Doug Baulos isn’t who many from around the nation would picture when asked to describe a typical Alabamian. The tattooed UAB professor can be seen sporting fantastic custom jackets and other cool creations not normally seen around the Yellowhammer State. But one conversation with Doug lets you know he’s as Alabama as they come - and how much better our state is for it.
While he has called our state home for decades, Doug was originally born in rural Illinois where he developed a passion for ethno-botanical research as a young child. This interest blended with Doug’s excitement for making unconventional art using dyes and ink to create something special. “I’d always drawn. I grew up drawing horses and lots of different plants and things in nature. I just kinda always kept at it and then people just started collecting my work, and it got shown. Then I went to undergraduate school and got my MFA degree in drawing and installation.”
Doug didn’t always want to be a teacher. He hated the thought of it when he was first in graduate school, but it was a required part of his scholarship. After that stint, he left the profession for years before eventually returning. UAB was the last stop on this venture, and he’s been teaching at the university for nearly 20 years. With each new year, he sees a more intense passion for change in Alabama from his students. “I’m excited by how interested they are in social justice work and changing the way that Alabama is perceived. It’s so amazing how much they invest their energy into really positive outcomes. I just think it’s great.”
Doug’s career has taken him all around the nation and even the world. His work is going to be displayed in Iran, Belarus, and Turkey this year, with another exhibit in Japan coming in 2022. He makes sure to include in each of his artist lectures that his work could not be what it is if he didn’t live in Alabama - everything from the sustainably-foraged natural dyes and paper making resources found in our incredibly bio-diverse state, to the unique items that can only be found in an Alabama thrift store. “It’s not the same elsewhere. I taught in Louisiana, and I taught in Washington state, and my work really changed there because I didn’t have access to this stuff. I think I’m in Alabama for good. I’m pretty committed to it.”
When Doug shares his pride for what makes Alabama so unique, he makes sure to include the resilient communities pushing it forward each day. It’s these communities that he enjoys spending the most time working with. His state-wide work lets him partner with Birmingham-based organizations like the Studio By The Tracks, Magic City Acceptance Center, and Alabama Audubon. Bloom Studios is another avenue Doug uses to create an impact by working with students to support local causes. He also gets to take cool adventures like the recent Black Belt Birding Festival in Greensboro, Alabama. Doug is fiercely proud of his Alabama community, saying that he would hold his friends up “to anywhere else on earth” and that he wants young artists to understand that you can have an amazing career and life if you choose to plant roots in this state. It certainly seems possible when people like Doug live it as an example.
Lead Photo: Jared Ragland
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