TUSCALOOSA – More than 50 colored illustrations of fishes native to the state of Alabama are on 
display at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa. The exhibit, “Fishes of Alabama,” opened Jan. 5 and will remain on display through Feb. 2.
The exhibit features colored prints illustrated by Joseph Tomelleri. The illustrations on display represent just a sampling of the more than 200 prints by Tomelleri in the collection that are housed in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Also on display is the book Fishes of Alabama, which features Tomelleri’s illustrations and detailed species information written by Herbert T. Boschung Jr., professor emeritus of biology at The University of Alabama, and Richard L. Mayden, endowed chair of natural sciences and chair of the department of biology at St. Louis University and a former faculty member in UA’s Department of Biological Sciences. Pulitzer Prize winner and College of Arts and Sciences alumnus Edward O. Wilson, an internationally renowned biologist, theorist and naturalist, wrote the book’s forward.
Tomelleri has been illustrating fishes since 1985 and has rendered more than 1,100 illustrations from actual fish to ensure scientific accuracy. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Outdoor Life, In-Fisherman and the book “Trout and Salmon of North America.” His recent projects include research on the native “Trout of Mexico,” “Fishes of the Salish Sea and Puget Sound,” “Fishes of Texas” and “Fishes of Kansas.”
The illustrations were donated in 2011 to the College by The Westervelt Company, Inc. College of Arts and Sciences alumna Louise Hill of Montgomery helped fund the book’s publication.
The University of Alabama Gallery offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions of artistic works, artifacts, textiles and more from permanent collections held by UA, as well as works by faculty, students, and guest artists and designers.
The UA Gallery is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. It is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and the First Fridays of the month until 8 p.m. For more information, phone the gallery at 205/345-3038 or phone 205/342-2060.
The gallery 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 and Goldwater Scholarships.
For more information, contact Stephanie Kirkland Communications Specialist College of Arts and Sciences: 205/348-8539 | stephanie.kirkland@ua.edu.