The 2021 Fellowship cohort and exhibiting artists are Chie Hitchner (craft), Chris Boyd Taylor (visual arts), Cindy Miller (craft), Jamey Grimes (visual arts), Joi West (media/photography), Joshua Hamilton (media/photography), and Lynthia Edwards (visual arts).

While enjoying the exhibitions, please wear a mask or face covering and maintain a six-foot distance from others. Hand sanitizer stations are available throughout the gallery space for the convenience of visitors and staff.

Free and open to the public Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Visit us on the first floor of the RSA Tower, located in downtown Montgomery at 201 Monroe Street, Suite 110.

Chie Hitchner is a textile artist working in a variety of media, including silk, linen, and wool, and uses natural materials as dyes whenever possible, working extensively with plants from her yard and neighborhood. Chie’s work is a modern reinterpretation of Japanese weaving and dyeing techniques that are hundreds of years old. Chie has a Masters in Design from the Tama University of Art, and a BA from the Arts & Crafts Department of the Joshibi University of Art and Design, both in Tokyo. She is an Associate Member of Kokuten, one of the longest-standing associations of artists in Japan, and she regularly exhibits in their annual, juried exhibition in Tokyo.

Chris Boyd Taylor, a native of Columbus, Ohio, attended The Ohio State University and studied sculpture. Chris is consistently challenging his ability to make. His studio practice comprises of drawing, model-making, and fabricating in wood, metal, and ceramics, all of which are augmented using technology. He received an MFA in Sculpture from the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He has shown work at Socrates Sculpture Park in New York City and has a permanent sculpture installed in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Cindy Miller has spent her life in the pursuit of creative fulfillment. Cindy studied art at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and began a career in graphic design in 1979. In her mid-thirties, she also became an archaeologist earning a degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Art and Archaeology have been the leading influences in Cindy’s life, and they have heavily shaped her creative path. Her jewelry designs are an amalgamation of both of these influences.

Jamey Grimes, who has taught in UA’s Department of Art and Art History since 2008 and is an alumnus of its MFA program, has shown his artwork widely throughout the US. His exhibitions include the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts; Austin Peay State University’s New Gallery, Clarksville, TN; Stephen Smith Fine Art, Fairfield, AL; Kendall Galleries, Grand Rapids, MI; Dunedin Fine Art Center, FL; Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts; Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI; Sculpture Key West; and FAT Village, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Grimes was named the 2019 South Arts State Fellowship recipient for Alabama and awarded $5,000; and he was awarded the 2015 Visual Arts Educator of the Year by the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa. He has previously been awarded an Alabama State Council on the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship in 2013.

Joi West is an American artist and photographer based in Birmingham, Alabama. Their work combines photography, audio, text, and printmaking to examine the relationship between families, the LGBTQIA+ community in the South, and the meaning behind identity as it affects us on a personal level. They received their first camera at the age of four and haven’t put it down since. In 2012 Joi began their first long-term project Southern Faces, documenting the LGBTQIA+ Community in Alabama, which is still ongoing. In 2017 they graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Digital Media from the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa. This project has been made possible by grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Joshua Hamilton is a Filmmaker and Producer living and working in Birmingham, AL. Previous work includes productions for Alabama Public Television, the University of Alabama’s Center for Public Television. He currently produces short documentaries and unscripted content for This is Alabama, and It’s a Southern Thing, divisions of Red Clay Media and Alabama Media Group.

Lynthia Edwards grew up as a round peg in a square hole. She was born and raised in a small town, Alexander City, Alabama. At an early age, she and her imaginary friend would spend hours drawing with fat pencils and broken crayons on Piggly Wiggly brown paper bags. Lynthia always knew she would become an artist. She has received an Associate’s degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Art Education from Auburn University of Montgomery and completed her education with a Master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Art Education.

For additional information, please contact: Amy Jenkins, Visual Arts Program Manager and Manager of the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery, at 334-242-5150 or amy.jenkins@arts.alabama.gov.