Acrylic painting by Tracey G. Crocker. Image courtesy of the artist.	Abstract art by Silas Reynolds. Image courtesy of the artist.	Diverse clay by Christine Parkhurst. Image courtesy of the artist.
Art by Jessie Van der Laan. Image courtesy of the artist.	Art by Jonathan Young. Image courtesy of the artist.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville through July 28, 2017. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

Knoxville Photo 2017 in the lower gallery
The Arts & Culture Alliance presents the fifth annual Knoxville Photo, an exhibition featuring selected works from 37 artists throughout the region. Knoxville Photo was developed to provide a forum for photographers to compete on a national scale and display their work. The exhibition encompasses photographs depicting all subjects and genres, including streetscapes, cityscapes, landscapes, environmental portraiture, portraits, abstracts, and more.

Baldwin Lee served as juror for the exhibition and viewed images from 107 artists to select the exhibition. Lee’s educational background includes an undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied with Minor White and a graduate degree from the Yale School of Art where he studied with Walker Evans. Lee’s work in photography has been shown widely including venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work has been recognized by the award of a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. Lee teaches photography classes of all levels, spanning traditional silver-based image making through photography made by digital means. His efforts in the classroom have been honored with the University’s two highest teaching distinctions: the UT National Alumni Association Outstanding Teaching Award and the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award. For more information about Baldwin Lee, please visit www.baldwinlee.com.

The following artists’ works will be shown:
• Pat Kumicich of Naples, FL
• William Richard Major of Athens, GA
• Samuel Brown of Dacula, GA
• Joseph Potter of Decatur, GA
• Jessica Holly of Berea, KY
• Sam Hill Matthews of, NC
• Thom O'Connor of New York, NY
• Ken Van Dyne of Cincinnati, OH
• M. Jordan Phillips of Alcoa, TN
• Jeffrey Stoner of Kingsport, TN
• Louise T. Boyd, Khoa Dinh, Jurgen Dopatka, Elena Ganusova, Eric L. Hansen, Gary Heatherly, David A. Johnson, Gretchen Kaplan, Brian McDaniel, Sara Blair McNally, Yasmin Murphy, Thomas Owens, Hei Park, Chris Rohwer, Clay Thurston, Jeff Wischkaemper, Jonathan Young and Steve Zigler of Knoxville, TN
• Cat Griffith-Benson and Chase Smith of Maryville, TN
• Lee Steenbergen of Murfreesboro, TN
• Debra Lovvorn Belvin and Krzysztof Rykaczewski of Oak Ridge, TN
• Phil Savage and Cheryl Tarrant of Powell, TN
• Robert Batey of Sevierville, TN
• Rowan James of Ten Mile, TN

For more information, please visit www.knoxalliance.com/knoxville-photo/.

Eight Artists of the Vacuum Shop Studios in the Balcony gallery
The Vacuum Shop Studios (VSS) was founded in January 2013 between the Old North Knoxville and 4th & Gill neighborhoods. Occupying the former location of a vacuum repair shop at 1326 N. Broadway, VSS is a collaborative work space for artists. While the space is primarily used as private artist studios, VSS opens their doors to the public three times a year for open studio nights annually on First Fridays in February, May, and October. VSS has exhibited at Bagwell Gallery (Pellissippi State Community College) and Catron Gallery (Walters State Community College). The exhibition at the Emporium Center marks VSS’s third group exhibition. The Vacuum Shop Studios were voted "Top Artists Workshop/Studio" in the Knoxville Mercury's "Top Knox 2015 Reader's Poll."

Currently, VSS houses eight artists: Eleanor Aldrich, Heather Hartman, Kelly Hider, Ashton Ludden, Erin Mullenex, Chelsie Nunn, Deborah Rule, and Jessie Van der Laan. The exhibition will include works by these artists in a variety of media such as painting, collage, mixed media, printmaking, and fiber work. For more information, please visit vacuumshopstudios.wordpress.com.

Christine Parkhurst - Diverse Clay: Pots & Poems in the display case
A native Californian, Christine Parkhurst holds degrees in English and Education from the University of California at Berkeley, has taken advanced Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, and has lived, worked, and studied in Europe. She loves writing, gardening, dogs, music, and ceramics. She has worked with clay in England, Lake Tahoe, Bakersfield (one of her greatest regrets is that she didn’t go on a class field trip to visit the art studio of Peter Voulkos), and Knoxville. Christine has two grown children, two stepchildren, four young granddaughters, and currently shares a home in Knoxville with her husband, George, their two dogs, and – at last count – 22 rather large fish.

In this exhibition, Christine Parkhurst will display clay busts, bowls, vases, and animal forms with some of our poetry. Artist’s Statement:

I used to try to make the perfect shape
Until one day someone said
“Your pots are so . . . round;”

And from then on I aimed for
What WAS
Not for what MIGHT be

For I realized there was art in everything
Regardless of form

And perfection itself
In imperfection;

And my spirit SOARED,
And my work
BECAME.


Acrylic Paintings by Tracey G. Crocker on the North Wall
Tracey G. Crocker is the owner of Wine and Canvas Knoxville. She has worked with acrylic, mixed media, and many other forms of art.

Silas Reynolds: In the moment in the Atrium Silas Reynolds was born and raised in Morristown and now resides in Knoxville. Growing up with an artist father, art was like second nature to him. He began drawing at a very young age and his passion for art grew quickly. He continued his love for drawing throughout his childhood and began experimenting with paint in his early twenties and soon fell in love with the freedom of abstract painting which allowed him to express himself in a different way.

Silas Reynolds is a self-taught artist and is primarily recognized as an abstract painter using bold colors and shapes to create a highly energetic work of art with acrylic, spray paint, latex enamel, pastel, and other media. His style is influenced by the likes of Jackson Pollack, Willem De Kooning and Alex Brewer, and his work is inspired by nature and everyday life. “Most of my work is completely spontaneous,” says Reynolds. “I start with a mark and keep adding layers until there is a cohesive balance between the shapes and colors that are made.”

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.