Continuity, 35th Anniversary Exhibition III
My work has always been a reflection of my interest in conflict and resolution from large-scale sculptural installations created at the height of my creative output to these small-scale ceramic plate combinations created now as age imposes size limitations. They are however, a rediscovery of my ceramic experience and the concept is illuminated through abstract patterns and texture that deny the expected functionality of the plate form.
James Rodger Alexander received both his Bachelor of Architecture (1968) and Masters of Architecture in Urban Design (1971) from Cornell University and his Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture & Ceramics (1976) from Louisiana State University. He was awarded the position of Professor Emeritus after his 2018 retirement from the Department of Art & Art History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in recognition of his 41 years of service. His sculptural installations find their formal foundations in minimalism, their formal vocabulary in architecture and focus on a single reoccurring issue; the resolution of opposing forces.
Sawdust fired ceramic
12x26x2″
These works have been widely exhibited at various invitational and juried venues throughout the country. In addition to exhibiting sculpture & photography he has curated exhibitions and published works on architectural terra cotta, vernacular architecture, public posters as political propaganda and the conceptual relationship between architecture & sculpture. He has received grant support for this research from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts, the Canadian Center for Architecture and numerous Faculty Research Grants from UAB. In 2010 he was the recipient of the Southeastern College Art Conference Excellence in Teaching Award.
Space One Eleven Involvement: Exhibiting Artist; CALL Artist 2015