Join us for a special performance by conceptual artist Paul Stephen Benjamin, in which he will activate his sculpture Ceiling with movement and sound. The performance will be followed by a talkback with TK Smith, curator of our current exhibition, Hand to Mouth.  

Benjamin’s Ceiling materializes the concept of “the glass ceiling,” which is often used to describe the broad range of social barriers that prevent marginalized people from reaching higher levels of success. To “break the glass ceiling” is to surpass invisible barriers, such as sexism, racism, and ableism, to achieve what has historically been accessible exclusively to white men. At the heart of Benjamin’s practice is a conceptual exploration of Blackness through the senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. In Ceiling, he performs upon a stage of shattered glass, alluding to the countless ceilings broken before him. Through activations of movement and sound, Benjamin invites us to question the use of the concept when applied to his own laboring body. 

Learn more about Hand to Mouth

Bios:

Paul Stephen Benjamin earned a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MFA from Georgia State University. In mid-2021, Benjamin exhibited an installation of stacked televisions and monitors in The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. The exhibition will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX; Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Bentonville, AR; and Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Denver, CO. Benjamin participated in Yesterday We Said Tomorrow, a Prospect.5 exhibition in New Orleans, LA. He participated in a residency in Morocco, and had a solo exhibition in 2022 at Davidson College in Davidson, NC. Other exhibitions include State of the Art 2020, Crystal Bridges Museum and The Momentary, Bentonville, AR; Great Force, Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA; Reinterpreting the Sound of Blackness, Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA; and Black is the Color, High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

TK is a curator, writer, and cultural historian. TK’s recent curatorial projects include Hand to Mouth at Stove Works (2024), Kelly Taylor Mitchell & Sergio Suárez: Material Memory at Swan Coach House Gallery (2024), Roland Ayers: Calligraphy of Dreams at the Woodmere Museum of Art (2021), Virtual Remains at the Atlanta Contemporary in conjunction with the Atlanta Biennial (2021), and Zipporah Camille Thompson: Looming Chaos at the Zuckerman Museum of Art (2020). From 2022-2024, TK served as Assistant Curator: Art of the African Diaspora at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Most recently, TK completed a curatorial residency at Yinka Shonibare’s G.A.S. Residency in Lagos, Nigeria (2023).

Learn more about TK: WEBSITE //// INSTAGRAM

Open Studios is an invitation into our Artists-in-Residence studios. It’s an opportunity for you to ask questions about their process and see them at work.

April RESIDENTS:

Anna Kohlweis
Harrison Wayne
Nani Lee
Val George
Juan-Manuel Pinzon
Olivia Gibb
Malachi Lily
Andy Ramirez

Join current resident Nani Lee in the Classroom for an airbrushing workshop. We will learn how to operate and maintain an airbrush, how to make your own stencils, and how all of this can come together to personalize garments. Bring your own tee (or anything, really).

About Nani:

Emanating as sculptures and airbrushed paintings on both paper and canvas, my work investigates socioeconomic status. By personifying teeth, I demonstrate the individuality of people within various social statuses and investigate the inequality of dental care throughout history. My work is contemporary and surreal as I revisit and critically analyze the residual impacts of my childhood experiences with being unhoused, domestic trauma, Latin heritage, and sexuality, as well as reimagining moments of my everyday life and fuzzy memories that have lingered. I have explored the narrative of feeling small due to childhood trauma and have come to understand the lack of resources within mental and physical healthcare, education, economics, and race that have perpetuated this hierarchy in Western Society. Through my work, I am becoming more aware of the complexities in my experiences and creating a new narrative that invites class consciousness. I am passionately exploring my understanding of society through my personal experiences and inviting others to gain insight into my humorous ways of digesting the past and present.

https://www.bynanilee.com

zero waste festival

Join us for Sunrise Movement Chattanooga’s second annual Zero Waste Festival to celebrate Earth Day and spread education on waste reduction!

The event will feature upcycled art, sustainable vendors, food in compostable packaging, knowledgeable speakers, an interactive raffle, clothing swap, yoga, & fashion show.

Bring your friends, bring the whole family! We want to see our community come out!

Local and regional noise musicians. Organized by Chattanooga Noise Night. BYOB. Free. Donations encouraged.

https://www.instagram.com/chattanooga_noise_night/

Lineup:

TBD

In advance of Paul Stephen Benjamin’s performance on April 25th, we invite you to join us for a gathering of conversation and inspiration with one of the works featured in our current exhibition, Hand to Mouth. While sitting with Paul Stephen Benjamin’s work, Ceiling, we'll use dialogue and activities to learn about the artist's specific experiences and search for a deeper understanding of our shared ones.

ODD MARKET X PUNK & DRAG

Join us at Odd Market X Punk & Drag where eccentricity meets rebellion in a fusion of punk spirit and drag glamour. This unique market is not just an event; it's an experience that defies norms, celebrating individuality and embracing the beautifully bizarre.

Picture a kaleidoscope of colors, glitter, and leather as punk rock anthems echo through the air, setting the stage for a one-of-a-kind gathering of oddities. The marketplace showcases a curated collection of vendors offering everything from vintage punk attire and handmade curiosities to witchy essentials and avant-garde accessories. You'll find everything odd and off the beaten path here!

Wander through aisles adorned with spiked collars, studded leather jackets, and handmade punk patches. Discover peculiar art pieces, unconventional fashion, taxidermy jewelry and odd collectibles that defy convention. Engage with vendors who are as passionate about the unusual as you are, and learn the stories behind each peculiar item on display.

As the shopping happens, the festival transforms into a dazzling display of drag performances and punk music hosted by Icky Stardust, that pushes the boundaries of creativity and self-expression! The stage becomes a runway for drag queens, kings and things, each performance a testament to the power of authenticity and the celebration of diverse identities. Expect jaw-dropping outfits, fierce makeup, and performances that blur the lines between reality and fantasy. The shows intermittent with some amazing punk bands will bring a unique and really cool crowd to the market.

Odd Market X Punk & Drag is more than just a market – it's a rebellion against the ordinary, a celebration of the extraordinary, and a community where the punk ethos and drag culture collide in a kaleidoscope of creativity. Join us for a day of defiance, diversity, and pure, unapologetic individuality.

Our child selves are potent versions of who we are before outer influences shaped us, willingly or not, into new forms. Let’s allow ourselves to pierce through the learned shame, anxiety, guilt, perfectionism, and distraction to learn what brought our childselves purpose. This emotion-based class will require moving through pain to find our truest experiences of joy. Using techniques of Active Imagination, we will listen deeply to our inner child to find the worlds and realities that still want to speak through us. We will write after each exercise to identify components of your coreself and childhood joys, culminating in a big free write where you will use these components to build worlds guided by your inner child.

Bring your favorite writing tools, journals, tablets, etc., an open heart, and a curious imagination!

Go to the link in bio at @theholyhawkmoth to find the link to Malachi's vibrant, esoteric newsletter called "The Magick Artist," as they no longer use Instagram.

Stove Works Classroom

Join us at Stove Works for a live rehearsal of “Klee-tomania”

In preparation for a live performance at Black Mountain College in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Matt Greenwell and Ron Buffington will be staging live rehearsals of “Klee-tomania” at Stove Works Thursday, April 11 from 8:00-10:00pm. 

Each performance rehearsal will last 30 minutes. All performances will take place outdoors on the Stove Works lawn (weather permitting) or in the Stove Works studio workspace.

This event is free and open to the public.

 PROJECT -

“Klee-tomania” will officially premiere April 20 at the historic campus of Black Mountain College in conjunction with {Re}HAPPENING —a platform for contemporary artists to share their responses to the vital legacy of Black Mountain College by activating the buildings and grounds of the campus with installations, new media, music, and performance projects. By coaxing live mixed sound recordings and video projections of historical footage into what Joseph Albers described as “constructive thinking,” “Klee-tomania” reanimates the instructional legacies of Black Mountain College.

https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/rehappening/

ABOUT THE ARTISTS -  

Ron Buffington and Matt Greenwell have collaborated for almost 25 years as teachers and as artists, most recently in the form of an expansive collage practice. They share an interest in cultural flotsam, working together to ignite the latent agency of abandoned and exhausted material and using the medium of collage to guide these remnants towards new and unexpected affiliations. 

Get to know our Residents and their practice. Each Artist-in-residence takes the mic for up to ten minutes to tell you the “why, how, when, who with, and what for” behind their work. Or they might tell you something entirely unrelated. You’ll have to come to find out.

April RESIDENTS:

Anna Kohlweis
Harrison Wayne
Nani Lee
Val George
Juan-Manuel Pinzon
Olivia Gibb
Malachi Lily
Andy Ramirez

Will be held in the gallery. BYOB.

FIRE & RUST

WORKS BY JERRY ALLEN

APRIL 6 - 27TH, 2024

OPENING RECEPTION - APRIL 6TH, 5-7 PM

STATEMENT -

ABOUT THE ARTIST -

Jerry Allen is a Chattanooga son. He began to draw very early on. His love of jazz music led him to produce a series of works depicting his favorite jazz legends with white charcoal on black paper. This series Won Jerry a Best Emerging Artist ribbon at the Four Bridget Arts Festival. Since then, his work has been sought by public and private collectors alike. Jerry has a true passion for his craft and a drive to produce artwork. Jerry enjoys being a part of Chattanooga's growing art community.

www.jallengallery.com

Recurring monthly event

Join local Bird Enthusiast Clay Aldridge on an informal birding walk around the neighborhood (and sometimes Sculpture Fields).

Birds tend to fade into the background of our every day activities. Clay wants to take a moment to pay attention to them, and to our urban environment in general. Clay will help find and identify the birds you share a home with.

BYOB (Bring your own binoculars)

FREE field guide zine available to all participants.

Join the Meacham’s Writer’s Workshop at Stove Works for an evening of readings from Paul Luikart, KB Ballentine, Earl Braggs, and Christina Catherine Martinez (Meacham Fellow).

Christina Catherine Martinez, the Meacham Fellow, is currently in Residence at Stove Works.

Link to more Meacham’s Writer’s Workshop Events.

Open Studios is an invitation into our Artists-in-Residence studios. It’s an opportunity for you to ask questions about their process and see them at work.

MARCH RESIDENTS:

Harrison Wayne
Anna Kohlweis
Erica Westenberger
Nani Lee
Tali Weinberg
Juan-Manuel Pinzon
Christina Martinez
Darcie Denton

Join us in the library amidst Piotr Szyhalski’s COVID-19: Labor Camp Report, a daily drawing practice’s recording of thoughts and feelings, reconciled with observed daily changes in the world amidst COVID-19. With provided supplies, we will record our own daily observations on newsprint and learn how to wheatpaste in the Stove Works Courtyard. We look forward to making our own lasting document with you.

Local and regional noise musicians. Organized by Chattanooga Noise Night. BYOB. Free. Donations encouraged.

https://www.instagram.com/chattanooga_noise_night/

Lineup:

TBD

Recurring event on the third Friday of each month

A variety hour where presenters are given 7 minutes to do anything they want! Each Art-A-Nooga is completely unique, and we never know what’s going to happen.

Previous presentations have featured artist talks, experimental videos, movie reviews, live music, live songwriting, collaborative storytelling, science experiments, travel photos, performance art, arm wrestling, cryptids, poetry reading, resource sharing, tutorials, bathroom renovation, dogs, and terrible cakes. That’s just to name a few! It’s all-out anything-goes at Art-A-Nooga Tonight!

Interested in joining the legendary ranks of Art-A-Noogans? DM @kleightunn on Instagram or email clay@stoveworks.org for details.

How do I format my CV? Should I use first or third person when writing my Artist statement? What's a fair split when consigning my work? What exactly do gallerists do?? Questions plague the mind when you're establishing your career. These are the safe ones. The ones you could ask your mother. 

But, you have other questions on your mind. You're dying to know the filthy and sometimes dangerous secrets of the Art World. Who censors the censor? What's the cheekiest way to sidestep criticism? How do I make a sale to the Mafia without going swimming? So, I'm naked, nekked, AND nude, now what?

Adam Parker Smith will be fielding your questions and airing the Art World's dirty laundry at 10:30 am at Stove Works. We'll provide coffee; you bring your shameless questions. 

Submit your query below. (Anonymously)

Get to know our Residents and their practice. Each Artist-in-residence takes the mic for up to ten minutes to tell you the “why, how, when, who with, and what for’s” behind their work. Or they might tell you something entirely unrelated. You’ll have to come to find out.

March RESIDENTS:

Harrison Wayne
Anna Kohlweis
Erica Westenberger
Nani Lee
Tali Weinberg
Juan-Manuel Pinzon
Christina Martinez
Darcie Denton

Will be held in the gallery. BYOB.

Open Studios is an invitation into our Artists-in-Residence studios. It’s an opportunity for you to ask questions about their process and see them at work.

February RESIDENTS:

Will Hutnick
Harrison Wayne
Nani Lee
TK Smith
Christina Martinez
Amanda Brazier
Monica Duncan
Will Sutton

Local and regional noise musicians. Organized by Chattanooga Noise Night. BYOB. Free. Donations encouraged.

https://www.instagram.com/chattanooga_noise_night/

Lineup:

TBD

Join Guest Curator TK Smith in a conversation about how his interest in performance and labor inspired the thesis of Hand to Mouth.

Hand to Mouth is a group exhibition of early and mid-career artists who explore labor through movement and performative gestures. The labor undergirding our capitalist society requires a synchronicity of physical movement that functions much like choreography. The repetitive actions of manual laborers—pushing, pulling, lifting— are rarely considered expressive, if considered at all. Essential forms of labor are often devalued as being both menial and expendable, blurring the individuality of laborers, rendering them invisible. Hand to Mouth participates in a multimedia exploration of the intersections of art, process, and labor brought to popular discourse in the mid-twentieth century by feminist and experimental artists. Centering the body, Hand to Mouth explores how contemporary artists are making visible the invisible, how they imbue laboring bodies with value, and how creating performative dissonance can be an act of resistance.

Join us on Friday, February 9 from 6 - 9 PM to kick off our 2024 Exhibition Season with FOUR openings!

Hand to Mouth

Curated by TK Smith
On view until June 22 in the Main Exhibition Space

Hand to Mouth is a group exhibition of early and mid-career artists who explore labor through movement and performative gestures. Hand to Mouth participates in a multimedia exploration of the intersections of art, process, and labor brought to popular discourse in the mid-twentieth century by feminist and experimental artists. Centering the body, Hand to Mouth explores how contemporary artists are making visible the invisible, how they imbue laboring bodies with value, and how creating performative dissonance can be an act of resistance.

Peekaboo Sham

Works by Jordan Martins
On view until April 5 in the Side Spaces

Jordan Martins is a Chicago-based visual artist, curator, and educator. He received his MFA in visual arts from the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) in Salvador, Brazil in 2007, and is a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and North Park University. He is the executive director of Comfort Station, a multi-disciplinary art space in Chicago. Martins’s visual work is based in collage processes, including painting, photography, video and installation, and he has exhibited nationally and internationally.

Documentation of Black Lunch Table

Photographs by J. Adams
On view until March 9 in the Classroom

Documentation from the weekend of May 20, 2024 when Chattanooga creatives participated in a Wiki-edit-a-thon, Artist Roundtable, and the People’s Roundtable organized by Black Lunch Table, an oral-history archiving project that creates space for people, art, Black studies, and social justice issues.  Organized around literal and metaphorical lunch tables, Black Lunch Table takes the lunchroom phenomenon as its starting point. The Artists Roundtable, BLT's founding initiative, invited Black artists from Chattanooga's local communities to engage in dialogue with one another. At the People’s Table, Chattanooga community members participated in conversations around site-specific sociopolitical issues affecting historically disenfranchised populations.

V.3, R.2

Practise Makes Practice

On view until Feb 24 in the Library

What is the necessary process involved in using “graphic design” - a discipline characterized by its unique and intricate demands and roles - as a language of expression? How does the designer’s research, references and toolkit become intertwined with their practice, iterations of visual output and codification?

V.3, R.2 examines and presents the influences of the designer’s library combined with a micro examination of the common designer’s toolkit with a macro visual result. These assets are arranged to help viewers recognize how the use of form, color, texture, line, typography, and research repeat, intertwine, transform and expand. As a viewer steps back, they are invited to view the entirety of “process” as a completed work. As the viewer steps in closer, they are invited to interact with the printed matter on display and to appreciate the micro details of the design elements on their own.

Practise Makes Practice facilitates an innovative and inclusive design community through accessible programming, experiences, and collaborative events that highlight the relevance of design in all aspects of life. We fill the gap between traditional design education and the unlimited potential of design practice, resulting in a vibrant, diverse, and creative design culture.

Get to know our February Residents and their practice. Each Artist-in-residence takes the mic for up to ten minutes to tell you the “why, how, when, who with, and what for’s” behind their work. Or they might tell you something entirely unrelated. You’ll have to come to find out.

February RESIDENTS:

Will Hutnick
Harrison Wayne
Nani Lee
TK Smith
Christina Martinez
Amanda Brazier
Monica Duncan
Will Sutton

Will be held in the gallery. BYOB.

Local and regional noise musicians. Organized by Chattanooga Noise Night. BYOB. Free. Donations encouraged.

https://www.instagram.com/chattanooga_noise_night/

Lineup:

TBD

An afterimage, a memory, a remnant, a sheet with three holes in it. Haunting and at times humorous, GHOST is Virginia Twins’ latest devised production featuring dance, live music, and physical storytelling for all ages. As the year begins and the light starts filtering in, what are the ghosts telling you? 

Our Instagram: @virginiatwins
And website: virginiatwins.com