Arts & Culture Alliance Presents “Sunny Side Up!” by Gay Bryant and Amy Campbell
March 5-26, 2010
- Opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on March 5 from 5:00-9:00 PM.
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present an exhibition featuring new works by Gay Bryant and Amy Campbell entitled "Sunny Side Up!" Bryant and Campbell created whimsical paintings, prints, collages, and works from recycled items to lift the spirits during these last grey days of winter.
Gay Bryant is a printmaker and painter whose influences include Appalachian folk art, woodcuts, and stylized animal, fruit, and kitchen motifs often found in East Tennessee Appalachian wood panel painting. "Natural forms rendered in simple terms dominate my work in printmaking, painting, and folk art," says Bryant. "I hope through my creations to draw attention to details that may have otherwise been missed when looking at an object as a whole. By modifying colors, shapes, dark, and light, I hope to cause viewers to see objects in a different way and to notice things they had not noticed before." Bryant holds a B.S. in Business Education from the State University of Western Georgia and an M.S. in Business Education from the University of Tennessee. She has attended many art studio courses at the University of Tennessee as well as workshops at Arrowmont and John C. Campbell Folk School. She is represented at and has participated in a number of exhibitions and galleries throughout the East Tennessee region including The Art Market Gallery, Foothills Craft Guild, A1LabArts, and the River Gallery in Chattanooga. Bryant currently teaches printmaking at the Fountain City Art Center, Appalachian Arts Center, and John C. Campbell Folk School. She is a retired professor from Pellissippi State in Engineering and Media Technologies and has taught classes in web design, Photoshop, and educational technology. She resides in Oak Ridge. For more information, visit her web site at www.gbryantstudio.com.
Amy Campbell is an East Tennessee-based freelance illustrator, portrait artist, and designer with over 20 years of experience. Working in diverse media, Campbell has produced a wide variety of illustration and design projects including CD packaging, oversized and miniature portraits, commission portraits and landscapes for private collections, posters, and custom business cards. She specializes in documenting recent and past regional history in portraiture, and paintings. She works comfortably in both digital and traditional media, often combining them to achieve a unique, regional style. She holds a B.F.A. in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design and an M.F.A. in Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee. Campbell’s clients include HGTV, Great Smoky Mountains Association, Blount Chapter American Red Cross, Hellbender Press, Maryville Farmers’ Market, Keep Blount Beautiful, 89.9 WDVX Radio, and the East Tennessee Foundation. Her work has been exhibited in the Knoxville Museum of Art, and her portraits of Mary Church Terrell, Dr. Dorothy Brown, Wilma Rudolph, and Dorris Tanner are on permanent display at the First Tennessee Bank headquarters in Memphis. Her portraits of Sam Houston, Will McTeer, Sam Pride, William Scott, and Isaac Anderson are on permanent display in the City of Maryville Municipal building. She resides in Maryville. For more information, visit her web site at www.amyloucampbell.com.
Arts & Culture Alliance Presents "Everyday Adorned: A Collection by Paige Barbee"
Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 5-26
- An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on March 5 from 5:00-9:00 PM
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present "Everyday Adorned", a collection of new works by Paige Barbee, the current Betsy Worden Memorial Artist-in-Residence at the Emporium Center. Works displayed are among those created during the time of Barbee's residency (October 2009 through April 2010).
Paige Barbee is from Clarksville, TN, and received her BFA in Metals and Jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2009. She studied at the Lacoste School of the Arts in Lacoste, France in 2009 and has interned at Liz Claiborne, Inc. in New York City where she assisted in designing jewelry for four Liz Claiborne jewelry brands. Her work has shown in France, Savannah, Atlanta, and Clarksville. Awards include third place in traditional materials and processes at the SJTA Atlanta Jewelry Show, Student Design Competition; second place in the Savannah Music Festival jewelry competition. "My pieces don’t always follow the conventions of traditional jewelry; and I often find myself pushing the boundaries of jewelry into fine art and sculpture," she says. "The concepts that inspire each piece can be vastly different, but it always comes down to how the piece will interact with the body, becoming wearable art." Barbee strives to use recycled and found materials in her pieces "in harmony with metal," in a way that isn’t instantly obvious to the viewer and requires a closer look.
The “Everyday Adorned” collection was inspired by the age-old housewife stereotype. “As empowered women we need to be more thankful for what the women before us accomplished,” says Barbee. The collection is a tongue-in-cheek statement about women’s roles in the home and how they once were seen as a kind of accessory to the home. “All of the pieces are an extravagant extension of a household item or were created using an item from the home,” says Barbee. “The cameos are meant to represent every mother, grandmother, or any other strong woman in our lives and are meant to be a reminder of the strife they suffered so we can be where we are today.” The collection features jewelry created from repurposed items such as wallpaper, integrated into items for the home. The jewelry can be worn or displayed as works of art. Sculptures inspired by the idea of adornment are also part of the collection. For more information, visit www.paigebarbee.com or read Barbee’s blog detailing her Residency at http://paigebarbee.blogspot.com.
Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority and Arts & Culture Alliance Present "Arts in the Airport"
(The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (McGhee Tyson Airport) and the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville are pleased to present "Arts in the Airport", a new exhibition featuring selected artwork from 31 artists in Tennessee and Georgia. "Arts in the Airport" was developed in the spring of 2009 to allow regional artists to compete and display work in the most visited site in the area. The selected art features contemporary 2-dimensional artwork and will be exhibited in the secured area behind McGhee Tyson Airport’s security gate checkpoint from October 23 – April 22, 2010 with an opening reception on November 5.
"I was struck by the number of outstanding photographic works, some created using traditional film and others using digital photography," says juror Stephen Wicks, Curator of the Knoxville Museum of Art. "I was also pleased to see many artists exploring new combinations of media and transforming the two-dimensional face of their work into an active sculptural surface... the striking images in this show offer up deeper layers of meaning to the careful observer."
"This new Arts in the Airport exhibition is an opportunity to both entertain and enlighten passengers as they enter and exit East Tennessee," said Kirk Huddleston, Chairman of the MKAA Board of Commissioners. "The region's talented artists serve as a reflection of our culture and heritage."
The following artists' works will be shown:
+ Elizabeth Roberts McFalls of Columbus, GA
+ Mary Todd Beam of Cosby, TN
+ Joan Leininger of Crossville, TN
+ Nancy Kula of Gallatin, TN
+ R. L. Gibson of Gatlinburg, TN
+ Christina Perdue of Helenwood, TN
+ Benjamin Bublick, Victor Costantino, Nick DeFord, Alan Finch, Jorge Gomez del Campo, Amy Lee, Eric Malkowski, Daniel Maw, Tom McDaniel, Jessie Morris, Chad M. Pelton, Jose Roberto, Aaron L. Shugart-Brown, Denise Stewart-Sanabria, Clay Thurston, Stephanie Untz, Abby Vessell, and Richard Whitehead of Knoxville, TN
+ Barry McManus of Louisville, TN
+ Carl Gombert and Rachel K. Turner of Maryville, TN
+ Phil Savage of Powell, TN
+ Christopher & Alexandra Spinosa of Sevierville, TN
+ Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart of Talbott, TN
+ Rowan James of Ten Mile, TN
View these images online at www.knoxalliance.com/album/airport_fall09.html.
Arts & Culture Alliance Announces Betsy Worden Memorial Artist-in-Residence
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to announce that Paige Barbee, an emerging local artist, has been selected as the next Betsy Worden Artist-in-Residence at the Emporium Center from September 2009 through March 2010. Barbee is from Clarksville, TN, and received her BFA in Metals and Jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2009. She studied at the Lacoste School of the Arts in Lacoste, France in 2009 and has interned at Liz Claiborne, Inc. in New York City where she assisted in designing jewelry for four Liz Claiborne jewelry brands. Her work has shown in France, Savannah, Atlanta, and Clarksville. Awards include third place in traditional materials and processes at the SJTA Atlanta Jewelry Show, Student Design Competition; second place in the Savannah Music Festival jewelry competition.
"My pieces don’t always follow the conventions of traditional jewelry; and I often find myself pushing the boundaries of jewelry into fine art and sculpture," she says. "The concepts that inspire each piece can be vastly different, but it always comes down to how the piece will interact with the body, becoming wearable art." Barbee strives to use recycled and found materials in her pieces "in harmony with metal," in a way that isn’t instantly obvious to the viewer and requires a closer look. She recently participated in a jewelry and sustainability exhibition featuring a collection of jewelry made of 100% recycled costume jewelry. Her current body of work is inspired by Victorian ornament, using the beautiful elaborate shapes in conjunction with modern day materials. For more information, visit www.paigebarbee.com or read Barbee’s blog detailing her Residency at http://paigebarbee.blogspot.com.
As the Artist in Residence, Barbee receives free and exclusive access to a 10' x 10' artist studio in the Emporium Center (Suite 105), sponsored membership in the Arts & Culture Alliance for one year, and an exhibition of new work in The Balcony at the end of the residency (March 5-26, 2010). The Alliance will also display at least one piece of her new work in the public areas of the Emporium each month of the residency.
The late Betsy Worden was an artist, teacher, and Knoxville Civic Leader, perhaps best known for her works in watercolor and weaving, and she contributed greatly to Knoxville’s visual arts community in numerous ways throughout her life. She received her BA in Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee and did post-graduate studies at Atlanta School of the Art, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and the University of Tennessee. A painter, tapestry weaver, and printmaker, she was a longtime instructor at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, and she taught watercolor classes for the Knoxville Museum of Art. A leader in the Knoxville arts community, Worden served on the boards of many arts organizations, including the Arts & Culture Alliance and the Art Market Gallery, of which she co-founded. She also co-founded the Community School of the Arts in Knoxville. She served as a past president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society and actively participated in the Tennessee Watercolor Society, the Art and Antiques Gallery, Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Foothills Craft Guild, and Tennessee Women in the Arts. The residency materials stipend has been donated by the Worden family in her honor.
Arts & Culture Alliance Announces Six-Month Artist Residency Opportunity
Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to announce availability of the next Betsy Worden Memorial Artist Residency at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. Deadline for receipt of application is Friday, March 19, 2010. Applications may be downloaded at www.knoxalliance.com (under Calls & Press Releases). Available to college students and other young and emerging artists, The Betsy Worden Memorial Artist Residency includes:
* FREE and exclusive access to a 10’ x 10’ artist studio located in the Emporium Center;
* Sponsored membership in the Arts & Culture Alliance for one year;
* Display of at least one piece of artist’s new work in the public areas of the Emporium Center each month of the residency (beginning with the First Friday opening reception on April 2, 2010); and
* Exhibition of artist’s new work in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center near the end of the residency period (September 3-24, 2010).
The resident artist is required to occupy the studio and be present to show new work each First Friday of the month, spend a significant amount of time creating work in the Emporium studio, and help hang monthly changing exhibits in the Emporium galleries if necessary. Artist may also offer curatorial input and be eligible for curatorial opportunities in programming gallery space.
The Emporium’s current Artist-in-Residence, Paige Barbee, received her BFA in Metals and Jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2009. She studied at the Lacoste School of the Arts in Lacoste, France in 2009 and has interned at Liz Claiborne, Inc. in New York City where she assisted in designing jewelry for four Liz Claiborne jewelry brands. Her work has shown in France, Savannah, Atlanta, and Clarksville. Awards include third place in traditional materials and processes at the SJTA Atlanta Jewelry Show, Student Design Competition; second place in the Savannah Music Festival jewelry competition. "It has been an honor creating as the Betsy Worden Artist-in-Residence,” says Barbee. “I have enjoyed being surrounded and supported by Knoxville’s diverse community of artists. Having absolute freedom of creativity has made it possible for many ideas to come to fruition and has inspired new directions of work."
Betsy Worden, an artist, teacher, and Knoxville Civic Leader, was perhaps best known for her works in watercolor and weaving, and she contributed greatly to Knoxville’s visual arts community in numerous ways throughout her life. She received her BA in Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee and did post-graduate studies at Atlanta School of the Art, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and the University of Tennessee. A painter, tapestry weaver, and printmaker, she was a longtime instructor at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, and she taught watercolor classes for the Knoxville Museum of Art. A leader in the Knoxville arts community, Worden served on the boards of many arts organizations, including the Arts & Culture Alliance and the Art Market Gallery, of which she co-founded. She also co-founded the Community School of the Arts in Knoxville. She served as a past president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society and actively participated in the Tennessee Watercolor Society, the Art and Antiques Gallery, Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Foothills Craft Guild, and Tennessee Women in the Arts.
Applications must include resume, letter of recommendation, artist’s statement, and CD of digital images of artist’s work. Deadline for receipt of application is Friday, March 19, 2010. Applications may be downloaded at www.knoxalliance.com (under Calls & Press Releases) and should be submitted to the Arts & Culture Alliance, PO Box 2506, Knoxville, TN 37901. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or e-mail sc@knoxalliance.com.
