McKinney Center: Mary Barton Nees Exhibition

Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts to host regional artist Mary Barton Nees exhibition

Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts at the McKinney Center will feature painter Mary Barton Nees in its next Artist Exhibition Series open to the public on Friday, October 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Nees artwork will be for sale and she will be present for questions the night of the reception. After, the exhibitions are free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nees taught Art History and Color Theory as an adjunct member of the Art and Design faculty at East Tennessee State University (ETSU).  She was trained at Cornell University, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Barnes Foundation, in Merion, PA before earning her MFA in printmaking at ETSU in 2007. Her work is in collections nationally and internationally, as detailed on her artist’s website.  In the early 2000’s, Mary was invited to conduct several workshops and presentations to young students in the People’s Republic of China.  “Art is language,” she says. “It speaks through cultures, times and age barriers, suggesting with image what can go beyond the boundaries of words.”

The McKinney Center houses the Jonesborough Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts and boasts of a mission to be, “committed to inspiring the people of our area through both the appreciation of and the participation in the arts as a form of personal and collective expression.”  The objective of the program is to “bring the community at large closer together and show as an example to other communities the creative influence that the arts can bring to their quality of life.”

For more information, email Theresa Hammons at theresah@jonesborougtn.org or call 423.753.0562.

###

About the McKinney Center at Booker T. Washington: The mission of the McKinney Center at Booker T. Washington is to provide a comprehensive program through Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts which teaches various art skills to all participants through a quality program of instruction open to all segments of Jonesborough’s population. In addition, a primary mission of the Center is to enhance minority participation in the planning and implementation in all activities in Jonesborough while specifically celebrating the contribution of the African-American community in the growth and development of the Town. The activities of the McKinney Center are designed to enhance the quality of life of all Jonesborough residents.

About Town of Jonesborough: A unique 18th century town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Northeast Tennessee, Jonesborough’s natural beauty, charming architecture, and storytelling heritage have attracted visitors worldwide. Stay a day, a week or forever, and create your own stories in beautiful Historic Jonesborough. Visit www.jonesborough.com for more information.