BSC faculty members present recent works of art

For Immediate Release
Feb. 9, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Steve Cole and Jim Neel ’71, two longtime Birmingham-Southern faculty members in the college’s Department of Art and Art History, will present their recent artwork in a show at the Durbin Gallery this month.

Panem et Circenses, Latin for “Bread and Circuses,” is an exhibition of sculptures, prints, and digital drawings adressing the politics of retaining power. It will be on display Feb. 9-22.

In their exhibition, the artists examine contemporary sociopolitical norms by playing with ideas around truth and reality.

“At a time when our culture argues about the definition of facts, is inundated by fake news, and has, at the hands of the unscrupulous, been manipulated and divided into camps along religious and philosophical lines not seen since the American Civil War and rise of the Third Reich, we add to the disorder by creating our own fictions—our own ‘truthiness,’” said Neel.

An opening reception honoring the artists will be held Friday, Feb. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the gallery, with refreshments available. Normal gallery hours are weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The reception and exhibition are open to the public and free of charge.

Cole, a professor of art, joined the faculty in 1986. His part of the exhibition will feature digital drawings and collages with animation by BSC senior BFA major Cheyene Dawson. Cole earned his bachelor’s and master’s in art education from Ball State University and his MFA in studio art from Florida State University. He specializes in drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media. He has exhibited works, participated in juried competitions and guest lectured across the Southeast for more than two decades.

Neel, professor of art, came to the college in 2002. He will show two and three dimensional works from a series entitled “Our Future Winter.” Neel received a BFA in sculpture from BSC and an MFA from the University of Alabama. He completed his second residency at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wis., in 2016, where he produced a second body of figurative porcelain works exhibited on campus and at the Huntsville Museum of Art. Neel has been the recipient of the Southeastern College Art Conference Artist’s Fellowship and the Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship. Exhibitions of his artwork have been produced for regional museums as well as national academic galleries. His photographs have appeared in numerous newspapers, magazines, and publications.

BSC’s gallery is located in the Doris Wainwright Kennedy Art Center/Azar Art Studios.

About Birmingham-Southern College:
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,300 students from more than 30 states and 8 foreign countries. Learn more online at www.bsc.edu.