On Mar. 7, the Nelson Fine Arts Center will open a show featuring works by art and photography students at Milligan College.
“It is a big deal in some sense because its Milligan’s first big venture out into the community at large,” said junior art major Evan Longfield.
The participants in the show will be mainly art and photography majors and minors picked by Alice Anthony, assistant professor for the practice of art, and Nick Blosser, assistant professor of art.
“I’m going to be focusing on people who have taken enough classes and would fit in well,” Blosser said.
Blosser said the Nelson Fine Arts Center gallery has room to display about 50 pieces of art and he estimated that 12 to 15 individuals would be asked to participate in the show. Anthony and Blosser said they hope to pick these individuals sometime this week.
Last semester, junior photography major Dimitri Jansen was visiting the gallery when a show from East Tennessee State University was on display when he inquired if it would be possible for Milligan to have a show.
After talking to Richard Nelson, who owns and operates the Nelson Fine Arts Center, Jansen was told that the gallery had room for a show in March. Jansen said that he felt the show would provide a great opportunity for others to see the quality of work in the arts at Milligan College.
“It’s an awesome opportunity for us to get into the community, which we don’t get to do enough,” Jansen said.
Jansen said that he felt the show would present a good opening to let other people know about Milligan College.
“It’s really neat to see your artwork hanging on the wall, but you have to use that opportunity to talk to people about Christ,” Jansen said. “That’s why he gives us talent. I think that’s the neatest thing about it.”
Longfield also said that few students have had the chance to participate in a juried art show, and he thought the exhibit would help bring students one step closer to becoming professionals.
“It’s about finally getting it out and getting it exposed and getting it seen by people who don’t always interact with art on a regular basis and getting feedback on that,” Longfield said.
The show, entitled “Works from the Buffalo Creek School,” will be on display for the entire month of March at the Nelson Fine Arts Center at 324 E. Main St. in downtown Johnson City near the Hands-On! museum.