The UA Department of Art and Art History presents the Master of Arts thesis exhibitions of two graduate students, Stephen Blades and Debanjaly Sen, March 1-8, 2024, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, Woods Hall, at UA. A reception will be held Thursday, March 7, 5-7 p.m. SGAG gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Artists
Sculpture graduate student Stephen Blades‘ exhibitions include Hotter ‘N Hell National Collegiate Art Exhibition, Northwestern State University of Louisiana in Natchitoches; 3rd Annual National Multi-Media Juried Exhibition, Wilson (NC) Art Center; and was won the Award of Distinction at the Susan N. McCollough Fine Arts Initiative at The University of Alabama Gallery, Tuscaloosa. Blades was awarded Honorable Mention at the Rawls Museum Arts’ Opening Up juried exhibition in Courtland, Virginia, has demonstrated at the Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Mini Maker Faire and at blacksmithing events, art exhibitions and craft fairs around the region.
Blades has an assistantship in the master of fine arts program in sculpture at UA where he assists in 3D Design (ART 131). He holds a BFA degree in sculpture from Louisiana State University and teaching certification for art, K-12, from Southeastern Louisiana University. He taught art in middle and high schools in Louisiana and Virginia for a decade before coming to graduate school. Visit his Instagram page.
Painting graduate student Debanjaly Sen‘s exhibitions include Prototype, Studio 2500 Gallery, Birmingham; Susan N. McCollough Fine Arts Initiative at The University of Alabama Gallery; Kolkata Centre for Creativity AMI Art Festival; Rabindra Bharati University Annual Art Exhibition, West Bengal State Academy of Dance, ICAD Annual Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, and Gaganendra Shilpa Pradarshanshala Gallery, Kolkata. Her work was published in Collect Art’s 101 Contemporary Artists and More, vol. 3 (Tbilisi, Georgia: Collect Art, 2023).
Sen has an assistantship in the master of fine arts program in painting at UA where she teaches Drawing I. She holds an MFA in painting from Sister Nivedita University, New Town, Kolkata, and a BFA from the Indian College of Art and Draftsmanship in Kolkata. She received the Chancellor Merit Scholarship in support of her MFA studies, 2019-2021. View more of Sen’s work on her website.
The Sella-Granata Art Gallery is an essential part of the education and development of UA students and our community. Hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. when school is in session. The gallery is located at 109 Woods Hall, 7th Avenue, on UA campus in Tuscaloosa and admission is free and open to the public. Visitors are welcome, although not required, to wear face coverings inside the gallery.
For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in studio art and art history, visit our Degree Programs page.