A new lecture series at the University of Alabama at Birmingham this fall will feature guest speakers focused on top quality and custom paint products for artists, and creative professionals in the business world.
The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History will present the free Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lecture Series. The first two speakers, Art Graham of M. Graham Artist Colors on Thursday, Sept. 17, and Mark Golden of Golden Artist Colors on Thursday, Oct. 8, will be presented in collaboration with Forstall Art Supply in celebration of the center’s 25th anniversary.
The third event on Monday, Nov. 2, will feature panelists Merrilee Challiss, visual artist, former owner of the Bottletree Cafe and UAB alumna; Elizabeth Hughey, author, co-founder of Desert Island Supply Co. and a UAB writing instructor; and Taylor Robinson, writer/director at Sixfootfive Productions and co-founder of Arc Stories. WBHM News Director Rachel Lindley will moderate the panel. All three events in the series will take place in the Hess Family Lecture Hall at the CAS Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, 1221 10th Ave. South. Visit the UAB Department of Art and Art History at www.uab.edu/art.
Thursday, Sept. 17
UAB Creativity/Innovation/Entrepreneurship Lecture Series: Art Graham of M. Graham Artist Colors, 6 p.m. in the UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts Hess Family Lecture Hall, 1221 10th Ave. South. Sponsored by the UAB Department of Art and Art History and Forstall Art Supply. Graham is an artist and color chemist who has been making artists’ color for more than 40 years. Longtime colorist and chemist for Grumbacher, Graham started his own paint company 22 years ago. All M. Graham paints are made in small batches in Portland, Oregon, and the company remains one of the few artist-quality paint manufacturers in the United States. With one foot in the business world and one in the art world, Graham is tasked with preserving the traditions of the past while forging ahead with innovative processes and products for today’s artists. Graham will explain the importance of eco-friendly business practices, as well as the quality and composition of artists’ color — specifically the ingredients, types of processing and nature of pigments. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the UAB Department of Art and Art History at www.uab.edu/art.
Thursday, Oct. 8
UAB Creativity/Innovation/Entrepreneurship Lecture Series: Mark Golden of Golden Artist Colors, 6 p.m. in the UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts Hess Family Lecture Hall, 1221 10th Ave. South. Sponsored by the UAB Department of Art and Art History and Forstall Art Supply. Golden, CEO and co-founder of Golden Artist Colors, began his company in 1980 inside a cow barn at his parents’ retirement home in rural Columbus, New York. Originally making and delivering custom products for artists in Manhattan, Golden Artist Colors continues to craft custom paints with a team of more than 200 employee owners in a 100,000-square-foot facility and sells its products worldwide. Golden Artist Colors’ legacy began with Mark’s great uncle, Leonard Bocour, and his father, Sam Golden, in their Lower Manhattan shop in 1936. They created a business that was more than just making paint for artists; they were making paint with artists. Many of their creations contributed to artists’ efforts to explore new ways of using paint, a theme that has been sustained with even greater resources by Golden Artist Colors. By simply saying “yes” to the requests of artists, Mark Golden and Golden Artist Colors have had the opportunity to work with some of the most notable artists from the last half of the 20th century and today’s contemporary masters. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the UAB Department of Art and Art History at www.uab.edu/art.
Monday, Nov. 2
UAB Creativity/Innovation/Entrepreneurship Lecture Series: Creative Professionalism Roundtable, 6 p.m., in the UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, Hess Family Lecture Hall, 1221 10th Ave. South. The UAB Department of Art and Art History, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, and Career and Professional Development Services present the Creative Professionalism Roundtable. Featured panelists are Merrilee Challiss, visual artist, former owner of the Bottletree Cafe and UAB alumna; Elizabeth Hughey, author, co-founder of Desert Island Supply Co. and a UAB creative writing instructor; and Taylor Robinson, writer/director at Sixfootfive Productions and co-founder of Arc Stories. WBHM News Director Rachel Lindley will moderate the panel. Each panelist will share thoughts on his or her creative practice and professional experience, followed by a moderated roundtable discussion. The discussion with focus on how young artists may balance a creative life within the business world and incorporate their individual artistic voice and vision in professional practice. This event is free and open to the public. Visit the UAB Department of Art and Art History at www.uab.edu/art.