July 2006

Photos from First Friday, July 7
Thank you to the hundreds of people who came to the Emporium for the opening receptions of "earthworks: natural resources redefined" and Three Flights Up gallery.

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[updated 07/10/06]

Arts & Culture Alliance Presents “earthworks: natural resources redefined”
The Arts & Culture Alliance presents “earthworks: natural resources redefined”, a new exhibition featuring the works of Karen Briggs and Ruth Koh. The exhibit runs July 7 – 29 at the Arts & Culture Alliance’s Emporium Center and expresses non-destructive use of natural resources through the two artists’ pottery, oils, and pastels. Briggs’ organic pottery and Koh’s rural landscapes depict the beauty of nature and reasons for preserving it.

Artist Karen Briggs describes her line of pottery as inspired by “treasured childhood memories combined with modern aesthetics”. All of Briggs’s glazes are formulated and mixed in the studio to be food safe, non-toxic, and highly durable, and they transfer easily from dishwasher to microwave or oven. Briggs has her own studio, Mountain View Farms Pottery, in Corryton, and is a member of the Foothills Craft Guild, Terra Madre (a group of East Tennessee women working in clay), the Arts & Culture Alliance, the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, and the Center Potters at the Appalachian Arts Craft Shop. Current shows include: Fountain City Art Center in Knoxville, where Briggs won an Honorable Mention. Upcoming shows include: Foothills Fall Festival in Maryville (October), Mountain Makins' Festival at the Rose Center in Morristown (October), and Foothills Craft Guild "A Fine Marketplace" in Knoxville (November).

"Tres Escudillas" (three bowls) by Karen Briggs

"Stained Glass" by Karen Briggs

Artist Ruth Koh has been drawing and painting since childhood when she first became inspired by stories of her grandfather, a painter and photographer. Growing up in West Virginia, she developed sensitivity to the “subtle yet bold beauty of nature”, and pristine, Appalachian landscapes dominate her work. Koh frequently uses a palette knife, working predominately in oils and focusing on landscapes, “an emotional acknowledgement of my respect and concern for the natural environment surrounding me.” She has exhibited in a variety of venues and juried shows in the Knoxville and Asheville areas, including several solo exhibits and two-person shows. In the Tennessee Artists Association Annual Shows, Koh won consecutive Best of Shows. Current shows include: Shady Grove Gallery in Dandridge and the Fountain City Art Center in Knoxville. Upcoming shows include: Covenant Health-Fort Sanders Foundation in Knoxville.

"Tree Tunnel" by Ruth Koh

"A Walk in the Woods" by Ruth Koh

The opening reception on Friday, July 7, from 5-9pm, is free and open to the public, and complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres are served.

[updated 06/12/06]

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