Current Exhibition

Open Show 2011

If you like color, Open Show 2011 will be a treat. There were 162 artists who entered 349 pieces this year. Of them, the juror accepted 110 pieces from 102 artists. A few of those are black and white, but predominately, they have strong, clear color palettes. The 2011 juror was Joseph Mella, the Director and Curator of the Gallery of Fine Art museum at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the first time Mr. Mella had juried the Art Center's Open Show and the first time he had been asked to critique pieces, especially such a large number of pieces for exhibition. As in the past, you may learn from his commentary, as the critique is posted on the title card for each piece.


It is only through the dedication of our wonderful volunteers that Open Show 2011 is presented. This year we had a fabulous group of people who pulled this together. To these special people we all owe tremendous thanks for a job well done. We appreciate all your contributions of time, creativity, and energy. Volunteers were: Rickey Beene, Constance Capshaw, Karen Evans, Robert Evans, Len Fuller, Jean Gregory, Arlene Goldstine, Beatrice Guarneschelle–Holt, Barb McHugh, Betsy Spooner, Phil Stumbo, Janie Hiserote, and Sue Brasel Thomas. Some of these individuals were here all day for days, even into weeks! Other volunteers at the opening and publicity: Constance Capshaw, Stephanie Holmes, Beatrice Guarneschelle-Holt, Louise McKown, Betsy Spooner, Pat Fitchpatrick, Stephanie Holmes, Donna Powers, Phil Stumbo, Janie Hiserote, Connie Valedon, Robert Evans, Kathleen Alexander, Jane Longendofer, and Bill Capshaw.


There are so many beautiful, accomplished pieces in the show selecting one's favorite to vote for the viewer's choice will be difficult. In the foyer, Kathy Holland's beautiful colored pencil drawing, Nest #6, is both soft, yet extremely well delineated. Each of the bit of straw, twigs and other nesting materials are well defined, but in rich color with crisp detail. And be sure to check out the near luminous quality of the eggs inside. There are in fact several exceptional colored pencil drawings in the exhibition—three of them in the foyer. Ellen Buskirk creates a wonderful, yet mysterious scene in the difficult medium of fused glass, The Seekers. Cloaked women walk through a wooded area with falling leaves and colors abounding. The detail on the trees (and lack thereof for those farther away) and the cloaks the women are wearing testify to the acumen of the artist and mastery she has with this medium. Note the use of her frit and confetti sections of glass to create the falling leaves and beautiful surface of the forest floor. Incredible work! Susan Miller is showing an amazing portrait of her friend Doris, In the Sun. It is a phenomenal piece with bright sunlight streaming across her face, reflecting light and color in a marvelous way. And these are just a very few - there are a tremendous number of fantastic pieces. You'll want to come see the whole show to find your favorite and take a long look before November 5th.

Recent Exhibitions

Women's Work: Memory and Desire

Memory and desire, both rich emotional landscapes from which to draw, make a compelling combination. Some of the women represented in this exhibition interpreted the theme very personally, using symbols and references to which one must be familiar to fully understand their direction. Some used a more universal frame of reference so that understanding is almost immediate and needs no further explanation. Both are equally interesting and give us great insight to the artists who share them with us. Each piece has an accompanying statement at the bottom of the title card. As you walk through the exhibition, these are intended to give you more information and may explain or give you clues as to the intent of the artist. It is interesting to note that in many pieces memory keys desire, in others only one may be present, but both lend an exuberance or palatable yearning to the works.

Aurora Harrison Bull is one of the artists using a vey personal frame of reference. In her oil painting, Mother's Treasures, Aurora gives us a traditional still life. You will find the piece in the Long Gallery to the right of the doorway into the Gomez Room. While it is organized in composition that feels familiar, the items selected for the set-up are not in the least random. In fact, all have great personal significance for the artist and give meaning to the painting. Without the statement card, this meaning might be overlooked by the observer. Fortunately for us, the statement card gives us the story of the items, and so, we understand the criteria for her selections and the intimate nature of both the objects and their meaning. This piece is very deftly painted. Take a close look at the vase, the exquisite manner in which it, the lace doily, and statue are rendered. This is beautiful, efficient brushwork that defines the subject at a distance and gives the observer insight into the motion and action of the act of painting when one draws closer.

Denise Stewart-Sanabria is showing a photographic diptych that has a more universally accepted (especially in the modern era) frame of reference. The Reenactment of the Haze of History, harkens to another era. It demonstrates cleverly the idea that history is painted with broad brushstrokes and symbols where the individual is lost. It also illustrates the sensibilities of another age and, oh so subtly, comments on those same sensibilities. You will find this work in the Gomez Room on the South wall. The intent of the work is clear and clearly heightened by the use of the sepia tones, vague blurring of the imagery and the clever cropping of the central figures. One of the beautiful things about this work is the masterful manner in which the artist makes an "in your face" statement with very charming, soft imagery.

East Tennessee Woodworkers Guild Shines

"How Great Thou Art," by Theophilus-Alan M. Jones

Ebony Imagery XIII

"Go 4 Self Lookin 4 a Better Day," by Frank D. Robinson

"Family Man," by Jane Buis

Smoky Mountains Quilters: Transformations

Quilts by members of the Smoky Mountain Quilters.

In Review of the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild: Transformations

When I learned that the Oak Ridge Art Center was to host an exhibition of the Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild, two memories from my childhood came easily to me. The first of these memories was of my grandmother sitting beside a Warm Morning Stove, a small round hoop in her hands, working on a drawing of flowers with fabric paint. It was the opening stage of a new quilt that she saw in her mind's eye. My second memory was of my other grandparents' home. I was still in elementary school when my grandmother fell and broke her hip; my brothers and I were enlisted to stay at their house should grandpa and granny have any problems in the night.

"Redaction," by Loretta Painter

It was winter and we slept in a room off the main house. The windows in that room did not fit precisely into their frames; and, so on those cold nights as the temperature fell lower and lower, the quilts rained down in a never-ending array of color and weights. As the gray light of morning came through the curtained windows, a few flakes of snow might be on the top piece of cover; but under that hillock of quilts, my brothers and I were never cold. Hence, I was excited about this exhibition; but when I came to see these quilts, I realized that here was a place where the utilitarian aim of the quilt had been transformed into pure art.

Because of this shift from traditional use towards pure art, the quilted work has lost its old mooring of the bed. Now the works are defined by what is in the makers' eyes. By design these quilts may be small as in "Beads Galore," by Ann Kambic, or very large as in "Redaction," by Loretta Painter.

"Northern Lights," by Tone Haugen-Cogburn

They may be square, a loop back to the original form, or irregularly shaped. In "Northern Lights," a group work combined and quilted by Tone Haugen-Cogburn, for example, the form mimics the undulation of the aurora borealis itself, while in "Veggie Kabobs," by Jane Dunham, the quilting extends beyond the edges of the "plate," so to speak. Thus, these new ideas have allowed the quilt to become an expanded form wherein all forms are possible.

"Africa Beckons," by Diane Rhea

These quilts are expressions of artists who have intense interests in how color works and how colors inside a design will allow the viewer to feel new and wonderful emotions. Here there are still-lifes, landscapes, a family album, ladybugs and jitterbugs, kabobs, and explosive designs born of rich imaginations. One can move from the "I've Got the Blues, Blues, Blues" (work by Carol Snapp) to the hope of a "Twelve-and-a-Half" year old girl (by Loretta Painter). Here, there is the opportunity to take a "Respite" (work by Candace Tucker) beside a blue bicycle under arching trees or witness the view at "Morton's Overlook in Spring" (by Nellie Bass Durand). We are invited to become "Delirious" (by Carol Snapp) or feel the beckoning call of Africa ("Africa Beckons by Diane Rhea). All, all of these wonderful thoughts and feelings, are available to you in the two rooms of this exhibit. Come "Catch a Falling Star" (by Lynda Wallace) at the Oak Ridge Art Center; it is a journey that opens into many possibilities.

By Rickey Beene, Artist & Writer

Petros, TN

Sacred Symbols



Sacred Symbols is wildly diverse. Some ideas are universal and resonate with many elements that are familiar from organized religion and literary or historic references.

"Can You Picture Ghost" by Bill Capshaw	"Meditation" by Liz Howell
"The Pieta", a pen and ink drawing by Mary Ann Aken in the Long Gallery, is just such a piece. This well known biblical theme, whose most notable rendition was probably the sculpture by Michelangelo, depicts Mary cradling the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. This reference is familiar for most people either as a biblical or historical image. Other artists responded by creating images from a very personal perspective and/or creed. "One", a quilted work by Sally Wyrick, hanging in the Long Gallery, is a good example of that. In this piece, Sally references our planet and its heavenly situation as a sacred symbol.	"One" by Sally Wyrick
Another wonderful piece of this type is "Sacred Self", a watercolor by Ruth Prince. In this piece Ruth discusses the need and ability to re-center and recharge one's own psyche. Amazingly, many of these pieces and their ideas also resonate with a wide variety of individuals. However, be warned; some of the work contained in the exhibition makes a very strong statement that may make some of our visitors uncomfortable. Not everything in life, or art, is beautiful, but as humans, we still have to "deal." One sad note for all of our Art Center family. Peggy Heddelson, whose work and indelible spirit kindled the idea for this exhibition, passed away prior to its fruition. We thank her husband, Fred, for sharing her work with us for this exhibition. Thank you, Fred.
"Garden of Eden" by Lynda Wallace	foreground - "Soup and Phi" by Jane Longendorfer background - "Rhyhmically Strutting" by Bill Capshaw

In addition to those exhibitions listed above, there will be several individual and group exhibitions in our Foyer Gallery. Anyone interested in participating in these foyer shows should contact the Oak Ridge Art Center to insure receipt of specific information regarding entry, 865-482-1441.