PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
The Arts Council
Contact: Kevin Ledgewood
pr@tuscarts.org
205-758-5195, x6
FOUR ARTISTS FEATURED IN ROCK & ROLL EXHIBIT
AT THE BAMA THEATRE
(Tuscaloosa) Work by artists Linda Bell, Jeff Bertrand, Tony Bratina and Tony Brock will be featured in the gallery spaces at the Bama Theatre during the month of June. Titled “B Side: Rock & Roll Art Show,” the exhibit will be on display from June 7 – July 5, 2013 with a public reception on Friday, June 7 from 6 – 9 p.m.
Media represented in the exhibit include textile, oil, acrylic and digital. The exhibit is presented by The Arts Council of Tuscaloosa.
Originally from Birmingham, Linda Bell now resides in Tuscaloosa. A graduate of The University of Alabama with an emphasis on art history, she began exhibiting her work in 2008 and has consistently shown both textiles and digital imagery since then. Today she works under the name of Elles Beles where you may find her art on Facebook. Her textile pieces are storytelling displays of fabric, usually based upon fairytales. She began with the Brothers Grimm story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses that has always been a personal favorite, and a strong source of creativity. Her narratives include stories such as the Real Princess, Rapunzel, The Wild Swans, and Cinderella. With the “B Side” exhibit, she has expanded her subject matter to include the myth and legend surrounding the icons of Rock music.
A Scholastic American Vision Award winner at age 17, Jeff Bertrand has long been showcasing an unusual talent for his age. A mostly ‘self-taught’ artist, Bertrand was born and raised in Nashville, TN and immersed himself in the music culture of the city as well as the outsider art, graffiti and tattoo culture that also abounds. The art that won him the American Vision Award was displayed in the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, D.C. and was purchased by Scholastic for their permanent collection. From galleries in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Louisville, KY and Charlotte to any and every space that will let him hang something on the wall in Nashville, TN, he is a recognized figure in the outsider or lowbrow art world. He has also participated in numerous art festivals around the country, including Big Crafty in Asheville, NC and MuddyRoots Music Festival in Cookeville, TN.
Tony Bratina received his bachelor’s degree in art studio from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Since then, he has worked as a graphic artist and illustrator for The Tuscaloosa News and various magazines where he won numerous awards for his visuals. While mostly known for his slick-graphic styles that run in the paper, his “real” art tends to be more expressive and loosely painted with a darker tone. In this exhibit, he will showcase both, mixing the slick with more expressive paint strokes and marks. “I’m excited about the chance to take on a subject like rock ‘n roll,” said Bratina. “Music is a huge part of what I create visually every day. The two mediums are really quite similar, and if they are done right, they can take an audience on a journey, provoke thought or tap into those deep emotions hidden in the mind.” Bratina will not focus on the musicians themselves, instead referencing a few of their works that he deems as most influential.
Tuscaloosa’s Tony Brock is a visual artist who specializes in painting pop-culture themed images with a retro nostalgic feel. His medium of choice is acrylics, painted on stretched canvas, plywood and other items like the occasional cabinet door. His subject matter is broad, ranging from paintings of zombie bowlers and roller derby girls to song-inspired work like a painted interpretation of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.” His work was well received when it was showcased in his first month-long one-man show at The Arts Council’s Bama Theatre in 2010. Since then, he has participated in several art shows and festivals in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas. He is employed in Tuscaloosa as an art director and enjoys free time with his wife Tina, son Matthew, dog Shilo and cat Milhouse. He is also deeply addicted to sweet tea.
The Bama Theatre is located at 600 Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 12 noon and 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Galleries are also open during Bama Theatre events. Enter the galleries through The Arts Council offices, located on the second floor of the PARA Building, during daytime hours.
For more information about 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.
###