Montgomery,
ALA – The Alabama State Council on the Arts is showcasing the work of six (6) Fellowship artists at the Georgine Clarke Alabama
Artists Gallery in downtown Montgomery. The gallery is located in the RSA
Tower, 201 Monroe Street, first floor, suite 110. A closing reception is scheduled for
Sunday, October 27, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. with artist talks happening between 2:00
- 3:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.
Artists
featured in the exhibition:
• Douglas
Pierre Baulos
• Rene
Culler
• Roberta
Lynn Ledbetter
• Scott
Meyer
• Lillis
Taylor
• Courtney
Windham
Douglas
Pierre Baulos received his MFA from
the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University
of Alabama at Birmingham. In 2009 Baulos won the President’s Award for
Excellence in Teaching at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he is
currently the Assistant Professor of Drawing. Baulos also serves as the
curriculum director at Studio by the Tracks, an art center that provide free
art classes to emotionally conflicted children and adults with Autism Spectrum
Disorder or other mental illnesses. His drawings, installations, and books have
been exhibited/published both nationally and internationally on four
continents. His current works are explorations (visual) and meditations
(poetry) centering on his ideas of spirituality, love, death, shelter, and
hope.
Rene Culler is the author of the book Glass Art from the Kiln. Culler is the former Glass Program
Coordinator at the University of South Alabama. She has numerous works
installed in corporate collections throughout the United States including the
Cleveland Clinic, Forest City Enterprises and Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. Her
glass sculptures are included in the permanent collections of The Corning
Museum of Glass and The American Museum of Art, Smithsonian, among others. As a
Senior Fulbright Fellow in 2012, Culler researched in South Korea and worked in
glass at Namseoul University.
Roberta Lynn
Ledbetter is an award-winning
and published photographer. Ledbetter has twenty five years of experience
operating a successful photography business, and is an innovative art and
photography teacher. She is a former instructor of Art and Photography at
Enterprise State Community College. She is embarking on a journey throughout
Alabama’s communities to capture the common humanity in our stories. Driving across Alabama with a portable studio, she
invites people to share personal stories of love, anguish, triumph, joy, or
awe.
Scott Meyer holds a Ph.D in Art Education from The Pennsylvania
State University where he studied ceramic art. While maintaining an energetic
studio life, his interest in his dissertation topic has led him to a parallel
involvement as a writer, recently completing a book on the life and work of
ceramic artist Richard Hirsch. In 1999, having secured a massive donation of
bricks and materials, Meyer began construction on a series of kiln on the UM
campus, including a 40 foot Japanese anagama wood-firing kiln. The
construction, wood preparation and firing of this massive kiln has had a
lasting influence on Meyer’s work with projects ranging from large
installations addressing elemental process, to ceramic sculpture assemblages
displaying surfaces scorched by the kiln. His current work employs an
industrial crucible form as a unifying element. It is a theme now involving a
studio team of artists including Richard Hirsch, the topic of his book.
Lillis Taylor is a Birmingham, AL native with a
penchant for exploration. Taylor studied Industrial Design at the University of
Washington in Seattle and after graduation in 2003, she worked as a toy
developer. She returned to the University of Washington for a master's
degree in China Studies, which she planned to put to use in US-China labor
relations. Upon completion of the master's program in 2009, Taylor shifted gears
again, realizing that public affairs would address her need to build
community, but it would not strengthen her creative life. Since 2009,
Taylor has started a textile design company, using her father's imagery
to create her fabrics; she has taught sewing to adults and children
throughout Birmingham; she has started a sewing non-profit to give local
women a meeting place to share their talents; she has brought sewing into
the hospital environment to ease stress, anxiety and boredom; and she has
created an annual community quilting project that addresses themes of
social and human rights.
Courtney
Windham graduated from the Rhode
Island School of Design in 2004, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree in illustration. After college, Courtney worked very successfully on
several high visibility accounts with major brands including Swiss Army,
Cartier and Titleist on projects that went on to win national recognition. In
2009, she graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Master
of Fine Art degree in graphic design. Courtney completed the Master of Fine
Arts degree with a thesis discussing sustainable design and systems thinking in
the field of graphic design with a focus on package design. At graduation, she
received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Graphic Design. After graduate
school, Courtney worked for Vista Branding as a designer from early 2010 to 2012.
Now, as an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Auburn University, she
continues refining her design skills while teaching, doing freelance, and
self-initiated projects.
For Additional information, please contact: Amy
Williamson, Visual Arts Program Manager and Manager of the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists
Gallery. (334) 242-5150 or by email: amy.williamson@arts.alabama.gov.