Crafted in the Mountains: An Evolution of Appalachian Craft
January 5 - March 6, 2026,
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Explore a history of Appalachian Art and Craft shown through a selection from Arrowmont’s Permanent Collection to see how utilitarian craft has influenced contemporary fine art practices.
Beyond Grotesque: Contemporary Artists Confronting Abjection
November 20 to December 20, 2024, Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky
Featured Artists:
Yvonne Petkus
Brandon Smith
David Scott Smith
Disordered Creatures
September 27 - October 28, 2023, Bolivar Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
From Surrealist artists utilizing “exquisite corpses” to address the unconscious effects of post-war trauma to present-day artists who use “disordered companions” to grapple with mental health, artists have long created external imaginary characters to embody their emotional and psychological struggles. The artists in this exhibition craft metaphorical narratives with Disordered Creatures that become empathic vessels for materializing anxieties, fears, and traumas. Each artist tackles imposing topics through the viewpoint of creatures. Their work invites the viewer to adopt the creatures’ perspective, to empathize with their struggles.
An education, exploratory exhibition focusing on the ambiguous history of “Kentucky Jeans,” the use of denim as clothing for enslaved individuals, and the production and use of indigo through the lens of historical “Runaway Slave Ads” and contemporary artists’ artworks, reacting and contextualizing the heritage of slavery in the United States.
Since the early 1900s, historians have attempted to define and catalog Kentucky Jeans. This project is a continuation of those efforts. While we still need to learn precisely what Kentucky Jeans were, we have evidence they were well-known, especially during the 19th century.
From the Streets
November 1 - December 6, 2023, Bolivar Gallery, Lexington, Kentucky
Showcasing work from two classes that study abroad, this work focuses on the streets- from underground culture to everyday life. Serving as a way to experience Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Paris, France, students created artwork based on their experiences as Kentuckians abroad.
