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About the Author
Sherrie Carris received her B.F.A. from the University of Texas, and her M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Iowa 1n 1972. Along with her husband Tom they have owned and operated Carris Pottery for over 30 years.Sherrie's floral pottery has been widely collected including a large carved porcelain planter in the TN governor's mansion. The State of TN bought one of her pieces to give to Patricia Neal. Artist in Residence at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge.

11-8-13

The Asheville Art Scene: My Trip to Asheville

Chapter two: Artist Galleries and Shops

On Friday afternoon, after a great time at the Wedge, we went to walk up to the old River Arts District. There were some really cool metal walls and the "dinosaur bone" sculptures. They were sited to look as if they had just died there.

Then to the Asheville Glass Center. Some really nice glass on display for sale. The people at the Glass Center were very pleasant to talk about the glass. Then came the glassblowing experience. The friendly and skilled glassblower helped teach a teenage girl to make a piece of glass. If you are in the area stop by 140-c Roberts St, Asheville (828-505-7110). It is well worth your time. Here is the web site: www.ashevilleglass.com. Here are some of the pictures I shot.

We went through several more galleries upstairs and down in the River Arts District. I enjoyed looking at the paintings and drawings. It was fun to see a lot of people walking up and down the streets having a good time and buying some art. Really cool!

Asheville has a reputation for being a cool and creative town. One of the neatest places is a store called Screen Door at 115 Fairview Road. We walked up and down the aisles of little shops of clever, cute, "I want That" stuff. A characteristic of Asheville seems to be the love of reusing, redefining, and recycling. Here are some pictures I took. The lady at the check out was delighted about our picture taking and blog. This is such a laid back, have a good time town.

Some thoughts I had about the city and the area:
The Asheville Art Museum is an prominent example of the economic impact an art museum has upon its surrounding community. It is in the hub of the downtown art scene where there are sculptures on the sidewalks. The people seems to love and appreciate the arts and flood into the center of town to eat, shop, go to movies and bars. The downtown is alive and ready to have fun.

- Sherrie

10-30-13

The Asheville Art Scene: My Trip to Asheville

Chapter one: Asheville Art Museum

Josef Albers,
Formulation: Articulation
Folio II, Folder 5

I was in Asheville to see the Alber's exhibition (Through March 16, 2014) at the Asheville Art Museum; but I saw so much more. I had studied Josef Alber's theories and his wonderful book about color theories and read about Black Mountain College. The Asheville Art Museum has an outstanding collection of artists who had taught or studied at Black Mountain College. The "Lasting Gifts" exhibititon in the Holden Community Gallery was really interesting. I felt as if I was back in my art history class seeing a piece created by an artist I had studied and liked. you must see it!

The "Selections from the Permanent Collection" is a "do-not-miss" exhibition. I love the 20th and 21st centuries art work and the exhibition presents a chronological view for the viewer. There are interesting and significant artists and work to see in the style and develoment of art for this period.

We started with the "Rebels With a Cause" exhibition (Through January 26, 2014) for our visit. Wow! What an interesting exhibition. The work came from the Huntsville Museum of Art's Sellars Collection of Art by American Women. I had heard about that collection, but I really did not know many of the women listed. This exhibition not only has wonderful art, but reintroduces accomplished women artists to their rightful place in the history of art.


		"Esteban Vicente: The Art of Interruption Paintings, Drawings, Collage" is just a wonderful exhibition. (Through January 12, 2014) Esteban Vicente Kalani, Hawaii Collage and paper on board, 50 x 46 inches Private Collection, Courtesy of Jerald Melberg Gallery

Greta Allen
Evening Shadows, n.d.
oil on canvas, 28 x 18 inches
Courtesy of the
Huntsville Museum of Art

I look forward to seeing the museum again. Do plan on some time for the children to play and learn about art in the Art PlAYce for Children. The museum was busy last Saturday! People were there to see the art, or maybe to see a film, or go to a gallery lecture. This was really an outstanding place and I want to come back!

More to come about my trip.

Sherrie Carris

8-21-13

"Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper " exhibition at the
Knoxville Museum of Art
Knoxville, TN

KMA closes for renovations August 26 - November 29, 2013!

We have been looking forward to seeing the "Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper" exhibition at the Knoxville Museum of Art. This exhibition presents more than 50 of the Alabama native’s earliest drawings, from 1990 and 1991, a pivotal moment in his artistic career.

The exhibition focuses on Dial's watercolors and drawings on paper. The themes of gender and the relationships are shown in the drawings. He explores women, fish, birds, and tigers to explain human relationships. The self-taught Dail is both an outsider artist as well as a major artist in the contemporary scene.

The KMA is really doing a great job presenting these contenporary artists and their work. To see the pieces and exhibitions the past few years has been a real pleasure.

You still have a chance to see the "Thornton Dial: Thoughts on Paper". It closes this Suncay, August 25th. Do not miss it!!

The exhibition is organized and circulated by the Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .

- Sherrie

Thornton Dial
Ladies Hold the Fish for Love, 1991,
watercolor, graphite, and charcoal, 29 11/16 x 21 7/8 inches, courtesy of Mr. Tom L. Larkin

8-17-13

"Birds in Art " exhibition at the Frank H. McClung Museum,
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
(May 25 - August 18)

We were finally able to go to the McClung Museum to see the "Birds in Art". I have been teaching summer camp at the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge and haven't had time (or energy after dealing with little kids all day) to go see it

This is the third bird exhibition from the Woodson that we have been able to see and each exhibition is a winner. These pieces are outstanding! I was really impressed with Ajay Brainard's painting, "The Final Embrace" It has the Northern Warbler which died next to a rusty screw in an "empty space in a dream like contrast of hard industrial character of the screw and the soft natural" of the dead bird.

I was fascinated with Barbara Banthien's "Scrabble" which showed a House finch sitting on the scrabble rack in the brightly colored and irregular shapes.

There were two paintings which show the interaction of the birds and people in nature. "Chinatown" shows the surface, textures, and the unusual presentation of the wall and the House Sparrows use the wall as a post or a nest. Karen Bondarchuk's piece, "My name is Hubert and I am not an Owl"shows the owl Hubert who thought he was human. He had been a resident at Barnswallow, a rehab center.

Loved it. There were some really outstanding pieces of sculpture. One is on the McClung web page.

Unfortunately, this exhibition closes Sunday, August 18 (tomorrow). You will have to hurry to see it, but is worth it!

Check it the McClung Museum pages and Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum pages. The Woodson opens Birds in Art 2013 on September 7.

- Sherrie

Karen Bondarchuk
My name is Hubert and I am not an owl, 2011
Charcoal and ink on Hahnemühle paper,
54 ½ x 34 x 1 ¾

5-15-13

Museum Day, part 2
Knoxville Museum of Art

My friend, Sharon, and I did a "museum day" visiting some of the local museums. After visiting the McClung we went to the Knoxville Art Museum.

There were three exhibitions: "TRADITION REDEFINED: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African-American Art","Currents",and "HIGHER GROUND's Diverse Paths"section is featuring more than a dozen sculptures from the KMA collection by Bessie Harvey (1929-1994). I enjoy seeing the HIGHER GROUND exhibition because it is not static. New pieces are added. Pieces in new locations. Fun. The TRADITION REDEFINED is a really interesting exhibition. You need to see it more than once. It there til June 16,2013. Currents is an almost overwhelming show. I need to see it again.

- Sherrie

Joseph Delaney
Woman in Striped Dress, 1964

5-9-13

Almost Missed It!!!
Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia
Frank H. McClung Museum, University of Tennessee

My friend, Sharon, and I did a "museum day" visiting some of the local museums. We went to the Frank H. McClung Museum on the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. The show I was interested in was "Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia" closing May 12(!!!!). These pieces were beautiful!

Amulet Breastplate

Couple in Yurt

Since these tribes are nomadic, the family wealth is displayed on the women with jewlery. The information on the exhibition was very useful and gave a better understanding of the culture.

HURRY! Do not miss this exhibition. There are only a few more days to see it.

- Sherrie

3-12-13

My trip to see the original Emancipation Proclamation
Previously on view at Tennessee State Museum from Feb. 12 - Feb. 18
Only southeastern U.S. stop!

A facsimile of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation is on display at the Tennessee State Museum for the duration of the landmark exhibition from Washington D.C.’s National Archives: Discovering the Civil War, Feb. 12 - Sept. 1.

My friend, Sharon, invited me to go to Nashville to see the original Emancipation Proclamation at the Tennessee State Museum. I jumped at the chance to see an original document that is so important to our country. The tickets were scheduled in fifteen minutes segments. To protect the document, no one was allowed take a photograph of the documents. We, also, had the opportunity to see the Thirteenth Amendment with Abraham Lincoln's signature. The staff did an excellent job of telling you what you were seeing. We were able to take photograhs outside of the Emancipation Proclamation area.

The Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area was well done and it was interesting to see pictures of the people and the objects from the time. Thanks, Pilot Travel Centers for sponsoring this area. One of the fun thing was to talk with the Union reinactors and take their photographs. I was talking with the "soldiers" and told them that one of Tom's family was a Lt. in the Colored Federal Army. One of the fellows said that his grandfather was also in the Colored Army. It was special to have that discussion. Plan on spending a lot of time on the Discovering The Civil War and the Heritage area. It is really well done! And if you get lost as I did, the staff is very helpful.

Since we came early, we had a chance to see the Indian tools, pottery, some info on the Indian groups who came to our area. There were some beautiful pottery and very useful exhibitions. I learned some interesting things about how the people made the pottery. Since I am a potter and I teach pottery to children, this was really good! I was impressed with the size of this pot in the picture. The litte black stones were used to help shape the clay. Too cool!

The area about the pioneers and how they came over the mountains was very interesting. My mother's people came from North Carolina and Virginia to Kentucky after the Revolutionary War. The exhibition staff did a really good job with the interactive area near the Conestoga Wagons was outstanding and helped me have better idea of what my family had done. We were asked what would the pioneers take with them in the wagon. How did they make the fabric for their clothes?

Sharon likes to knit and was fascinated with the exhibition on making yarn and then how to weave fabric to make clothes. There were areas to show how to make linen fabric as will as cotton. The wool was in another area. The weaving and the quilting were outstanding. There were areas for childern to learn these skills. The museum has quilting tables for the children or adults to learn how to quilt. The children were having a great time. You will enjoy it whether you are 5 or 90

The gift shop had some really interesting books on the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Sherrie

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