From Africa to Appalachia
BFA Senior Exhibition
SPARK! ART
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
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Spring 2025 BFA Senior Exhibition (April 14 - May 23)
Spring 2025 BFA Senior Exhibition
ETSU Department of Art & Design and the Reece Museum present the Spring 2025 BFA Senior Exhibition. The exhibition is on display from April 14 to May 23 at the Reece Museum, featuring the work of five Bachelor of Fine Art students: Adrian Crawford, Hazel Grandy, Sarah Grider, Bri Hagy, and Audrey Holladay. A reception will be held on Thursday, April 17 from 5 to 7 pm at the Reece Museum.
Escapism by Adrian Crawford is comprised of ink drawings using different mediums and video pieces. Crawford’s work is about breaking free from tradition and expectations, healing from trauma, and seeking independence through themes of escapism and ethereal fantasy – their passion for both themes and art have led to telling stories about the experiences and identity they have built.
Defining Appalachian by Hazel Grandy is an exhibition consisting of ink drawings and lithographic prints. Their work is inspired by a desire to see more Appalachian representation in art and media. Grandy’s art focuses on their rural Appalachian upbringing, with themes of Appalachian nostalgia and the eeriness of the mountains.
Chasing the Rainbow Connection by Sarah Grider is a body of artwork comprised of intaglio prints. Grider’s exhibition is about chasing connection, love, and human experience; to do the things that bring us joy, whether that be participating in the arts, or connecting with those around us. She uses intaglio because of the detail it provides, allowing her to tell a complete story through minute details.
Mildly Inconvenienced by Bri Hagy is a body of work comprised of screenprints that depict relatable and mildly inconvenient moments of day-to-day life. Using bright colors, patterns, and self-portraiture, Hagy aims to exaggerate these moments and make them feel more overwhelming than they actually are.
Cryptic Coloration by Audrey Holladay is an exhibition comprised of oil pastel drawings and collages. It explores the artist’s feminine experience through abstracted imagery of birds and the female form. Holladay’s work studies the natural camouflage of female birds and how it relates to the feminine experience. She combines oil pastel and collage to create camouflaged surfaces full of hidden forms.
The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, which is housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Follow the Reece Museum on social media for more content and digital programming.
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SPARK! ART (April 14 - June 20)
SPARK! is a creative engagement program hosted at the Reece Museum for people with early- to mid-stage memory loss and their care partners.
Attending a SPARK! program provides care partners an opportunity to be together IN THE MOMENT. The programs are not reminiscent nor do they rely on recalling memories, but rather focus on observations, conversations and creative experiences – SPARK! offers something for everyone.
During two recent SPARK! sessions, participants viewed artworks from the Reece Museum’s Permanent Collection as inspiration for their own creative process. Focusing on the act of making in the moment, rather than the end result, the group created over 30 works of art on display for you to enjoy.
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From Africa to Appalachia: The Tie That Binds (January 27 - July 4)
From Africa to Appalachia: The Tie That Binds presents works by artists and artisans who focus on aspects of life within African cultures and the African Diaspora from the early twentieth century to the current time. Sixty-seven pieces focus on themes of spirituality, ancestry, beautification, and art for art’s sake as they are expressed in sculptures, paintings, clay works, stone, glassworks, and indigenous materials.
Diverse African artistic expressions form the foundation of this exhibition, and serve as a backdrop for the work of Appalachian artists, demonstrating the ties that bind them—culturally, spiritually, and emotionally--across time and distance. Particular attention is given to showing works that have not been exhibited at the Reece Museum within the past 10 years.
An important component of this exhibition are works selected from The Sammie L. Nicely Collection. Sammie was an East Tennessee artist who left an indelible imprint on the Artscape of this area through his own works, as well as the work of artists that he inspired and collected over time. A co-founder of the non-profit corporation From Africa to Appalachia, Sammie had a broad, lasting impact on art education and the expansion of the arts in his home region and beyond. Works by some of his friends, family, and students are a part of this exhibition. Some pieces were created specifically for this event.
From Africa to Appalachia: The Tie That Binds is curated by Dr. Althia Fain Ali. Growing up in east Tennessee with Sammie Nicely, the two were lifelong friends who collected art and traveled together extensively. A career educator, Dr. Ali earned an MS and an EdD from the University of Tennessee, and held administrative and faculty positions nationally and internationally in public universities, and in private and independent institutions. Dr. Fain Ali began collecting art from Africa and the African Diaspora in the mid-1970s, acquiring many pieces as she traveled around the world.