KNOXVILLE – Brian Melton’s newest series, “Voices of Appalachia,” opens Friday, November 5th at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in downtown Knoxville. The exhibition offers a true glimpse into the heart of this region through the hands of someone whose Appalachian roots run deep. Portraits of Appalachian icons like the legendary coach Pat Summitt, the Heartland Series’ Bill Landry, John Henry, Sequoyah, and Davy Crockett hang alongside tropes like the old-timer, volunteer, midwife, coal miner, longhunter, fiddler, farmer, pastor, and teacher. The 15 wall-mounted portraits are carved out of cottonwood bark, Melton’s medium of choice for this series.
“I tend to cling to old world traditions of making do with what you have; rough cut wood is the building material of the poor and the frugal. It's harder to work and imperfect, so it pays tribute to the past and to the hard scrabble folks who ‘carved out a living’ in the rocky mountainous terrain I’ve always called home.”
Melton is a local artist and public school educator at Career Magnet Academy in Knoxville. The series will be accompanied by several large-scale free-standing sculptures, wood block prints, and a recreation of Melton’s studio inside the Dogwood Arts Gallery from November 5th through December 17, 2021. Proceeds from sales will help fund Melton’s participation in a Masterclass with renowned wood-sculptor Bruno Walpoth at the International Center for the Arts in Umbria, Italy.
Exhibition Details:
• November 5, 2021 - December 17, 2021 / 123 W Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902
• Opening Reception: November 5, 2021 from 5-8PM / Regular Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 10AM-5PM
About the Artist: A compulsive creator originally from the mountains of Appalachia and currently residing in Knoxville, Brian Melton is an educator and self-taught artist who strives to tell the story of his home through portraits hand-carved into salvaged wood. The “flawed” or imperfect materials are symbolic of the real, unfiltered, unphotoshopped characteristics of people 一 especially paying tribute to the hard-working and generous people of Appalachia, who are often misrepresented as unrefined. Melton clings to old world traditions of making do with what you have; rough cut lumber is the building material of the poor and the frugal. His use of traditional tools in a world of increased mechanization, makes each endeavor a connection to the past, to simpler times 一 a reprieve from the anxiety and stress of the daily grind. Each face speaks volumes, gives clues, and invites appreciation. Some are familiar, like the portrait of Pat Summit; some are anonymous, like the portrait of a teacher; and some deeply personal, like the two portraits of Melton’s grandfather.
See more of Brian’s work by following him on Instagram. Sculptures can be purchased online or in person at the Dogwood Arts Gallery. Dogwood Arts, presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union, is a 501(c)3 organization with a mission to promote and celebrate our region’s art, culture, and natural beauty.
