UA Gallery Hosting Artwork by Local Alumnus, Architect

Bill Mackey is trained in the ways of architecture and art, and will be presenting works that explore the links between humans and the environment.

The University of Arizona Union Gallery is hosting the work of a local architect and artist.

The event, "Bill Mackey: Collage, Signs, and Golf Carts," opens Friday and will remain on display through Oct. 9 at the Union Gallery, which is located at the Student Union Memorial Center.

Mackey, who earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the UA's College of Architecture, will attend an opening reception to share his experiences in creating the works of art. The event will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Admission is free and open to the public. He also will lead a workshop on Oct. 1 from 4 to 5 p.m. at the gallery. 

Mackey's work explores the human connection to built and natural environments and offers a fresh perspective on our relationship to place, history and culture. 

A trained artist, architect and illustrator, Mackey relies on humor, ethnographic research, color and language in his work. Currently, he is a project architect with Rob Paulus Architects, Ltd.

With these tools and skills, he creates collages, field guides, signs, maps and pictorial landscapes that question the role humans have as consumers and creators of culture. 

The exhibit will specifically address issues of density, post-World War II development and the automobile and their impacts on both land and culture.

The Union Gallery is open Monday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Parking is available at North Mountain Avenue and East Second Street.