The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 2-29, 2018. A reception will take place on Friday, March 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.
Fountain City Art Guild’s Spring Showcase in the upper gallery
The Fountain City Art Guild will feature original art by nearly 30 local artists including oils, watercolors, woodworking, and more. The mission of the Guild is to create an atmosphere that promotes, encourages, guides, supports, and informs artists in our guild, which currently has about 50 members.
The Fountain City Art Guild began in 1979 as a group of women who met in the “Art Cellar,” the basement of Chloe Harrington’s home. Most of the Guild members were watercolor artists. For several decades, they were known as the Fountain City Watercolor Guild, and they met in various churches and homes in the community, holding exhibitions in local businesses. In 2000, the Guild voted to allow other 2-D media in their exhibits, and in 2015 members voted to allow nonfunctional 3-D work as well.
In 2004, the Guild was instrumental in helping open the Fountain City Art Center at 213 Hotel Avenue, the location of the old Fountain City Library. They welcome creative, committed artists who will bring fresh ideas, energy, and enthusiasm to join the Guild. Applications for admission are accepted each spring and fall. The Guild meets monthly and holds two exhibits each year at the Art Center. They also coordinate painting retreats and workshops. For more information, please visit www.fountaincityartguild.com.
Richardson Turner: Recent Works 2018 in the upper gallery
The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of recent, narrative works by Knoxville artist Richardson Turner. The exhibition includes paintings, photographs, lithographs, and sculptures.
Richardson Turner received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1968. In 1981, he started his own construction company for commercial buildings. During this time, he continued to create images through painting, sculpture, lithography, screen printing, ceramics, and photography. Since 2003, Turner has taken classes at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, including painting and drawing with Michiko Itatani, Moe Brooker, and Emily Brown; clay with Andrea and John Gill; and lithography with Beauvais Lyons. His work has displayed in McGhee Tyson Airport and the Emporium Center in Knoxville as well as in various regional juried shows.
New Reflections: Work by Bill Lee in the display case
I am fascinated by natural design: seashells, budding forms, organic architecture. A sculptor first, I approach clay as an explorer. I chose hand building with slab construction to best express these organic forms in my pottery. This exhibition is about looking back with new perspective and re-interpretations. All of the work is durable stoneware clay, glazed with overlapping layers of studio made glazes.
Thirty years ago, I began using overlapping clay sections to build ceramic pots and sculpture. What started as student exploration while at the University of Tennessee in the mid-80s has now blossomed into more mature work. The funnel vases and feather vessels were some of the refined forms I created, an approach that leaned heavily on observation of organic systems of growth and structure such as flower buds and bird plumage. Many older works were made of raku clay. Over the years, my work developed in a more functional direction, and I created an ongoing collection that I could sell at retail art fair shows and wholesale to shops. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/BillLeePottery or https://www.etsy.com/shop/BillLeePottery.
Recent Works by Kailey Leehans on the North Wall
Kailey Leehans is a young, emerging artist whose preferred medium is watercolor. She enjoys experimenting with acrylic, mixed media and clay. She also creates jewelry, such as clay beads, resin with dried local flowers and bugs, and metal working. Leehans first realized her abilities in drawing when she was very young. She copied children’s books covers and then online photographs with pencil. Eventually, she realized she could create original artwork from her imagination, which proved more satisfying and expressive.
This new exhibition includes a variety of styles. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/oddysshopart/ or https://www.etsy.com/shop/OddysShop.
LMU’s Law in Fine Art Society: Justice for the Vulnerable Unseen in the Atrium
In this new exhibition, participants ranging from middle and high school students to professional artists were asked to reflect on what happens when mental illness and the criminal justice system collide and present an ethical dichotomy. This exhibition reflects the challenges faced by both the vulnerable defendant and the judges, attorneys, law enforcement, and mental health professionals tasked with ensuring justice for all. These vulnerable defendants are our nation’s veterans, our next door neighbors, our families and our friends. Some are forgotten. Some are ignored. Some are never seen at all. And, while their actions thrust them into the spotlight of the criminal courts, their internal struggles often remain unseen. This collection of artwork is dedicated to ensuring justice for the vulnerable unseen.
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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Friday, March 30, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.
