The Browsing Room is very pleased to announce a new group exhibition: MAPPING THE LANDSCAPE: Artists of Friends Life Community. Curated by Bridget Bailey & Jennifer Haston.
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 4th, 6:00 -8:00 p.m., coordination with the Downtown Art Crawl and 5th Avenue of the Arts.
About the Exhibit:
Tennessee has nearly 60 different ecological systems. The landscape’s diversity is mirrored by the people who live here, diverse in perspective, life experience, and approach to art. The unique texture of our art matches the diversity of the landscape, providing a topography of our lives. Artists of Friends Life Community have made this work overtime, adding elements of textures, shapes, and expressive lines in overlapping layers. The work presented here encompasses the art of assemblages and surfaces. Each layer represents a step in the journey towards the fruition of hope, longing, and travels in time. Individual styles are encouraged and cultivated in the FLC studio.
As seen in this series, the individual personalities of the artists sing boldly off the canvas. Together, they are orchestrated to represent a symphony of advocacy and pride as the artists tell deeply personal stories. Artists with developmental disabilities at Friends Life Community create original artwork that tells their own story. The process of self-expression and discovery is a way for these artists to communicate who they are and what is important to them. They connect with others through sharing their artwork in exhibitions and working collaboratively. Friends Life artists are professional artists and inspire others who work alongside them.
About Friends Life Community:
Located in Nashville, TN, Friends Life Community believes in the power of inclusion and connection to build community and improve quality of life for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Here individuals with disabilities are given the opportunities and support they need and deserve through a holistic personal approach of instruction and support.
FLC serves to connect individuals with disabilities and their caregivers to community. Founded in 2008 by four families of individuals with IDD and a community leader, FLC began as an after-school program in the basement of Hillsboro Presbyterian Church. When individuals with IDD age out of high school and other traditional support programs, there are few places to turn to with resources that can help them continue to grow and be challenged to live their fullest lives. https://friendslife.org/
About the Gallery:
The Browsing Room is a non-commercial gallery created in the space of the historic DPC’s old congregational library. The gallery serves as an extension of DPC’s long standing studio community known as the Artists in Residence (AIR) who have studio spaces above DPC’s chapel. The Browsing Room connects an art-seeking community with their AIR, as well as with other local and regional artists, by featuring a rotation of quarterly exhibitions. The gallery is currently open by appointment only.
Images:
Clay, Study in Abstraction 1, 2023, Acrylic on board, 10 x 8 inches
Galo B., Four Crosses, 2023, Acrylic and cardboard on canvas, 18 x 24 inches
Jon P., Bird Under Star, 2023, Mixed media, dimensions variable
Matthew B., Three Trees, 2023, Acrylic and ribbon on canvas, 24 x 27 inches
Sarah S., The Iceberg Shell, The Desire Two Shell, 2023, Mixed media, 10 x 8 inches
