Location
1250 E 13th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37408
Gallery Hours
Wednesday – Saturday, 12 – 6:30 PM
Closed Sunday – Tuesday
All of Stove Works’ programming is free and open to the public.
Mission
Our mission is to serve the Chattanooga community by providing local, national, and international artists a venue for the production of, the exhibition of, and education through contemporary works of art.
Goals
Stove Works’ goal is to use Contemporary Art as a megaphone in order to foster an environment of exchange and reflection, to provide opportunities to learn from the experiences of others and to give voice. Stove Works seeks to bring outside elements into Chattanooga where creators, their work, and those that witness are engaged in a dynamic process: all three are impacted by the other in an evolving way, enriching outcomes for all. Stove Works aims to draw greater attention to the production of contemporary works in the Southeast, expand and educate an audience outside of traditional art goers, create an active base of arts advocates, and further establish the Southeast’s (and Chattanooga’s) contribution to the national dialogue surrounding contemporary art.
Philosophy
Our organizational and educational philosophy is guided by the thoughts captured in Anthony Huberman’s essay “Take Care.” We seek not to take on the role of “explicator”, i.e. those who “know” teaching those who “don’t know”. But rather, we seek to engage in dialogue, acting as an intermediary between individuals who know something and those who know something else. We hope to help people navigate the complex and interwoven narratives of existence using contemporary practice as the vehicle, allowing them and us to follow the life of an idea.
Staff
Charlotte Caldwell, Founder and Director, returned to Chattanooga after 14 years at large. During that time, she worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors of the art world and received an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University. Her skills were honed while Residency Director at the Wassaic Project and Project Manager at No Longer Empty.
Caroline Gikas, Director of Exhibitions, a native of Baton Rouge, LA, has worked for non-profit arts organizations in a variety of positions, from exhibition preparation and curatorial assistance to grant writing, arts education, and event planning. Caroline graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South, majoring in Art History with a focus on Contemporary and Conceptual Art while studying photographic processes and behavioral psychology.
Chelsea Couch, Programs Director, is an artist and educator raised in Chattanooga. An alumn of UTC, they received an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Oregon. They stuck around Oregon for six years after, teaching full-time as well as working in the nonprofit sector as Co-Executive and Artistic Director at Ditch Projects. In their return to Chattanooga, they’re focusing their energy on community and education.
Trevor Reese, Workshop Technician, Trevor Reese is an accomplished Workshop Technician at Stove Works in Chattanooga, TN, with a strong background in maintenance, repair, and installation of various heating and cooking appliances. Trevor brings over a decade of experience to his role, showcasing his expertise in working with a wide range of stoves, ovens, and other tool and equiptment. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and problem-solving skills, Trevor takes pride in delivering exceptional service to Stove Works' residents. He is dedicated to ensuring the safety and efficiency of all equipment he handles, often providing valuable advice and guidance to residents on the proper use and maintenance of tools and equiptment.
Clay Aldridge, Librarian, is an Artist and Curator born and raised in Oak Ridge, TN. He received his BFA in Photography and Media Arts from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2019. He went on to work with the Songbirds Foundation as they designed and built their museum+venue. In the same year, Clay and his co-curator Jackson Case founded Dry Ice Gallery, an artist-run experimental space located in an old warehouse in Chattanooga. Clay has a fondness for birds.
Meghan Lewis, Website and on-site Spanish Translator (Saturday only). Meghan is a translator, yoga instructor, and chef. She grew up in Colorado, graduated from The Evergreen State College in Washington, and subsequently taught first grade at The Living Wisdom school in Palo Alto while studying Iyengar yoga and Latin dance. A summer trip to Buenos Aires catalyzed a decade-long, entrepreneurial stay in Argentina where she founded the successful yoga studio, Buena Onda Yoga and a closed-door restaurant, Jueves a la Mesa, before returning to the United States. Meghan is fluent in Spanish and has collaborated with women from around the globe in varied projects focused on her interest in supporting well-being and health via art, music, plant-based foods, and yoga. She currently works as a professional translator, and has done translation work for travel guides, commercial scripts, Univision, arts/exhibitions, and scientific conferences.
Board
Fritsl Butler (Chair), Charita Allen, Kate Taylor-Boehm, Le’Andra Leseur, Melanie Silva, Angie To, Chandra Ward.
former STOVE WORKS’ STAFF + Board
Wes Aull (B - Former Chair), John Paul Hennessy (B), David and Whitney Barnes (B), Mary Howard Glover (B), Katherine Currin (B), Alexis Willis (B), Josiah Golson (S), Rainn Jackson (S), Saria Smith (S), Sam de Armas (S), Victoria Sauer (S), C-Grimey (S), and Mike Calway-Fagen (S).
Site
Stove Works is located at the corner of Holtzclaw and 14th. Built in 1915, the building operated as Tennessee Coffin and Casket Co until the 1950's when it was purchased by Tennessee Stove Works for the assembly and distribution of cast iron stoves. The building has since changed hands many times over, and in the spring of 2017, it changed hands for the final time and now begins its journey as Stove Works.
HISPANOHABLANTES IN SITU
Para que Stove Works sea accesible a una comunidad más amplia, hay una guía que habla español en la galería todos los sábados desde el mediodía hasta las 7 pm. Si bien a todos nos encantaría ser bilingües, actualmente solo uno de nosotros lo es. Meghan habla español, y tenemos la suerte de tenerla. ¡Así que ven a saludar!
STATEMENT OF INCLUSION
Stove Works strives to build an organization that embraces all through an active commitment to diversity, equality, accessibility, and inclusion by providing a safe space and equal opportunity for all regardless of race, age, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, migratory status, abilities/disability, and/or socioeconomic background. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to fulfilling Stove Works' mission (and a healthy society as a whole). We are committed to creating a community that values the perspectives and contributions of all people and is free of discrimination. Stove Works welcomes all.
Land Acknowledgement Statement
As an organization (of non-native people) we here at Stove Works recognize that we reside on stolen land. We acknowledge that the land which we use to grow our own community of acceptance and learning has traditionally been inhabited by Muskogee and Yuchi tribes, as well as later by the Cherokee Nation who fought and died to keep the land from being seized by white colonizers who then forcibly removed them. This acknowledgment is a tool to bring awareness also to the present role of inequality and cultural dissolution surrounding the history of Native people in Tennessee as a whole. They are still here, strong, and relevant. We support Indigenous and Native people as well as their lives and reverence in this country.
We are urging the support of NARF (Native Americans Rights Fund) to help tribes to safeguard their land rights; water rights; hunting, fishing, and gathering rights; resource rights; and environmental rights. As times are changing it is most important that we do some part in recognizing the value of human life. Recognition of the Muskogee and Chickamauga Cherokee people is our small part in the grand plan of rewriting history and bringing awareness to the true ancestry of our nation. This is not a valiant effort to raise our prowess but a necessary step as non-native people occupying stolen land. This is our duty.
If you would like to help support Indigenous communities, follow the link below to donate to NARF: https://www.narf.org/support-us/
