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Dear Friends of the KMA,
While warm days promise to accompany us for at least another month or two, the ringing of the school bell signals that Autumn will soon be upon us. And as students pour back into classrooms (and UT students fill every parking spot in Fort Sanders!), activity at the KMA is quickly picking up steam. That said, it was an equally busy summer for us and I have plenty of updates to share before we pack up our beachwear.
In mid-May our Appalachian Imaginary vision began to take on more tangible form with the opening of the group exhibition Electricity for All, thoughtfully organized by Assistant Curator Kelsie Conley. It was her first solo curatorial expedition at the KMA, skillfully positioning the TVA’s “electrification” of this region in the 1940s as an extended meditation on the complex implications of technological advance – particularly those with utopian promise. The standing ovation for Kelsie’s work must also extend to her recent accomplishment of a Teiger Foundation fellowship, which is one of the most coveted and nationally competitive awards a curator can receive. Bravo Kelsie! All the more reason for members to circle your calendar for November 6th, when her next show opens to the public. The Body is Drum, The Voice a Song, The Soul a Fire brings together the work of Chattanooga-based Tabitha Arnold, KY-based Dianna Settles and the historical photos of Lewis Hine to offer a rousing view of how the organization of labor and community co-mingle.
As Appalachian Imaginary has come on line, we have dedicated increasingly more time and resources to elevating our exhibition openings into one-night-only celebrations of art, food, beverages and performance. The opening of Electricity for All featured a dazzling performance by the bright young cast of Ignite Dance Studio (complete with glowing finger lights), and the fall will feature a trio of musicians marrying Appalachian and Classical melodies, as well as the boisterous sway of the Honkers & Bangers Marching Band. This dynamic rotation also highlights the KMA’s collaborative spirit as we partner with collegial organizations in Knoxville to make magic happen. I’m still buzzing after the June performance of Shadows & Light orchestrated by Circle Modern Dance, which wove multiple vignettes across all three floors of the museum, including a number of galleries. I also want to make special mention of KMA Exhibitions Manager Natalie McLaurin who led the charge towards a fruitful partnership with Central Cinema, where we present exhibition-related films alongside artist talks. It’s a free program for members, and you need to check out the next screening October 1, featuring the moving 2003 film My Architect: A Son’s Journey.
Outside of exhibitions, plenty of music filled Bailey Hall on a regular basis this Summer – highlighted by the Wes Bailey Band’s lively performance as part of Summer Soiree. Cast in the warm pastels and casual elegance of a Beverly Hills Hotel-theme, this sparkling event got plenty of guests on the dance floor and capped off a spectacular, and highly successful year of fundraising events at the KMA – Thank you Taylor Broyles! Bright tunes and a rhythmic audience are also regular features of our Soundscapes concert series, and I give special kudos to Maestro Brian Clay for the Motown v. Stax Records night. In a consistently outstanding schedule of performers from across the Southeast, this concert was especially memorable as the group refreshed classics spanning Memphis to Detroit. Soundscapes will start back up in December and I urge you to tune in, come out, and become a regular (or even a sponsor!); Anita and I will see you there.
When it comes to the sheer gale-force energy that can blow through Bailey Hall in the summer season however, all these events pale in comparison to our beloved, and always heartwarming Summer Art Academy! This past summer we welcomed over 400 children and young teens into the Academy, which established a new record for both attendance as well as scholarships. Thank you to all those who attend and support this wonderful program, as well as to Sean Burke and Lilly Saywitz in our Education Dept for convening such a sizable, multi-faceted effort.
From the burgeoning artists of tomorrow to those we now recognize as historical greats, the KMA and its affinity groups made special strides this year to build and showcase our collection. To celebrate its upcoming 10th anniversary as a KMA affinity group, Art House led a crowd-sourced drive amongst its membership to successfully acquire a significant work by Swoon, a pioneering female artist in the street art genre. The KMA Collectors Circle held court too, channeling their yearly acquisition funds into a prized cluster of archival black & white photos from artists Jack Delano, William Gedney, Mark Steinmetz, and the iconic Henri Cartier-Bresson. Our Head Curator Stephen Wicks expertly assembled this selection, and he was also instrumental in completing our now largest loan of Beauford Delaney’s works to The Drawing Center in NYC this past summer as part of their survey exhibition In the Medium of Life. This show has been lauded in the pages of The New York Times and The Brooklyn Rail, and is another example of our investment in the KMA collection elevating the profile and legacy of both artist and museum.
As we embark on a new fiscal year, I wish to sincerely thank Lori Calvert who left the organization this past summer after serving almost six years as the Director of Development at the KMA. Lori was instrumental in securing some of the Museum’s most notable gifts and grants over her tenure at the Museum, and did so with a unique blend of sensitive stewardship and Southern charm. We will miss her diligence and spirit, but of course wish her the very best in future endeavors. I hope to announce Lori’s successor sometime this fall, and in the meantime, please give a warm KMA hello (if you haven’t already) to Christy Smith, our Assistant Director of Development since April, and Lyndsey Ullom, our new Development Assistant.
September will be a precedent-setting month as we open the much-anticipated exhibition Seeds of Regionalism on September 4th, which will be the KMA’s first show dedicated to regional architecture. I’ll have much more to say about this show in the months to follow, but on behalf of the organizing curators (and accomplished architects) John Sanders and Richard-Allen Foster, I invite you to join us and discover the story of how a little enclave – known locally as “Little Switzerland” – stands as a landmark in this country’s architectural history.
All my very best,
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