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Screening: The Creative Legacy of Ross Spears
March 27 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
JONESBOROUGH, TN – The Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University and the Jackson Theatre will host special film screenings celebrating the life, work, and cultural contributions of Johnson City native Ross Spears on March 27 and 28.
The event begins on Thursday, March 27, at 4 p.m. with a reception and program at the Reece Museum, located at 363 Stout Dr. in Johnson City. The program will feature remarks from Dr. Jeremy Smith, Director of the Archives of Appalachia; Dr. Jesse Graves, ETSU Poet-in-Residence and Professor in the Department of Literature and Language; and Dr. Robert Cheatham, an early filmmaking collaborator with Ross Spears. Following the program, there will be a screening of AGEE at the Bud Frank Theatre.
On Friday, March 28, at 1 p.m., the Jackson Theatre in Jonesborough (121 W. Main Street) will host the world premiere of Part One: Truth About Trees, the final project by Ross Spears. A reception with light refreshments will follow, along with a special Time of Remembrance in honor of Mr. Spears.
Ross Spears, a Johnson City native, was one of the most acclaimed documentary filmmakers of his generation. Over the course of his distinguished career, he was recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Lyndhurst Prize, the Mountain Institute Hero Award, and the Tennessee Governor’s Prize for both the Arts and the Humanities. In 1974, he founded the James Agee Film Project in Johnson City, where he produced his first feature-length documentary, Agee, which went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. His work often focused on the history and culture of the American South, most notably in the four-part PBS series Appalachia: A History of the Mountains and People (2009), which captivated over 15 million viewers and was praised for its stunning visuals and compelling storytelling.
Ross Spears passed away in 2024 at the age of 76.
For more information, please contact the Reece Museum at 423-439-4392. This event is free and open to the public.
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About The Jackson Theatre: The Jackson Theatre is a fully restored theatre in the heart of historic downtown Jonesborough. Serving as a vibrant hub for the arts, it now operates as a music venue, theater, and film house, bringing entertainment and culture to the community again. For tickets and more information, visit www.thejacksontheatre.com or follow us on social media @thejacksontheatre.
