With nearly 2,000 original works, Dr. Ronald McDowell is prolific and versatile. He is skilled in almost every medium including fine art, illustrating, murals and sculpting. His works are museum quality.

 

His commissioned art adds life and energy to public spaces.

 

In 2018, several news cameras and an audience that packed the venue, witnessed the unveiling of a mural that stands 17 feet tall. Called "Moving Forward - Justice is Blind" it celebrates the diversity that now prevails in the community.

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Birmingham stakeholders commissioned Dr. McDowell  to sculpt a statue honoring the beloved Nina Miglionico, which was dedicated on October 23, 2015 in Linn Park.

 

Please watch the video on this Website for a full appreciation of the sculpting process.

 

The Nina Miglionico statue adds another McDowell  masterpiece to this great city. His other public artworks include  a statue honoring Civil Rights foot soldiers, which stands in Kelly Ingram Park, across from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Also in a Birmingham city park, a life-sized statue immortalizes Motown legend and Alabama native Eddie Kendricks with his fellow performers in The Temptations perfectly situtated in the background.

 

Cities, counties, national parks, state parks, universities and major institutions trust him to artistically interpret their most sacred and iconic subjects.  McDowell always exceeds expectations.

 

He has captured the world’s most celebrated individuals on canvas and has painted portraits of every musician inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame where these works of art are magnificently displayed.

 

In 2013, McDowell’s artwork was featured at a long-running exhibit presented by the Smithsonian and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

 

Dr. McDowell was born and raised in Pittsburg, a small town in northern California. He moved to nearby San Francisco and evolved into an artist with an amazing ability to interpret a wide range of subjects including popular culture.  He eventually relocated to Los Angeles where he orbited among the stars. During his work at Motown he painted Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Martha Reeves, The Commodores and many other entertainers. Motown founder Berry Gordy is among the many celebrities who have collected his work.

 

In his hometown, (Pittsburg, California) the entrance at the Creative Arts Center is a visual wonder thanks to the huge frieze created by McDowell. This artwork depicts more than 100 entertainers who have performed at this venue.

 

After relocating to the south in 1986, he divides his time between Alabama and the world. He received an honorary doctorate in 2006 from the University at West Alabama.

   

In 2015, he joined the faculty at Tuskegee University teaching art at this prestigious institution.