TeaYoun Kim-Kassor installation on display at Clayton Center

Sept. 14, 2012
Contact:  Chloe Kennedy, News and New Media Writer
865.981.8209; chloe.kennedy@maryvillecollege.edu

“Tension,” an installation by artist TeaYoun Kim-Kassor, is on display in the Blackberry Farm Gallery of the Clayton Center for the Arts through Sept. 28.

An artist reception will be held on Fri., Sept. 28 from 6 until 8 p.m., in conjunction with the Maryville Last Friday ArtWalk.

“This exhibition illustrates tension as a catalyst of reflective moments to use the physiological tension of aesthetic display and illumination to stimulate viewers toward reflections on the ageless identity question of ‘Who am I?’ or ‘Where am I?’” Kim-Kassor said in her artist statement. “The installation draws attention to tension, through its physical and artistic foundation, providing an experience with a cognitive outcome; a chance for the viewers to remove themselves from their daily routines and to reflect on life and its many tensions.”

Kim-Kassor, an assistant professor of art at Georgia College in Milledgeville, Ga., is originally from South Korea, where she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in fiber arts. She continued her research in art education as the Japanese equivalent of a Fulbright Scholar at Saitama University in Japan, where she earned a master of arts in teaching degree. She continued her exploration of fine arts in the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Tennessee with a focus on installation.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state‘s third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2012 semester was 1,093.