Art, History,
and Culture
at the Capitol

The exhibit entitled “To Teach: Works by College and University Art Faculty” also displayed work by Gay Burke (U of A), Steve Cole (Birmingham Southern), and Zdenko Krtic (Auburn). The diverse pieces in this exhibit were unified by a theme of nature and humanity.

The sculptures, paintings and photography that make up this exhibit were fascinating to Mr. Whisenhunt's Art History class. Our visit to the Alabama Artists Gallery, in the AmSouth Building, was an exercise in viewing and analyzing modern, local artists’ work.

The favorites of many were the sculptures of Birmingham- Southern’s Steve Cole. His large wooden “emergency kits” were humorous pieces with titles like “Emergency Gambling Kit," which was a slot machine displaying lotto cards and embedded with die. To the left, you will see four of his smaller emergency boxes.

Several other pieces, including Mr. Whisenhunt’s sculptures, also intrigued the students. Mr. Whisenhunt explained the process and message behind his fish sculptures, which contained trash pulled from the Cahaba River.

A native of Croatia, Zdenko Krtic is a professor at Auburn and a talented painter. His large paintings displayed creative images of turtle shells and broken records.

The culmination of the our day in Montgomery was the highlight of the trip. We enjoyed an enthusistic oral rendition of Alabama’s history and a guided tour of our (fifth) state capital.

We proceeded to the Supreme Court where the guide allowed us to sit at the bench in the Justices' chairs.