March 26, 2009

Work by Jessica Dunn. Download image.

• Works on show at Java & Jams

• Project reflects economic, recycling trends

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. - Art students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have given new life to castoff works of art as part of a classroom project led by Professor of Art Gary Chapman, M.F.A.

All 22 advanced and intermediate students of painting in the UAB Department of Art and Art History scoured area thrift stores recently for paintings that they then re-imagined and reworked to create new works of art. Two students created two paintings, and Chapman also contributed a piece to the project. The resulting 25 works of art are hilarious, irreverent and even tacky, but great fun, Chapman said.

"Art students are constantly being challenged to develop their own vision. At the same time they are bombarded in our visual culture with clichés and examples of what not to do. For some, this assignment afforded the opportunity to strike out at bad art. I think this explains why the majority of us responded to the work with a dark sense of humor. For others it was a chance to salvage a once precious image and to modernize and personalize it at the same time," Chapman said.

The entire body of works will be on show March 27-April 2 at Java & Jams Coffee and Music, 321 20th St. N., Birmingham. A reception opens the show 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 27. For more information call Java & Jams at 205-321-5282.