By Zoe Scontras
On Sept. 15, Samford opened a new art gallery on campus. Artist Thornton Dial is the first deceased artist Samford has hosted in its gallery.
Dial has worked in dozens of major institutions across the United States and has notorious pieces such as Struggling Tiger and January 20th. In his drawings, he expresses his appreciation for women and the struggles of living in the Jim Crow Era.
Paul Barrit curated Dial’s exhibition. He said the purpose is to reach the most amount of people he could: “People who make and appreciate art.”
But what is important is that his journey started in Alabama, about 30 minutes away from Samford.
“You can absolutely be from here and become a world-class artist,” said Barrit.
Barrit said that one of the reasons he chose Samford for this exhibition was to impress this message upon young people: “The journey starts somewhere, and it can assuredly start in Birmingham.”
“I wanted to coordinate the biggest splash we could make to celebrate the fact that this was a major artist that was in our midst… and we didn’t celebrate what was great here,” Barrit said.
Thornton didn’t waste time in creating his art, and now he can be recognized by students in Samford’s art gallery. The art gallery will be open until Dec. 2.
