Gallery Openings and Artist Receptions

Friday, July 10 | 5:30-7:30pm

Showing in Gallery Five20: Face It, Girls | Libby Newell

As a women we are bombarded with images of fast fashion and the most recent beauty trends. These images and accompanying messages imply to women that we are not enough as we are and that we do not own enough already. There is always a new trend and an updated shopping list to keep us "relevant," "attractive," and "desirable." 

By transforming fashion and beauty magazine pages into objects that question the need to add products to our faces and our closets, this work affirms the inherent value and dignity of the women these products are marketed to. Fast fashion devalues not only the consumer, however, but also the people whose hands assemble these garments and products, the overwhelming majority of whom are women. The inhumane working conditions these factory workers experience are driven by an insatiable demand for cheap labor to fuel both low cost fast fashion and high end luxury goods.  

Libby uses slow, thoughtful, sometimes painful processes to make works of art in the hope that viewers will slow down enough to consider rather than consume.

Showing in Gallery One11: Portholes | Kathryn Somers

When people first see my work, they frequently ask “what is it?” You may be experiencing a similar curiosity right now.   My general response is to ask back “what do you see?”   Fundamentally, my pieces are beaded textiles that have been woven into a ceramic loom frame, but for me they are so much more than that.   Each one is my attempt to recreate my impression of something - a place, object, flower, memory or idea - weaving the combined textures and colors of the clay, fibers and beads into a porthole that can take you wherever your imagination leads.  If you are wondering about the inspirations, you will find that many of the pieces in this room have a QR code which will provide you with more information.  If you see something different I would love to know;  there is a place to leave a comment. 

Showing in Jonas Hall: Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild

The Chattanooga Modern Quilt Guild is a group dedicated to learning and applying modern quilting techniques to design and create unique, contemporary quilts. They operate under the umbrella of The Modern Quilt Guild.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Gallery Openings are always free, family-friendly, and open to the public. All CDC guidelines and social distancing measures will be followed. We will be serving beverages and a popcorn snack outside our front entrance, taking temperatures and offering masks at the door, and monitoring an appropriate number of people in our building.