The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University has a full roster of exhibitions, ARTtalks, workshops and other exciting events scheduled for the fall season. A Fall Exhibition Celebration will be held on Friday, October 4 from 6-10 p.m. Held in conjunction with the downtown Boone Art Crawl, the public is invited to engage, discover and connect through the arts at the Turchin Center. During this event the Turchin Center will feature six exhibitions, including the opening of Keith Bryant: Metaphorical Reality in the Mayer Gallery. Numerous exhibiting artists will be on-hand to meet visitors and provide insight into their intriguing work. The musical group Belleville Rendezvous will perform, refreshments and a cash bar will also be available. This event is free and open to the public.
New Exhibitions
Keith Bryant: Metaphorical Reality
Through February 1, 2020 in the Mayer Gallery
Keith Bryant’s dynamic spherical sculptures can be seen from King Street as they cascade down the interior walls of the Mayer Gallery. A procession of vertical metal sculptures, punctuated on top with brightly colored repurposed fire hydrant canisters, appear along the outdoor grand staircase of the Turchin Center. Bryant works in wood, ceramics, metals and found objects creating work from a place that exists beyond the confines of language.
Keith Bryant has been an educator in the arts for over two decades. He currently teaches at UNC Charlotte in the Department of Art & Art History with an instructional focus on ceramics, sculpture and three-dimensional design. Previously he taught at Central Piedmont Community College and the University of South Carolina, Columbia. Bryant holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a BFA from Colorado State University and has participated in a residency at Philadelphia College of Art – today known as the University of the Arts. Bryant’s work has been exhibited nationally and is held in corporate collections throughout the southeast and mountain states.
Continuing Exhibitions at the Turchin:
- Let the Circle be Unbroken: Steve & Gretchen Lotz (through December 7)
- My Place, or Yours?: Cara Hagan, Guest Curator (through December 7)
- Refugee: Bill Brown (through December 7)
- Beyond the Plantations: Images of the New South, Photographs by Michelle Van Parys
(through February 8, 2020)
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…..A site specific Installation by Jodi Woodward (through February 8, 2020)
For more information visit tcva.org/exhibitions
ARTtalk Series
As a complement to the varied exhibition program at the Turchin Center, ARTtalks are led by exhibiting artists, scholars and practitioners. Each talk provides deeper insight into creative practice, context for current exhibitions or contemporary issues shaping the world in which art is created, experienced and interpreted. The Fall ARTtalks correspond to four of the current exhibitions and are held in the lecture hall at the Turchin Center Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. (except as noted). ARTtalks are free and open to the public.
Bill Brown: Refugee– Immigration/Refugee Panel Presentation
Wednesday, Sept. 25, 6 – 7:30 PM
In response to the growing international refugee crisis affecting millions around the globe and moved by the images of overcrowded boats full of people clinging to life while floating in the sea or found drowned on beaches, sculptor Bill Brown created a collection of sculptures- his “Refugee Series.” As Brown notes, “I explored new work in response to these images of the refugee crisis. The results are figurative sculptures which include elements of the refugee journey and that strive to express the grace and strength of the human spirit to persevere.” It is Brown’s goal to open up conversations and bringing awareness to the crisis and attention to the organizations that are working to help.
During the ARTtalk, artist Bill Brown will join with P. Scott Phillips, PhD, NC Field Office Director US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants; Dr. Renee Scherlen, Appalachian State University Professor of Political Science; Sarah Donovan, Lecturer, Department of Social Work; Rachel McKinney, PhD, International Education Policy; and Dr. Curtis Ryan, Professor of Political Science to discuss the current international crisis surrounding immigration and refugees.
Michelle Van Parys: Beyond the Plantations
October 4, 6 – 7:30 PM
Michelle Van Parys will provide an overview of her work as a photographer working with a large-format film camera in the American landscape. The ARTtalk will be held in the lecture hall followed by a Q & A session in the Mezzanine Gallery as part of the Fall Exhibition Celebration.
Michelle Van Parys is a Professor at the College of Charleston in the Studio Art Department where she started the photography program in 1996. Michelle received her B.F.A. from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C, and her M.F.A. in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, in solo and group exhibitions. Van Parys has been the recipient of the Virginia Museum Fellowship and the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship. Her photographs are included in several museum collections such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The High Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, and the Portland Art Museum.
Cara Hagan: Artistic Surrogacy Panel Presentation
October 23, 6 – 7:30 PM
Cara Hagan, guest curator and Associate Professor, Dance Studies at Appalachian State University will join with Jennie Carlisle, Director of the Smith Gallery and faculty with the Art department at Appalachian State University and Wabwila Mugala both of whom are collaborating artists in the My Place, or Yours? exhibition. They will discuss the politics and practice of collaborative work employing the practice of artistic surrogacy
Keith Bryant: Form from Feelings
November 6, 6 – 7:30 PM
Artist Keith Bryant will introduce his creative work in the TCVA lecture hall providing background and setting the stage for his current installation, before moving into the gallery to answer questions and discuss his current work. Bryant will focus on an exploration of creating sculptural forms from inner feelings.
Film Screening
Stories Beyond Borders
Wednesday, October 2, 6 – 8 PM
Stories Beyond Borders, includes five short films that provide insight into the threats and challenges immigrant families and communities are currently facing in the United States. Immigration enforcement practices and policies extend far beyond the crisis at the border. These films tell real stories of resilience and strength, and illustrate opportunities for concerned individuals and communities to contribute time, energy and resources towards the support of immigrant communities. This film screening is held in association with the exhibition, Bill Brown: Refugee. The five films include:
- Santuario by Christine Delp & Pilar Timpane: Juana Luz Tobar Ortega arrived in the US 24 years ago as an asylum seeker from Guatemala and was cleared by ICE annually to stay in the country. When given 30 days to leave the country or be deported, she entered sanctuary at a church in Greensboro, NC.
- Not a Citizen by Daniel Quintanilla. Animation by Hanji Chang: A 28-year-old permanent resident living in Maine is being threated deportation back to his birth country of Somalia from which his family fled as refugees when he was a child.
- The Legacy of the Zero Tolerance Policy by Almudena Toral, Lorena Arroyo & Cindy Karp: A six-year-old girl was separated from her family at the border for three and a half months during the Zero Tolerance Policy and it has impacted her dramatically.
- The Dream Riders by Konrad Aderer: An initiative of activists on bikes who are making a journey from border to border to raise awareness of immigrant issues.
- UndocuJoy! by Monica Medellin, Shauna Siggelkow, Yosimar Reyes, & Define American: UndocuJoy! captures authentic moments of joy of people who are undocumented in the US.
This project was created and curated by Working Films which, for two decades, has positioned documentaries to advance social justice and environmental protection. The organization works with grassroots groups and non-governmental organizations to enhance their programs, extend their reach, and move their missions forward. They train and consult filmmakers to strengthen their community engagement by using documentaries to reach critical audiences and move the dial toward meaningful progress on the biggest issues of our time.
This film screening is a joint project of Working Films, the Department of Social Work at Appalachian State University, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Appalachian State, the Department of Sociology at Appalachian State, the North Carolina Justice Center, the Immigrant Justice Coalition of Watauga County, the High Country United Church of Christ and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. For more information visit tcva.org/calendar
About the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, named for university benefactors Robert and Lillian Turchin, fulfills Appalachian State University’s long-held mission of providing a home for world-class visual arts programming. The largest facility of its kind in the region, the center presents exhibition, education and collection programs that support the university’s role as a key educational, cultural and service resource. The center presents multi-dimensional exhibits and programs and is a dynamic presence in the community, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the power and excitement of the visual arts. Its seven galleries host changing exhibitions featuring local, regional, national and international artists.
The Turchin Center is located at 423 West King St., in Boone. Hours are 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tues. – Thurs. and Saturday, and Noon – 8 p.m., Friday. The Center is closed Sunday and Monday, and observes all university holidays. Admission is always free, although donations are gratefully accepted. For general inquiries, to be added to the mailing or e-news list, to obtain donor program details or to schedule a tour, call 828-262-3017, e-mail turchincenter@appstate.edu or visit tcva.org. The Turchin Center can also be followed on Facebook and Twitter @TurchinCenter.
Sponsors
The Turchin Center receives critical support from a group of outstanding media sponsors that are dedicated to promoting the arts in our region, including: High Country 365, High Country Radio, WFDD 88.5, WDAV 89.9 and WASU 90.5FM.
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