Jeff Bobo @ Times-News has a video report on the Local Artists Gallery in Rogersville. The video features Brenda Snell, artist and co-owner of Taste of Heaven Farms in Hawkins County.
I’ve got to tell you – the Local Artist Gallery is one of my favorite places downtown. I often browse through the gallery, oohing and ahhing, wishing I were rich and then thinking to myself, “Hey, I could do that.” (This lunacy invariably ends with me wasting money on supplies and/or injuring myself with a chisel.)
Anyway, it’s not just the art I find so appealing, but what the gallery represents: collective power and creating opportunities.
It’s a little known fact that Hawkins County is teeming with talented artists and skilled craftsmen. Most of that talent is concentrated at the foot of the Clinch mountains. Some of the people were born here. Some landed by accident. Some came on purpose because they were attracted to the isolation and beauty of the mountains.
The problem with living in isolated beauty and being an artist is there’s no one to buy your art or even admire it. Hawkins, Hancock and many of the surrounding counties are made up of small, impoverished communities. Most people here don’t have the expendable income to purchase original artworks, and if they did, they’ve no interest in it really – so a majority of them would opt for NASCAR season passes and a trip to Myrtle Beach instead. This means with the exception of local festivals, which can be costly after you purchase space, buy display racks, provide transportation, and invest your time – there weren’t a lot of opportunities for display.
Since this was a shared problem, a coalition of artists (most members coming together through the Clinch Artists organization) pooled their resources and rented gallery space in Rogersville. Because there were so many artists participating, each artist’s share of the rent was affordable. They work volunteer shifts to staff the gallery. Again, considering the number of participating artists, the task is not too much of a burden. And overall, the project has been astoundingly successful.
The gallery has since started offering workshops and classes. They’ve picked up several new artists. In fact, after closing her pottery shop downtown, Debbie Beal joined the gallery. And they are now planning to expand.
Of course, you can visit the gallery on the web and even view photos of items online. But this is a very small sampling of what they offer. I’d recommend, if you haven’t been, you go… or you could not go and live the remainder of your life unenlightened and ignorant. Your choice.
(See why they won’t allow me to work in PR?)
Hey, that’s MY picture!
The gallery gets better every time I stop by. There’s many people doing interesting and even strange artsy things hidden in the hollows of this area. We need to encourage all of this.
Let’s not forget the other gallery in the farmhouse with the lunch counter that I can never remember the name of that’s off on that loop road east of here on 11W, I wish I could remember the name of any of it and looking at the map just now is not helping me any.
You’re talking about the one on Carter’s Valley? It’s Jubilee Art Gallery or Jubilee Art Project. I’m glad you mentioned it. Lisa Hall did a book signing there a few months ago. I missed it and had meant to go later and check the place out.
Yes, that’s it. With the name I was able to find a web page for it:
http://www.vacationaqt.com/what-to-do/jubilee-arts-gallery/
And also the previous post where I asked you about it and then realized I had already been there:
http://demarcationville.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/secrets-lies-and-pies/
I just can never remember the name.
BTW, I did end up reading Lisa’s book. It wasn’t too bad but the ending was a bit anticlimatic. I hope also in the sequel she tones down the number of exclamation points a wee bit, I felt like she was shouting at me throughout the whole book. Hope she doesn’t get mad at me for saying that.