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Artists from Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Mountain to be celebrated at Friday reception

Nov. 14, 2024

Poster for Blackberry art exhibit at the Clayton Center

Maryville College has long partnered with local organizations to support arts and culture in East Tennessee. One such partnership is with Blackberry Farm and the Blackberry Mountain Art Studio, a community of artists committed to keeping the creative spirit alive in this region.

From 6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, the Clayton Center for the Arts will host a public reception for its current exhibition, titled “Perennial Ties: A Collective Celebration of the Creative Spirit at Blackberry Farm & Blackberry Mountain.” This exhibit is on display through Nov. 26 in the Blackberry Farm Gallery in Building B of the Clayton Center.

The exhibition, organized by Art Studio Manager Polly Ann Martin, includes a variety of pieces chosen by individual artists that represent Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain team members as well as visiting artists. A broad range of recent pieces from artists of various mediums are showcased in the exhibit.

“Included in the exhibition is multimedia artwork, painting, drawing, clay, photography, textiles, cyanotype on muslin, wood, rope, blown and stained glass, as well an autumnal floral arrangement,” Martin explained.

The goal, as described in the exhibition statement, is to celebrate the rich variety of artistic excellence and the creative spirit held by the Blackberry community. 

“What makes this exhibition event so pleasurable is the opportunity to showcase these fine individuals; most of whom have come to call Tennessee their home,” the exhibition statement reads. 

“We have come to understand and value each other through our collaborative environment so unique to Blackberry, all the while investigating artistic avenues, and pursuing our own individual creative boundaries.”

Blackberry Farm has a long history of partnering with Maryville College; the Blackberry Farm Gallery opened in the Clayton Center for the Arts in 2010, giving the College the privilege of honoring local artists. 

More recently, Blackberry has been working with the College to enrich the new Hospitality and Regional Identity major. Collaboration with local hospitality organizations like Blackberry gives MC students unique hands-on experiences, and keeps the College immersed in regional culture.

The Friday reception is a great opportunity to witness the fruits of this collaboration firsthand. Attendees will enjoy refreshments and conversation with Blackberry artists and patrons, view the pieces in the gallery and hear a live jazz performance by local pianist Mimi Terry. This event is free and open to the public. 

Written by Julia Jeffress ’25

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”