Painting @ UAB: The Students of Gary Chapman Exhibit to Kick Off Sunday, November 15

Gary Chapman has mentored and taught hundreds of students over 26 years as an art professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Some of his art students’ best work will be featured for the first time in an exhibit at the Birmingham Public Library. The special exhibit, Painting @ UAB: The Students of Gary Chapman, debuts in the Fourth Floor Gallery of the Central Library on November 15 and runs through December 31.

The public is invited to meet the artists at an opening reception on Sunday, November 15, from 2:30 until 5:00 p.m., in the Central Library’s Boardroom adjacent to the gallery. The reception is free of charge.

This exhibit will highlight the diverse work being created at UAB in the Painting Studio, under the guidance of Chapman. Chapman said the exhibit includes the work of 11 students, some current juniors and seniors, as well as past graduates who have moved on to professional careers.

While Chapman teaches a highly structured, somewhat traditional beginning painting class, he also works with each student individually through the intermediate and advanced levels, guiding each student’s individual research, exploration, and experimentation. The result is a dynamic group of young painters who have each found and developed their unique vision through paint.

“As a teacher, I allow students to find their own style and not try to emulate others,” Chapman said. “I believe each young artist must discover their own inner artist voice and allow it to reflect in their work.”