E
motional States, an exhibition of works by artists in the Beyond Prison Artist Alliance, will be at the Toe River Arts Spruce Pine Gallery from Aug. 5 to Sept. 12.
The Beyond Prison Artist Alliance is a community of artists incarcerated at Avery Mitchell Correctional Institution (AMCI) and artists affiliated with the Penland School of Craft and Appalachian State University networks, who joined to facilitate short and long form workshops within the prison.
Beyond Prison’s mission is to build artistic community through collaborative education efforts within the prison and the pursuit of exhibition opportunities that amplify the voices of incarcerated artists to the outside world. Beyond Prison aspires to be a human and empowering presence that relies on all participants and a broader creative community to imagine art as an essential tool of liberation.
This exhibition is open to the public as well as online at toeriverarts.org. In lieu of an opening reception, Sarah Rose Lejeune and Daniel Beck will give an artist talk about the pieces in the exhibition and the Beyond Prison Artist Alliance program more broadly, describing the program’s role within AMCI and situating this work within the broader field of prison art programs.
Toe River Arts will host a live Zoom discussion on Friday, Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. This event will be an in-depth conversation about the evolution of the Beyond Prison Artist Alliance over the last three years, and the ways that their classes use art as a tool for building community.
To attend this online event, email info@toeriverarts.org to RSVP.
Beyond Prison facilitates two, 90-minute classes on a weekly basis. However, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety has suspended all personal visitation and volunteer programming in state prisons, stalling the in-person meetings of Beyond Prison since March 11. AMCI Volunteer Coordinator Angela Lamm continues to support the program by relaying information and facilitating the transfer of artwork for the exhibition.
Work by AMCI incarcerated artists will not be sold but work by Penland and ASU will be available for purchase. The proceeds will be invested in the local community in the name of the Beyond Prison Artist Alliance artists: Daniel T. Beck, Audrey Bell, Ted Brason, Matthew Caldwell, David Clemons, Cristina Cordova, Annie Evelyn, L Autumn Gnadinger, Bri Gribbens, Corey Higgins, William Hopkins, Eric Hughes Sr., Megan Hunter, Edward Hyleman, William Inscoe, David Jones, Sope Kahn, Sarah Rose Lejeune, Janet Link, Nancy Lowe, Olivia Luteman, Timothy Maddox, Rachel Meginnes, Matthew Otter, Robert G. Reid, Edwin Riegger, Hannah Roman, Juan Santiago, Michael Sheets, Albert Stabler, Vic Suter and Leon Ward.
The Beyond Prison Artist Alliance would not be possible without the tireless work of AMCI Volunteer Coordinator Angela Lamm and Penland School of Craft’s Community Collaborations Manager Stacey Lane, the grant writing efforts of Nancy Lowe, and the support of Penland School of Craft. This project was made possible in part by a grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.
For more information, email BeyondPrisonArtistAlliance@gmail.com.
Between Psyche & Matter, an exhibition of works by Zac Trainor, will also be in the Spruce Pine ARC Gallery from Aug. 5 to Sept. 2.
Trainor presents a confrontation with the unconscious in an effort to capture or access a glimpse beyond the veil and into the realm of the soul.
Trainor works with concepts and imagery that explore the alternate realities of our existence. Ghostly, layered, and nostalgic, his works describe a confident loneliness that lends the viewer to self-reflection, evoking a meditation on both the beautiful and harsh realities of this world and the mystery or defeat of what may lie beyond. Each work is meant as a dialogue with the past, present and future, not at separate instances, but rather all moments occurring at once.
While there are often bold, bright strokes of color present in the works, there is always an ominous force that eludes to a darker hidden meaning. Transparent, obscured or partial figures entangled amongst an all-encompassing, unraveling atmosphere are used to portray a sense of impermanence or loss. Influenced by the work of the abstract expressionists just as much as the old masters, his genre-bending style is a constant battle between the tangible and intangible elements of existence.
Exhibition Manager Kathryn Andree can be reached at kathryn@toeriverarts.org or 765-0524.
Both exhibitions will be open to the public during normal gallery operating hours. The Spruce Pine Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cloth face coverings worn over the mouth and nose are required while visiting.