Artwork by Lauren Adams
September 1–30, 2023 @ Emporium Center for Arts & Culture
The Arts & Culture Alliance presents four new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, from Sept. 1-30. A free gathering with the artists takes place Friday, Sept. 1, from 5-9 p.m. and features original music inside the Emporium byBlesser Heart.
The Big Camera!: Obscura IIIin the lower gallery
Obscura IIIis a new, juried exhibition of alternative and historic photography, hosted by The Big Camera. Alternative photography includes collage, mixed media, darkroom work, cyanotype, Van Dyke printing, traditional film, historic processesand more. Cash awards arechosen by the jurors, Adam Finkelston and James Meara, co-editors of The Hand Magazine. Viewer's Choice votes arealso collected at the First Friday opening.
Obscura IIIis the third iteration in a series started by A1LabArts and The Big Camera, who hostedObscura IIat the Emporium in 2020.
In collaboration with Donna Moore, John Allen and Anna Lawrence, The Big Camerais an ongoing project: a modified enclosed cargo trailer that functions as an extra-large (6’x10’) format camera as well as a portable classroom and community outreach vehicle for A1LabArts. The Big Camerawas made possible in large part through the Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant. The group has taught classes or demonstrated photography in places such as the Emporium Center, Central Filling Station, Public Defenders Community Law Office Youth Program, Knox Makers and Knox County Schools. The Big Camerais intended to share the magic of photography through making its principles hands-on, allowing photography to come alive in a new way for many who encounter it.
www.facebook.com/thebigcamera
https://info91553.wixsite.com/bigcamera
Instagram @thebigcamera
Beyond Landscapes: Lauren Adams & Ilina Arsovain the upper gallery
Beyond Landscapesasks the viewer to broaden their definition of what a landscape is typically. It is an exploration of a plein air perspective, a memory of a placeor even a mark left in a moment in time.
Adams studied painting and art education at the University of South Carolina. With a focus on Flemish and Dutch Art, she relishes archival techniques and processes. Through the years, her subjects have varied from landscapes, cityscapes, abstract atmospheres, to microcosms. Adams is also a high school art educator.
"This series embodies the exploration of the marks our bodies leave after we wake from rest. Nocturnal landscapes, created by a loved one’s body imprinted into their bed, are remnants of his/her journey into the inner worlds. Some may leave a frenzied mountainscape from an active slumber, while others may leave rolling hills from a peaceful nocturnal recharge. I have asked people I love to send me a snapshot of their own nocturnal landscapes. From these, I have created an homage to the amazing worlds we are part of; the traces of which are left for us in the physical realm," Adams says.
www.laurenadamsartstudio.com
Instagram @laurenadamsartstudio
Arsova was born in Skopje, Macedonia, where she studied painting and art education at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University. She is a Ph.D. student in socio-cultural studies of sport at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. As a member of the Association of Painters of Macedonia since 2005, she has exhibited in solo and group shows around the world, including in Washington, D.C.; New York City, N.Y.; Berlin, Germany; Quito, Ecuador; Shanghai, China; São Tomé and Príncipe; Macedonia; and Malaysia.
She says, "As an environmental activist passionate about adventure and mountaineering, the connection with nature becomes a significant part of my art works. In 2020 I became the first woman from Macedonia and among 70 in the world to complete the seven summits mountaineering challenge, including the exceptional journey to the top of the world, Mount Everest. Inevitably the art works are inspired by my journeys, portraying the lived experience in a form of visual diary, complimented by a conceptual performance named ZERO where the artist becomes part of the artwork. The fetus position of a female nude immersed with the landscape is a symbol of a new beginning, a hope for a new humanity with higher respect towards mother nature, emphasizing the elements which give life."
Instagram @ilina_arsova
Instagram @ilina_arsova_art
West Fifth Studios: Field Tripin the Atrium and display case
West Fifth Studios is an art center located in Knoxville’s Old City. Its goal is to further the creative endeavors of its professional artists, build active artist relationships, and engage in Knoxville’s creative community. West Fifth Studios is partnered with The Point church and offers public events quarterly including classes, maker markets, and First Fridays.
“Field Trip” is West Fifth’s annual off campus group show exhibiting their studio artists, who include: Gabrielle Barnhart, Kate Buuck, Jasmine Hoisington, Laurel Hooker, Matthew Kent, Carolina Lebar, Allison Meriwether and Esther Sitver.
http://westfifthstudios.com/
Instagram @westfifthstudios
Tonya Wade Wunder: Distortions and other Non-Realitieson the North wall
"My intent is not to lead the viewer in any specific direction. Rather, it is to stimulate their imagination so that they may draw their own conclusions. Although I have other cameras, I shoot most of my work with an iPhone 13 Pro Max using glass bowls and other objects as filters. In post-production, I further enhance and manipulate my original images using digital effects," says Wunder.
Living and traveling around the U.S. and abroad has helped emerging artist Wunder develop her aesthetic style. After residing in Asheville, North Carolina, for 15 years, she calls Knoxville home. She has found support and community in her continued growth as an artist while living here. Wunder received a Juror Citation in Knoxville Photo 2021 and Best of Still Life in Knoxville Photo 2020. She has also displayed work in the City of Knoxville’s Mayor’s office. "Distortions and other Non-Realities" is her first solo exhibition.
Instagram @cathartic_rebellion
The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee. The Emporium is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. TheEmporium isclosed Monday, Sept. 4.Most of the works on exhibition arefor sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop athttps://www.knoxalliance.store.For more information, visitwww.knoxalliance.comor call (865) 523-7543.
Category: Art