Author: Red Sage

Dateline: January 11, 2021, Decatur, AL – The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of “Convalescence,” a collection of paintings by Jane Philips. Philips describes the exhibit as a collection that “catalogues the relationship between human and nature; a cleansing of the soul through decay, death, rebirth, meditation, isolation, wonder, and growth.” The show will be featured in the Center’s Main Gallery until February 19. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Jane Philips was born and raised in Alabama and holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She works with innovative and traditional materials to create dark, textural environments that she populates with haunting figures. Many of her works are a reflection of her struggle with anxiety and exploration of identity.

​She has exhibited in museums across the Southeast United States and has recently had work displayed in the Wiregrass Museum of Art’s Biennial and the Huntsville Museum of Art’s Red Clay Survey. Jane currently lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her cat, Jazzy, and her dogs Kaylee and River.

While at the ACA, guests can also visit the 7^th Annual Juried Festival of the Cranes exhibit in the Walking Gallery. The exhibit opened on January 8 and is free and open to the public.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm and on Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.  For more information about Jane, please visit https://www.janephilipsstudio.com/.

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The Alabama Center for the Arts is the region’s premier art center and degree program. The project continues a long-standing collaborative academic effort between Athens State University and Calhoun Community College and serves as a model of academic institutional cooperation for the state. The Alabama Center for the Arts is a venue for cultural events and activities and will enhance an appreciation of art while promoting opportunities for creative expression for residents throughout the region.

September 23, 2020, Decatur, AL – The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the opening of two exhibits this week.

The 5^th Annual Juried Faculty & Alumni Show opened on Wednesday, September 23 in the Main Gallery and showcases 41 selections from 23 artists consisting of faculty, staff, or alumni of Calhoun Community College and Athens State University. The show will remain open until Tuesday, November 10.

Daniel White served as the juror for this year’s show. White formerly taught as an adjunct for Athens State University at the Alabama Center for the Arts. He currently lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he serves as the Museum Director of the Paul R. Jones Museum and Gallery Director of the University Gallery, both part of the University of Alabama. His previous appointments include being the founding Museum Director for the Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art and a Preparator at the Birmingham Museum of Art. He holds an MFA from the School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology and a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Montevallo. He contributes to art publications and maintains a studio practice.

The 2020 Emerging Artists Exhibition will open in the Walking Gallery on Thursday, September 24 and showcase 43 works of art created by 18 student artists from Calhoun Community College and Athens State University. Three faculty members from the ACA Gallery Committee served as jurors for the show. The exhibit will remain open through Monday, October 26.

Both exhibits are free and open to the public.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is the region’s premier art center and degree program. The project continues a long-standing collaborative academic effort between Athens State University and Calhoun Community College and serves as a model of academic institutional cooperation for the state. The Alabama Center for the Arts is a venue for cultural events and activities and will enhance an appreciation of art while promoting opportunities for creative expression for residents throughout the region.

Athens State University was founded in 1822, making it the oldest continuously-operated institute of higher learning in the state of Alabama. Offering over 50 undergraduate majors and degree options in addition to graduate programs, Athens State focuses on providing affordable, flexible, and high-quality options for all learners.

ENTRY DEADLINE: Monday, November 23, 2020

The Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) is excited to again call students, alumni artists, faculty, and staff of Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the seventh annual juried Festival of the Cranes Exhibition.

We encourage innovative and progressive work that utilizes a diversity of art forms and media that depicts Whooping cranes, Sandhill cranes, birds, waterfowl, ducks, geese, raptors, eagles, falcons, owls, fish, deer, other wildlife, nature, and anything to do with General Joe Wheeler (“Fighting Joe”) or his home, Pond Spring, in nearby Hillsboro, Alabama.

This event is in conjunction with the annual Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Festival of the Cranes to be held on Saturday and Sunday, January 9-10, 2021. (Note: the ACA will host an environmental film screening on Thurs., Jan. 7th and again have special hours on Saturday, however, will not be open on Sunday.)

Artists may submit up to three works of art in JPG form along with the entry form for consideration by our juror. No more than three works per artist will be selected. Works selected for the show will be displayed in the walking gallery (first floor) of the Visual Arts building at the Alabama Center for the Arts in historic Downtown Decatur.

Call (256) 260-4299 or email Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu with any questions.

PLEASE NOTE:
ACA’s programs and dates are subject to change due to on-going COVID-19 circumstances.

SPECIFICATIONS & INSTRUCTIONS
Submitted artwork will be juried in a review of digital images submitted online. Artists accepted will be invited to ship or hand-deliver their artwork to the ACA for show.

• Artists submitting work must be a student, faculty, staff, or alumni of Athens State University or Calhoun Community College.
• Entry deadline is Monday, November 23, 2020 to Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu (digital image/images with Entry Form – you may list all entries on one form, but please be sure it is legible). Late entries will not be accepted.
• Works in all media are eligible, provided they can be juried by digital image. We cannot accept reels of performance art, work that exceeds 72” in any one direction or work that requires special display casing that cannot be provided by the artist. Eligible media include Painting (watercolor, oil, and acrylic), Drawing (charcoal, graphite, pastel), Printmaking, Photography/Digital Media, Sculpture, Mixed Media, and Fine Craft (wood, metal, clay, fiber, glass).
• Works must be original and executed within the last three years.
• Works must not have been previously on display at the Alabama Center for the Arts.
• Works chosen for show must be finished, dry, and ready to exhibit. Works must be framed and, where appropriate, glazed with Plexiglas (hand-delivered items may be glazed with glass). Plexiglas must be on work over 24”x30”. No substitutions are allowed.
• Artwork which is intentionally unframed, such as stretched canvas, must have well-finished painted edges. Edges cannot be taped. All wall and suspended work must be equipped with a secure wire hanging system (not jagged edge brackets or premanufactured circular holes – they are too small).
• The ACA reserves the right to eliminate any entry that is not reasonably adaptable to its physical facility (for example, a sculpture should fit within a hypothetical 12-foot cube; the horizontal dimension of any work should not exceed 12 feet).
• The ACA does not supply framing, hardware or wire. The gallery supplies a track hanging system for art to be displayed on the walls that are wall papered. Artwork or display materials to be directly affixed to the wall must have gallery approval. (Sticky tape is not acceptable.)
• Selected hanging art too heavy for the track system in the gallery will not be accepted.
• All work must be equipped for safe installation; gallery personnel will determine safety
• Works considered too fragile for handling by gallery personnel will not be accepted.
• When two or three-dimensional work is unusually heavy or difficult to handle, timely assistance may be required of the artist. Prior notice must be given to ensure gallery floor or wall can bear weight load. Three-dimensional work must fit through a standard single door.
• The ACA has a limited number of display materials for 3-D work – consult with gallery prior to installation. The artist is responsible for special security of artwork, such as jewelry.
• Artists whose works require electrical outlets or other special considerations should consult with gallery personnel prior to application.
• After jury process and acceptance, all work delivered to the gallery must be catalogued through the “Gallery Intake Form.” The Intake Form should be affixed to the back of the art and must include:
  • Artist name
  • Address, phone number and email
  • Title of the work, medium and price or noted as Not for Sale (NFS)

About your images:
It is important that your images represent your work as accurately and professionally as possible. Artists must submit JPGs, with maximum size not to exceed 25MB. The ACA reserves the right to reproduce images of accepted entries for promotion of the show in the media and online. The ACA reserves the right not to accept a work if it is significantly different from the digital image submitted.

Sales:
All work included in the Festival of the Cranes Art Show will be available for sale unless designated Not for Sale (NFS) by the artist. Prices will be available in the lobby, and purchased works will not be released until after the close of the show. If art is sold, you will receive 100% of the cost of the sale. Sold artwork requiring shipment will be handled by the exhibitor with costs collected from buyer.

Liability:
All work will be handled with care, but pieces submitted for show are at the artist’s risk. In the event of damage or theft, the ACA will not be held liable.

Agreement:
Submission of an entry to this show constitutes agreement on the part of the entrant to the conditions set forth in this call for artists.

Pick-Up and Storage:
When the exhibit ends, you may pick up your work the next business day beginning at 8:00am. You must pick up your work within 72 hours of the closing day of the exhibit or notify the gallery if you will be late. The ACA is a non-collecting gallery with no storage space for purchased or donated works of art. Unless previous arrangements have been made, work not picked up will be subject to a fine of $10.00 per piece, per week. Work left in storage longer than two weeks shall become the ACA’s property and may be disposed of or used for fundraising purposes. There are no exceptions.

For further information:
Questions, contact, Jennifer Bunnell, ACA Director, at Jennifer.Bunnell@athens.edu, or 256-260-4299 during regular business hours (Monday-Thursday, 8am-4:30pm Central; Fridays, 8am-12pm).

Deadline is fast approaching – if mailed, applications must be postmarked by Thursday, November 19, 2020. If emailed or hand delivered, all entry materials are due Monday, November 23, 2020.

[button link=”https://www.alabamacenterforthearts.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Call-for-Artists_Crane-Festival_Jan-9-10-2021-1.pdf” color=”teal”] Download the Entry Form[/button]

Alabama Center for the Arts Festival of the Cranes Art Show 2021 Juror – TBA

Show Timeline:

The Alabama Center for the Arts is pleased to announce its newest art exhibit, “Continuation,” on display now through July 1. Because the Center has yet to reopen due to the pandemic, the show is being displayed virtually at www.athens.edu/ACA/exhibitions/continuation until visitors can view the exhibit in-person.

“Continuation” features the uniquely artistic talents of Guadalupe Lanning Robinson, a native of Mexico City, who has lived in Alabama for more than 30 years with her husband, an Alabama native.

Robinson’s pottery is a blend of her Mexican culture and tradition with the culture and tradition of the Deep South. She also creates quilts with mesmerizing patterns and designs, including a unique flair that distinguishes her work from that of other artists.

Robinson works with different colored clays and textures to create hand-tooled, intricate designs of geometric shapes and patterns that adorn her pottery. She mixes the clay herself to create the colors and textures she wants and uses different sized needles to create the designs drawn on the pots. Her pottery is wheel-thrown with Stoneware clay, bisque fired, and glazed only on the inside.

After living in Alabama for many years, Robinson has cultivated a deep appreciation for the craft of quilting, which she has practiced for over 10 years. Her quilts are 100 percent cotton, machine pieced and quilted. Robinson said she uses the “best quality batting, thread, and fabric in the market.”

The “Continuation” exhibit features 16 pots and nine quilts, all designed and hand-made by Robinson. She says the title “Continuation” originated from the understanding that “life has to continue.”

Guadalupe Lanning Robinson has a ceramics degree from Centro de Artes Plásticas y Artesanias Independencia, a university for artisans in Mexico City. She resides in Huntsville where she has a studio in the historic Lowe Mill. Her work has been on exhibit around the country, especially throughout the South. Robinson has twice been the recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

The “Continuation” exhibit is now available online at www.athens.edu/ACA/exhibitions/continuation. Once the Alabama Center for the Arts is able to open to the public, the exhibit will be available in the Main Gallery through July 1. The exhibit will be open to the public free of charge. For more information about Guadalupe Lanning Robinson and her artwork, please visit http://www.guadalupepots.com.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is the region’s premier art center and degree program. The project continues a long-standing collaborative academic effort between Calhoun Community College and Athens State University and serves as a model of academic institutional cooperation for the state. The Alabama Center for the Arts is a venue for cultural events and activities and enhances an appreciation of art while promoting opportunities for creative expression for residents throughout the region.