Exhibitions

The Department of Art's Catherine J. Smith Gallery and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts collaborate to present this exhibition of new work from the faculty of Appalachian State University's Department of Art. Faculty exhibitions provide a great opportunity for students to view and discuss artwork produced by their teachers. They also give other faculty at Appalachian State and the Boone community a chance to engage with the many ideas and practices being explored and taught within the Department of Art.

Abstract artist JinBao Han's work is inspired by traditional Chinese painters and calligraphers. His style is both delicate and dramatic, and embodies traditional Chinese painting, interpreted through his own contemporary style that includes vibrant color, resulting in what he describes as a "true, East-meets-West form of expression." Originally from Beijing, China, JinBao Han lives in nearby Asheville.

The 7th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition (AMPC) is a program of Appalachian's Outdoor Programs in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. The AMPC has grown to become a prominent regional competition attracting the work of amateur and professional photographers from across the country allowing them the opportunity to celebrate the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.

Calligrapher and graphic design artist Barbara Yale-Read is a faculty member with Appalachian's Department of Art. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Barbara Yale-Read received her BA from Towson University and her MFA in graphic design from East Tennessee State University.

This exhibition features contemporary artists who employ writing in the creation of images. From their use of the graphic quality of individual letters, to Arabic calligraphy, to words that possess meanings, these artists all create works that pull the viewer into a dialogue. The addition of writing adds an interesting layer to image making that challenges the viewer to interpret these visual cues.

Chuck Broussard is a native Cajun from the heart of South Louisiana. His oil paintings depict the culture and environment in which he was raised. The youngest of eight siblings, Broussard grew up in Scott, in western Lafayette Parish, where he was encouraged to create artwork by both of his parents from a very young age. Broussard dabbled in watercolors and pastels before trying his hand at oils about 10 years ago. He connected with the depth and richness of color, and even the smell and the feel of oil paints, and they quickly became his medium of choice.

Bill Brown is a sculptor and painter who lives and works in nearby Linville. He has been a full-time studio sculptor since 1978. Brown's background includes a foundation of artistic experience that began in childhood. Daily exposure to and interaction with emerging and established artists helped build a fascination with the creative process, and began a lifelong artistic exploration.

Painter Suzanna Bryan works with layers of media, representing layers of consciousness. Her creative process involves working on multiple paintings at once, and her intuitive style involves developing images and figures in acrylic that she enhances with a variety of media, including collage materials, oil pastels, gouache and India ink. Layers of media reveal powerful images and figures.

In the Spring of 2009, representatives from the Turchin Center staff and Appalachian's Department of Art visited The Universidad de las Américas en Puebla (UDLAP) and artists living and working in Puebla and Cholula Mexico. The goals of the trip were to research the local art and artists and to lay the groundwork for future artist residencies, faculty, student and cultural exchanges between the two universities' art departments and graphic design programs. During the trip, Turchin Center representatives toured many artists' studios, and began curating the Summer 2010 exhibition.

Athanase "Tanase" Fontenot is a self-taught artist originally from Dog Island Swamp, a small community in the heart of Cajun Louisiana. Fontenot's drawings and paintings are inspired directly from the objects and scenes that surround him in his daily life. Content to share his work only with family and friends, Fontenot was coaxed to exhibit these works. Fontenot works with oil pastels on black gessoed cold press watercolor paper.

The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts is proud to be a host of an Art-o-mat ® machine. Art-o-mat machines are retired cigarette vending machines that have been converted to vend art. The project was started in 1997 by Winston-Salem artist Clark Whittington, whose inclusion of an old vending machine in one of his shows created an unexpected and long-lasting impression. What followed was the formation of Artists in Cellophane (AIC), an organization based on the concept of "taking art and repackaging it to make it part of our daily lives." There are currently over 75 active machines in various locations throughout the country, and approximately 400 contributing artists from ten different countries work to keep the machines stocked. "The experience of pulling the knob alone is quite a thrill, but you also walk away with an original work of art. What an easy way to become an art collector." For more information, please visit the Art-o-mat website at www.artomat.org.