“From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands” is a long-standing tradition at William King Museum of Art, Abingdon, Virginia.
First held in 1993, this biennial exhibit is unique in its geographic scope and its showcasing of talented artists living and working in Southern Appalachia. Since that first exhibition, “From These Hills” has exhibited more than a hundred artists drawn from more than 1,000 portfolio submissions. For each biennial, WKMA invites a guest curator to provide a strong, independent voice when selecting the work to be included in the exhibit. Past curators include Ray Kass, renowned artist and professor emeritus of art at Virginia Tech; Steven Matijcio, then curator for the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; Amy Moorfield, then the director of the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University: Courtney McNeil, chief curator at Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia, and Rebecca Elliot, assistant curator of craft, design and fashion at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This year marks the 15th biennial with 27 artists from around the region chosen by guest curator Michael Rooks. An independent art writer, Rooks has served as the Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, since 2010. Rooks also served as commissioner and co-curator of the U.S. Pavilion at the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, in 2010. Prior to joining the High, Rooks held curatorial positions at The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu; and the Honolulu Academy of Arts.
Selected artists for the 2021 exhibition include Betsy Bannan, Carla Taylor, Carrie A. Dyer, Cavan Fleming, David Underwood, Devin Mitchell, Gary Mesa-Gaido, Halide Salam, Heather Fleming, James Veenstra, Jean Hess, Jeff Chapman-Crane, Jennifer Cox, Jonathan Adams, Joshua White, Ju Yun, Kevin Beck, Kirsten Stolle, Kris Rehring, Laura Ann Schroeder, Mike Ousley, Ray Stratton, Sally Brogden, Simone Paterson, Torrance Redford, Virginia Derryberry and William Fields.
This issue of A! Magazine for the Arts focuses on four of the artists who are in this year’s show. The “From These Hills” exhibit closes Feb. 6.
William King Museum of Art is open Monday through Wednesday and Friday and Saturday from 10 am. to 5 p.m. Thursday 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 williamkingmuseum.org or call 276-628-5005.
