Spring Thesis 2024
Multimedia Works by Graduating Students and Designers
May 1 - September 5
Thesis Reception: May 6, 5-7 p.m
This senior thesis is showcasing the class of Spring 2024 from TROY's Art and Design department. This Exhibition includes work by Reanna Thompson, David Saner, Emily Cousins, Laken Lee, Shuyue Du, Cayla Weightman, Dean Dupuis, Jade Simpson, Tristen Broadnax, Sydney Burlingame, Peyton Lawrence, Amelia Nettles, Anna Gordon, Abigail Wilson, Anna Mitchell, Jared Hester, Nathan Hobbs, Grace Kish, Howard Purvee, and Laura Phelps.
Spring Thesis Promo Video 2024
Liminal
Recent paintings by Sara Dismukes
April 24 - August 22
Closing Reception: August 22, 5-7 p.m.
Artist Talk with Sara Dismukes and Dr. Kenyon Holder: August 21, 12:30 p.m.
Image: Vacancy, Greenriver, Utah
Artist statement
We all move back and forth between public and private spaces. Rather than call attention to the origin or the destination, I pay attention to what is found along the way. I am compelled by the social mediation of landscape, and how desire and disregard are manifested in objects and spaces over time. I am influenced by the legacy of landscape painting, of Manifest Destiny, and its current expression in our built and natural environment. My work celebrates the things we pass by, often unnoticed, while moving about our day. I am interested in entropy as well as the growth that is its companion. Close observation of the patterns and structures in nature, as well as the rhythm of its seasonal cycles, is an enthusiasm and an influence. I see tenacity and resilience within these systems and feel deeply connected to them. There are relationships to environment and climate, globalization, economic collapse, among other contemporary issues of both public and private concern.
Sara Dismukes is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and educator based in Montgomery. She has been part of TROY’s Department of Art and Design since 2006.
READ MORE ABOUT liminal by Sara Dismukes here
Faculty Biannual Exhibition
Department of Art and Design
Feb. 8 - April 14
Reception: March 21, 5:00 - 7:00 pm
Image: Various artworks
The 2024 Faculty Biannual Exhibition from the Department of Art and Design features work from Kelly Berwager, Beverly Leach, Walter Black, Karvarus Moore, Perry Borwn, Duane Paxson, Sara Dismukes, Greg Skaggs, Johnny Farrow, Chris Stagl, and Will Jacks.
read more about the Faculty Biannual Exhibition here
Comedian
Winfred Hawkins
January 25 - April 7
Artist Reception: February 8, 5-7 p.m.
Artist Talk: March 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Comedian highlights the dark humor of Hawkins’ work, using humor and allegory to talk about difficult issues. A visually compelling mix of analog paintings and graphic design creations, his work features loose graffiti strokes, as well as intricate, digitally designed work. Symbolism saturates Hawkins’ work, referencing a number of social issues and tragic events that we have faced as a society.
Comedian is guest curated by Paul Barrett.
Read more about Comedian by Winfred Hawkins
Sadie: The Paintings
Gary Chapman
Sept. 15–Nov. 17
Reception and Lecture: Nov. 16 , 5:00 p.m.
Image: Salamandrina
The International Arts Center is honored to be presenting Sadie: the Paintings—a testament
to the life, essence, and resilience of Sadie Chapman. Sadie was born with an underdeveloped
left ventricle, diagnosed as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. She had two open heart
surgeries as a child and a heart transplant at the age of 19. This heart gave her
seven more years of life, and she passed away at 26. Soon after Sadie’s death, Gary
Chapman began posting paintings of Sadie on Facebook. These posts garnered an overwhelming
amount of beautiful, poignant responses from a magnitude of people who were touched
by Sadie’s life. This expression organically developed into an exhibition of paintings
related to Sadie. It is showing for the first time in Troy University’s Huo Bao Zhu
gallery from September 15–November 17.
Gary Chapman describes himself as a maker of things: “I draw, paint, sculpt, find,
and assemble my work.” Although he is a realist in style, his paintings go beyond
picturesque imagery and capture the feelings, ideas, and emotions that accompany reality.
His subjects are not limited to one moment, medium, device or style. This freedom
allows him to create a visual vocabulary that expands beyond historical and cultural
boundaries. By surrounding a subject with its own tangential elements, ‘what is not
easy to see’ emerges from the cumulation and connection of defining abstract ideas.
Gary’s work does not illustrate the truth, but instead represents a passionate pursuit
of meaning, knowledge, experience, and understanding by the artist through tangible
symbolism and life-like imagery.
The salamander is an ancient symbol for bravery despite affliction. Salamanders were often seen scurrying amid the flames of burning wooden structures, and it was believed that salamanders could live in the fire. Today, scientists recognize salamanders as the most complicated form of life that can regenerate its own organs. They are studying salamanders to better understand this phenomenon and it is believed that many animals had this remarkable ability, which has been lost through the evolutionary process. A few years before Sadie was born, the German industrial band Einsturzende Neubauten produced the song Salamandrina, based on the ancient myth of the salamander. This later took on meaning for the family as metaphor for Sadie.
SALAMANDRINA is the first painting where the salamander is used as a symbolic reference to Sadie. Almost every subsequent painting of or about Sadie includes at least one salamander representing the hope of Sadie's survival in the fire caused by her heart defect, in anticipation of scientists developing the technology to regenerate organs, alleviating the need for a heart transplant and the threat of potential rejection.
From the Hive
Recent Works by Beverly West Leach
September 7, 2023 - January 14, 2024
Reception: October 5, 5-7 p.m.
Artist Talk: Nov. 1, 12:30 p.m.
Image: Life and Death by Beverly West Leach
From the Hive is a collection of works exploring a connected flow of images, shapes, colors, and materials built from years of developing a visual vocabulary tied to Mother Nature. The interconnectedness of nature creates a hive of activity within Beverly's studio practice, where the artist creates imagery that becomes metaphorical and open to the viewer's interpretation.
Read more about From the Hive, recent works by Beverly West Leach
Afterglow
Recent Paintings by Zdenko Krtić
April 17 - August 27, 2023
Reception: May 4, 5-7 p.m.
Image: Engrossed by Zdenko Krtić
This exhibit explores the concept of afterglow, or the remains of light after a main light source has diminished. Zdenko Krtić's artwork is born out of a studio practice that examines the ever-expanding potential of drawing and painting; as well as the shifting status they hold within a contemporary art context. Featured works include mixed media drawings, installations, encaustic and watercolor paintings.
READ MORE ABOUT AFTERGLOW: RECENT PAINTINGS BY ZDENKO KRTIĆ
Active Makers
Troy Alumni Exhibition
February 16 - April 16, 2023
Reception: March 23, 5-7 PM
Image: Pooh Pooh in Ball Pit by Karvarus Moore.
Troy University welcomes back recent Department of Art & Design alumni, Brandon Rice and Paul Wolfe, as the invited curators and organizers for “Active Makers: TROY Alumni Exhibition.” We are proud to display the work by these accomplished recent graduates from the past decade and we look forward to seeing their success grow as TROY Alumni. Featuring artwork by Brandon Rice, Hannah Hogan, Karvarus Moore, Kirsten McCown, McKenzie Teems, Marcus Dorsey, Paul Wolfe, Ruth Rosentrater, Abby Trattles, Austin Smith, Charla Hand, Sara Ivy, and Hunter Guttensohn
The Promise of Living/The Tender Land
Photography by Jerry Siegel
January 20 - April 2, 2023
Reception: January 26, 5-7 PM
Panel Discussion: February 23, 11 AM - 12:30 PM
Image: Sweeping the Roof, Dallas County, AL, 2017 by Jerry Siegel.
Jerry Siegel's "The Promise of Living/The Tender Land" brings together portraiture of Southern artists and residents of Alabama's Black Belt region (The Promise of Living) and Siegel's more documentary street and landscape photography (The Tender Land). The title comes from an opera written by Aaron Copeland upon seeing Alabama during the Great Depression through Walker Evans' and James Agee's book "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men." Like Evans and Agee, Siegel demonstrates great sympathy for his subjects. Color photographs from a recent and ongoing series of work serve as an understated love letter to the artist's rural upbringing.
Siegel's exhibition opens the door for conversation in our community for a wide range of subjects involving influential Southern artists, as well as the Alabama rural landscape. Siegel manages to capture and highlight scenes that one could easily pass without a second glance, granting them a moment of importance and illuminating the beauty found in the ordinary. As Siegel's photos reflect a commonplace rural southern environment, visitors will leave with an extended awareness of the charm found in their own personal surroundings that might not have been noticed before. Visitors and participants will also be able to learn more about the dynamic range of southern artists we have in our region.
This exhibition is curated by Paul Barrett and has been made possible through grants from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Alabama Humanities Alliance.
Read More About The Promise of Living/The Tender Land Exhibit
Senior Thesis: Fall 2022
December 19 - February 1, 2023
Reception: December 15, 5-7 PM
This senior thesis is showcasing Troy University's Art Department's graduating class of Fall 2022: Emily Jordan, Siqi Huang, Lyrica Wright, Shelby Preston, Ailin Jiang, Zhane McKee, Victoria Bolin, McKenzie Teems, Aysiah Stroud-Lucy, and Amanda Grace Smith.
A Portrait Collective: Featuring works by Elana Hagler, Mark Moseley, Sergei Shillabeer and Diddy Vucovich
September 6 - November 18, 2022
Reception: Thursday, October 6, 5-7 PM
The International Arts Center is proud to present works by four local artists: Elana
Hagler, Mark Moseley, Sergei Shillabeer, and Diddy Vucovich." The four artists included
in this exhibition explore portraiture in their unique styles, but all reflect on
the profound storytelling potential of capturing the image of a person and their narrative.
Two of the featured TROY artists are former painting Professor Sergei Shillabeer and
Mark Moseley, a current TROY Marketing Department visual artist.
Sergei Shillabeer
Shillabeer (1946 - 2017) taught Studio Art and Art History in the Department of Art and Design from 1972 to 2005. Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Shillabeer completed his education with a Master of Fine Arts from the Instituto Allende, San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. His work has been exhibited throughout the Southeastern United States and Mexico.
Mark Moseley
Moseley is a former painting student of Shillabeer's and resides in Elba. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from TROY’s Department of Art and Design in 1996, and a Master's in Education with emphasis in Art in 1999. Alongside his painting commissions, Moseley is a skilled photographer and has traveled internationally to photograph for TROY.
Elana Hagler
Elana Hagler, who was originally born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and immigrated to the United States at the age of five, is a former Pike Road resident who has recently relocated to her home state of California. She received her Bachelor of Arts in both Studio Art and Psychology from Brandeis University in Boston and her Master of Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. She has taught painting at several colleges around the United States. Hagler designs coins and medals for the United States Mint as part of their Artistic Infusion Program where her design was selected for the George H. W. Bush Presidential coin and, most recently, the Sally Ride quarter.
Diddy Vucovich
Montgomery native and TROY alumna Diddy Vucovich has been a professional artist and art instructor for over 30 years. She finds inspiration in the realism of William Adolph Bouguereau, the excitement of Impressionism and the timeless works of the Italian Renaissance. In her early career, works ranged from angelic figures and pleine aire landscapes. After instruction from Marvin Mattelson and the Cumberland Group she added portraiture to her works. Her medium is pastel, graphite and oil paint.
Read more about A Portrait Collective
Selected Works by Carolyn Pyfrom and Peter Van Dyck
September 10 - December 18, 2022
Reception: Thursday, October 6, 5-7 PM
Troy University's International Arts Center is proud to present a selection of artwork
by TROY alumna Carolyn Pyfrom ('95) and husband Peter Van Dyck in our Foyer Gallery.
The couple and their son spend most of the year in their home in Philadelphia and
summers working and visiting family in Elba, Alabama, where Pyfrom grew up. From vast
landscapes to intimate interiors, still lifes, and portraits, the artists' work reflects
both locations considered home to their family.
Born in 1971, Alabama native Carolyn Pyfrom studied at Troy University from 1990 to
1995 where she completed majors in both studio art and mathematics. She moved on to
study painting at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, from 1998 to 2002.
Also, as part of her studies, Pyfrom spent a year abroad at Obirin University in Tokyo,
Japan, from 1993 to 1994 on scholarship through Troy University and the America-Japan
Society. She later returned to teach English in Japan from 1996 to 1998.
Pyfrom has been exhibiting her artwork and teaching since 2002. She currently teaches
at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and has also taught at Arcadia University,
Swarthmore College, The Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, and The Florence Academy
of Art. She has exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and has
received numerous prestigious Fellowships and Grants for her artwork. She divides
the year painting between Elba, Alabama, where she grew up, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
where she lives with her husband, Peter Van Dyck, and their son Sam.
Peter Van Dyck was born in Philadelphia in 1978. He studied painting and drawing at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy from 1998-2002. He returned to Philadelphia in 2002 and began exhibiting his work in group shows in Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco. He has had solo shows at John Pence Gallery, San Francisco in 2004; Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York, 2006; John Pence Gallery, 2008,The Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, 2010, Harrisburg Area Community College in 2020 and Sugarlift Gallery, New York 2022. In 2003 he began teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he is currently an Associate Professor in the BFA program. In 2012 he was named one of 25 Important Artists of Tomorrow by American Artist Magazine. In 2013 his work was included in the book Painted Landscapes, Contemporary Views by Lauren P. della Monica. His work has also been reproduced in periodicals including, American Artist Magazine, American Arts Quarterly, Art News, American Art Collector, International Artist Magazine, Art and Antiques and Pratique des Arts and Trebuchet Magazine.
Read more about the Selected Works by Carolyn Pyfrom and Peter Van Dyck exhibit A Review on this Exhibition by artist Elana Hagler
Portraits of Alabama: Photographs from the Do Good Fund
October 24 - November 18, 2022
There are always two images created when a photograph is made. One is that of the subject; the other, less obvious, is of the photographer. Photography is the medium of seeing and looking, but its impact often lies in what isn’t visible. Each time a photographer points the camera in a specific direction, there also exists an opposite side, hidden to the viewer, yet equally important. This is the strength - and the challenge - of finding meaning when viewing photographs.
These thirty-four images are a snapshot of contemporary photography made in and about our Alabama home. The work shares a diversity in its makers, the times represented, and the conceptual approaches to understanding this state. It is on loan from the Do Good Fund collection located in Columbus, GA. We are extremely appreciative of their generosity in sharing this work with us.
Featured photographers: Alex Harris, Carolyn Drake, Celestia Morgan, Charles Moore, David Wharton, Don Norris, Jared Ragland, Jeff Rich, Lauren Henkin, RaMell Ross, Rosalind Fox Solomon, Ted Partin, William Christenberry, and Gordon Parks.
Alex Harris
Grand Marshal's Ball, Battle House Hotel, Mobile, Alabama
Carolyn Drake
Mildred Bryant. Birmingham, AL
Celestia Morgan
Pizza Hut
Charles Moore
Alabama Fire Department Aims High-Pressure Water Hoses at Civil Rights Demonstrators, Birmingham Protests
David Wharton
Moundville, Alabama
Don Norris
Newbern Presbyterian Church (1848), Newbern, Alabama
Jared Ragland
Sunshine turns soil in the Commons Community Workshop garden. Childersburg, Talladega County, Ala.
Lauren Henkin
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity
RaMell Ross
Dakesha and Marquise
Rosalind Fox Solomon
In the Sand Mountain, Sand Mountain, Alabama
Ted Partin
Mobile
William Christenberry
Grave with Egg Carton Cross, Hale County, Alabama
Curated by Will Jacks, Professor of Photography at Troy University.
People in Time and Places
May 5 - August 28, 2022
Reception: May 5, 5-7 p.m.
Larry Strickland presents a collection of watercolor, acrylic, and oil paintings revealing glimpses of places and people who form part of his life and have helped build the memories he holds close.
Strickland was born in Florala, Alabama in 1948. He attended Troy State University upon completion of high school and was drafted into the Army as an Illustrator during the Vietnam War. After the war, Strickland chose to further his career in art at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, where he graduated at the top of his class. He later returned to Troy State to complete his degree in 1984. Strickland has shown extensively throughout the United States in solo and group exhibitions. His works have been acquired by a long list of art patrons and private collectors throughout the world. He’s had work accepted for the American Watercolor Society Exhibit in New York and has been accepted for exhibition in various shows such as The Jean Lake Memorial Art Show, The Greater New Orleans International Art Exhibit, and The Kentuck Festival.
On the campus of Troy University, Strickland is known for his 9-foot-tall Trojan Warrior
sculpture, who soars above the academic quad on campus. The sculpture is made of bronze
and was finished in 2004, and is referred to as Hector by the Trojan community.
Senior Thesis: Spring 2022
April 27 - August 23, 2022
Reception: May 12, 5-7 p.m.
This senior thesis is showcasing Troy University's Art Department's graduating class of Spring 2022: Natalie Blocker, McKinzie Daniels, Alisa Detlefsen, Destiny Eady, Jazmyn Fletcher, Andrea Hammack, Olivia Kattos, Hannah Keiser, Collen Layton, Kyle Moore, Tate Moseley, Brandon Rice, Alex Suyak, and Abby Vigneulle.
Absolute Rest
January 20 - April 24
Reception: March 3, 5:30 - 7:30
In physics there is a concept referred to as absolute rest. The idea stems from Isaac
Newton and was challenged by Albert Einstein, both of whom sought to comprehend and
explain our existence. The basis is a consideration of whether anything or anyone
can ever truly be still. In order to understand one thing, we must have a counterpart
with which to compare. We define time as the interval between two events. For something
(or someone) to be in a state of absolute rest we need to either freeze time or freeze
all movements. This stasis can only exist when completely isolated from the world
as we know it.
In 2018 I began to question ideas related to presence. I searched for ways to visually
communicate the impact of direct connection. I was determined to do so utilizing traditional
photographic processes. Photography has a long history connected to man’s desire to
freeze – or “capture” - real moments via mechanical tools positioned some distance
from the subject. I’ve engaged in that activity as much as anyone who has chosen a
life-study of the medium. I wondered if I might be able to break away from my own
conditioned perceptions of images and image-making.
The work in this exhibit is born of that exploration. It is a reconsideration of entrenched
processes, but not a complete departure from them. Objects depicted only appear when
in direct contact with the paper. Developer and fixer are applied through brushes
and physical touch and often merge to create unique tonal blends. This way of making
results in portions of the image that will last for years while other sections are
changing each day until, eventually, they will disappear altogether. The print you
see today will not be the print you see in two months, two years, or two decades.
It is this predictable but uncontrollable impact of time and light and presence that
I seek to visualize and empower. In doing so, my hope is that I might learn to better
understand the gravity of each and the merging of disciplines oft-considered untethered
from one another. It is through the connection of things that we understand the uniqueness
of them. It is through the uniqueness of things that we experience fullness. And it
is through fullness that we avert stasis.
Artist Bio
Will Jacks is a process artist best known for his photographic work, but also incorporates explorations with land, objects, sound, video, and community engagement into his practice. His research examines the blurred areas between art and journalism, individual and collective, and the impact of each on the other.
Will’s first monograph documents the juke-joint Po’ Monkey’s Lounge which serves as a prism for examining cultural tourism and preservation and the complexities prevalent in both. It was published by University Press of Mississippi in October of 2019, and for this work Jacks was recognized by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for outstanding achievement in photography. In 2020 he completed an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the Maine College of Art, and in 2021 he competed his MA in Journalism from the University of Mississippi.
In addition, he works with other artists in creating the non-profit Jacks Farms Artist Residencies. He can often be found on rural backroads somewhere in the South exploring people, culture, history, geography, pattern, and the entanglement of where those worlds collide.
A Walk in the Forest
Art & Design Faculty show
February 18 - April 14
Reception: March 31, 6-8 p.m.
In this exhibit, we are pleased to display the creative endeavors of our talented faculty. On display in the exhibition are current works from the personal portfolios of Greg Skaggs, Sara Dismukes, Duane Paxson, Will Jacks, Chris Stagl, Beverly Leach, and Dr. Kelly Berwager.
Garden of Perseverance
December 9, 2021 - February 1, 2022
Reception: January 27, 2022, 5 - 7 p.m.
After researching food allocation and prisons, Anthropology, Sociology, & Criminology
Department Chair, Dr. Sharon Everhardt and Associate Chair/Graduate Coordinator, Dr.
Stephen Carmody created a partnership program with the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women
in Wetumpka, Alabama.
The TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program, started in January 2019, is an educational program
for female inmates run by Dr. Everhardt and Dr. Carmody, along with hands-on student
involvement. The program was created to teach inmates about horticulture and nutrition
through 15-week Fundamentals of Gardening Classes held every week, year-round.
Troy University offers a certificate of completion for those inmates who finish the
15-week classes. This program is a lifeline for the women at Tutwiler Prison. After
they join the program, a commitment is made to educate and support them. This commitment
continues after they are released. The goal is to make the women productive members
of society that never return to prison.
This semester the women who are part of the TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program also participated
in painting classes led by Art and Design Lecturer, Dr. Kelly Berwager with art materials
supplied by the IAC. This exhibit is result of those classes. The women painted images
from their gardens as well as images from their imaginations. The inmates’ artist
statements accompany each of their paintings.
Paintings are for sale ($50/painting). All proceeds go directly to the inmate artists. Please contact Sharon Everhardt at 419-902-1396 for more information on how to purchase.
Donations to the TROY-Tutwiler Garden Program can be made here.
Senior Thesis: Fall 2021
November 29, 2021 - January 20, 2022
Reception: December 9, 6 - 8 pm
This senior thesis is showcasing Troy University's Art Department's graduating class of Fall 2021: Kaijia Xu, Tori Carpenter, Carly Boyd, Madison Hollabaugh, Abigale Irwin, Ashley Jones, and Briana Hoefert.
Janet Nolan : Reimagining the Everyday
August 9, 2021 - January 9, 2022
Reception: November 18, 5:30-7:30 PM
Janet Nolan (1942 – 2019) explores the transformation and resurrection of everyday objects, which are most commonly tossed aside, in her exhibition “Reimagining the Everyday”. Unwanted debris, which once served a purpose, takes on a new life and role in this whimsical, colorful display. The theme of reviving consumer waste drives Nolan’s work and installations, encouraging viewers to examine their own consumerism and waste habits through her playful forms. Nolan’s work dances and grows on the walls, inhabiting the space and converting it into an immersive environment. Her art encourages and provides optimism in regards to recycling, reuse and reimagining the objects that we casually abandon on a daily basis. With a nod to patterns made by nature, the winding forms and various textures found in Nolan’s work rise above the identity of the individual materials, celebrating them as a whole on a symbolic level.
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Nolan earned degrees from Auburn University and Georgia
State University. She served as Visiting Artist at Troy University in 2003. Working
from her New York studio, Nolan converted the discarded objects of Manhattan’s streets
into mesmerizing artworks. Nolan’s artwork has been exhibited at galleries, universities
and museums across the nation. Troy University houses an extensive permanent collection
of Janet Nolan’s work, gifted by the artist, which can be found installed in various
buildings of TROY’s campuses.
Holism: Knowing One's Self | Brandon Rice
May 10 - December 8, 2021
Brandon Rice created this exhibition as introspection to the human experience- infatuated
by this experience and what it means to be a person, Brandon invites the viewer into
a world of self-reflection.
Through studying religions, looking into psychology, researching ancient societies, and looking at his own life, the compositions revealed themselves to Brandon. Through this series he lures the viewer into the composition by allowing them to investigate the smaller parts of the piece, which in turn allows the viewer to have an appreciation for the art and life as a whole.
"Individuals go throughout life thinking that their problems are only encountered by them, and that their struggles are uniquely theirs. This is somewhat true- one can look at religious parables and stories and realize the underlying questions and longings that all of humanity has asked since the beginning of thought. Ancient cultures were always an interest to me, but how those cultures expressed their ideologies through stories demanded even more interest. These stories attempted to answer monumental questions such as: Where do we come from? What is the meaning of life? How are people supposed to deal with psychological problems? Why do tragedies happen to individuals? Where do we go when we die? All these questions and their answers come from a deeply human origin. "Holism_Knowing One's self" is my attempt to show how these questions can be addressed to the betterment of your own human experience."
Instagram: Brandon_7423
Website: wemakegods.com (comic book anthology series about belief)
Hai Zhang: From 231 to Yangtze
October 4 - November 18
Hai Zhang: Call and Response
Our world offers moments - a never-ending flurry of magic and monotony - that call out to each of us. Hai Zhang’s photographs represent a purposeful response to those moments. Mr. Zhang’s camera is a means of sharing attentiveness. There is a curiosity in his images that reflect a desire to be hyper present and curious, regardless of how routine life may seem. In fact, the power in his work is reflected in his attentiveness to situations that many of us all too often discard as meaningless. The photograph casts meaning into and onto its subject. By sharing his attention, Hai Zhang is asking the viewer to consider what it means to pay attention. This becomes his call to us.
For the first half of the fall semester, students at Troy University have considered the work of Hai Zhang, explored the neighborhoods and landscape in and around this community, and crafted imagery in response to that call by Mr. Zhang. In turn, they, too, ask each of to give thought to what it means to engage in moments that are simultaneously local and worldly. Magic and mundane. Meaningful and meaningless. Call and response. This is the core of examination and consideration. As such, it is the core of creativity and creation, a foundation which exists in each of us, regardless of the place we call home.
Found in our Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, visitors can see the work of both Zhang and TROY students, in a photographic dialog, displayed side by side.
This project has been made possible by grants from Alabama State Council on the Arts.
The Art of The Story : The Year through a Troy Lens
August 9 - November 18
Reception: October 8th. 5:30-7:30 PM
There’s a certain art to curating news and telling the stories of people, places and
events. The way words flow together doesn’t make music, but there is harmony. Time
frozen in a news photographer’s image didn’t take brush strokes – but it did require
an artist’s eye. The collaboration that happens to produce compelling and salient
news by journalists who weave ethical decisions with gripping storytelling often goes
unrealized.
The “Art of the Story” offers a glimpse into the different techniques Troy’s student
journalists used to craft poignant coverage of some of the most important stories
of the past year – human rights issues, the pandemic, international relations and
entertainment.
As you move through the exhibit, you’ll experience part of the elemental design of
newspapers, which integrates the origination of written language and human nature
– we read left to right, so this exhibit will move you organically in that fashion.
We hope you enjoy the work of the Hall School of Journalism and Communication students
as you view this retrospective of the last year through the lens of Troy.
Written by Dr. Robbyn Taylor, journalism lecturer and Tropolitan student publication
adviser
(cover photograph by recent TROY Journalism student, Chris Wallace)
Stonehenge International
Photography Competition and Exhibit
August 9 - September 24, 2021
Exhibited in our Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, this international photography exhibition showcases some of the best work being done today in color, black-and-white, digitally altered, and alternative photographic processes. Sarah Kennel, curator of photography at Atlanta's High Museum, selected 67 images for the exhibit from 671 submitted photographs. Images came from 228 photographers representing 31 states and six countries outside of the United States.
The competition/exhibition began in 2018 by the "9," an informal group of Montgomery-area photographers working to showcase quality photography and increase public awareness of photography as an art form. In partnership with Montgomery's Society of Arts and Crafts (SAC's), the event has expanded dramatically, increasing interest from photographers in the U.S. and abroad.
This project has been made possible in part by Grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment on the Arts, a federal agency.
Spring 2021 Thesis Exhibition
May 5- July 16, 2021
The Department of Art and Design presents the Senior Thesis Exhibition featuring projects by the following students: Paul Wolfe, Jiaquin Guo, Aaron Wilson, Jordan Sides, Khalia Kennedy, JaBry Green, Madi Holmes, Hunter Gerard, Breanna McCray, Jacob Boyce, Dior Brown, John-Steven Carbone, Jeffrey Carlson, McKenzie Dailey, Kathryn Genetti, Hannah Hogan, Ashlen Jackson, Lamarquez Johnson.
Quarantine Walks | Micah Mermilliod
February 8 - July 7, 2021
"Since before mandatory curfews and stay at home orders were in place, I have always
enjoyed going on long walks throughout my neighborhood. I would use these walks not
just as a form of exercise, but also as a time of reflection. Now, in the time of
COVID-19 and quarantines, my daily walks have become a sort of escape to help fill
many of the voids which come with living in isolation. While on these walks I have
noticed changes in my surrounding community, both positive and negative, which are
directly related to the impact coronavirus has had on society. In these images I use
art to document these changes." - Micah Mermilliod
Born in 1990 in Biloxi, Mississippi and currently residing in Mobile, Alabama, Micah Mermilliod creates work which often incorporates elements of collage, both in the mediums used and the ideas at play. He is most interested in adaptive changes that humans make, especially in an environment that is rapidly changing due to catalysts such as technology, socio-economic status, and environmental change. Micah received his BFA in photography from the University of South Alabama in 2015 and is currently working towards his MFA in photography and printmaking.
Learn more at www.micahmermilliod.com
Paul Wolfe | Life and Experience
January 25 - May 10, 2021
Troy University Student - BFA Photography
The nature of my work stems from a passion for innovative art. Innovation can be channeled through using modern techniques to imitate old masters while also rejecting the subconscious. Food has always been a large part my life; my mother and grandmother have always been the ones that have cooked for family gatherings. Through their actions I see food as a tool to unite people. Preparing food was a knowledge that my grandmother passed down to my mother, and art was a gift they both shared and passed to me.
My love and struggle with food are repeating themes in my work. My smashed food series was inspired both by my love for food and my interest in Scanography. I was experimenting with new ways to create work and created my smashed food works, using a scanner as both my canvas and camera.
The meaning of my work took time for even me to understand. My grandmother passed away in April of 2019. After her passing, I found myself crushed and confused and I feel that this brought my work to life. Subconsciously, smashing the food represented the loss of my grandmother. Smashing the various foods changed them visually, like her passing changed me. The visually distorted foods is a symbol of my life and childhood, forever changed.
Follow the artist on www.paulphoto.com or Instagram
Southern Vision: A Look at Art in Montgomery
February 17 - April 16, 2021
Guest curated by Madison Faile, TROY BFA Alumni and Montgomery artist.
On view in the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, this exhibition features Montgomery artists: Nathaniel
Allen, Mark Dauber, Russell Everett, Elana Hagler, Catherine Ross-McLemore, Duane
Paxson, Sara Dismukes, George Taylor, John "Jake" Wagnon, and Clark Walker.
"This exhibition is a collection of work by artists from the river region of Montgomery, Alabama. Rooted in the representational tradition, these pieces show a distinct link to the past, as well as a contemporary outlook. This show is comprised of older and newer works all by professional working artists in Montgomery. As you process through the gallery, I want you to experience the breath of local history, as well as the strength of material, and a vision deeply rooted in the River Region soil."
- Madison Faile, Guest Curator
Duane Paxson | Mors Eloquentiae
August 9, 2020 - February 2, 2021
In 1986 during an interview on Crossfire, Frank Zappa defended the right of musicians to publish pornographic lyrics, reiterating the phrase “it’s only words.” Zappa maintained thereby that words have neither meaning nor influence, be it positive or negative. He further stated that politicians should no longer be subtle but rather blunt, even coarse in their discourse. He finally predicted that America was headed toward Fascism: Zappa “zapped” it. Fast forward to the presidential campaign of 2016, in which “trash” talk became the norm, and many began to fear the nation’s slip from democratic ideals.
Crafted of intricately welded steel, the works bear a dual significance. They are both megaphones, as though blaring empty words, and at the same time baby bottles, dispensing propaganda like liquids to be “sucked up” by innocent and unsuspecting citizens. The installation decries the current debasement of language in contemporary culture, but particularly in the political arena. I therefore title my work Mors Eloquentiae, Latin for the death of eloquence.
Faces of Vietnam
Contemporary Works from the Collection of Stephen Humphreys
October 23, 2020 - January 24, 2021
The Vietnamese believe that the face tells everything about the life and character of the person...they do not pay much attention to what you say but rather look at what you do and how you look. Same for the hands…face and hands tell all. - Stephen Humphreys
Faces of Vietnam is a collection curated by Stephen Humphreys, an attorney based in Athens, Georgia. His travels through Vietnam allowed him to accumulate an array of artwork primarily rising from the post-Đổi Mới (Reform) era of the 90s. This artwork emerged as Vietnam was struggling to reconstruct after decades of war. Emotions surged high among the population and art became a mechanism to express freely without constraints.
Featured in this exhibition are traditional Vietnamese woodblock prints, gouache on
Do paper and mosquito netting, and lacquer works inlaid with eggshell, sand, even
human hair, providing the experience of uniquely Vietnamese art forms. Themes range
in content from the minority tribeswomen of the remote highlands, to the scene of
the bombing of the Long Bien Bridge across the Red River to Hanoi.
The featured artists incorporate the traditional, while pushing the limits with a
modern stroke, all while paying respect to their rich historical and cultural background.
Morgan Creech | Oceanic Contrast
August 1 - December 12, 2020
“Photography is a passion of mine for its ability to capture a moment within space and time which forces the viewer to give everyday objects the reverence they deserve. Mediums allow an artist to express themselves in multiple ways; however, none have drawn me to their expressiveness as much as photography. Over my college career, I have been taught multitudes of photography techniques, but film photography will always hold a sacred spot within my being. The ocean has always represented an ambiance of serenity to me, with the sacred aspect of film photography, it creates an environmental sanctuary for the mind. This sanctuary has always helped me through tough times in tribulations of family, school, friendships, and anything life tries to throw my way.” -Morgan Creech
Morgan is a southern born and raised artist and currently resides in Troy, Alabama. She will graduate in December of 2020 from Troy University with a Bachelor of Science degree in graphic design and a minor in photography. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in graphic design while continuing passion projects in photography.
Jahni | Notations of a Native Son
February 17 - October 11, 2020
John “Jahni” Moore is a southern-born artist who often uses figuration to navigate
the dark/obscure spaces of humanity. His work explores those spaces with the intention
to serve as a path to identity through self-awareness and social positioning. His
process emerges as paintings, drawings, assemblage, writing, and installation.
Jahni received his Bachelor of Science in Art, and Master in Art Education from Alabama
A&M University. He earned his Master of Fine Arts at The Art Institute of Chicago.
He currently resides in Huntsville, where he creates art and works as an instructor
at Lee High Art Magnet School. His experience in arts education encompasses fifteen
years among a variety of age groups, including primary schools, as well as Alabama
A&M University and Oakwood University, Huntsville. He has been nominated twice to
serve as an American Ambassador of Art to Colombia, South America, where he created
murals, conducted lectures and gave presentations which focused on using art as a
tool for social change, addressing the issue of violence and social justice.
Exhibitions that have featured Jahni’s work include: New Orleans African American
Museum; Lowe Mill Gallery, Huntsville; Sullivan Gallery, Chicago; Museum of Science
and Industry, Chicago; Heritage House Museum, Talladega; Rosa Parks Museum, Montgomery;
Alabama State Council on the Arts, Montgomery; Laxart, Los Angeles; Birmingham Civil
Rights Museum, Birmingham; Gallery of Contemporary Art, Antioquia, South America,
among others.
Chelsey Williams | The Emancipation of Black Women
March 2 - September 29, 2020
Chelsey is a native of Miami Florida and currently resides locally in Troy, Alabama. She works as a commissioned artist with aspirations to further grow her presence within the local art community and on social media. Chelsey is passionate about the message she is expressing in her body of work and looks forward to exhibitions in galleries across the nation.
“My time spent at Troy University has definitely paved the way and helped me grow as an artist. I’ve learned many techniques and discovered new materials that I wasn’t privy to before and I’m very thankful for my time spent with the University. My preferred technique is to just go with the flow! I have never been one to plan out or sketch out an idea in full detail. Once I am touched by a simple thought I just put in on paper or canvas then I build upon the idea while simultaneously working on it. Essentially most of my art is a “gut feeling”. I mostly enjoy painting and drawing; the materials can vary depending on the mood and muse fairy, the only constant is gold leaf (I love the stuff!)."
This group of work art reflects the freedom from mental slavery of self-beauty of one’s own image as a black woman. Throughout history a black woman's features were seen as undesirable and something to not be proud of. This collection of work pays homage to the beauty that is the black woman.
Carl Gombert | Radiant Geometry
February 21 - July 20, 2020
"I love pattern; I love decoration, and I love sparkle. These hand stamped works rely
on radial structure to explore complexity and pattern arising from the application
of simple rules. They explore rotation and repetition as formal strategies and the
patterns that emerge from the process. Taking the form of mandalas, they attempt to
balance opposites, relying equally on
dark and light and on positive and negative shapes. Although they appear highly planned,
the works result from a largely improvisational approach. Combinations of images are
not generally selected beforehand; rather the images begin in the center ad evolve
intuitively as they grow larger. In the little world, there is symmetry and balance
and order, but neither rhyme nor
reason. " –Carl Gombert
Carl Gombert was born in Brimfield, Ohio in 1959. He started taking painting lessons at the age of 14 with money he earned delivering newspapers. He completed a BFA in Drawing from the University of Akron and an MFA in Painting from Kent State University. He worked as a stagehand before earning a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Texas Tech University. He has exhibited in more than 250 exhibitions across the US and abroad. His work is in numerous museum, collegiate and private collections. Since 1993 has taught painting, drawing, and art history at Maryville College in Tennessee.
SPRING 2020 THESIS EXHIBITION
Visit the Virtual Gallery Here
Artists on display:
Abigail Phillips - The Color of Movement
Ashley Ballard - What’s Your Sin?
Briana Borders - GoldenRefined
Clarence Wilson - COLORED
Erin Baum - The Green Veil
Finnegan Nelson - Transgender Representation in Film
Jamie Caple - How Costume Design Reinforces Character Attributes Through Semiotics
Jasmine Lester - Bringing Awareness to the Risks of Cosmetic Surgery
Laura Bess Sullivan - The Untold Stories
Layton Stainbrook - HELP
Mary-Gates Allen - Weightless
Shamario Ross - Absent Father
Tinatei Tunyan - Posy: An app for artists
Willie Brown - LACK OF IMPORTANCE
Wyatt S. Judy - Addressing the Approach to Developing a Brand
Chenghao Li Watercolors
Chenghao Li is a lecturer at Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Watercolor Association of Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province, and a member of the Design Aesthetics Institute of Hebei Normal University of Science and Technology. He graduated from Qiqihar University in 2001. In 2006, he earned his Master degree from Leeds City University, in the United Kingdom, with a major in Contemporary Art Practice. In 2008 and 2014, he worked as a visiting scholar at the Confucius Institute at Troy University. He has been engaged in watercolor painting teaching and research for years.
From February 5 - 24, 2020, viewers can experience beautiful landscape watercolors of Tibetan countryside through the eyes of Chenghao and his journeys.
This exhibition is sponsored by Troy University's Confucius Institute. Questions can be directed to Austin Deal (334) 808-6544.
Senior Thesis Exhibition
December 2, 2019 - January 16, 2020
Artists on display:
Alexander McCurdy - Photography
Jamie Lotierzo - Graphic Degin
Kara Justice - 2D Studio
Chloe Lyle - Graphic Design
Annisty Thompson - Photography
Yifan Gu - Graphic Design
Madelyn Flanagan - Graphic Design
Larry Strickland: Sticks and Stones
November 7, 2019 - February 5, 2020
Larry Strickland was born in Florala, Alabama in 1948. He attended Troy State University upon completion of high school and was drafted into the Army as an Illustrator during the Vietnam War. After the war, Strickland chose to further his career in art at the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, where he graduated at the top of his class. He later returned to Troy State to complete his degree in 1984. Strickland has shown extensively throughout the United States in solo and group exhibitions. His works have been acquired by a long list of art patrons and private collectors throughout the world. He’s had work accepted for the American Watercolor Society Exhibit in New York and has been accepted for exhibition in various shows such as The Jean Lake Memorial Art Show, The Greater New Orleans International Art Exhibit, and The Kentuck Festival.
Strickland sculpts primarily in weathered wood, using bone, copper, shell, deer horn and precious metals as symbolic accents. He’s also well-known for his whimsical cityscape paintings which focus on the old architecture of Southeastern cities. Strickland is also an artist of the written word, writing poetry that at times is inspired by his sculptures.
On the campus of Troy University, Strickland is known for his 9-foot-tall bronze Trojan Warrior sculpture which soars about the Academic Quad on campus, which was finished in 2004.
Strickland can be found working at his workshop, surrounded by driftwood and outdoor in-process sculptures, or in the Strickland Gallery in downtown Florala, where one can purchase or admire his art.
About Sticks and Stones
Driftwood, heart pine, bones and stones – what once was discarded by nature, a product of her elements and testament of power, is brought back to life by Larry Strickland through the form of sculpture.
Sticks and Stones features a collection of sculptures which are composed of materials Strickland has encountered in nature. His artistic vision co-exists with the ravages nature has dealt the materials, celebrating the materials’ motion and imperfection and incorporating them into the sculpture’s design. Strickland sees in each durable, dead piece of wood the representation of life’s cycle – birth, death, re-birth: it lives, dies, and is re-born in the vision of the artist.
Among Strickland’s many subjects one can find a larger than life horse, a Trojan and numerous angels in this exhibition. Also accompanying Strickland’s artwork is a series of poetry, which will be intertwined with the individual sculptures.
Mike Howard: Pivotal Moments in Alabama History
August 12 - October 20, 2019
Howard, born in 1944, grew up across the street from the local gambling and juke joints in Phenix City. He witnessed some of the most influential moments over the course of the Civil Rights Era during the 1950s and 1960s. This significant time of change in Alabama and America’s history involved a struggle against corruption, violence, and resulted in many deaths during the fight for racial equality.
The impact of growing up in a politically corrupted town that was reformed, while also witnessing significant civil rights strides, would later provide powerful subject matter for Howard’s art. His work lends itself to educating and reminding all viewers of the impact of these three events. It gives an opportunity for viewers to reflect on our continued battle today through the fight for equality of people of color, women, LGBQT, other minorities and disabled. Howard’s Phenix City series, Rosa Parks and Selma artworks serve as a reminder of pivotal moments that have helped us develop as a state and a country. They are reminders that depict lessons that are still relevant in today's social climate.
Endorsed and supported by the Alabama Bicentennial Commission.
Cultivating Conversations in Photography
June 3 - July 26, 2019
This exhibition celebrates the collaborative efforts of Montgomery photographer Elmore DeMott with Troy University's Advanced Photography Course.
Alabama Art Inside Out
November 9, 2017 - November 9, 2018
A Joyous Exchange
April 30 - July 29, 2018
The Art of Art Bacon
February 12 - April 23, 2018
