Ag In Art 2024 Gallery Exhibition & Discussion Series
“We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist.” — Wendell Berry
A preview of pieces that will be featured in the Ag In Art show:
Tomatoes
(c) Mark Flake
Brown In Spring
(c) Jane Tingle Broderick
Lizzie and Her Peacock
(c) Angelyn DeBord
Globe Tree of Life
(c) John Lachance
Trading Up
(c) Cassie Larson
Medicinal Plants Book
(c) Mary Ruden
All’s Well
(c) Ben Elliot
When We Were Young
(c) Frankie Milhorn
Cultivating Creativity: Ag and Art Takes Center Stage in Regional Exhibition!
The Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council (ARCD) announces the opening reception and announcement of winners for “Ag in Art,” a regional juried exhibition at Fischman Gallery in Johnson City, Tennessee. The exhibition will run from Friday, May 3 through Saturday, June 1, 2024 with the opening reception on Friday, May 3 at 6:30 pm and the closing on Saturday, June 1 at 3:00 pm. Juror Heather F. Wetzel, Galleries and Collections Manager for Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, selected twenty-five pieces out of 128 submissions to be on display during the exhibition. The displayed pieces represent a variety of mediums that speak to or reflect a connection with agriculture. The first, second, and third place winners will be announced during the reception and will receive cash prizes. The 25 pieces on display will represent artists from Yancey County, NC, Greene, Johnson, Sevier, Sullivan, and Washington Counties, TN, and Russell and Washington Counties in VA.
ARCD’s environmental conservation efforts ensure that our rural landscape will be protected for future farming generations for the security and accessibility of healthy, nutritious food and fiber for all community members. From where we live, work, and play to what we eat and wear, agriculture connects us to our family, community, heritage, and even our health. Ag in Art is an exhibition that will explore the importance of agriculture in the everyday lives of people in the Appalachian Highlands through visual arts and storytelling.
We invite the public to join us for a series of discussions from local artisans as they explore how the connection to the land influences their craft.
Saturday, May 4 – 3:00pm Hope Farms and Studio
Saturday, May 18 – 3:00pm Bent Tree Farm
Tuesday, May 21 – 6:30pm Nuttle Fiber Art & Design
Saturday, June 1 – 3:00pm Winners’ Panel Discussion
The Juror is Heather F. Wetzel, the Galleries & Collections Manager at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in the Great Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee. Heather manages a robust exhibition schedule for four rotating galleries as well as the permanent collection which consists of over 1,000 works in a variety of arts and crafts media. She is a practicing artist working primarily in historic photographic processes, hand papermaking, and book arts. Her work has been widely exhibited and can be found at the Anzenberger Gallery in Vienna, Austria, Momentum Gallery in Asheville, NC, as well as in multiple collections.
Fischman Gallery is located in Atelier 133, a renovated warehouse space located at 133 N Commerce Street in downtown Johnson City. The space includes a gallery, 14 for-rent studios, and a bakery-café. The gallery is adjacent to King Commons Park and a block away from Founders Park and the Founders Park Pavilion, home of the Johnson City Farmers Market.
The Ag In Art Exhibit is funded by a grant from the Arts Fund for East Tennessee, a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation. The East Tennessee Foundation is a public charity and community foundation created by and for the people of East Tennessee. Serving 25 counties within East Tennessee, ETF consists of many donors joined together to make the region they love a better place. ETF seeks to build endowments, creating a permanent source of philanthropic funding for the East Tennessee region. For more information, visit www.east tennessee foundation.org.
We extend thanks to our Local Food Sponsor, Hunter Smith Davis, for supporting local food catering at the opening and closing receptions by Boone Street Market and Lazy Lady Baking Co., and to our People’s Choice Award sponsor, Roy Settle.
Fischman Gallery is free and open to the public during regular hours Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. -3 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The gallery is accessible from the Commerce St entrance. For more information, visit https://fischmangallery.org or https://www.facebook.com/FischmanGallery, or call 423-430-8441.
The Ag In Art Exhibit is funded by a grant from the Arts Fund for East Tennessee, a fund of the East Tennessee Foundation
The East Tennessee Foundation is a public charity and community foundation created by and for the people of East Tennessee. Serving 25 counties within East Tennessee, ETF consists of many donors joined together to make the region they love a better place. ETF seeks to build endowments, creating a permanent source of philanthropic funding for the East Tennessee region. For more information, visit www.easttennesseefoundation.org.