Exhibition: Levity: Anna Katherine Phipps MFA Thesis Exhibition
Dates: February 24-March 9, 2016
Where: The University of Alabama, Sella-Granata Art Gallery, 109 Woods Hall
Reception: Thursday, March 3, 5-7 p.m., Sella-Granata Art Gallery
The UA Department of Art and Art History is pleased to announce Anna Katherine Phipps’ MFA thesis exhibition February 24-March 9, 2016, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery. Phipps is a graduate student in painting and a graduate teaching assistant. In the spring of 2015, she and graduate student Turner Williams presented their MA theses work, titled Twang of the Void (Flickr.com photos here). Photos of Phipps’ paintings from her 2014 graduate review are here. In the spring of 2014, she had a two-person exhibition, Suspension, with Astri Snodgrass. She also participated in the group exhibition, The Whole Mine, with Lonnie Holley at the Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in 2014. Phipps won three national titles in Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art and Design: Winner (Issue 36), and Runner-up (Issues 30 & 36) in the Fine Art National Student Competition. Her website is here.
Artist Statement: Within my work, aqueous forces coalesce with biomorphic shapes. I am curious about the genesis and behavior of an organic environment as parable. My paintings derive from spiritual metaphor and act as scenes of synthesis for shapes to inhabit or escape. Often painted elements appear to swarm with energy, creating a nucleus for gestures to originate. Figuratively, water is the refuge and type of spiritual escape for shapes. The mark of water is to me a symbol of God’s presence, so I am building up a place for renewal or rebirth, a strange, ambiguous place to inhabit, or to imagine. —AKP
This exhibition is in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Alabama. For more information on the graduate programs of the UA department of art and art history, visit this link: https://art.ua.edu/academics/graduate-programs/art-requirements/.
Some people who will be attending the reception on Thursday, March 3, have sensitivities to various chemical-based or scented products. We ask for everyone’s cooperation in our efforts to accommodate their health concerns by refraining from wearing heavily scented perfumes and other products. Thank you.
Funding support for the Sella-Granata Art Gallery comes from the Department of Art and Art History and the College of Arts and Sciences. Admission to the gallery is free. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. The gallery is located at 109 Woods Hall in the heart of the UA campus on Woods Quad. 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. For more information, contact the gallery at (205) 348-2783 or go to https://art.ua.edu/gallery/sgg/.