This Friday, January 30th, the Hunter Museum of American Art is hosting the Hunter Invitational V opening reception, which is a free event for all where people can be among the first to experience the Hunter Invitational V exhibit, as well as talk and meet the eight artists practicing in the Southeast who were selected for the exhibit.
The evening promises to be one of connection, creativity, and conversation, wherein individuals will be able to attend workshops, learn more about other programs, and talk with the artists, and guests are encouraged to pre-register.
The Invitational exhibition series was launched by the Hunter in 2007 by the museum’s chief curator, Nandini Makrandi, as a way to highlight emerging artistic trends and current events through an in-depth examination of artists working in the region. The Invitational Series V is both an evolution and an expansion on that.
In speaking with the Hunter Curatorial and Marketing Team, they spoke to the vision of this new exhibit, what people can expect, and how the exhibit aligns with Hunter’s broader mission.
“Each of the artists in this exhibit is a storyteller, committed to their practice for many years, and continually challenging themselves to sustain a consistency of vision and theme. The Invitational explores contemporary Southern art while considering how it reflects the national and global art scenes, offering audiences a chance to engage with some of our region’s most innovative talent.
Whether emerging or established, each artist in the exhibition expands the boundaries of their chosen mediums through innovative techniques, approaches, and subject matter. The exhibition aligns with the Hunter’s mission to present world-class American art and to connect it to our community. By showcasing regional artists, we are honored to exhibit talented Southern artists whose work we hope will inspire local creatives and visitors from near and far.”
When asked about how they select the eight artists to showcase with the exhibit, they suggested that it was a difficult process and shared a bit about each artist, their art, and where they are from.
“It was not an easy process to select only a few artists, as there are many exceptional makers in our city and the surrounding region. Featured artists were selected by our Chief Curator, Nandini Makrandi, following an intensive research and review process, including numerous gallery and studio visits. Two of this year’s artists live in Chattanooga, with the others hailing from across the region. The Hunter invited each of these artists to develop and exhibit new bodies of work for the show. Hunter Invitational V artists:
- Chattanooga artist Anna Carll combines painting, collage, and mixed media within a multi-disciplined art practice based on the concept of urban erosion. Her work explores the interconnected life cycles of cities and nature.
- Corrine Colarusso is a Boston native now living in Atlanta, specializes in vibrant botanical and landscape paintings inspired by the wetlands bordering Florida and Georgia.
- Craig Drennen is an Atlanta-based painter whose current project focuses on intuitive creations inspired by the characters in Shakespeare’s play Timon of Athens.
- Amie Esslinger is an Atlanta-based visual artist who draws inspiration from ‘unseen processes that have large-scale ramifications,’ using vibrant color palettes and found materials to interpret the hidden microscopic structure of the physical world.
- Jerushia Graham is a papermaker, printmaker, book artist, and fiber artist based in Atlanta, GA, who uses stark lines and high contrast to create “intimate, poetic observations about humanity.
- Collaborating artists Katie Hargrave (Chattanooga, TN) and Meredith Laura Lynn (Tallahassee, FL) work in a variety of mediums, including photography, paper, and video, to create installations examining the ‘complex narratives that unfold around so-called public land’ and the intersection of environmentalism and material culture.
- Althea Murphy-Price is an artist and educator from Knoxville, TN, who specializes in printmaking using synthetic hair and hair accessories to contemplate “the power of hair as a signifier of cultural self-identity.”
Each of these eight artists’ works showcases the vibrancy and the complexity of art in the Southeast, while also reflecting larger trends and ideas shaping the art world.
Approaching twenty years of the Invitational exhibit, the Hunter Museum of American Art has been committed to showcasing a diverse range of contemporary American art, and this exhibit further adds to the tremendous work the museum is doing to reflect regional perspectives while engaging in more contemporary themes.
Hunter Invitational V Opening Reception
- Friday, January 30. 6-7 p.m. Free.
- Hunter Museum of American Art.
- 10 Bluff View Ave. Chattanooga, TN.
- huntermuseum.org