Category: Artists
-
Willard Hill
Willard Hill When local artist Willard Hill was born, a gallon of gasoline cost 19 cents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president of the United States and desegregation of public schools was still 20 years off. Now 88 years old, the lifelong Manchester resident is gaining worldwide attention with his mixed media sculptures. Hill’s work ranges…
-
Bessie Harvey+
Bessie Harvey A new creative voice in the region emerged in Alcoa, Tennessee, in the late twentieth century. Entirely self-taught, Bessie Harvey (1929–1994) used little more than roots, sticks, shells, and paint to assemble a diverse cast of spirited figures—biblical characters, African ancestors, mythological creatures—infused with uplifting messages of human perseverance and divine compassion. Harvey’s…
-
Cynthia Gadsden
Cynthia Gadsden Cynthia Gadsden is an Associate Professor of Art History at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she teaches courses in Art History, African American Art, and African American Film. As a researcher, she focuses on the interconnection of African American art, history, and culture. Through this lens she explores the lived experience,…
-
Art Eubanks+
Art Eubanks+ Alumni and international arts educator, Eubanks worked in a variety of mediums; oil pastels, clay to collage, displaying subjects and places that he lived and experienced. Graduating from Cameron High School in 1966, he then earned a degree in Art Education from Tennessee State University. He taught and studied in various European, Caribbean,…
-
William Edmondson+
William Edmondson+ William Edmondson, son of Tennessee slaves, did not consider himself an artist when he began carving around 1932, after retiring from his job as a laborer. Inspired by a vision, he emphasized his divine calling, claiming, “Jesus has planted the seed of carving in me,” and describing his works as “mirkels.” Edmondson carved…
-
Samuel Dunson
Samuel Dunson The only constant in life, is change, therefore life changes everything. This is the one concept that has remained true throughout my artistic journey. My work tends to deal with accepting, then overcoming changes occurring throughout life. From my early years as an artist to the present day, I strive to discern these…
-
Kimberly Dummons
Kimberly Dummons Kimberly Dummons is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, where she primarily teaches Two-Dimensional Design and Three-Dimensional Design. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she earned her B.A. in Art from Xavier University of Louisiana, and her MFA in Studio Art, with a Sculpture concentration,…
-
Tina Curry
Tina Curry Each piece is individually formed from a slab or lump of clay. Tina primarily uses her bare hands rather than tools, so you will see her finger marks on the pieces. The love of animals, both domestic and wild, are the essence of her body of work. “In nature I observe animals in…
-
Bill Capshaw
Bill Capshaw The heart of each piece comes from deep within the soul with the intent to pierce the mind with probing thoughts of the creative process. Classic forms are conceived using simple line work with basic shapes and design elements. Embellished surfaces and glaze decoration work together for contrast and emphasizing the compositional message.…
-
Jane Buis
Jane Buis Born in the Rocktown section of Jefferson County, Marcella “Jane” Buis was one of four sons and two daughters of James and Ethel Pate Carter. While sharecropping in hay, tobacco, wheat and other farm crops, father James had also helped build the Interstate highways, while mother Ethel worked at Carson-Newman (then) College as…
CRAFTING BLACKNESS 