News

Gallery Talk Canceled But Reception To Be Held Today Sept. 22 in the Sella-Granata

Kathy Rodriguez at the Sella-Granata Art Gallery

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the artist Kathy Rodriguez will not be able to attend today’s gallery talk and reception. We will still hold this closing reception at 5:00 p.m. today, and the public is invited to attend for a final opportunity to view the exhibition.

Kathy Rodriguez’s paintings and three-dimensional installation pieces in this show, inspired by life experience, therapy sessions, apocalyptic science fiction, her own family’s stories, and a variety of other sources, draw the viewer in.

In an interview, Rodriguez told Jeffrey Kelly of the Crimson White that she hopes the viewer will “walk away with a connection to the work.” She described her own relationship to creating the pieces to Kelly: “’It doesn’t have to be good; it doesn’t have to be bad. You know, it’s like, if there is a kind of connection and like an internal dialogue that starts to happen with the work that brings me so much joy,’ Rodriguez said.”

Kelly wrote that Rodriguez explained “she wants people to get close or stand back in order to see the nuances in the work, allowing their brains to engage in the creative process by connecting to their own experiences.”

Kathy Rodriguez, “Bean Moon,” 2021, oil on muslin, 48 x 36 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 BombNOLA 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.