Centennial Art Center’s annual exhibit, the Art of Craft, featuring artists from Tennessee Craft Midstate will be on display Friday, August 6 to September 20, 2021. An artist reception will be held Friday, August 6, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Centennial Art Center Gallery located inside Centennial Park at 301 25th Avenue North. This year’s exhibit, curated by the Tennessee Craft Midstate Board members and Centennial Art Center staff, showcases a wide variety of art from Middle Tennessee’s fine craft artists.
Bottom row: Jackie Schlicher, Simon Levy, Cora Green, Ben Caldwell
Thirteen Tennessee Craft Midstate artists will display their artwork in this exhibit: Beizar Aradini (fiber/textiles), Ben Caldwell (metal), Jen Cole (pottery), Trey Geary (jewelry), Cora Green (painting), Tatiana Johnson (candles), John Jordan (wood), Megan Jordan (painting), Simon Levy (wood), Allison Lund (abstract painting), Jackie Welch Schlicher (pottery), Mary Sullivan (printmaking and bookbinding), Emily Tuttle (printmaking).
Beizar Aradini creates delicately constructed fiber work and explores the liminal spaces of being an immigrant and living through a diaspora.
Ben Caldwell makes functional and timeless metal art from copper and silver by hand using traditional metalsmithing techniques. He uses only the purest available metals and naturally-shed antler, all sourced in the USA.
Jen Cole creates handmade pottery designed to beautify everyday rituals. Delicate floral patterns and fine craftsmanship define her work.
Trey Geary crafts fine jewelry from natural stones, wood, silver, and copper to create an imaginative fusion that resonates with organic beauty.
Cora Green paints figures with bold colors and patterns juxtaposed against soft, delicately rendered skin tones. She incorporates gestures to express the emotion she cannot express in words.
Tatiana Johnson uses the medium of wax to create hand-poured candles that showcase how beautiful and complex it is to be a woman.
John Jordan turns and carves wood vessels, sometimes incorporating steel or copper to create refined wood art pieces of depth and natural beauty.
Megan Jordan creates paintings which incorporate a playful style and contemplative meaning. Megan’s I, too series of paintings calls for her audience to think critically about the term "American."
Allison Lund makes abstract expressionist paintings which reflect her inspiration in both the beauty of her natural surroundings and the industrial grit of the Midwest - places that have helped shape her creative process.
Simon Levy creates one-of-a-kind, lathe-turned wood objects using a variety of surface design techniques and materials. He works intuitively with each piece to achieve beautiful balance, rhythm and form.
Jackie Welch Schlicher decorates her wheel-thrown pottery using “sgraffito” technique to create her images and patterns by carving through a black or contrasting slip applied to the pot to reveal the white clay beneath.
Mary Sullivan makes book and print works which are vessels for historical study, self-reflection, and creativity. The Tomboy series, explores a personal narrative of understanding contradictions of acceptance, gender identity and otherness.
Emily Tuttle creates collagraph prints that are figuratively pieced together from fragments of images, words and textured materials. Her delightful artwork is inspired by her garden, pets and nature.
Tennessee Craft Midstate is the largest chapter of Tennessee Craft boasting more than 200 artisans. It continues to grow as new artists join this thriving network of makers. This community involves the public by inviting them into shops and studios, teaching their craft, participating in craft fairs, and displaying their work in galleries throughout Tennessee and across the country. Tennessee Craft has preserved and advanced the tradition of craft for over 50 years, and Centennial Art Center has been a long-time partner of the organization.
The Art of Craft will be on display from Friday, August 6 to September 20, 2021, with an opening reception Friday, August 6, 2021 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served; however, current CDC and Metro Health Department guidelines will be closely followed.
Centennial Art Center’s gallery is free and open to the public and is a division of Metro Parks and Recreation’s Cultural Arts and Visual Arts programming. Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm. For more information, visit CAC's website or Facebook page or send an e-mail to gallery manager Didi McCollum.