Students Curate Exhibit about Identity at Paul R. Jones Gallery

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —Ten University of Alabama students studying African American and women’s studies have curated an exhibit about identity at the Paul R. Jones Gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The exhibit, titled “Perspectives: Individual Explorations of Identity through Image,” runs from May 5 to June 30 and showcases approximately 30 works by African American printmakers, photographers and painters.

A reception will be held Friday, May 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Both the exhibit and the reception are free and open to the public.

Each of the participating students are enrolled in graduate student Christopher Davenport’s image and identity course, and, in addition to selecting the works of art for their research projects, they have also written curatorial statements for each image.

The gallery honors the late Paul R. Jones who, during his lifetime, amassed one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world. The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at UA includes more than 2,100 works valued at $10.3 million. Jones donated the collection to UA in 2008.

The Paul R. Jones Gallery is at 2308 Sixth St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and the first Friday of every month from noon to 8 p.m.

The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes, Goldwater and Fulbright scholarships.