January 5–30, 2017
James Rodger Alexander and Pamela Venz
The artwork of husband and wife duo James Rodger Alexander and Pamela Ann Venz will be on display from Thursday, Jan. 5, to Monday, Jan. 30, at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, Jan.12 from 4-6pm.
Alexander teaches sculpture at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and he will display four of his works consisting largely of steel, wood, and marble. In contrast, Venz, who also has a background in three-dimensional art and photography, will display 11 photographs. She has been teaching photography at Birmingham-Southern College since 1986.
The exhibit, titled “A Shared Individuality,” explores how the couple’s 32 years of shared experiences have been individually interpreted through their artwork. According to the exhibit’s abstract, the variation of their artistic responses is magnified by a 15-year difference in their ages, making each a reflection of their own generation.
Alexander was born and raised in Bedford, Ohio, and he received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in architecture from Cornell University. He also received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Louisiana State University. According to his artist’s statement, both his large and small sculptures focus on the resolution of conflict between opposing forces.
Venz was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and she received a bachelor’s degree in sculpture and photography from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1983. In 1985, she then received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Ohio State University. Following her education, Venz worked at Birmingham-Southern College, and in 1998 she created the college’s first concentration in photography.