"Walking Around UAB" by Miriam McClung, 1990. Pastel on paper. 22" x 30".
"Walking Around UAB" by Miriam McClung, 1990. Pastel on paper. 22" x 30".

Part 7: A Brief History of Birmingham, Alabama through Art – UAB

A partial history of Birmingham through Miriam’s art continued…
Birmingham’s explosive growth until the mid-1950’s was fueled by the mining of iron and the production and export of steel. Along with the steel industry came powerful financiers, banking and lending institutions, and insurance companies, all of which Miriam’s grandfather and close family were a part of over the decades.

"UAB President's Home" by Miriam McClung. Pastel on paper Private collector.
“UAB President’s Home” by Miriam McClung. Pastel on paper Private collector.

When the mining and steel industry halted, the financial industry was part of the economic engine that kept the city growing. Miriam’s life and art career span these significant eras of growth in Birmingham’s economic history, which is why her art includes many places downtown that were once prominent parts of the city and are only now being rediscovered after decades of neglect.

"The Fountains at the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital" by Miriam McClung, 2002. Pastel on paper. 19" x 25".

“The Fountains at the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital” by Miriam McClung, 2002. Pastel on paper. 19″ x 25″.

In the 1960s as Birmingham was transitioning from a city of industry to the financial center of the South, a public research university was founded in Birmingham as part of the University of Alabama system. Today the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a world-class medical system and the state of Alabama’s largest employer with its main campus occupying more than 100 city blocks in Birmingham.

"UAB Honors College II" by Miriam McClung, 1995. Pastel on paper. 25" x 19".
“UAB Honors College II” by Miriam McClung, 1995. Pastel on paper. 25″ x 19″.

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Miriam McClung is an artist from Birmingham, Alabama, and has been creating works of art in oils, pastels, ink, charcoal, pencil and everything in between for over 70 years. You can follow her on her Instagram account @miriammcclungart.