“Persona/Shadow” by Marilyn Avery Turner

KNOXVILLE – The Arts & Culture Alliance will present a new exhibition featuring needlepoint pillows by Coral Grace Turner and monoprint/chine collés by Marilyn Avery Turner. The exhibition will be on display in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 3-31, 2013, and an opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 3 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Coral Grace Turner received a Master of Fine Art in Fibers from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Fine Art in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design. Coral has taught classes and workshops, served as an artist and curatorial assistant, and displayed her work in group and juried shows. She is also a Certified Gyrotonic® Trainer. Coral will display a series of new needlepoint pillows in which she utilizes images of hands creating animal shadow puppets. “These images reference traditional animal portrait pillows as well as integrate my use of pictograms,” says Coral. “I have been collecting and using pictograms, images used to communicate without words, in my work for over ten years.” For more information on Coral Grace Turner, visit www.coralgraceturner.com.

Originally from New York City, Marilyn Avery Turner received her Bachelor of Fine Art from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1966. She taught art classes for more than 20 years in a variety of settings and has been involved with The Art Market Gallery in Knoxville since its inception 30 years ago. She exhibits her work in solo and group shows and participates in juried exhibitions throughout the United States. Her mediums were primarily painting and collage until she began investigating printmaking. Marilyn took a class in the print shop at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1994 and continued taking mini-terms, working with Beauvais Lyons, Anita Jung, Tom Christison, and Jessie Van der Laan. While her main technique is monoprinting, which combines her previous mediums of painting and collage, she has also explored screenprinting. “My imagery has several strands with one common, unifying theme,” says Marilyn. “I am interested in iconic, archetypal images, which I find in varied sources, ranging from the ancient to the contemporary.” Marilyn uses drawings and statuary from early Mexican cultures to reflect her abiding attraction to the country where she spent an impressionable part of her childhood.

“Recent Works by Coral Grace Turner & Marilyn Avery Turner” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from May 3-31, 2013. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 3 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, May 4, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 27, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Published April 17, 2013