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Kathy Rodriguez Opens Sella-Granata Exhibition Season

Kathy Rodriguez, “Bean Moon,” 2021, oil on muslin, 48 x 36 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.

The Sella-Granata Art Gallery announces the opening show of the fall exhibition season: Kathy Rodriguez: Ruminations. The exhibition will be on view September 8 – 22, 2022, with a gallery talk and closing reception for the artist on Thursday, September 22, at 5:00 p.m.

See images and installation views on Flickr.com.

Artist, educator, curator and writer Kathy Rodriguez writes that for this collection of work, she “took inspiration from 19th-century romantic landscape painting, and the sky- and land-gazing these painters and writers embraced.” Rodriguez reminds us that the word “rumination” refers to “chewing the cud,” she explains, “a regurgitation of foodstuffs then swallowed and disappeared again—a term used by romantic poets like Whitman and Emerson. The transcendentalism espoused by this movement places emphasis on the divine spirit in nature, which I also find as I ruminate while staring at the moon. At the same time, I allow my ruminative thoughts to pass over me as best I can, much like a passing space station in the sky.”

Associate Professor Bryce Speed, head of the SGAG planning committee, said, “We are looking forward to having Ms. Rodriquez on campus to discuss her paintings and her role as professor at the University of New Orleans. Her representational paintings are both evocative and haunting, finding their place in the always-changing world around us. This will be an opportunity for students to get to know a practicing artist in the region.”

Kathy Rodriguez, “Lake Ponchartrain Driving at Night,” 2021, oil on muslin, 60 x 48 inches.Image courtesy of the artist.

A Metairie, Louisiana, native, Kathy Rodriguez holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing and a Master of Arts degree in art history from the University of Montana. She serves as an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans, teaching courses in painting, drawing, design, and art history. She curates exhibitions and manages the on-campus UNO Fine Arts Gallery and previously, the UNO-St. Claude Gallery, where she was director. Rodriguez is a founding member of TEN artists’ collective in New Orleans and writes art criticism for New Orleans Art Review. Her writing has been published in Pelican Bomb, NOLA Defender and a variety of museum catalogs. She is represented by Second Story Gallery in New Orleans.

Sella-Granata Art Gallery is open Monday – Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 am – 12 noon. 

The SGAG is a vital learning resource for the department and an essential part of the education and development of UA students and our community. The gallery is run by a committee of faculty, staff and students, and supported by student workers. Visitors are not required but are encouraged to wear face coverings inside the gallery. Funding support for the gallery comes from the Department of Art and Art History and the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information, go to the gallery’s webpage.

Information about visitor parking is available on the UA parking services website. For more information, contact the gallery at (205) 348-1893.  

To find out more about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, visit our Degree Programs page.