The big, bold voice of the French horn inspired Matthew Meadows. Now his passion for mastering the instrument has brought him recognition in international competition. When he was in seventh grade in Jasper, Meadows saw an opportunity for a bargain in his school band. He came away with much more -- a life-defining and award-winning passion for playing the French horn. Matthew Meadows performs during a duet with French horn and piano at the International Horn Competition of America. "I actually started on trumpet, and then after the Christmas concert of my seventh- grade year, my teacher asked if anyone wanted to try the French horn," Meadows said. "I decided to try it because it looked cool, and the school owned one so I wouldn't have to rent an instrument. And I fell in love with it." Meadows, now a UA first-year graduate student, won second prize in the university division of the International Horn Competition of America in September in Fort Collins, Colorado. He rose above more than 100 other musicians competing at his level to make the final four. And he did it playing an instrument whose sound inspires him.

Apparel design students at The University of Alabama's College of Human Environmental Sciences let their imaginations run wild for a special fashion show that celebrated Earth Week. Tasked with upcycling finds from thrift stores, family attics and a few unconventional sources, designers created a array of clothing for the annual Tee Time Fashion Show on April 16.

The University of Alabama's Contemporary Ensemble presented an evening of music composed by students. "Composers Present" was performed April 12 in the concert hall of the Moody Music Building,

The University of Alabama department of art and art history presents "Earthworks," the master of fine arts thesis exhibition of Patrick Hoban, April 16-30, at Harrison Galleries, 2315 University Blvd. in Tuscaloosa. The public is invited to a reception for the artist Friday, April 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. Hoban expresses the relationship between the fragility of humans and nature through art work that suggests force, separation and compression of materials. He works in ceramic and incorporates found objects in his art. "The moment when a plant breaks the surface of concrete and continues to grow is a forceful moment with which I relate," he said. "Being rooted in Philadelphia exposed me to the extremes of the natural world and how they interact with the spaces of an inner city. Childhood spent on beaches and by rivers, observing, experiencing, collecting and documenting the extreme forces of nature has allowed me to connect my personal struggles to those of nature. There will always be barriers to deal with, but much like nature, I must find a way to survive." Hoban is a graduate student in ceramics with an assistantship teaching ceramics and 3D design. He received the BFA in sculpture from Pennsylvania State University. Hoban's cast bronze sculpture of a jon boat is part of the Literary Capital Bronze Sculpture Trail commissioned by Monroeville, Ala., to be unveiled April 26 His work has appeared in the Tuscaloosa Monster Takeover project, the Alabama Clay Conference, and was selected for the Waterloo Arts 2018 Juried Exhibition in Cleveland, Ohio. His public art proposal for a sculptural bike rack to be installed near Government Plaza, was accepted by the city of Tuscaloosa. He was juried into the 19th Annual National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition in Kansas City, Mo. Hoban was the recipient of a full scholarship to ceramic summer class at Penn Valley School with the renowned artist, Chris Staley, and a recipient of the Emerging Artist Award at Malvern Preparatory School.

The University of Alabama's department of art and art history presents a group exhibition by four BFA candidates: Samantha Joslin, Jonathan Lanier, Caroline Rothschild and Dana Tokarzewski. The quartet will display their work April 16-23 in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery on UA campus. A reception for the artists will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the gallery. The BFA is the professional degree for artists with a focused program of study in visual art. These students have completed intensive research in a primary and secondary concentration in art. Lanier's concentrations are in sculpture and ceramics. Since 2016, he has won several scholarship awards including the Farley Moody Galbraith Scholarship, Windgate Charitable Fund - Studio Arts, and the Paul R. Jones Endowed Scholarship. Lanier will also hold a solo exhibition of his work at Harrison Galleries in Tuscaloosa in May. Joslin's concentrations are in ceramics and sculpture. Her current body of work has come out of studio research that focuses on the exploration of forms, surfaces and interactions among different media. Joslin has won numerous scholarships and awards, including a UA Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity grant in spring 2019. She will exhibit her sculpture in a solo exhibition at Harrison Galleries in April. Joslin plans to continue her studies in a post-baccalaureate program that combines her ceramics and sculpture work. Rothschild's concentrations are in drawing and painting. Tokarzewski's concentrations are in digital media and photography. This group of BFA majors have approached their work from diverse viewpoints - from a focus on abstract form, to creating work that expresses the tensions of the outer world and nature, embodied in the inner conflicts common to all humans. The artists employ a variety of media to carry these ideas into physical form, using cast bronze, digital media, clay, wood, foam, paint, graphite, and photography.

The University of Alabama's department of art and art history is presenting the BFA solo exhibition of Samantha Joslin titled "Matter of Normalcy." The exhibition will be April 5-15 at Harrison Galleries in downtown Tuscaloosa. A reception for the artist will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 5, in the gallery. Samantha Joslin's BFA concentrations are in ceramics and sculpture. Her current body of work has come out of studio research that focuses on the exploration of forms, surfaces and interactions among different media. "These interactions are reflective of life in its most intimate moments and conditions," she said. "My current body of work centers on pieces which imitate experience in life and the human form, thus speaking of the relationships between ourselves, the world around us, and its interpretations through emotion. I am interested in illustrating the human condition in a way which is simultaneously familiar yet peculiar and understandable yet puzzling. The balancing of such physical and conceptual contrasts leads to an investigation of visual formlessness, which obscures categorization. I want to expand upon this notion of blurring identity as it connotatively relates to social circumstances and interactions, and how visual factors like contrast, scale, visual speed and interactions of materials can subtly reflect these themes." Joslin was a UA Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity grant recipient in the spring of 2019 and a Windgate Fellowship nominee in 2019. She received the Carolyn Haddon "Julie" Matthews Memorial Endowed Scholarship, the Farley Mood Galbraith Annual Scholarship and the Paul R. Jones Endowed Scholarship. She was a student employee in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery and was awarded UA work-study grants in sculpture and ceramics. In 2018, Joslin was awarded a paid internship under Tuscaloosa sculptor Lee Busby. She has been awarded tuition grants to participate in 'Sculpture: Clay, Wood, and Steel' by Trey Hill, Anderson Ranch Workshop, Snowmass Village, Colo. and has served as a volunteer demonstrator in clay for the Arts Renaissance in Tuscaloosa Schools at Matthews Elementary School. She was also a member of Crimson Clay Club, serving as treasurer. After her graduation in May, Joslin hopes to undertake a post-baccalaureate program. "I am planning to focus mainly on ceramics while still incorporating sculptural elements and other materials." This exhibition is part of the bachelor of fine arts degree program in the department of art and art history at UA. For more information about all our programs, visit this link: https://art.ua.edu/academics/. Harrison Galleries LLC is at 2315 University Blvd. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m., by appointment, and First Fridays of the month, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information call (205) 464-0054 or visit the website: http://www.firstfridaytuscaloosa.com/art-galleries/harrison-galleries-llc.

Each spring, a group of UA theatre students flies to New York to participate in a showcase known informally as Bama on Broadway. The showcase is designed to highlight students' skill as they perform for an audience that includes Broadway talent agents and often ends with performers signing contracts or being called back for auditions. Students prepare for the showcase by enrolling in a one-hour course designed to ready them for the one-shot performance. In the course, which is offered the preceding fall semester, students work together to find, choose and rehearse material that emphasizes each student's individual strengths.

The Alabama Trumpet Studio traveled to Atlanta in January to participate in the 2019 Trumpet Festival of the Southeast, an annual regional musical conference dedicated to teaching and performance of the trumpet. UA's trumpet octet has been selected to perform the piece the group presented at the festival live at the National Trumpet Competition in Lexington, Kentucky in March 2019. The 2019 festival was held at Kennesaw State University. The Alabama trumpet ensemble performed under the direction of UA trumpet professor Dr. Eric Yates. The group presented two transcriptions of well-known works arranged for trumpet ensemble by members of the Alabama studio: Zachary Richardson, a sophomore performance major; and Justin Langham, a UA School of Music alumnus and professional trumpeter and composer-arranger working in the Houston area.

Ten UA students' fashion designs hit the runway recently as part of Fashion for Life, the College of Human Environmental Sciences' annual fashion show that raises money for a selected charity.

The Capstone Horn Quartet, also known as Tater and the Tots, has become the first University of Alabama horn quartet to win the International Horn Society Summer Symposium Student Amateur Quartet Competition, which was held earlier at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The members of the quartet are Matthew "Tater" Meadows, a 23-year-old senior music education major, of Jasper; Antonio Padilla, 21-year-old senior music education major, of Meridian, Mississippi; Anthony Parrish, 22-year-old senior music education major, of Kimberly; and Charlie Snead, a 21-year-old senior music performance major, of Northport. "We have some great folks doing some great things," said Charles "Skip" Snead, director and horn professor in UA's School of Music. "This is the first time we've had a quartet win the international competition. "I'm incredibly proud of them. They put in a lot of hard work, many hours of preparation. They all play individually very well, but when they get together it's a really great combination." Skip Snead, whose son is Charlie Snead, said Tater and the Tots competed against some of the best student horn players from throughout the U.S. and the world. In the final competition, they competed against five quartets in a concert for a live audience and a panel of five judges. Declared the winners, Tater and the Tots were selected to give an additional performance on the final day of the workshop in a special concert where all the competition winners performed. Meadows, who picked up the nickname Tater in high school, said competing in the competition, let alone winning it, was a leap of faith for them. "We put a lot of preparation into it," he said. "We made the goal to go and compete in a rash decision we made in March after we won the Southeast Horn Workshop back in February at the University of Georgia in Athens. "We just worked diligently, perfecting some tough pieces we selected, the stuff the professionals would play, and we won." The quartet has been playing together for about 10 months. They received a certificate for their win.

In one of the culminating events of the degree program at UA, Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates Allie Gant and Jennifer Gault present an exhi bition, titled Raw & Unfinished Business, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, Nov. 5-8, 2018, with a closing reception on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Gault, who works in sculpture and ceramics, specifically in raw, unfired clay, said that she has been exploring "forms that communicate a personal mythology of emotions and memories." She added that the raw clay she often uses in her work "represents the changeability of emotion, fallibility of memory and the transience of life." Gant, who works in printing processes and ceramics, describes her visual ideas as attention to her own self care, as well as the things which "catch her eye," such as flowers, trees, sunsets and people, the subjects of her work: "Through the course of being an art student over the last few years, I've made a ritual for myself to pay attention to what I pay attention to, meaning to spend a little extra time thinking about why I am drawn to certain things and try to figure out why." Jennifer Gault's BFA concentrations are in sculpture and ceramics, with an anthropology minor. She has exhibited her art work in the 2018 Student Sculpture Exhibition, and the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition, both at Harrison Galleries, and in QuickTurnaround at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in 2017. In addition, she has published art work in UA's Marr's Field Journal in 2018. Gault is the recipient of the Angelo Granata Endowed Scholarship, the Elmore Endowed Scholarship, and the Windgate Charitable Foundation Endowed Studio Arts Scholarship. She works full-time as a certified Fire Alarm Technician in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at UA. Allie Gant's BFA concentrations are in printmaking and ceramics, with an art history minor. In 2017, Gant exhibited her work in Eclectic Way, an exhibition of art from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art and art by UA students inspired by those works, at the Paul R. Jones Museum. She participated in Geeza a Wee Exhib, a Scotland study abroad student exhibition in 2018 at Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, in Youngstown State University, Ohio, and has had several pieces accepted for publication in Marr's Field Journal in 2017 and 2018, including the cover art of both editions. Read this press release online here: https://art.ua.edu/news/allie-gant-and-jennifer-gault-bfaexhibition/.

The Yonder Contemporary Dance Company, a collective in The University of Alabama's department of theatre and dance, will present a 50-minute concert titled "IRL" during the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The performances will run Aug. 4-10. Yonder's "IRL" involves 15 dance majors, overseen by Sarah M. Barry, associate professor of dance. They are collaborating with five student composers from UA's School of Music, who are overseen by Dr. Amir Zaheri, assistant professor of composition. The collaboration also includes a media specialist from UA's department of advertising and public relations, overseen by Mark Barry, director of creative advertising specialization. The dance majors will perform "IRL" at the Greenside @ Nicolson Square venue in Edinburgh. "'IRL' focuses on the pervasive nature of technology and illuminates the jarring battle between everyone and everything that competes for our attention," said Sarah Barry, who is the artistic director of the company. "We have tried to address this material from different angles because there are a variety of perspectives to consider. Some are big and obvious while others are more nuanced. We have worked hard to keep the discussion open and the research ongoing. The show will continue to evolve as we share our work and take in audience feedback." To prepare for the performances, Yonder participants hosted master classes and performances during a regional tour in spring 2018. Sites included the Dance Foundation in Birmingham; Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Florence; the Buckman Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee; and the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta. "The tour allowed students to make and refine their creative work and performance over a longer time to different audiences, giving them a window into the professional company life of touring, teaching, performing, writing grants, fundraising and promoting dance," Barry said. While in Edinburgh, the students will be staying at Salsbury Court Flats near Holyrood Park. For more information, visit Yonder's Facebook page and follow them on social media @yonderdanceco. Also, interested parties may contact Sarah Barry at smbarry@ua.edu.

SummerTide, The University of Alabama's professional summer theater, presents the musical comedy "Pump Boys and Dinettes" in June at the George C. Meyer Performing Arts Center in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The "'Pump Boys" sell high octane on Highway 57 in Grand Ole Opry country. The "Dinettes" -- Prudie and Rhetta Cupp -- run the Double Cupp diner next door. Together they fashion an evening of country-western songs that received raves on and off-Broadway. With heartbreak and hilarity, they perform on guitars, piano, bass and kitchen utensils. The production will run from June 1 to 29 at the theater in Gulf Shores. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. For more information, go to https://theatre.ua.edu/box-office/.

The overwhelming cyclical nature of this world can lead one to feel as though they are descending into madness. We repeat ourselves, ending up in the same place and unable to stop. From the individual to the masses, we struggle to find our place and voice within this revolving carousel that is life. "Carousel" calls to mind this question: Are we to remain mindless cogs or can we redefine our place in this seemingly inescapable structure? The University of Alabama's Crimson Stage presented Grace Kurosaka's "Carousel" in April at Morgan Auditorium.

The University of Alabama's Creative Campus presents a gallery installation, "(un)Wrapt: New Arts Research by Creative Campus Fellows." The installation will open at The University of Alabama Gallery located in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa Friday, May 4, from 5-8 p.m. and will remain at the gallery through May 15.

Apparel and Design students from The University of Alabama's College of Human Environmental Sciences showcased their creativity and resourcefulness in the 2018 Tee Time Fashion Show on April 17 on the front lawn of Doster Hall. Students are asked to create one or two looks that focus on sustainable design. This year's show will feature discarded tee shirts from a local screen printing company. Students must cut up the shirts and create a new garment. "It is an opportunity for the students to show their designs in public and go through the production of a fashion show," said Brian Taylor, apparel and design instructor. Because of the focus on sustainability, Tee Time is always held near Green Week and Earth Day celebrations. "Tee Time is an annual opportunity for students in the apparel design program to experience showing their work for the first time. Not only presenting their work, but giving them an opportunity to design outside of the box," said faculty member Paula Robinson.

The University of Alabama department of art and art history announce the names of the student exhibitors who have been selected for the 2018 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition at Harrison Galleries in Tuscaloosa, April 20-28.

The University of Alabama department of art and art history is presenting "EXIT 2018," its annual senior exhibition for B.A. majors. The exhibition in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery runs April 5 through 12. The exhibition showcases graduating seniors' work in ceramics, digital media, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media. "The BA EXIT exhibition showcases the talent and creative output of art majors that are graduating seniors," said Bryce Speed, coordinator for the show and assistant professor. "The works covers a broad range of approaches and materials ranging from traditional applications to experimental pieces. Each year the show evolves and expands from the prior year, it's interesting to see the diversity of work created in the department." For more information about the Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art and our other degree programs in the department, go to http://art.ua.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/babfa-in-studio-art/ or contact the department at 205-348-5967. Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery is at 109 Woods Hall in the heart of the UA campus on Woods Quad. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Contact the gallery at 205-348-2783 or go to http://art.ua.edu/gallery/sgg/.

Each spring, a group of UA theatre students flies to New York to participate in a showcase known informally as Bama on Broadway. The showcase is designed to highlight students' skill as they perform for an audience that includes Broadway talent agents and often ends with performers signing contracts or being called back for auditions. Students prepare for the showcase by enrolling in a one-hour course designed to ready them for the one-shot performance. In the course, which is offered the preceding fall semester, students work together to find, choose and rehearse material that emphasizes each student's individual strengths.

The University of Alabama department of art and art history is presenting the master of arts exhibitions of graduate students Amy Smoot and John Klosterman, Feb. 8-22,in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery.

The University of Alabama department of art and art history announces the student exhibitors who were selected for the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition during April at the Harrison Galleries in Tuscaloosa. "From works on paper and canvas to experiments in digital animation, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics, the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition represents a broad cross-section of creative production from students in the BFA program at The University of Alabama," said Pete Schulte, UA assistant professor of drawing, who coordinated the annual exhibition. "This annual event provides the viewing public with a unique opportunity to see firsthand a variety of contemporary art practices, as well as the work of some most dynamic and creative students the university has to offer." The exhibition featured Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates whose work has been selected by UA studio faculty jurors. All UA undergraduate art majors who passed the review for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree were eligible to enter the competition. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the professional degree for the artist; it is also the foundation for the masters program in studio art at UA. The annual juried event seeks to give BFA students the chance to compete and exhibit their work while still in school, rather than at the end of their tenure, providing art students more opportunities to exhibit and participate in art events before graduation. For more information about the BFA degree and other degree programs in the department of art and art history, go to http://art.ua.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/babfa-in-studio-art/ or contact the department at (205) 348-5967.

Photographs by UA graduate student Celestia Morgan are featured in the new exhibition, "Contemporary Alabama Photography," at the Mobile Museum of Art. Curated by Richard McCabe, curator of photography at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, the exhibition shows the work of 11 emerging, mid-career and established Alabama photographers who interpret Alabama's identity, culture and history in their images. Images from Morgan's MA exhibition, "Passage," were chosen by McCabe to be in the show. Morgan said that she is honored to have her work featured among such great photographers, who include Pinky Bass, April Dobbins, Michael Meads and Jerry Siegel. "It's a unique experience, and I say this because I know so many another artists who could have represented Contemporary Alabama Photography in this exhibition," Morgan said.

Rising senior Sommer Hallquist, a double major in art history and anthropology with a minor in French, has been offered one of eight highly competitive summer internships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters Museum in New York.