University of Alabama
The Arts at the University of Alabama
The University of Alabama’s Collaborative Arts Research Initiative facilitates collaboration across disciplines to catalyze arts-focused research among Alabama faculty. The study of arts disciplines thrives in the School of Music, the Departments of Theatre and Dance and Art and Art History, the Program in Creative Writing within the Department of English, and the College of Journalism and Creative Media. Alabama is also home to the Paul R. Jones Museum which houses its namesake’s collection of American art as well as hosting visiting exhibitions.
Banner photo credit: Porfirio Solorzano
a2ru Campus Contacts
Rebecca Salzer, Associate Professor of Dance and Director of the Collaborative Arts Research Initiative at The University of Alabama, is an intermedia dance artist and educator. Her work for the stage has been seen in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, where she directed Rebecca Salzer Dance Theater for a decade. Her award-winning films and videos have been programmed in national and international venues and on public affiliate television stations KQED, KPBS, and WTTW. Salzer is a Jacob K. Javits Fellow. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from Yale University and an M.F.A. in Dance Theatre from the University of California, San Diego. Ms. Salzer also serves as Project Director for the Dancing Digital Project, supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities(dancingdigital.org).
Shannon McCue began as Assistant Director of CARI in 2024. She is an arts administrator with experience in program design, grant-writing, and project management. Previously, Shannon served as Education Director for the Arts & Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa, where she managed all education programs, including the West Alabama Arts Education Collaborative, Poetry Out Loud, and a small grants program. She co-wrote a successful $100,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant to start “The pARTners Project,” which brings together community members to determine the best path forward for local arts education. Shannon has held positions with the Alabama Blues Project and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York City. She is a professional violist with degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Lawrence University, and regularly performs with several regional orchestras.
