William King seeks entries for ‘From These Hills’
William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia, announces a call for artists for its biennial exhibition, “From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands.” This major exhibition of new works by artists working in all media highlights the continuing artistic vision of individuals in our region.
The call is open to artists working in any media: painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, glass, textiles, mixed media, video or performance art—in the geographic areas of Southwest Virginia, Northeast Tennessee, Western North Carolina, Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.
William King Museum of Art celebrates the diversity of regional artistic talent in this major exhibition of new works. From These Hills 2023 opens at the William King Museum of Art Oct. 5, and continues through Feb. 4, 2024.
Deadline for submissions is July 1. Accepted artists will be notified via email by Aug. 1. This exhibition is guest-curated by Ali Printz, painter, curator and scholar of art and Appalachian regionalism.
“From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands” is an original WKMA biennual exhibition established in 1993.
To request a prospectus, contact Anna Buchanan, Curator of Contemporary Fine Art & Craft, at abuchanan@wkmuseum.org, call (276) 628-5005 x106, or apply online at www.williamkingmuseum.org under “Call for Artists.” Submission fee of $20 is required.
For information on exhibitions or events at William King Museum of Art visit www.williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005.
Museum hosts portrait
exhibit called
‘Contemplating Character’
“Contemplating Character: Portrait Drawings & Oil Sketches” from Jacques-Louis David to Lucian Freud” continues its national museum tour at William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia, through July 30. This exhibition is part of the McGlothlin Exhibition Series.
“Contemplating Character,” which features 80 works, explores the evolution of portraiture from the end of the 18th century until the present. In contrast to portraits near the end of the 18th century that were flattery of the rich and powerful, invigorating new movements of Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism took hold of art at the end of the 18th century and into the 19th century, the result of a desire for a sense of “unvarnished truth” and a more honest and gritty incisiveness of depiction. By the 20th century, the hallmark of the portrait was individuality; that is, the character, or sense of “personality” was primary, whether stylistically Post-Impressionist, Expressionist, Surrealist or Realist.
This exhibition showcases 80 rare portrait drawings and oil sketches, ranging from a late 18th-century work by Jacques Louis David to works by Lucian Freud, and including other remarkable works: a French revolutionary’s portrait of George Washington all of one half inch in height; an unusual caricature of Charles Garnier (1825-1898), the famed architect of the Paris Opera; an English portrait miniature circa 1810 depicting a single eye; a self-portrait reflection in a glass by Auguste-Hilaire Leveille; and a self-portrait by an artist born without arms, Louis-Joseph-Cesar Ducomet (French 1806-1856).
William King Museum of Art is open seven days a week: Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs¬day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. Admission to the Museum is free. For information on exhibitions or events at William King Museum of Art visit www.williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005.
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, William King Museum of Art is a partner of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a member of the Virginia Association of Museums, and is funded in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
