Givin’ the What For curated by Michael Dickins
September 5 – November 8, 2025
Givin’ the What For curated by Michael Dickins
Opening receptions: Friday, September 5, 5:00-9:00 PM and Friday, October 3, 5:00-9:00 PM
The Emporium, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 9-5; Sat 10-1; Additional hours: Sat-Sun Oct 4-5, 1-5 PM for the Small Press Publishers Fair; Fri Oct 10, Fri Oct 17, Thu Oct 23, and Fri Oct 31, 5-7 PM for Gallery 1010 openings.
Enjoy a welcome statement from the curator!
Givin’ the What For takes its title from a Southern colloquialism that expresses stern disapproval or a serious reckoning. It’s a phrase rooted in confrontation, calling for accountability and highlighting the weight of one’s actions.
Curated by Michael Dickins, this exhibition showcases the work of six women artists living and working in Southern Appalachia. Although they choose to be rooted in this region, their practices go beyond geographic identity. Using a mixture of media and materials, these artists tackle urgent global concerns such as social justice, environmental degradation, personal and collective identity, and political unrest. Their work challenges, provokes, questions, and critiques.
Women have always been the cultural foundation of Southern Appalachia. In this spirit, the artists in Givin’ the What For create not just about the region, but from within it. They approach their work as global citizens while maintaining a distinctly regional perspective – a perspective of women currently living in the American South. Their voices, fierce and unapologetic, demand to be heard.
The artists included in this iteration are Erika Diamond (www.erikadiamond.com), J. Leigh Garcia (www.jleighgarcia.com), Katie Hargrave (www.katiehargrave.com), Stacy Kranitz (www.stacykranitz.com), Susan Alta Martin (www.susanaltamartin.com), and Liz Trader Williams (www.makemesomeart.com).
Michael Dickins is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and gallery director whose work has been exhibited widely across the Southeastern United States, as well as in cities including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver, Houston, San Diego, Portland, Augusta (Maine), Istanbul, and Berlin. He has twice been a featured artist at {Re}Happening at Black Mountain College. With more than 15 years of experience leading both commercial and institutional art galleries, Dickins has collaborated with artists working across a broad range of media. He has curated and produced over 45 exhibitions and public art projects. His expertise has also been recognized through service for organizations such as Atlanta Contemporary, South Arts, apexart, AIRIE, ARTSMemphis, Southern Curators’ Summit, and various collegiate student exhibitions. Dickins holds a BFA from Georgia Southern University and an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. In 2014, he joined Austin Peay State University as director and curator of The New Gallery and University Collections. He was recently appointed as director and chief curator of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston’s School of the Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.