"Crossing" by Nina Rizzo is the best in show winner of the Leaf & Root & Berry exhibit.
The Appalachian Highlands is home to one of the most biologically diverse eco-systems in the United States. Our artists draw inspiration from this abundance and celebrate it. The juried competition for Leaf & Root & Berry was held earlier this year, and artists were encouraged to submit works that not only show each artist’s interpretative and technical skill, but also highlight Appalachia’s natural botanical variety and abundance. The competition was open to all genres and media in the visual arts, including digital. It encompasses a variety of works that were submitted from across the region. The winning artwork is on exhibit in show windows in downtown Erwin through Jan. 31 and online.
“Leaf & Root & Berry” was judged by three regional artists. Michelle Bouton is the founder of HERBalachia School of Herbalism and the Sassafras Moon Herbal Festival, as well as the founder of Appalachian Acupuncture. Becky Mallory is a fiber artist committed to recycling, felting, dyeing, deconstructing and reconstructing cast-off garments. Nell Jefferson Fredericksen is a Virginia Master Artisan. She is an award-winning metalsmith, potter and stained-glass artist as well as a trained herpetologist.
The exhibit was originally slated to be held in conjunction with the annual Sassafras Moon Herbal Festival in Erwin, Tennessee. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the festival was canceled, and the competition was held virtually. In cooperation with Jamie Rice, the communications director for the Town of Erwin and downtown Erwin shop owners, the exhibit is now held in a COVID-safe environment. Create Appalachia has mounted the works in shop windows as an outdoor walking gallery. It can also be seen virtually at www.createappalachia.org/botanical-exhibition.
Leaf & Root & Berry will be available for viewing both online and in-person through Jan. 31. All works are for sale. A series of online “events” is being finalized that will feature more regional creative talent, including concerts, poetry readings, body painting demonstrations, and more. Details will be posted on https://www.createappalachia.org, as they become available.
