The members of the University’s honor course, The Art of Giving Back, will host The Good Art Show on Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m., in Nott Hall. Proceeds from the show will support Tuscaloosa’s One Place, a local family resource center.
The Good Art Show will feature art from a variety of sources, said Tonya Nelson, professor of The Art of Giving Back, but most pieces will be those created by the course’s students.
“You wouldn’t believe the stuff,” Nelson said. “The show will feature bowls made out of old records, paper mache elephants, hand painted frames, handmade jewelry and textiles, paper crafts, paintings.”
Along with the art exhibits, the event will have live music and free refreshments. Admission is free for those wishing to browse, while the prices of the art are very student-friendly.
“Our lowest item is literally $1,” Nelson said. “Then they go up to $40-50 for painted canvases, and framed photography and paintings.”
The class has spent most of the semester creating the works that are going to be for sale. Theresa Mince, a senior majoring in apparel design, will display the clocks she made from old vinyl records and gift boxes created from record sleeves, along with bowls and coasters.
“My classmates and I have been working really hard all semester to make things that will appeal to a lot of different people,” Mince said. “It’s going to be really cool to see the personalities of each student show through their art.”
Nelson said although the course title is The Art of Giving Back, the class isn’t really about art.
“The class is about constructing a life beautifully — artfully even — so that you’re able to incorporate your values into how you live,” Nelson said. “This class asks students to explore what they have to offer, what they have to contribute, what they can create in an event that’s bigger than any single person’s effort.”
Last semester, the Good Art Show raised $1,100 for Tuscaloosa’s One Place.
“The proceeds from the show are really a very small part of the money required to operate a family resource center like TOP,” Nelson said. “But it’s a crucial step in developing and acting on the instinct to make a difference.”
Mince said she was impressed when she learned about the work Tuscaloosa’s One Place does for families in Tuscaloosa and is excited that her work will be able to help the organization.
“They have programs set up for every family member, and I genuinely believe they are making a difference in the community,” Mince said. “It’s exciting to think that 100 percent of the profits from the things I made will go to helping them further their goals.”
