PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
“CELEBRATION & PRESERVATION” EXHIBIT WILL BE FEATURED IN MAY AT THE DINAH WASHINGTON CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
(Tuscaloosa, Ala.) “Celebration & Preservation” is an Alabama Bicentennial Commission Commemorative project celebrating two centuries of Alabama’s architectural history. Twenty-five pen-and-ink drawings of buildings from throughout the state have been created by Melissa B. Tubbs for a traveling exhibition that will be shown at six venues. The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa will host this exhibit May 4-25, 2018 at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center with an opening reception taking place in the gallery on First Friday, May 4, from 5-8 p.m.
Tubbs has created finely-detailed drawings of the buildings that have played a part in the state’s history. “The works of “Celebration & Preservation” are accurate and beautiful representations of structures that endure, which makes the exhibition a testimony to what has been preserved,” says Jay Lamar, Executive Director of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. “It is also a powerful statement about the value of preservation itself. “Celebration & Preservation” encourages viewers to see our architectural treasures with fresh appreciation. It will also inspire us to preserve them for the future.”
Tubbs has traveled the state photographing the buildings she selected to draw, as well as gathering their histories and facts for a 32-page catalog accompanying the exhibition. The drawings depict homes and businesses from 1820, one year after statehood, through 1997 with a project from the Rural Studio run by Auburn University. Pen and ink is a method of drawing with lines. Volume of objects and shadows are created using layers of lines know as hatching or cross-hatching. Pen-and-ink drawings encompass simple sketches to detailed, full blown drawings such as the images in the exhibition.
Melissa B. Tubbs has been a pen-and-ink artist for 26 years. Her work has been shown internationally and has received many awards. Tubbs created drawings for use on two of Strathmore Artist Papers drawing pad covers. She considers herself a preservationist with pen and paper. Her favorite proverb sheds light on her mission: “The wise man preserves that which he values and celebrates that which he preserves.”
Gallery Hours are weekdays from 9 a.m.-noon and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center is located at 620 Greensboro Avenue in Downtown Tuscaloosa. For more information about the CAC, The Arts Council or Bama Theatre, patrons should LIKE the Facebook page “The Arts Council – Bama Theatre – Cultural Arts Center” and follow tuscarts on Twitter. Call 205-758-5195 or visit tuscarts.org for further information.
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