Enjoy diverse and splendid art displays from Tusculum University students, alumni and community members at multiple shows throughout the spring semester in the Clem Allison Art Gallery on campus.
Tusculum’s art program has scheduled six shows beginning in February and continuing into May, all of which are open to the public. All but one features an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery, with light refreshments served. Visitors who cannot attend the reception are welcome to visit the current exhibit in the gallery from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“Art shows enrich the student and community experience on our campus,” said Bill Bledsoe, assistant professor of art and design. “The excellent works created by our students demonstrate the value of a Tusculum education and the way we equip them to be career-ready professionals. The products of community artists expose our students to additional perspectives that prove helpful to their skill development. The community benefits from seeing all of these pieces because they see how talented the artists at the university and in the community are.”
Here are the shows, the dates of the opening receptions and some details.
Thursday, March 28: “Moving Still – Retrospective,” an exhibit by the late Patrick Crowe, a prolific professional artist, that will highlight his figure paintings but also include landscapes, still lifes and interiors.
Thursday, April 11: “The Sound of Art,” an exhibit of en plein air paintings by Tusculum and Greeneville High School students and community members, primarily from Salzburg, Austria, but also from other European locations.
Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21: Old Oak Exhibition, taking place during the Old Oak Festival – but not including a reception – and showing art created by Bledsoe, pieces developed by high school students during the Old Oak Workshops prior to the festival and festival posters produced in recent years.
Thursday April 25: “Variations of the Masters,” master variations completed by current students and alumni of renowned paintings from the Renaissance to Modernist periods.
Thursday, May 2: A “Paint Is Still Wet!” exhibit of oil paintings produced by students in the Painting 1 and Painting 2 classes during the spring semester.
Bledsoe said the artists whose work will be shown during “The Sound of Art” exhibit will travel to Europe during Tusculum’s spring break in March. Making the trip are two students from Tusculum, two from Greeneville High and six from the community in addition to Bledsoe.
Before arriving in Salzburg, participants will conduct en plein air (outdoor) paintings at the Dachau concentration camp and a park that commemorates the Jewish athletes who were killed during the 1972 Olympics. When they reach Salzburg, they will paint at some of the sites filmed in “The Sound of Music.” Those include the spot where Julie Andrews sang “The Hills Are Alive,” the church where Maria and Capt. von Trapp were married and the von Trapp house.
Bledsoe said Crowe’s brother, Samuel, served as the leader of Tusculum’s visual communications program in the 2010s.
“This lineup of shows is strong and reflects our commitment to make art more accessible,” said Rouja Green, director of Tusculum’s Center for the Arts. “Art is not just for artists, but for everyone to enjoy as well. We are thrilled to showcase how our students have progressed in their knowledge and practice of art since they enrolled at the university. We also welcome the opportunity to present the works of accomplished local artists as part of our focus on civic engagement.”
More information about the university and its art program is available at www.tusculum.edu. Further questions about the exhibits can be directed to Bledsoe at wbledsoe@tusculum.edu or Green at rgreen@tusculum.edu.
