SMITHVILLE and COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee Tech University's Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville and Bryan Fine Arts Building on its main campus in Cookeville are set to feature various student exhibits over the coming weeks.
On Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., the Bryan Fine Arts Building will host a reception to mark the opening of Tech senior fine arts student Marymac Webb’s show, “Back Where I Came From: An Intimate Look at Tennessee’s Treasures.” Hors d’oeurvres will be served.
Webb, who also shares updates about her artwork on Instagram using the handle @m.macstudio, says her paintings of culture, history and landmarks from across Tennessee “delve into what it means to be a Tennessean from the perspective of someone who never felt like a true southerner,” adding that she hopes the hidden maps in her paintings will lead audiences “on a journey of recollection to a few of our rich Tennessee treasures.” Webb’s paintings will remain on display in the building’s lobby until Nov. 30.
Beginning Nov. 22, the Appalachian Center for Craft’s Lake View Gallery will showcase Tech senior Laura Lester’s thesis project, “Once.” The installation features ceramics, weaving and woodwork and includes a life-size display of a childhood bedroom merged with dream imagery and both realistic and surrealistic elements.
Lester says the project draws inspiration from her travels, dreams and love of folklore. The exhibit will continue through Dec. 5.
Also beginning Nov. 22, the Craft Center will feature a senior thesis exhibition titled “Comp-eat” from Tech woodworking student Brooks Burr in its Joe L. Evans Gallery.
The exhibit features a versatile, handmade ping pong table that can be reconfigured into a dining room table when the netting is removed. The exhibition will open on Nov. 22 and run until Dec. 5. It is located at 1560 Craft Center Dr. in Smithville, TN in the Joe L. Evans Gallery. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibition during a reception on Dec. 2 from noon to 3 p.m.
The School of Art, Craft & Design promises the exhibition will “inspire viewers to think outside the box and appreciate the beauty of functional design.” It will remain on display until Dec. 5.
Meanwhile, the Craft Center’s Hilltop Gallery will host a senior thesis exhibition featuring knives made by Tech senior Gordon Clark, who studied in the School of Art, Craft & Designs metals program.
Clark is an independent metals artist who enjoys the creation of knives and other items through various means, such as forging and welding. The exhibition will also feature a reception on Dec. 2 from noon to 3 p.m.
Finally, the Bryan Fine Arts Building will host Tech senior Abby Ramaker’s thesis exhibition of oil paintings, titled “Waking Up,” from Dec. 1-8.
According to an event announcement, “Abby’s body of work explores the transformations we go through as people and the light we discover within and around us during those times of change.”
The exhibition will close with an artist’s reception on Dec. 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hors d’oeurvres will be served and more information can be found on Ramaker’s Instagram, @ramakerabby.
All events are free and open to the public. The Bryan Fine Arts Building is located at 1150 North Dixie Avenue in Cookeville. The Appalachian Center for Craft is located at 1560 Craft Center Drive in Smithville.
Learn more about Tech’s School of Art, Craft & Design at https://www.tntech.edu/fine-arts/art/.
