When the new Bedsole Building was being planned, art instructor Orren Kickliter glimpsed an opportunity to include an art space that would give students a window to the world.
“The idea was to exhibit artists who have something in common with the kinds of things going on in our curriculum,” says Kickliter. “It’s much more than just an art gallery – it’s really an academic exhibition space.” But perhaps the most unique aspect of the gallery is the fact that it can accommodate electronic media. LCD displays and digital projectors can be located throughout the gallery, making it possible to exhibit art or academic research from anywhere in the world.
Already exhibiting its third show, Anagama Clayworks, the space has enjoyed excellent coverage in the Mobile Press-Register newspaper as well as a good amount of traffic. “I’m pleased with how this year has gone,” says Kickliter. “We tried to vary the content of the shows and I’m excited about the last show of the year, which will showcase student work.”
‘The Veil Series’
The first show, “The Veil Series,” featured the works of noted New Orleans artist Jacqueline Bishop, who also lectured students about her work and its focus on man’s impact on the environment.
“For the last twenty years I’ve focused on painting intimate ecosystems combined with psychological and political elements regarding the natural world, influenced by years of traveling through Third World countries and Latin America, particularly the Brazilian Amazon,” she says. “I’m interested in the intimate and hidden connections between the human and nonhuman and the influences of nonhuman characteristics on humans, for example bird nests.”
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