The seventh annual “Journeys of Women” exhibit is showcased at the McKinney Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee. It displays the work of over thirty, primarily female artists spanning from across the area.
The art show got its start when ETSU alumni and Public Relations Chair Carol Transou realized that women of this region deserved more recognition and resources than what was available.
“I wanted to help local artists and help the organization,” Transou said. “You know, have visibility for the organization. Then to look at women artists to see if they were saying something to us.”
The exhibit also serves as a fundraiser for the Women’s Fund of East Tennessee. The Women’s Fund of East Tennessee helps low-income women and girls from McMinn County to Johnson County.
“I think art is subject to the viewer and the perception of the viewer and understanding the meaning of the art,” Executive Director Terry Morgan said. “It’s the same as we try to help our friends, women and girls that we serve. We have to really understand the root of their needs and address them individually.”
After seven years, the “Journeys of Women” art show hopes to continue to achieve more and give voices to women in the community who are otherwise under-represented.
“This year has been the most exciting, because we’ve had artists entering from a much larger geographic area [with] more different mediums,” Judy Ingala, the “Journeys of Women” Chair said. “The reception was well attended, and we have sold more art than we have sold in any other years. I think our hopes would be that it would continue to grow and develop so that the funds we raise can support our mission and vision for the Women’s Fund.”
The Women’s Fund also strives to do more than just provide a space for art locally, according to Morgan.
“We believe that when you invest in a woman, you invest in a family, a community and ultimately a region,” she said. “By helping women and girls, we create better communities for all of us.”
The “Journeys of Women” art exhibit will remain at the McKinney Center until Sept. 7. Visitors can view and purchase pieces of art, and that money will help fund programs like the Women’s Fund to provide for women in our area who need it.
