Susan Nomberg
McCollough, Ph.D.hc

      At a ceremony in Florence, Italy, Susan
Nomberg McCollough, was honored as Art Tour International’s 2017’s “Artist of
the Year.” The publication enjoys the largest circulation of any art
publication in the world. The same year she was selected as one of the “Top 60
Contemporary Masters” by the same publication. But the accolades didn’t stop
there. In 2020 ATI recognized her as one of its ART TITANS – Masters of the
New Era documentary series. She received the award in New York in 2023. The
documentary, “Art Titans – Susan N. McCollough, A Journey of Inspiration,” is
available on Vivid Arts Network and Roku.

      Susan was born in Bronx, New York at the
age of six, her family relocated to in Dothan, Alabama. She is a graduate of Dothan
High School, where she was crowned Miss Dothan High School, Class Beauty,
School Beauty, Homecoming Queen, Dothan High Key Club Sweetheart and a
majorette for DHS Marching Band, and Outstanding Twirler at Florida State
University Twirling Camp. She was also honored as Alabama’s State Key Club
Sweetheart.

      While at the University of Alabama she was
twice selected as “Miss University of Alabama” and UA’s Million Dollar Band
Sponsor. Other accolades included, Corolla Beauty, Lambda Chi Sweetheart –
Crescent Girl, and R.O.T.C Sponsor.

      She also participated in the Miss
America’s, Miss Alabama State Pageant and emerged in the top five. As the State
of Alabama’s entry in the Miss Alabama International Beauty Congress, Long
Beach, California (which became the Miss Universe Pageant), Susan finished in
the top 15 in the Miss USA pageant and won an acting scholarship to Playhouse
“90”, located in Los Angeles, California....

      She received her B.S. in Theater and Art
from The University of Alabama studying with Alvin  C. Sella, Frank Engel, and later continued to
study with many accomplished artists and teachers, including Max Hellman at the
Birmingham Museum of Art, Professor Gary Sussman at Students Arts League of New
York, Vytlacil Campus (sculpture), Sonia De Franceschi at the Accademia
D’Arte  in  Florence, Italy  where she engaged in the Old  Masters technique of painting and gold
leafing and studied with Michael Mentler, Master Artist in figurative drawing
and Renaissance Tradition.

      McCollough has produced numerous
paintings, many on commission, and she has exhibited in many solo and group
exhibitions across four continents.

      The University of Alabama commissioned her
to create a painting to honor her late professor and life-long mentor, Al
Sella. The painting is an impressionistic portrait of the iconic artist and his
emblematic bicycle. This large portrait now hangs in the art building, Clark
Hall, and it is slated to do so in perpetuity.

      She is honored to
have her sculptured bust of Coach Nick Saban placed in three museums and
the Donor Hall of Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The first
sculpture was gifted to the Saban's and is temporarily on display at
Bryant-Denny Stadium in the Donor's Hall which will eventually find its new
home at The Saban Complex. The second sculpture is at The Susan N. McCollough Fine
Art Studio in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The third sculpture is in a private
collection belonging to Holland and Carolyn Powell in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The
fourth sculpture is at the Paul W. Bryant Museum in the Saban section in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The fifth sculpture is at The United States Sports Academy
Museum in Daphne, Alabama. The sixth sculpture is at the Alabama Sports Hall of
Fame Museum in Birmingham, Alabama.

     Susan served on the Art Committee
and as a member of the Board of Trustees at the United States Sports Academy
for more than 16 years. The USSA attracts and honors artists from around the
world and is solely responsible for selecting featured artists for the Artist
of the Year Award. She now serves on the committee as Artist Emeritus and on
the Academy’s Board of Trustees as Board of Trustees Emeritus. In June 2024,
Susan received an Honorary Ph.D. from the esteemed United States Sports Academy
for her work in the arts and as a member of the Board of Trustees.

      In 2023, Susan became co-benefactor of the
University of Alabama’s “The Susan Nomberg McCollough Fine Arts Initiative”. The
Initiative is an international contemporary art exhibition and conclave that
will be held every two years on the campus of and at galleries affiliated with
The University of Alabama. It is supported by Mrs. Susan Nomberg McCollough and
Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough for the sole purpose of creating a venue by which to
feature University of Alabama art and artists. The initiative will showcase
artists and provide them with a platform to exhibit their work, connect with
potential buyers and collectors, and interact with fellow alumni and leading
art professionals on a regional, national, and international scale for years to
come.

     Susan and Dr. McCollough are also
co-benefactors of the University of Alabama’s “McCollough Institute for
Pre-Medical Scholars,” a one-of-a-kind academic initiative designed to prepare
“tomorrow’s phenomenal physicians” for the road ahead.

     She is a member of the Women's Art World
organization in Marrakech, Morocco. The WAW's mission is to bring together and
promote Women's art in a world of different cultures, languages, and art.
Today, there are 20 countries, and 35 artists represented in Women's Art World.
Susan is also a member of ICAF 
(International  Culture  and Arts 
Federation) in Seoul,  South  Korea; NOMA 
(New  Orleans Museum  of 
Art)   in  New 
Orleans,  Louisiana  (USA); 
BMOA  (Birmingham   Museum 
of  Art)   in Birmingham,   Alabama 
(USA);   MMofA  (Mobile  
Museum  of  Art)  
in  Mobile,  Alabama 
(USA); Metropolitan  Museum of Las
Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA); MOMA 
(Museum of Modern Art) New York City, New York (USA), MMOA  (Metropolitan 
Museum of Art) in New York City, New York (USA) and DMA (Dallas Museum
of Art) Dallas, Texas (USA).

     Susan paints primarily on large
canvases, sometimes working on as many as three or four paintings at a time.
Her works are Abstract Expressionism with freedom of movement and vibrant, or
sometimes, monochromatic colors. She sculpts using water-based clay as well as
paints in oils. Susan also paints with acrylics, as well as using charcoal and
ink, pastels, watercolors, and mixed media.

     In 2024, Susan N. McCollough celebrated
her eleventh year in her Gallery and Studio which housed more than 50
representative examples of her work. The theme of her Grand Opening was:
"Past and Present.” Now, after years of painting, she says she can paint
everyday “For the love of it.” I paint from the excitement of the blank canvas.
I paint with freedom of inner feelings, movement, lighting, connection of
space, combination of colors, playing with positive and negative space until it
all speaks to me."

     Starting a new year in 2025, she has recently
closed her Gallery/Studio and has moved from The McCollough Institute. Her new
studio is still located in Gulf Shores, Alabama and is located at the MacLand
Ranch. She looks forward to having clients view new work there as well by
appointment. Most days you will find her working in the studio, where she
continues to sculpt, paint, and exhibit her art.

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