Times Best Selling author Sharyn McCrumb and nationally acclaimed artist Cristy Dunn artist speak at the Johnson County Center for the Arts' Gallery on Main.
The Johnson County Center for the Arts extends thanks to New York Times best-selling author Sharyn McCrumb for visiting Mountain City for an artist talk and exhibition opening with artist Cristy Dunn in December.
More than 70 people filled the Center for the Arts' Gallery on Main in downtown Mountain City as McCrumb and Dunn shared inspiration and insights from their collaborative work on an upcoming coffee-table book, "The Serpentine Chain." The pair captivated the audience with stories that wove together geology, history and culture across continents.
“The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest mountains on Earth,” McCrumb explained.“Just how old are these mountains? They are older than the rings of Saturn. They are older than bones, older than dirt.” She went on to describe a vein of green mineral—serpentine—that runs beneath the Appalachians and is also found in the mountains of Celtic Britain. This mineral is a remnant of the immense geological forces that formed these ancient peaks.
In prehistoric times, before the continents separated, the Appalachian Mountains and the mountains of Scotland, Ireland and Iceland were part of a single, continuous mountain chain. Centuries later, Scottish immigrants crossed the Atlantic and settled in Appalachia, unknowingly returning to the same ancient geological range they had left behind.
Cristy Dunn highlighted the cultural echoes that still connect these regions today, from shared stories to enduring artistic traditions. Sixteen original paintings created for "The Serpentine Chain" are on display at the Gallery on Main and remain on view through January.
Johnson County and Mountain City, nestled deep within the folds of the Appalachian Mountains, can at times feel remote. Yet, as "The Serpentine Chain" reminds us, these mountains connect us to a much wider world. Many traditional tunes still played by local musicians trace their roots to Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
