Greg Pond: Freedom From Want & Freedom From Need
2008, steel, CNC plastic prints, concrete statues, electronics, software
"In this way we hope to give them additional incentive to remain in East Tennessee rather than moving elsewhere to pursue their careers," Wicks says. "At the heart of this we are trying to create meaningful platforms for new and different work and connect artists with potential collectors and museums." - Curator Stephen Wicks
Jobe, co-organizer of Knoxville's 17th Street Studios, creates three-dimensional works and site-specific sculpture. He salvages or forms industrial-like objects that he covers with thousands and thousands of zip ties. Those ties turn otherwise ordinary objects into new, imposing forms, says Wicks.
Jobe has a bachelor's in fine arts from the University of Tennessee and a master's in fine arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Pond uses electronics and computer programs to create three-dimensional sculpture that incorporates both sound installation and performance. For Pond, the sound is often the primary medium of his work. An associate art professor at the University of the South, Pond has a master's of fine art from the University of Georgia. In addition to his work in the "Contemporary Focus" gallery, he is creating an installation for the museum's Great Hall. That work will incorporate sounds from inside and outside the museum located on World's Fair Park.
Bissonette will show two-dimensional art in the exhibit, using canvas and paint to create layered compositions influenced by urban landscapes and sights. The works often use signs, logos or images found in everyday decaying urban properties.
Bissonette has a bachelor's of fine art from Columbus College of Art and Design and a master's of fine arts from UT.
Each artist will present a free workshop or lecture about their work during the exhibit. Pond will be at the museum's "Artist in Action" event Sept. 17 while Jobe will be there Sept. 23. Bissonette will talk about this work during a lunchtime "Dine and Discover" Oct. 19 and again in an "Artist in Action" Oct. 22.
© 2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
