OLLI at UAH invites the public to free Art Festival

HUNTSVILLE – The varied works of three artists will be on display when the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Alabama in Huntsville hosts a free art festival this week.

The daylong festival Friday is part of OLLI’s 30th anniversary celebration of lifelong learning at UAH and is open to the public free of charge. It will be from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Chan Auditorium and Wilson Hall. Registration is required. Visit osher.uah.edu for details.

The OLLI Art Festival begins in Chan Auditorium in the Business Administration Building with an Artists Forum featuring three accomplished painters. John “Jahni” Moore, Jennifer Stottle Taylor and Katrina Weber will present examples of their work, share their journeys as artists, and discuss the paths of their careers. Steve Johnson of WHNT-TV will moderate the artists’ talk.

The event continues in Wilson Hall with an exhibit of works by OLLI members and instructors. Refreshments will be served.

• Moore works primarily in paint and charcoal but often makes use of assemblage and red clay as homage to his Southern, Afro-indigenous roots. He is a graduate of Alabama A&M University with a B.S. degree in graphic design and an M.Ed. in art. Moore also has an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also holds certifications from Savannah College of Art and Design and Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught art from kindergarten to the university level.
• Taylor is an award-winning internationally known impressionist artist. She has travelled to Europe, Guatemala, Mexico and India for art residencies and to paint plein air as well as teach art. She has always been an artist, drawing from life as long as she can remember, but chose it as a profession in 2010. She has painted subject matter with animals, landscapes, figures and still lifes, participating in competitions and shows across the country.
• Weber has drawn and painted since childhood but did not make the transition to full-time artist until 2002. She has taken many workshops from nationally acclaimed master artists. She has had more than a dozen solo exhibits and has been accepted into numerous national, regional and local juried shows, where she has won many awards. Her paintings hang in homes across the country.
• Johnson has been a familiar face at WHNT for nearly 47 years as sports director, news reporter and anchor. He is the co-anchor for the weekday “Morning News.” An avid art collector, he has served two terms on the Arts Huntsville board of directors.

OLLI at UAH began in 1993 as The Academy of Lifelong Learning. In 2005, the Bernard Osher Foundation asked UAH to join its network. OLLI at UAH is one of 125 institutes across all 50 states. Membership in OLLI is open to anyone age 50 and up. Register online at osher.uah.edu.