhibition in 2018 at Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, in Youngstown State University, Ohio, and has had several pieces accepted for publication in Marr’s Field Journal in 2017 and 2018, including the cover art of both editions. Image credits: left: Jennifer Gault, Temporary Love, 2016, 15 x 10 x 8 inches, unfired clay; right: Allie Gant, Lips, 2017, 22 x 30 inches, linoleum cut. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the professional degree for the artist; it is also the foundation for the masters program in studio art at UA. 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. Garland Hall is a five-minute walk from the Campus Drive Parking Deck and Bus Hub on Hackberry Lane. Gold 1, Crimson, Blue and Bronze CrimsonRide buses stop between Garland Hall and Gorgas Library. Information about visitor parking is available here: http://bamaparking.ua.edu/visitor-information/.