Work by Haley SalzburnStudent works including graphic design, drawing, painting, printmaking and photography will be featured in a new Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Abroms-Engel Institute for Visual Arts.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the undergraduate professional degree for studio art in the Department of Art and Art History. These exhibitions are the pinnacle of achievement for those students accepted into the BFA program at UAB.
The spring 2014 UAB BFA exhibition will be on show from April 30-May 22. The show will feature works by Matthew Barton, Christina McCoo, Ryan Meyer, Mary Morgan, Kelsea Nichols and Haley Salzburn. A free opening reception is planned from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, May 1, at the AEIVA, 1221 10th Ave. S. For more information, call 205-975-6436.
The student artists have a wide range of influences. Nichols uses natural materials to explore the physical and metaphorical erosion of places and memories. Barton incorporates storytelling and mysticism into his sculptural artworks, to better examine the way religion and gender roles inform young, Southern, male identity.
Using texture, pattern, repetition and the human figure, Meyer uses his artwork to present observations about the human experience and its relationship to the larger picture of the universe.
Morgan turns to the banality of everyday life to find inspiration in her artwork. Her work focuses on the repetition of obsessive behavior as a way to assign meaning to everyday objects. McCoo relies on the simplicity of digitally drawn lines in her portraiture and design to convey complex stories and concepts.
Combining painting, illustration and drawing into a digital medium, Salzburn fuses both the synthetic and the organic to produce imaginative and interactive environments.
“The students in this exhibition have worked hard toward their personal inquiry in order to foster their individual voices under the guidance of their faculty,” said Lauren Lake, chair of the DAAH. “We look forward to watching their continued success as they continue to pursue their creative scholarship after graduation.”
The AEIVA is open to the public 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 12-6 p.m. Saturday. It is closed Sundays and holidays.