Dunlap library hosts art exhibit

Thursday, April 28, 2011

IF YOU GOThe exhibit is on display at the City of Dunlap Training Center, next door to the library on the corner of Rankin Avenue and Cherry Street. The exhibition opening will begin with a dessert reception at 6 p.m. CDT Monday.

Sequatchie County's public library is hosting an exhibition by 39 local artists so area folks can experience art in a variety of media.

This year's exhibit, which starts Monday and continues through Saturday, has more artists than ever, said Nina Hunt, president of Sequatchie County Friends of the Library.

"We've got about 12 brand-new ones that have never exhibited before," Hunt said.

Organizers this year wanted to expand the recruiting region for artists, but many still keep Tennessee's Sequatchie Valley at the heart of their work, she said. She expects about 30 artists to attend a reception scheduled for Monday night.

"Many of these artists make art of the things they love and they love this valley," she said. "If you love the Sequatchie Valley, you will love this exhibition."

The event would be more than the small rural library could do without help, library and state officials said.

"A little town like Dunlap can only mount an exhibition like this due to the generosity of an Arts Build Communities Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the mayor and City Commission who match the grant," Hunt said.

And this year's artists have stories "almost as interesting as their work," she said.

Among the exhibitors is artist Coco Dauer, whose display includes "Summer Light, Winter Squash" and who was one of the artists in residence during last year's exhibit, Hunt said.

"Successful art is much more about persistence and determination than talent," Dauer says in an exhibit biography. "Art is not about perfection, but about the attempt to achieve perfection."

Another exhibiting artist is Rick Jacob, a self-taught woodcarver, furniture maker and artist who contributed to Coolidge Park's carousel, Hunt said.

Jacob carved "an inner ring jumper, the dancing bear, Danielle, which has been delighting visitors for 14 years," she said.

State tourism officials applaud the library group's efforts.

"I have to tell you that Nina has done an absolute bang-up job on reaching out to this small town and spreading the word regarding art and artists," Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association Tourism Director Cindy Milligan said.

"This is really what the ABC program is designed to do, and I can't say enough about the quality of the work," Milligan said. "Dunlap has a lot going on, and this is just another great example."