Tuscaloosa exhibit features Judson art students

An exhibit featuring the work of eight Judson College art students is on display at the Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Court until March 15.

The exhibition, I’m Feeling Lucky, includes work in watercolor, charcoal, printmaking, photography, painting, and digital art.

Jamie Adams, head of the Judson College Art Department, explains that the title for the show is inspired by Google’s oldest, “quirkiest” feature: the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. Introduced in the late 1990s to Google’s search page, the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button bypasses the search results page and takes a user directly to the top-ranked page for the entered search phrase. Says Adams, “It was kind of a provocation on the part of Google, as it said ‘you can trust my results.’ Sergey Brin (one of Google’s co-founders) wanted the Google homepage to be playful and young; that’s why it looks sparse and unfinished. In much the same way, the work in the exhibition appears young, unfinished, and incredibly quirky, but you can definitely trust that the quality of the work coming out of the Judson Art Department is exceptional.”

The exhibit was organized by Tuscaloosa artist Lorrie Lane, who had the idea for exhibiting work in that space as she frequented the Juvenile Court during an adoption process. Lane said she felt that the space could provide visual arts access for a community of people who, as a result of decreased arts funding in the area, have limited opportunities to experience the visual arts. Adams expressed his excitement that his students are “continuing to do such exceptional work and that the quality of that work is being recognized and exhibited throughout both the Black Belt and West Alabama.”

Exhibiting artists are:Madi Carlson of Summerdale, Jewellynn Davis of Valley, Xandria Keylor of Toney, Samantha Queijsen of Monroeville, Destany Sherman of Decatur, Chasely Matmanivong and Lisa Mercedes Avalos of Montgomery, and Nicole Stewart of Saltillo, Miss.

The exhibition is free and open to the public at the Tuscaloosa County Juvenile Court Gallery, 6001 12th Ave E, Tuscaloosa, AL 35405.

Featured image: A typography project by Samantha Queijsen, Monroeville, Ala. For a selection of other images appearing in the exhibit, visit http://flic.kr/s/aHskSKm9xJ​.

 

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