Carnegie Visual Arts Center

Inspired by a catastrophic event, human observation, and introspection, Gary Chapman proposed a theory that evolved into a series of paintings…

“At 8 AM on September 11, 2001,

it was easy to perceive our lives as serene;

we were safe.

Even while Bernie Madoff’s crimes were being exposed,

most saw our economy, our country, as prosperous;

we led the world.”

“And while the scientific community embraces

a vision of quantum mechanics and string theory,

shattering our basic understanding of the observable universe,

we are left behind only capable of viewing Newton’s world;

we are blind.”

“We are a visually biased society, living in a time in which

we can no longer believe in what we see.”

Gary Chapman, a Professor of Art at the University of Alabama at Birmingham has had over 50 solo exhibitions with institutions such as The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, The Arts Center of St. Petersburg, FL; University of Cincinnati, University of Georgia, and the Indianapolis Art Center. He has also participated in numerous group and invitational exhibitions with regional, national and international venues.

Chapman has received numerous grants and fellowships for his work including a 1996 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Painting from the Southern Arts Federation and a 2002 and 1994 Individual Artist Fellowships from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. His work has been reviewed extensively and is published in over 20 catalogs and books including the Number 3, 16, 52 and 88 Editions of New American Paintings.

Paintings by Chapman have been purchased for the collections of ten museums in the southeast region as well as by many corporate and private collections throughout the country.

Chapman was educated at Berea College where he earned a BA and BS and obtained his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

The HELMET Project from High 5 Productions on Vimeo.