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BFA Senior to Exhibit at Harrison Galleries

Tuscaloosa. — The University of Alabama’s Department of Art and Art History is pleased to present the bachelor of fine arts solo exhibition of Samantha Joslin, titled Matter of Normalcy. The exhibition will be held April 5-15, 2019, at Harrison Galleries, in downtown Tuscaloosa. A reception for the artist will be held First Friday, April 5 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the gallery. Samantha Joslin, "Bits and Pieces," 2019, Ceramic stoneware and cast aluminum, 4 x 5 x 2 inches

Samantha Joslin’s BFA concentrations are in ceramics and sculpture. Her current body of work has come out of studio research that focuses on the exploration of forms, surfaces, and interactions between different media. “These interactions are reflective of life in its most intimate moments and conditions,” she says. “My current body of work centers on pieces which imitate experience in life and the human form, thus speaking of the relationships between ourselves, the world around us, and its interpretations through emotion. I am interested in illustrating the human condition in a way which is simultaneously familiar yet peculiar and understandable yet puzzling. The balancing of such physical and conceptual contrasts leads to an investigation of visual formlessness, which obscures categorization. I want to expand upon this notion of blurring identity as it connotatively relates to social circumstances and interactions, and how visual factors like contrast, scale, visual speed and interactions of materials can subtly reflect these themes.”

Samantha Joslin, "In Our Own," 2018-19, Ceramic stoneware, dyed sand, found rocks, cinder block," 22 x 16 x 8 inches Samantha Joslin, "Fragment," 2019, Ceramic stoneware," 3 x 2 x 1 inches Samantha Joslin, "Balance," 2019, Ceramic stoneware and bronze, 4 x 3 x 3 inches

Joslin was a University of Alabama Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity (URCA) grant recipient in the spring of 2019 and a Windgate Fellowship nominee in 2019. She received the Carolyn Haddon “Julie” Matthews Memorial Endowed Scholarship, the Farley Mood Galbraith Annual Scholarship and the Paul R. Jones Endowed Scholarship. She was a student employee in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery and was awarded UA work-study grants in sculpture and ceramics.

In 2018, Joslin was awarded a paid internship under Tuscaloosa sculptor Lee Busby. She has been awarded tuition grants to participate in ‘Sculpture: Clay, Wood, and Steel’ by Trey Hill, Anderson Ranch Workshop, Snowmass Village, Colo. and has served as a volunteer demonstrator in clay for the Arts Renaissance in Tuscaloosa Schools (ARTS) at Matthews Elementary School. She was also a member of Crimson Clay Club, serving as treasurer.

After her graduation in May, Joslin hopes to undertake a post-baccalaureate program. “I am planning to focus mainly on ceramics while still incorporating sculptural elements and other materials.”

Samantha Joslin, "Lush Puddle 1 ," 2019, Painted cast bronze, 24 x 18 x 2 inches Samantha Joslin, "Bits and Pieces," 2019, Ceramic stoneware and cast aluminum, 4 x 5 x 2 inches

This exhibition is part of the bachelor of fine arts degree program in the Department of Art and Art History at The University of Alabama. For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, visit our Degree Programs page.

Harrison Galleries, LLC, is located at 2315 University Boulevard in downtown Tuscaloosa. Hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., by appointment, and First Fridays of the month, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information call (205) 464-0054 or visit the website: http://www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com/art-galleries/harrison-galleries-llc