The Guitar as Art exhibit, part of the 21st Annual Tennessee Soybean Festival, displaying acoustic guitars transformed into 2D artwork by students, alumni and local residents, was on display in the Fine Arts Building Gallery Aug. 31-Sept. 6.
Cutaway acoustic guitars were issued to 28 participating artists. The artists were allowed to use any theme, narrative or subject matter as long as a 2D media was used.
Special invitations were issued to 20 of the artists and the other 8 were on a first-come, first-served basis.
The event was created by Katie Smith, coordinator of Student Organizations, and Jason Stout, assistant professor of Art. Smith’s inspiration for Guitar as Art was a painted violin contest hosted by Music in the Mountains, an organization in Durango, Colorado.
Smith credits Stout’s connections and art expertise, along with hard work by all, including the League of Striving Artists, a UTM student organization, for making the event a success.
“I had so much fun putting this together. I want to say thank you to the Soybean Festival Committee and UT Martin for taking a chance on this event,” Smith said. “It is amazing what you can accomplish by being involved with your community.”
The guitar artwork was judged by Juror Jack Cody. Cody has created his legacy in Paducah, Kentucky where he owns and operates Creatures of Habit. Cody attended The University of Houston, where he received his BFA, and received his MFA from The University of Minnesota. While at Houston, Cody studied under Czechoslovakian master printer, Bohuslav Horak, who was a major influence on Cody’s tamarind printmaking workshop. While at the University of Minnesota, he studied under Master Printer Zigmunds Priede.
Two artists received awards for their exceptional work. Reuben Kendal, a UTM alumnus, won the purchase prize of $500 from the City of Martin for his I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each. Scott Smith, was the winner of the Peoples Choice Award, for his Zen henna guitar.
“This cooperative cultural event between the UT Martin campus and our community has been a complete success and will most likely continue in the future. I want to thank the City of Martin and all of those involved, especially Jason Stout and Katie Smith for their very hard work, ” said Doug cook, professor and chair of Visual and Theatre Arts.
Click here to view the Guitar as Art photo gallery.
