The USA Library was pleased to announce the opening of an art exhibit. "A Look Into Our Southern Past," paintings by local artists Carmel Alvis and Ainsley McNeely, displayed from May 11 – June 30, 2015, in the Mary Elizabeth and Charles Bernard Rodning Gallery of Art on the third floor of the Library.

Award-winning artists McNeely and Alvis created an exhibit that depicted scenes from our Southern past. The artists shared a fascination with history, and their chase of historical recreations involved time in the field, photographing and studying subjects well before putting brush to the palette. Their exhibit featured paintings of the Native Americans, laborers, warriors, pioneers, and hunters whose lives created the South we know today.

Carmel Alvis has been an artist all of her life. She was a member of the Watercolor & Graphic Arts Society and the Mobile Art Association. Alvis enjoyed photography as much as creating new works through her oils and acrylics. Portraying the beautiful Gulf Coast, along with painting portraits of people and pets, were some of her favorite subjects. Her recent works depict her newfound love of recreating Southern history.

Ainsley McNeely has always loved the outdoors, and she enjoyed the challenge of capturing the beauty, energy, and emotion of the natural world as well as the animals and people who inhabit it. Her wildlife paintings, sporting art, portraits, figure work, and miniatures had appeared in shows throughout the U.S. McNeely is best known to the public for designing the 2001-2002 Alabama Duck Stamp and creating a series of colorful posters for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.