By Nikka Hronis
April 9, 2014. From interactive workshops to exhibitions from artists’ private collections, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts gives the High Country access to the works of many talented artists and offers a great artistic addition to our community. This spring, the art continues in the Main Gallery with Geography Matters, an exhibit from artist and former Appalachian State Professor William Dunlap.
Like many, Dunlap discovered the immense power of place in art through southern literature. Call him a Faulkner of the art world, Dunlap uses rich color to paint the southern landscape and capture the true spirit of the South.
“It’s hard to imagine a more practical way to organize an exhibition than to simply reach out and take what’s available. Once this process became obvious to us, the idea of organizing around some theme, concept, or even chronology, paled in comparison to the possibilities of geography,” Dunlap said of the curating process for this exhibit in a press release.
“This area had such a big influence on his work. A lot of that is what makes his work so special. He was such a great person in this community,” said Megan Stage, Public Relations Manager for the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.
From Friday, March 7 to Saturday, June 7, work from Dunlap’s four-decade-long career will be on display at the Turchin Center curated from the holdings of some of his private collections. Geography Matters features pieces from Dunlap’s early through recent work.
“It’s a compilation of art from all of his different collectors. The work spans over his entire career so you can see every single change in his art. Some pieces are vastly different from each other,” Stage said.
“You very rarely get a body of work that is so immaculate and so detailed.”
Dunlap has an M.F.A from the University of Mississippi and taught at Appalachian State University from 1970-1979, as well as Memphis State University. His paintings, sculptures and constructions are included in many prestigious collections.
Don’t miss this opportunity to check out Geography Matters at the Turchin Center from now until June 7. Galleries are open Tuesday-Thursday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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