By Staff
Special to The Star
March 4, 2001
An exhibit of art cars and a retrospective relating color, shape and texture to flat and rectangular surfaces will open during the month at Meridian Museum of Art.
The exhibits "Armor Keller: Art Cars" and "William Tidwell: A Retrospective" will open with a reception on March 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. A gallery talk is scheduled for 6:40 p.m.
Armor Keller
Keller received her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Alabama before beginning an art career that has seen her work featured in one person shows at the Masur Museum (Monroe, La.), the Heritage Hall Museum (Talladega, Ala.), the Kentuck Museum (Northport, Ala.), the Center for the Cultural Arts (Gadsden, Ala.), the Wiregrass Museum of Art (Dothan, Ala.), the Kennedy-Douglas Center for the Arts(Florence, Ala.), the Sarrat Art Gallery (Nashville), the Eastern Shore Art Center (Fairhope, Ala.), and the Armory Learning Arts Center Gallery (Montgomery). Her art also has been featured in group shows and juried exhibitions throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Of the many media and styles the artist works in, there is nothing quite like her "Art Car series." But Armor says that her Art Cars are part of a long tradition.
Keller notes, art cars are made by trained artists, self-taught artists and visionaries.
William Tidwell
The late William (Bill) Tidwell served in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Corsica with the U.S. Army during World War II. He received his bachelor of fine arts and master of arts degrees from the University of Alabama, and studied at Columbia University, the New School for Social Research and the Brooklyn Museum Art School. He was a long-time associate professor at Livingston State University (now University of West Alabama). Tidwell's artwork was exhibited at sites such as the National Print Exhibition (Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.), the National Print Competition (New York, N.Y.), and the Addison Gallery of American Art (Andover, Mass.), and won awards from the Watercolor Society of Alabama, the Contemporary Southern Art Contest, the Alabama State Fair and the New School (New York, N.Y.).
When once asked to describe his life's work, Tidwell said: "From the crayons and drawing paper I received on my fourth birthday, I learned the thrill and task of relating color, shape, and texture to flat and usually rectangular surfaces. With time, the paper became larger, canvas or other grounds, the crayons became paint, ink and other mediums. The work grew more complex and perhaps profound.
Both exhibits will remain on display at the museum through April 21. Meridian Museum of Art is located at 628 25th Ave., and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.; admission is free.
For more information, call the museum at 693-1501.