BEARABLE ABSURDITIES
Beginning April 2, 2008 and ending June 2, 2008

JACK ORR: BEARABLE ABSURDITIES

Athens Area Council for the Arts is pleased to present "BEARABLE ABSURDITIES - Paintings by Jack Orr". This gallery exhibition will open on April 2 and is to be on display through June 2, 2008 at The Arts Center, 320 N. White Street, Athens, Tennessee. The public is invited to meet the artist on April 4 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the opening reception.

A self-taught artist, Orr has been a student of art for many years. He avidly pursues this passion through visiting museums and galleries and devouring books on every aspect of the art world. His abstracted still lifes and landscapes emphasize the relationship between shape and color. "What to omit, what to highlight, where I put myself as the observer, [what] colors are used, revolves around my personality in the process of morphing a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional plane", says Orr when discussing his work.

Mr. Orr has exhibited widely throughout the region, including group shows in Cleveland , Athens , and Chattanooga and a solo exhibit at Cleveland State Community College . He has participated in Tennessee Valley Art Competition juried shows and was co-owner of Orr/Chumley Art Gallery in Cleveland, Tennessee which featured contemporary fine art.

The Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or directions, call (423) 745-8781 or go to www.athensartscouncil.org.

THE ART OF OUR HISTORY, A JURIED ART COMPETITION AND EXHIBIT
Beginning October 27, 2008 and ending January 6, 2009

THE ART OF OUR HISTORY JURIED ART COMPETITION AND EXHIBIT

The Athens Area Council for the Arts proudly announces "The Art of Our History", a juried art competition and exhibit to be held at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, Athens, Tennessee,from October 27, 2008 – January 6, 2009. Over $1700.00 in prize money will be awarded in four divisions – high school, college, open and photography. Two- and three-dimesional works are acceptable. All works are to depict persons, places or event that are a part of McMinn County, Tennessee history. Sponsors include McMinn County Historical Society and Archives, Mexi-Wing, Citizens National Bank, Athens Regional Medical Center, Top Notch Printing Co., Burleson-Brown Photography, HaleyMAX, Mouseworks Photography and Printing, Southeast Tennessee Development District, and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

The goal of this juried art show is to heighten awareness and appreciation of our history through artistic expression. Emphasis should be placed on ideas such as local cultural change, diversity of experience, defying stereotypes, geographic isolation or cultural inclusion, sense of place, historical and/or cultural context, and/or cultural significance.

The competition is open to anyone regardless of artistic experience or expertise and everyone is encouraged to participate. There are many resources on the internet and books in your library that can help spur your imagination and help with reserach.

The competition's four divisions are: high school (any student in grades 9 - 12), college (undergraduate and graduate), open (all others), and photography (all age groups). There will be a first, second, and third place cash prize awarded in each division as well as a Best in Show award and a People's Choice Award.

In honor of Veteran's Day on November 11, 2008 an opening reception and awards ceremony will be held at The Arts Center. The reception will begin at 6:00 pm to allow for viewing of the entries and voting on the People's Choice Award. The awards ceremony will begin 7:00. The artists, family, friends, and community are invited to attend.

Reservations may be made by school and community groups to have a guided tour of the exhibit, see an original performance piece by local actors, and do a related hands-on art activity on selected dates throughout the course of the exhibit. The exhibit will remain on display through January 6, 2009. As a wide range of entries are expected, artists and viewers alike are sure to be challenged, amused, and awed by the variety of media and the creativity involved in making these works of art.

For more information and a formal prospectus, downloadable in pdf format, go to www.athensartscouncil.org or call (423) 745-8781. The prospectus is also available from local high school and college visual art instructors, at the E.G. Fischer, Englewood, and Niota Libraries, and at various sponsor locations in and around Athens, TN.

The Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or directions, go to www.athensartscouncil.org or call (423) 745-8781.

click here for prospectus and entry form