One of the 11 panels in "Seven Veils" by Alice Frederick.
KINGSPORT, TN – Kingsport Ballet's waiting rooms and hallways have been transformed into an art gallery, offering an additional venue for local and regional artists to display and sell their work.
The artwork provides further enrichment to the dance students and their families. The school also sublets studio space to teachers who provide instruction in piano and clarinet, as well as work space for visual artists.
Local artist Alice Frederick recently approached Kingsport Ballet about housing an exhibit of her paintings at the ballet school. Frederick's work is a multi-canvas rendering of a story inspired by Richard Strauss' Dance of the Seven Veils. Frederick explained that while listening to the radio one afternoon, she was inspired to paint a visual image of Strauss' music. After much reflection and research, Frederick began what became a series of 11 canvases, each portraying an abstract representation of each scene, based on the Old Testament Bible story.
Kingsport Ballet's gallery has proven to be the ideal space to display the 11-canvas collection, prompting Fredrick to donate the work to the school. The Alice Frederick show opened July 5, 2011, and may be seen by the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.-12 noon during the month of July (or by appointment), and daily, Monday-Saturday, beginning Aug. 15.
The Kingsport Ballet gallery also features paintings by such area artists as Wesley Venable, Tony Henson, Patti Lawrence, and Allyson Cummings. With the help of sponsor donations, the company has begun outfitting the walls with an art gallery hanging system that facilitates the rotation of exhibits without damaging walls. The plan is to complete this hanging system throughout the remaining display space. Interested sponsors may contact Kingsport Ballet directly.
