Cassie Joy Terpening uses art for healing
Domestic violence victims and those who live on the street may not evoke thoughts of fine visual art but one Clarksville transplant hopes to use the medium of painting to help them tell the story of one of Chattanooga’s most vulnerable populations.
Like many who visit the Scenic City, Cassie Joy Terpening fell in love with Chattanooga while a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
“I decided to stay after graduation I loved this place so much,” says Terpening and she soon began hosting art expression classes at Hart Gallery with those experiencing homelessness and difference in ability. She also works with children, and those who have gone through the criminal justice system at Salvation Army’s ReCreate Café.
“We ask homeless students we work with ‘What’s your name?’ It’s not ‘homeless,’” says Terpening. “Teaching art to these students is about empowerment, self-empowerment really.
Another front line mission she puts to canvas is her work with the victims of domestic violence.
“The victims I portray you would never be able to recognize,” says Terpening. “What I try to portray is their resiliency.”
Many victims of domestic violence she works with have hit rock bottom, which is why allowing these artists to feel empowered is such a large focus of Terpening’s work. Leaving behind the mindset of being simply a victim and knowing that their talents can take them to new heights is one of their greatest potential achievements, as well as Terpening’s.
“They lose everything then you see them turn it around,” says Terpening. “Whether they have a good attitude or they don’t, we understand the trauma they’ve been through.”
Terpening’s pop up show at the Swine Gallery inside Palace Picture Show last year was sort of her visual art coming out party. She also gets invited by local bands to serve as a live painter during their shows. Barking Legs Theatre even presented a pitch black painting show where Terpening created some live pieces.
Terpening’s focus on drawing and painting people has always influenced her need to work with others as she used to draw classmates in the first grade.“Straight lines bore me. I’m trying a combination of aesthetics you haven’t seen while maintaining a different levels of realism. I’m a lucky artist since I have a split brain,” says Terpening. “Obviously, I’m going to put all my effort into a commission, but on my own time I don’t paint to sell.” Terpening’s brain duality served her well at UTC graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Non-Profit and Public Administration, another reason she feels so close to artists in need.
And it speaks to Terpening’s commitment to helping others that she has volunteered with the Hart Gallery since the beginning. It’s also her necessity to create where she can tell stories that often times don’t get told. Transportation is always an issue so the people of Hart Gallery have to put boots on the ground and meet their students any and everywhere.
“It’s isolating to live on the streets,” says Terpening. “Not everyone we encounter is into art. Sometimes all they want to do is talk.” To see someone who may not have had the opportunity to express themselves otherwise Terpening receives more than she could ever give.
“Giving is the most selfish for me,” says Terpening. “Contributing to improve someone’s quality of life is its own gift.”
A project she’s currently excited about is the Midnight Sessions hosted by Erika Roberts with Velvet Poetry Productions. In September, she showed her work at the Palace Theatre while Roberts’ Poetry After Dark monthly-themed show featured artists in poetic ways. She also considers herself lucky to have served as a Wayne-O-Rama exhibition painter and Main X24 Parade participant.
Her new series, Planting Seeds, uses blocks of color and Impressionism to show small creatures. A good example would be the painting of a skink that sunbathes in front of her door every day.
“The sun was just about to disappear over the tree line, so the skink was catching the last bit of sun it could,” she says. “This is in appreciation of the smaller overlooked creatures in Appalachia.”
Lightening bugs and other creatures adorn her studio.
“Some visitors say ‘You have a bug on your wall,’” says Terpening. “’Actually I painted that,’” she laughs. She hopes to keep the series together and show at Comfort Skate Shop and other art shows around town.
You can find her work at cassieterpening.com