The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 1-29, 2019. A reception will take place on Friday, March 1, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus will perform at the First Friday reception. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.
A1LabArts: Connections in the main gallery
A1LabArts’ inaugural juried exhibition, “Connections”, is a wide-ranging show presenting innovative work by 31 artists from Knoxville and beyond. Works explore the theme of “connections” in a broad variety of styles and media, including but not limited to: painting, photographic processes, video, sculpture and assemblage, and more. A1LabArts, a long-established Knoxville nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting artistic innovation, organized the show by an open call to all artists. From numerous entries received, select works were juried for the show based on criteria including originality, creativity, and social relevance. The juror is Katie Hargrave, professor at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Cash prizes will be announced at an awards ceremony at 6:00 PM on Friday, March 1. For more information, visit https://www.a1labarts.com.
Melanie Fetterolf: From Student to Educator in the Balcony gallery
Color and nature, combined with my imagination, are my inspirations. I love to find the hidden colors within my subject matter and bring those to life. The juxtaposition of colors fascinates me! I tend to paint patterns of color using blending, layering and texture. I have always enjoyed exploring the border between realism and abstraction in many different mediums. Sometimes I create images specifically to print on notecards, and I tend to think about how a finished work will look in card form. I love the creative process and experimenting with new mediums and techniques, which has resulted in my rain painting series as well as creative art classes. I hope to inspire my students to also live their dreams creatively.
Melanie Ford Fetterolf, born in 1970, is an active painter who enjoys working in a variety of mediums. She works in watercolor, acrylic, alcohol inks, pen and ink, recycled art, and some clay. Her most recent work is in acrylic and watercolor. She began to focus on painting while at college, and in 1993 graduated with a BFA with a Painting Concentration from Virginia Tech. After a significant break for motherhood, Fetterolf currently enjoys teaching all ages and painting at Painting Your World Studio and Gallery in Seymour. She opened the studio in January of 2016 and currently teaches afterschool classes, homeschool, private lessons, summer camps, custom paint parties, birthday parties, and “Dinner and Painting with Gail’s Pantry”. Prints of her work may be found at Ijams Nature Center, Davis Studio, and the Appalachian Arts and Crafts Center. She participates in local farmers markets, various festivals, and Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge, and she exhibits regularly throughout the Knoxville area. Her original art is in private collections throughout the Southeast and may be purchased and commissioned through Painting Your World Studio. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/
Rick Roth: Illuminations in the display case
My work mainly consists of grinding texture onto metal and usually painting transparent color over it. This technique gives the finished piece both a holographic and iridescent effect. The piece seems to move as you move; colors brighten and soften on their own. I am often asked if I use glass or if the pieces are illuminated because they appear so bright.
Growing up in Phoenix, AZ in the late 1970s, Rick Roth played tennis, baseball and football. He earned a college scholarship for tennis and later worked as a teaching pro at a top tennis resort. He then enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the early 1980s, ultimately reaching the rank of Corporal. After an honorable discharge, he and his wife moved to Washington State to raise their family. Roth stayed home with his children for 20 years, and when they left for college, he discovered the concept of abstract metal art. “I liked the way it moved and flowed and how vibrant the colors were,” he says. He worked toward creating the same idea but with his own twist. Roth tries to make his art move and change as if it were alive, responding to the viewer individually. “I always get more out of these pieces than the work I’ve put in,” he says. “That’s what I love about it. Making my art is both exciting and relaxing for me, and I hope it is for the viewers as well.” He and his wife moved to Tennessee eight years ago. The natural beauty of the area continues to inspire him. For more information, visit https://1-rick-roth.pixels.
Richard Jansen: Trees and Other Beautiful Things on the North Wall
There are approximately 100,000 species of trees in the world. It is estimated by NASA from satellite pictures of the earth that there are approximately 3 trillion trees on the earth, which equates to approximately 400 trees for every human. Trees are often taken for granted and overlooked for their beauty and grandeur. Multiple poems have been written about trees, with one of the most famous by Joyce Kilmer: “I think I shall never see; A poem as lovely as a tree”. In all their varieties and leafy splendor, trees provide us with a variety of color and designs. It is Richard Jansen’s intent to share some of the magnificent trees he has had the opportunity to photograph during his lifetime.
Born and raised in Kansas, Richard Jansen has resided in Knoxville for the past 21 years. He is a graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree and the University of Colorado, Boulder where he earned his Master of Arts. He is married with five grown children and nine grandchildren. Jansen joined the Army and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1998. He initially left the Army after Vietnam where he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star and Air Medals as a squad leader in the 9th and 25th Infantry Division. He left the military after returning home in 1970, returned to college, and later rejoined the Army as a First Lieutenant in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. His intent was to help wounded Veterans from Vietnam and other military conflicts. He won multiple photography awards while in the Army to include All Army and All Inter-service awards. Jansen has photographed since 1970 after returning from Vietnam. His love for photography helps him bury the scars from that conflict. He is also a published photographer with publications in multiple magazines, calendars and Hallmark cards. For more information, visit https://www.accentphotography.
Yvonne Hosey: Glasslike Surfaces 2.0 in the Atrium
Yvonne Hosey is an artist who works in several mediums: glasspaint, acrylic, watercolor and scratchboard. She is inspired by her travels and blogs about them. This is her third exhibition at the Emporium, with the inaugural Glasslike Surfaces debuting in August 2016. She continues to explore glasspaint as a medium as well as portraiture using friends and people seen on the subway during a fall trip to New York City.
Like most artists, Yvonne Hosey’s journey has been a winding one. Discouraged as a young woman from pursuing a career in art, Hosey opted instead for a career in nursing. Marriage and family followed. The creativity refused to stay buried as she became an avid cook, decorator, and collector. Her travels always included trips to art museums and exhibitions. When her son started high school, they moved to a house with a sunny back porch. “One day I discovered a pack of old oil pastels, bought a few sheets of paper, and commandeered the porch,” says Yvonne Hosey. “I haven’t looked back since.” For more information, visit www.roosterscrowart.com.
The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.
