Silenced Narratives by East Tennessee State University

Silenced Narratives: Black Americanx Artists

Cover Image: Tight Packers by Masud Ashley Olufani Silenced Narratives; Black Americanx Artists ÂŠ Slocumb Galleries and participating artists, 2019 | All rights reserved Images and artist statements courtesy of the artists. | Gallery exhibition images taken by the Curator and Slocumb Galleriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; staff. All images and work are copyright property of the artists. | Catalogue design by Karlota Contreras-Koterbay. Printed by ETSU Biomed. ETSU is an AA/EEO employer. ETSU-CAS-0024-19 50

Silenced Narratives: Black Americanx Artists Jonathan Adams Najjar Abdul-Musawwir Kimberly Dummons Samuel Dunson Sean Frye Masud Ashley Olufani Denise Ward-Brown Curated by Terrell Carter and Shai Perry

Silenced Narratives: Black Americanx Artists ‘Silenced Narratives’ brings light to stories that are not often shared about the African American Experience. The visual weight of these narratives will stir emotional responses and initiate conversations that promote awareness, resolution, and unity for needed healing in our society. In America, we often fall into the blind thinking that the past is best swept under the metaphorical red, white, and blue-striped rug. The images within this show reveal the truths that are often unspoken and the stories that are usually left untold. This is the history that future generations need to know. ‘Silenced Narratives’ brings together a group of artists to powerfully and truthfully share their experiences of being black in America with the viewer. This exhibition is an evolution from an exhibition curated by Terrell Carter at the Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) Gallery entitled the ‘Good Negroe.’ As it travels to Tennessee, and includes more regional artists whose work explores the nuanced and rarely discussed narratives in the Black American comminities, its scope and visual complexities have also expanded. Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, a tenured professor of studio art and art history, is also an internationally acknowledged artist who has exhibited throughout the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe. His work illustrates culture, faith, and history through abstract language. He uses various materials as a metaphor for the human experience; and thus, he abstracts material to discuss our abstract existence. Abdul-Musawwir earned a BFA and MFA from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Being influenced by such diverse artists as Michael Reedy, Kim Jung Gi, Gustav Klimt, Kara Walker, Willehad Aithers, Philip Guston, Ciro Quintana and Mark Thomas Gibson, Jonathan Adams creates energetic surreal ink drawings and paintings that navigate aspects of perceived identity through scenarios that explore the human condition and history. Each piece explores an essential facet of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, loss, and mortality. Through his work, he seeks to give viewers direct visual manifestations of both common and unique life experiences framed through the visual lens of a distinct storyteller. Kimberly Dummons is a visual artist who “explored the concept of home, through sculpture, prints

and collage.“ Her series of figurative metal sculptures were inspired by the movements of the ‘slave dances’ that were practiced by African American ancestors in the South. Samuel Dunson’s ”themes involving love, acceptance of life and death,” are part of his “personal narrative of being a black male in our society and his role as a husband and father are prevalent in his most recent works. He is interested in how popular culture affects him in the context of these themes. In creating these works, he chooses to depict images that are personal, while having the ability to translate them in such a way as to invite the viewer in without appearing voyeuristic.”

Sean Frye’s current body of work is a hybrid of both fine art and graphic illustration. The subject matter varies, but for the most part the content is pulled from different social, political and personal oddities. The artwork is meant to show distinctive planes of existence. Mr. Frye uses the juxtaposition of black and white and color to represent physical and psychological aspects of his subject matter and engage the audience in conversation about the ever-changing roles of society. Masud Ashley Olufani (MAO) is an Atlanta-based actor and mixed media artist whose studio practice is rooted in the discipline of sculpture. He creates work that aspires to be visual poems that reach beyond themselves to reveal something meaningful about the human experience. His work reflects a profound interest in material relationships charged with sociological and psychological implications. It also seeks to explore how objects operate in both the objective and subjective realities and how cultural memory tethers those objects to individual and collective history. Denise Ward-Brown is an award-winning visual artist, filmmaker, and educator whose work frequently explores African and African-American themes and history. She has completed multiple documentaries, including ‘Home Going,’ a three-part documentary suite about Washington Park Cemetery—a historical representation of the African-American Church, an autonomous institution founded in a segregated society, ‘Jim Crow to Barack Obama,’ and ‘Never Been a Time,’ which explores the race riots of East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1917. About the Curators: Terrell Carter Terrell Carter is a visual artist who primarily works in oil sticks and oil pastel, and ink prints. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States and overseas. His work primarily explores the intersections of faith, family, and society’s various views of black male culture. He is the Director of Contextualized Learning, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and CoDirector of the Urban Missional Institute at Central Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas. He also serves as an adjunct instructor teaching Art Appreciation and various interdisciplinary studies courses for St. Louis Community College at Wildwood and at Missouri Baptist University. Caretr is also an accomplished author. Like his art, his books explore how faith and race intersect in America. He earned his Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Arts Management and Leadership, and a Doctor of Ministry Degree. Shai Perry is an artist and curator. She received a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from East Tennessee State University, where she studied sculpture and cultural anthropology. She is currently the Gallery Manager for Kansas City Kansas Community College. Perry’s research in anthropology heavily influenced her work. There is a reoccurring theme of identity, cultural ancestry, race, and the questions that arise through the process. Perry believes that the process of creating a work is just as important as the end result. Perry conducted an art workshop at the Toppers Academy and gallery talk during her visit at Johnson City in 2019.

Diverse and Empowered: ETSU Tipton and Slocumb Galleries’ Diversity Program The ETSU Tipton and Slocumb Galleries serve as ‘diversity culture kitchens’ in the region of Northeast Tennessee and surrounding communities. Every month, both galleries present exhibitions of diverse forms, media, perspective, featuring artists of color, diverse genders and (dis)abilities; offering free and open to the public events that include exhibitions, lectures, films, workshops, art demos and community engagement activities that bring the art out of the galleries to at-risk and/or senior centers. The ’Diverse & Empowered’ series of exhibitions, film showings and lectures is funded by the ETSU Student Activities Allocation Committee (SAAC), the East Tennessee Foundation(ETF) Arts Fund, with the Humanities Tennessee and Tennessee Arts Commission’s Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant for the Silent Appalachian Film Series. It is part of the continuing program of ETSU Tipton & Slocumb Galleries to provide the regional communities, both academic and local surrounding areas access to contemporary visual art, studio craft, and cultural diversity that feature artists of various gender, color and (dis)abilities. Northeast Tennessee and Southeast Appalachian regions in general are stereotyped as geographically and culturally isolated, yet, efforts in the university and the various communities reveal the colorful and rich diverse pockets of cultural meting pots and various ranges of artistic, economic, social and cultural exchanges that prove these areas as dynamic, evolving and historically creative. ‘Diverse & Empowered’ is a continuation of last year’s program ‘Diverse & Beautiful’ also funded by the (SAAC) and the ETF’s Arts Fund, with the Arts Build Community (ABC) Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission through the First Tennessee Development District. The ETSU Tipton & Slocumb Galleries’ strongest resource is the collaborative nature of projects that capitalize on good community partnerships. The galleries have developed as centers of art and cultural activities in the region, providing consistent and well planned diverse exhibitions, providing monthly receptions during Downtown First Friday in the case of Tipton Gallery and annual festival partners with Umoja Unity Festival, Corazon Latino, ETSU Native American Powwow and Downtown Johnson City’s Little Chicago and Blue Plum. The Tipton Gallery also serves as venue for the annual 5x5 Art Exhibition and Fundraiser for the Johnson City Public Art Committee (JCPAC). We have also increased partnerships with local public schools such as Northside Elementary, Holston Elementary, Southside Elementary, University School, Toppers High School Academy as well as senior and youth centers like the Youth Village, girls inc., and Boys & Girls Club, extending from Washington to Knox counties. Last year, the Slocumb Galleries expanded the community engagement to one of the largest Latino community events during the St. Jude Thaddeus feast where visiting Latinx artist Rosalie Lopez demonstrated and collaboratively created paper picado flags and paper flowers in celebration of the Dia de los Muertos. The Slocumb Galleries have also initiated pilot diversity and exhibition programs that are bequeathed to other student and local groups. Our partnership with the Language & Culture Resource Center and the Jonesborough Art Center have started and provided the latter’s initial exhibitions of Latin American, African American diversity programs.

Project Director: Karlota Contreras-Koterbay Director of ETSU Tipton and Slocumb Galleries Karlota I. Contreras-Koterbay develops diverse year-round exhibition/educational programs of innovative exhibits and collaborative activities with the academic and local communities. She is recipient of various grants for programs including TAC Arts Project Support (APS) Grant, TAC Arts Build Communities (ABC) Grant, ETSU BUC Funds, ETSU Student Activities Allocation Committee (SAAC), Mary B. Martin School of the Arts (MBMSOTA), Andy Warhol Legacy Program, and the East Tennessee Foundation’s (ETF) Arts Fund. Contreras-Koterbay curates exhibits of emerging, regional and nationally renowned artists, like ‘Politics of Representation: Re-Imaging Indigenous America From Warhol to Map(ing)’ (2014), and ‘Crafting Contemporary Art: Studio Craft in Appalachia’ (2010) in partnership with Penland School of Crafts, Appalachian Center for Craft, and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts. She also organizes international exchanges such as ‘Studio Arts Center International Exhibit’ (2007) in Florence, Italy; ‘Filipina as Artist and Feminist’ (2008); ‘Frolic: Humor and Mischief in New Taiwanese Art’ (2008); ‘Neo-Garde: Contemporary South Korean Art’ (2010); and ‘New APP: Contemporary Art In Appalachia’ (2012) in Ulsan, South Korea. As Director, Contreras-Koterbay has initiated the formation of a sponsored downtown satellite exhibition venue, the Tipton Gallery, and has secured it as an in-kind gift to the university from 2007-2016. She has organized the Friends of the Slocumb Galleries, the SG Student Guild and the Slocumb Galleries’ Curatorial Internship Program. She has juried the ‘Dogwood Festival Regional Fine Art Exhibition’ (2009) in Knoxville, Tennessee; ‘Kingsport Arts Guild Annual Exhibition’ (2012, 2019), Jonesborough’s McKinney Center for the Arts Fine Arts in the Park (2017), Morristown’s Rose Center members’ annual Exhibition (2018) and served as one of three jurors for the $50,000 ‘Hunting Art Prize 2013’ in Houston, Texas. During Spring of 2017, she initiated the project ‘ETSU Privilege Walk’ in partnership with the Multicultural Center and various units and student organizations on campus including HEROES, Office of Multicultural Affairs, ETSU Votes, Civility Week, Department of Sustainability, Black Affairs, Women’s Studies Program, Minority Association of PreHealth Students, and many more. She is a Panelist for the Tennessee Arts Commissions Art Education Grant (2017, 2018) and member of the International Council on Museums (ICOM), Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), TN Association of Museums (TAM), Tennesseans for the Arts, Association of Academic Museum & Galleries (AAMG), American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and International Association of Aesthetics (IAA). She was former Board Director of Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) and Board Member of Committee on Art Galleries under the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA). Contreras-Koterbay is recipient of ETSU Distinguished Staff (2013), Best New Program for Native American Festival, Jan Phillips Mentor Award (2015), and nominated for the Tennessee Governor’s Award (2016). She is founding Board Director and Vice President for Curatorial Programming for American Museum of Philippine Art.

B. Community Engagement Facilitator & Educator: Lyn Govette Fiber artist, Art educator, community activist, environmental provocateur Lyn A. Govette is a fiber artist, social activist and community collaborator. She is currently the Art Educator for Topper Academy Art Lab, the non traditional program for At-Risk Youth at Science High School. Govette cocurated ‘Behind The Lens’ (March 2015), in partnership with non-profit org Do Good Fund, that recognized the outstanding work of female photographers and promoted a more progressive look to the gender-nuanced field of photography by focusing on women Southern artists and Appalachia. She also and curated the environmental exhibit ‘ReClaiming/Remaking’ in 2016 at the Tipton Gallery. Govette was also part of TAC-APS funded Avant Quilt Project (October 2015) composed of two high profile exhibits - ‘Layers: Quilt as Form,’ curated by Patricia Mink, and ‘Threads of Empowerment’ that Govette cocurated in partnership with the Office of Disability Services, Women’s Resource Center, Women’s Studies Program, girls inc, and Foodtopia, It featured artists of color, disability and diverse gender orientation. As part of the community outreach, Govette conducted multi-week demo and quilting workshop at girls inc. of JC, and blanket drive for Women’s Shelter. She coordinates the ‘ETSU Privilege Walk’ with the Multicultural Center and other groups. As Community Engagement Art Educator and Facilitator, Govette primarily teaches the art demo and workshops in the local communities like the senior centers in Johnson City, Kingsport and Jonesborough, public high schools and youth centers like girls inc., Boys & Girls Club and Youth Villages, as well as coordinating with the ETSU Office of Disability, Corazon Latino, Women’s Studies Program, Women’s Resource Center, Science Hill Alternative Center, Johnson City Library and other youth groups. Last year, she coordinated the ‘Detangling/Unraveling the Politics of Hair’ Hairstyle Parade in collaboration with local hair salons, barber shops and stylists from Downtown Johnson City and other parts of the state. The event featured avant garde hair styling for the black, curly and natural hair inspired by African American culture. She was also part of the Johnson City Sesquicentennial Sunflower pollinators Project that planted community gardens all over the city in partnership with the What’s the Buzz program led by Judith Hammond and the Office of the Mayor, with Commissioner Jenny Brock. This year, for the ‘Diverse & Empowered: Silenced Narratives’ exhibition series, she organized the ‘JCPD and ETSU Students’ Performance Art Jammin’ at the Tipton Gallery on the week before the Umoja Festival. This event aims to provide a safe, creative and inclusive venue and activity for the Johnson City Police, and the ETSU Minority Students as well as Criminal Justice students. By organizing the casual art performance activity, it shall provide a distinct initial meeting with the police force and students from colored communities outside the context of the precinct, arrests and altercations. The celebratory event with art, performances and food, aims to develop a more inclusive cultural understanding and better social coherence between various elements in the community.

C. Appalachian Silent Cinema & Old-Time Bluegrass Screening Series The silent cinema project engages local audiences in East Tennessee in the history of filmmaking in Appalachia through a lecture series combined with the screening of silent films and live old-time/bluegrass accompaniment. As film historians argue, silent cinema was never truly silent, though most films never had scores written for them, so often local performers would compose/play music for the films. This means that the many films set in Appalachia would have been played alongside music that was not particularly Appalachian when they were distributed outside the region. Similarly, these films often played upon Appalachian stereotypes and imagery, framing the mountains as an exotic locale. In an act of historical recuperation, this project creates discussion around Appalachian films and issues, while making it accessible to audiences through free film screenings with bluegrass and/or old-time performances. The aim is to invite audiences into critical conversations surrounding the history of media in the humanities using images and experiences they would not otherwise have access to by mirroring practices from the history of film. Regional media are rich with topics of discussion. For example, D.W. Griffith made an incredible impact on film history from making the divisive ‘Birth of a Nation’ (1915) to forming the important early film studio United Artists, but he also hailed from rural Kentucky and set a number of his films in the Appalachian region, such as ‘The Feud and the Turkey: A Romance of the Kentucky Mountains’ (1908), ‘The Mountaineer’s Honor’ (1909), ‘The Fugitive’ (1910), ‘The Revenue Man and the Girl’ (1911), among others. His depictions of race, gender, and socio-economic status were not particularly critical, however. Accordingly, this project views these films as a critical site of inquiry where the public can convene to discuss such issues, while celebrating the history of Appalachia through music and setting, providing the means for a critical historiography. Responding to the exporting of these films beyond Appalachia, the music provides an invitation for audiences to recontextualize these cinematic experiences and open them up to critical discussion of humanities topics depicted in the films. The goal of this project is not to create authenticity in reimagining historical viewing practices, but to relocate them within the context of Appalachia. Historical viewing practices were generally piecemeal, often a single piano player accompanying the film without a score. Rather than recreate the paucity of these historical events, this series makes use of the rich musical traditions maintained and developed by the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies Program at ETSU in order to shift our critical conversation of topics in the humanities from being about Appalachia, to conversations held within Appalachia. Daryl Carter’s discussion of race in Appalachia will precede Oscar Micheaux’s ‘Within Our Gates’ (1920). This is the second film by the first African-American filmmaker to make a feature-length film. As a pioneering Black writer, director, and producer, Micheaux’s employed film as agency, and ‘Within Our Gates’ is often understood as the filmaker’s direct response to D. W. Griffith’s ‘The Birth of a Nation’. The film moves between north and south, reflecting on the lives of African Americans living in southern states, resonating with Carter’s discussion of race in Appalachia. The film offers a more complicated depiction of race in the United States than most of early cinema, which will encourage discussion beyond the stereotypical role of Appalachia as white. It will be shown during Umoja Unity Festival at Tipton Gallery.

https://cola.siu.edu/africanastudies/faculty-staff/affiliated-faculty/abdul-musawwir.php

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, Illinois (excerpt from https://southwritlarge.com/articles/portfolio-works-on-paper/) “I have strongly realized that my creative research in identity and process has been both rewarding and challenging. Dr. W. E. B. DuBois wrote a book entitled ‘The Souls of Black Folks’ in 1903. In his writings, he discusses the psychological phenomenon of ‘Double-Consciousness.’ Am I American or African? Am I White or Black? As an African-American Muslim artist working in higher education, I have come to accept the unquestionable actuality of my existence in the 21st century, and that is that I am confronted with a Triple-Consciousness. Here lies my contribution to the field of my creative endeavor. The understanding of otherness (African, American, and Muslim) is upon the world stage today. This was evident in the invitational lecture and exhibition I received in 2008 at Ankara, Turkey entitled ‘Islamic Art and African-American Experience’ during the AfricanAmerican/Africana Studies Symposium hosted by Bilkent Department of History, American Studies Association of Turkey, and Western Kentucky University. The exhibition catalog titled, ‘ORGANIX’, was published by FABRICA (a global communication research center, studio, and school, and an integral part of the Benetton Group). Imago Mundi is a “cultural, democratic, and global project that looks at the new frontier of art in the name of coexistence of expressive diversity.” My creative works in the context of Triple Consciousness were best noted in my 2011 international solo exhibitions and lecture during my invitational Artist-in-Residency at Tuanku Fauziah Museum and Gallery University Science Malaysia, in Penang. The exhibition ‘Muhammad Speaks: Preserving an American Voice,’ was hosted by Director Hasnul Jamal Saidon.” Najjar Abdul-Musawwir is an internationally acknowledged artist who has exhibited throughout the United States, Africa, Asia and Europe. His work illustrates culture, faith, and history through abstract language. He uses various materials as a metaphor for the human experience; and thus, he abstracts material to discuss our abstract existence. He is a tenured professor of studio art and art history in the School of Art and Design and Africana Studies at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Abdul-Musawwir earned a BFA and MFA from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. His works illustrate culture, faith, and history through abstract language. He uses different materials as a metaphor for the human experience; and thus, he abstracts material to discuss our abstract existence. His paintings are harmonious visions of contrasting colors, flowing liquefaction, and symbolic transparency. Najjar is known for using burlap sacks/material in his paintings. He considers it a profound and puissant symbol, the idea of burlap exploiting the surface, which speaks to the power of harvesting the spiritual experiences of the human-will – past, present, and beyond the 21st century.

https://www.thejonathanadams.com/about

Jonathan Adams, New Jersey / Tennessee â&#x20AC;&#x153;I create energetic surreal ink drawings and paintings that explore aspects of perceived identity using scenarios of the human condition and history. I use references, social interaction and memory to create compositions. By using delicate and primitive mark making I can further accentuate a range of emotions and perceptions through the pieces. Subject matter varies but has recurring usage of mythology and symbolism. Each piece explores a facet of an identity-characteristics, key events, and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, loss, and mortality. I approach my work using Phenomenology. Perceiving third-party perceptions is mostly the same. After careful study, I stream my thoughts onto paper to find recurring ideas or imagery. I curate the findings until I have the core of the experience. Phenomenology is a science that studies stimuli or phenomena from a distinct (If not distant) perspective. By applying this to my work, I work toward giving a direct visual manifestation of the experience, framing within the context of a distant storyteller. I believe this is communicable for the final piece. Due to this, the work tends to be decadent in imagery and theatricality of a subject. I use three media: ink, metal leaf, and paper. Ink is very versatile, and I use it for full, expressive marks or slow build of washes; the metal leaf establishes value to the content matter of the piece. The gold and silver leaf also creates dimensional space by its reflective properties which form a duality against the flatness of the brush strokes. Paper as a medium is an excellent surface that works great with ink and allows for absorption of subtle washes or heavy marks that rest on top. Furthermore, I mimic cave paintings, illustrations in transmitting thoughtforms. Ending on a poetic note, I try to represent perceptions in life. I feel the paper is the closest to a physical likeness of life. Paper is fragile, naturalistic and each part is similar but unique. After impressions (or histories of brush strokes) the paper is changed permanently for better or worse. The composition and the piece as object become a by-product of the process; influences are Michael Reedy, Kim Jung Gi, Gustav Klimt, Kara Walker, Willehad Aithers, Philip Guston, Ciro Quintana and Mark Thomas Gibson.â&#x20AC;? Jonathan Adams was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and received his BFA from East Tennessee State University in 2016. He is currently an MFA candidate at Rutgers University. Being a black man in the Christian south led to difficulties finding a community and understanding his identity. Visual art was a bridge to initiate dialogues with peers and family. He uses visual art as a means of understanding. Within his work, he explores aspects of perceived identity using scenarios of the human condition and history.

https://terrellcarter.net/

Terrell Carter, Kansas / Missouri “I am a pastor, professor, artist and writer. I have exhibited my artwork throughout the U.S. and abroad. You can find some of my writings at Word and Way, Faithfully Magazine, and Patheos. My most recent book is ’Healing Racial Divides: Finding Strength in Our Diversity.’ I have also written ‘Walking the Blue Line: A Police Officer Turned Community Activist Provides Solutions to the Racial Divide,’ ‘Machiavellian Ministry: What Faith-Filled Leaders Can Learn from a Faithless Politician,’ ‘The Lord Gave Me This: Understanding Historic Leadership Development Practices of the Black Church to Prepare Tomorrow’s Leaders,’ and ‘Leadership in Black and White: Practical Suggestions for the Church to Become a Healing Presence Within Divided Communities.’ I have earned undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in Biblical Studies and organizational leadership, arts management and leadership, and theology. Most recently, I completed the Doctor of Ministry degree in Congregational Health from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. I currently serve as the Director of Contextualized Learning and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology for Central Baptist Theological Seminary. I also serve as consultant and coaching associate for community engagement and organizational effectiveness for nonprofit and for-profit organizations through Pinnacle Leadership Associates. I specialize in addressing issues on race and understanding and resolving the racial divide, human relations, improving police-citizen interactions, and community engagement, and am proficient in multiple other areas.” Terrell Carter is a visual artist who primarily works in oil sticks and oil pastel, and ink prints. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States and overseas. His work primarily explores the intersections of faith, family, and society’s various views of black male culture. He is the Director of Contextualized Learning, Assistant Professor of Practical Theology and Codirector of the Urban Missional Institute at Central Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas. He also serves as an adjunct instructor teaching Art Appreciation and various interdisciplinary studies courses for St. Louis Community College at Wildwood and at Missouri Baptist University. Carter is also an accomplished author. Like his art, his books explore how faith and race intersect in America. Terrell has earned a Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in Arts Management and Leadership and a Doctor of Ministry Degree.

https://www.kimberlydummons.com/

Kimberly Dummons, Tennessee (excerpt from http://boropulse.com/2019/07/murfreesboro-sculptor-and-printmaker-kimberlydummons-receives-tennessee-arts-commission-grant/) For Dummons, sculpture and printmaking each offer their own challenges and rewards. “I like the freedom of sculpture,” she says. “You come up with a problem and then you find a visual solution.” She also enjoys metalworking and the process of lost wax casting. “Sculpture is very process intensive,” however, she says. “With printmaking, I like to go in the studio and just play—I put down color and texture, play with contrasts and visual space. I enjoy working with color—I don’t think I always understand it, but I like the idea that I can play with it and keep figuring things out.” Whereas sculpture is very time consuming, and results can take a long time to achieve, Dummons can produce a lot of printmaking work in a short amount of time. “I can get really interesting things and then keep playing with those,” she says. “For several years my work has explored the concept of home, through sculpture, prints and collage. In my two-dimensional work, I am using color, pattern and texture to create prints and collage to talk about place, both literally and figuratively. I am simultaneously influenced by and reference quilt structure, with some pattern codes directing paths on the Underground Railroad.” Kimberly Dummons is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she primarily teaches Two-Dimensional Design and ThreeDimensional Design. Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she earned her B.A. in Art from Xavier University of Louisiana, and her M.F.A. in Studio Art, with a Sculpture concentration, from the University of New Orleans. Her research is mainly sculpture, with some printmaking, focusing on the female figure in various media. Her work is included in several collections, including the ‘Amistad Collection’, housed at Tulane University, and the ‘Blanche and Norman Francis Collection,’ housed at Xavier University of LA. In addition, she has a public sculpture, commissioned by the City of New Orleans, ‘Buddy Bolden,’ located in Louis Armstrong Park. Her work has been reviewed and published, both regionally and nationally, in various publications, including: Sculpture magazine and Art Papers. Kimberly Dummons is the recipient of an Individual Art Fellowship Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2019.

https://www.samueldunson.com/about

Samuel Dunson, Tennessee “These works exhibit a range of themes that have become increasingly important to me within the past decade of my life. Themes involving love, acceptance of life and death, my personal narrative of being a black male in our society and my role as a husband and father are prevalent in my most recent works. I am interested in how popular culture affects me in the context of these themes. In creating these works, I choose to depict images that are personal to me, whilst having the ability to translate them in such a way as to invite the viewer in without appearing voyeuristic. I am most comfortable working in a figurative manner in order to closely relate my subject matter to the human experience. Rendering the figures in a somewhat naturalistic fashion allows me to hold the right to step outside reality while maintaining believability. Storytelling is important in my process, but my works are intentionally becoming less narrative and more about the relation of form and function. I am pleased when my works pose more questions than answers. This allows the viewer to bring his or her own experiences into the work, as opposed to accepting mine. I feel that my artwork is most powerful when it speaks to the viewer in such a way that he or she leaves with something that they did not have before they came. My goal is for that something to be an appreciation of the artistic, creative and critical process.” ”

The arts have played a major role in Samuel Dunson’s life since his youth. He was fortunate enough to be born into a household where exposure to the arts was as important as academic study. Samuel’s fine arts began at Tennessee State University. Early in his academic and artistic pursuit, Samuel chose to concentrate on 3D works, but soon thereafter he moved toward painting and drawing. Upon receiving his BS in Studio Art, he searched and found representation for his paintings. From his exhibition record and portfolio, he gained admission into the Savannah College of Art and Design under a Presidential Fellowship award. After a successful two years, he received an MFA in painting. Samuel now exhibits his paintings in group and solo shows on a regular basis. His works have been reported and critiqued in art journals and newspapers alike. Samuel teaches painting, drawing and 2D design, as well as Art Appreciation at Tennessee State University. He has been employed by the university since 2000.

https://www.deviantart.com/iconyx11/gallery/

Sean Frye, Missouri “Freelance comic and graphic artist. I have been an artist teacher for ten years. I’m looking to make a name for myself as a professional illustrator. At my day job I teach Design and Drawing class at Wildwood Community College in St. Louis, MO. I am a very productive person, I’m great at keeping my deadlines and work well with others. My talents include both 2D and 3D Drawing, Painting, Sculpture.”

https://www.masud-olufani.com

Masud Ashley Olufani, Georgia “My objects aspire to be visual poems - works of art that reach beyond themselves to reveal something meaningful about the human experience. My studio practice reflects a profound interest in material relationships charged with sociological and psychological implications. I’m interested in how objects operate in both the objective and subjective realties and how cultural memory tethers those objects to individual and collective history. Thematically my work addresses issues such as social destabilization: economic stratification: racial justice, and the soul’s aspiration for transcendence.” ‘Tight Packers: A Depleted Harvest’ takes its conceptual inspiration from a 19th century term used to refer to a method for packing slaving vessels that relied on forcing as many people as possible into the hold of the ship to maximize profit at port. The practice was ill conceived, however, as the crowded conditions made the ships breeding grounds of pestilence and disease. I have reappropriated the term here to refer to the disproportionate number of black and brown men confined in U.S. prisons. Composed of 90 sardines cans--fitted with graphite renderings of black men and inscribed with prison identification numbers--the confined spaces collapse time as they link the marginalized places black bodies were forced to dwell in the past to those in the present. The class graduation photo at the heart of the installation is augmented by the ghostly registry of the missing. The silhouettes articulate our collective sense of loss of potential--of human capital--of our most precious resource.” Masud Ashley Olufani (MAO) is an Atlanta-based actor and mixed media artist whose studio practice is rooted in the discipline of sculpture. He is a graduate of Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey, Morehouse College and The Savannah College of Art and Design where he earned an M.F.A. in sculpture in 2012. Masud has exhibited his work in group and solo shows in Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Richmond, Virginia; Lacoste, France; and Hong Kong, China. The artist has completed residencies at The Vermont Studio Center; SCAD Alumni Artist in Residence in Savannah; The Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences in Rabun, Georgia; and Creative Currents in Portobello, Panama. He is a recipient of a 2015 Idea Capital Grant; a ‘Southwest Airlines Art and Social Engagement’ grant; a recipient of 2015-16’ ‘MOCA GA Working Artist Project’ Grant, and is a member of the 2014-15 class of the Walthall Fellows. He has appeared in numerous television shows including ‘Being Mary Jane,’ ‘Devious Maids,’ ‘Satisfaction,’ and, ‘Nashville,’ and will be a featured actor in the feature film ‘All Eyez on Me: The Tupac Shakur Story.’

http://www.kansascitykansascommunitycollege.net

Shai Perry, Kansas / Tennessee “In my current work I am re-discovering my ancestry, culture, and identity within the context of the socio-political views that accompany those aspects. The emotional process of this re-evaluation is vital to how I navigate the world, being a multiracial individual. In 2016, I completed my first installation work, ‘Ancestral Strata.’ The aim was to give the viewers a chance to have a semblance of ‘connecting with the past’ through the process of ‘unearthing’ artifacts that I crafted and buried in layers of sand. The sand was encased in seven sculptural vessels that were built out of plexiglass and wood that I entitled ‘Core Samples.’ I invited the viewers to dig in the core samples to unearth the artifacts that I had placed within them, to physically experience the process of ‘discovering the past,’ while gaining an understanding for the importance of ancestral artifacts and the stories they unravel. This was the beginning of my ancestral journey in the public arena. My current installation, ‘100% Americanix,’ is the second chapter of my visualized ancestral narrative. The various percentages of my DNA test results are displayed on individual glass containers. The numbers are color-coded to match the places of my ancestry from various parts of the world, particularly from the African and European continents. The glass and sand are symbolic, and visual continuation from my first installation. The sand is from the Nolichucky River, here in East Tennessee where I grew up. However, in this instance, the sand is not in varying layers, and not of different amounts. Though the percentage distinctly ranges, the height of the sand on each vessel is equal. Despite the varying DNA contribution, I still consider each and everyone of them as equal that make up the 100% Shai Marie Perry. I carry these parts with me as a piece of my identity, along with being an American, growing up in Johnson City, Tennessee, being a woman, daughter, mother, step-mother, wife, friend, and artist/curator. These are all part of my identity. Since taking my DNA test I have connected with family that I didn’t know existed, and have become closer with the family I have known my whole life, by simply listening to their narratives. Everyone has a story to tell; we are all experts in our own experiences. Through displaying my DNA results, I am representing the often forgotten knowledge of the simple truth that we are all connected.” Shai Perry is an artist and curator. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from East Tennessee State University, where she studied sculpture and cultural anthropology. She is currently the Gallery Manager for Kansas City Kansas Community College.

https://www.samfoxschool.wustl.edu/portfolios/faculty/denise_ward_brown

Denise Ward-Brown, Missouri (excerpt from http://web.artsci.wustl.edu/amcs/MWMS/sites/project/?site=21&Washington%20Park%20Cemetery)

“As a filmmaker, I collected video history accounts from people who have a personal relationship with or have contextual information about Washington Park Cemetery (WPC). As an artist, I created ‘Home Going’ which is an integral part of an exhibition entitled ‘Higher Ground: Honoring Washington Park Cemetery, Its People and Place’ at the Sheldon Art Galleries. ‘Home Going’ is a set of three video documentaries. The first video intertwines the images of a concert I orchestrated at the Asbury United Methodist Church: the singers and their audience, with video images of WPC. The performers offer eight selections of traditional funerary music authored as traditional Negro spirituals, classic or contemporary gospel music. These songs offer both mournful reverie and joyous celebration of life. In honoring the sacredness of WPC, it was necessary to acknowledge the African American church, it origins, history and continued presence. This video signifies the strength, vitality and ancestral links of Black church music. The audio of this video provides a melodic backdrop that permeates throughout the exhibition of photos and the sculptural installation. The other two documentaries, situated in small alcoves, provide seating and headphones. This setting offers an intimate experience with thirteen video histories of various constituents connected with WPC: the owner, volunteers, visitors, library archivists, historians and family descendants. Their voices frame the complicated history of WPC as a metaphor: a collection of individual monuments and of a monument to the St. Louis African American community’s struggle for self-determination. These videos and the exhibition honor the noble struggle and fight for dignity and recognize the unfinished mission of a perpetual care cemetery. The ‘unfinished work’ here is the on-going work to clean up WPC and, metaphorically, to finish the ethical fight for equal citizenship. Denise Ward-Brown is a visual artist and filmmaker whose work explores African and AfricanAmerican themes and history. Most recently, she completed ‘Home Going,’ a three-part documentary suite about WPC—a historical representation of the African-American Church, an autonomous institution founded in a segregated society. She is an Associate Professor of Art at the Sam Fox School of Art and Design at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She received funding for her film projects from the Missouri Humanities Council, Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis, Missouri, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Mellon Foundation, and Washington University. Ward-Brown began making documentary videos in West Africa as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 1997–98. She received second place in the Documentary Award category at the Abuja International Film Festival in 2004. She received production grants for her award-winning documentary ‘Jim Crow to Barack Obama (JC2BO),’ including a CALOP grant in 2011 and a Kresge Arts in St. Louis Grant.

ETSU Film Studies Program Co-Directors Matthew Holtmeier is Assistant Professor of Film Studies at East Tennessee State University and coordinator of the Film Studies program. Author of Contemporary Political Cinema (Edinburgh UP, 2019), he has published on political cinema and environmental media in journals such as Screen, Jump Cut, the Journal of Chinese Cinemas, and the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication, among others. Recently, he has received grants from Humanities Tennessee and the First Tennessee Development District of the Tennessee Arts Commission to launch the Appalachian Silent Cinema and Live Old Time/Bluegrass Screening Series, which recontextualizes silent films made in and/or about Appalachia with speakers in the humanities and music from the region (for more information see: etsu.edu/cas/litlang/filmstudiesminor/events.php).

Chelsea Wessels is Assistant Professor in the department of Literature and Language and co-director of the Film Studies minor at East Tennessee State University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where her work focused on the emergence of the western as a political and popular genre in global cinema. Her research interests include local cinema history and archives, global film genres, and feminist film. Her publications include writing for the National Film Registry, journal articles in Transformations and Frames Cinema Journal, and chapters in Teaching Transnational Cinemas and The Western in the Global South. She previously taught at Ithaca College, Cornell University, and Colby College. An advocate for community engagement with independent film, she has served on multiple festival juries and currently works with the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival and the Johnson City Film Festival. The Film Studies Minor at ETSU seeks to educate students about film in an interdisciplinary context. The goals of this program are to encourage serious consideration of film as an art form, explore film as a medium of communication, and examine the power of film in shaping attitudes, values, and our understanding of society and the world. Courses are designed to provide students with knowledge of techniques of filmmaking process, historical development of film as an institution, film theory, and methods of critical analysis. A curriculum resulting in an awareness of the relationship of film to broader issues within various disciplines. https://www.etsu.edu/cas/creativearts/creative-arts-scholarship/areas-of-study/film-studies.html

Dr. Daryl A. Carter is Associate Professor of history in the Department of History. He joined the faculty at ETSU in August 2008. In 2004, he received the B.S. in Political Science degree from ETSU. In 2006, he received the M.A. in History degree from ETSU. He was awarded the Ph.D. in History degree from The University of Memphis in 2011. His area of expertise is 20th century and 21st century American political history. Moreover, he looks at the intersections of race, class, and gender, and how they impact American political history. His scholarship is diverse and wide-ranging. He is the author of the well-regarded ‘Brother Bill: President Clinton and The Politics of Race & Class’ (The University of Arkansas, 2016). His work has been presented at both regional and national conferences, in encyclopedias and book chapters. Roy Andrade is a musician and teacher best known for his work with the string band Reeltime Travelers. In his post-touring life, he has been instrumental in growing the oldtime music side of Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies where he teaches banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin and directs old-time string band groups. Since 2006 he has regularly produced recording projects for traditional artists, most notably the Doc Watson family Milestones box set. He continues to perform regularly and was recently featured on NPR’s Mountain Stage with the ETSU Old Time Pride Band. Kalia Yeagle recently completed her graduate certificate in Appalachian Studies at ETSU, moving from Alaska where she grew up. Yeagle has worked in the field as fiddler, vocalist, and business manager for Bill and The Belles. The band serves as the house band for the revival of Farm and Fun Time on WBCM radio in Bristol. Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies is a part of the Appalachian Studies department at ETSU, and offers four year degrees as well as certificates for undergraduates interested in a career in the music. Students learn the history of the traditional music forms, plus standard music theory and harmony, along with private lessons on their instrument. They are also grouped into ensembles based on their interests and abilities. https://www.etsu.edu/cas/das/bluegrass/

Appalachian Silent Cinema & Old Time/ Bluegrass’ Lecture & Performance

Speakers and Musicians

Tipton Gallery Reception

Law Enforcement & ETSU Multicultural Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Art Bond

Student Mentorship @ Topper Academy

Appalachian Silent Cinema & Old-Time/ Bluegrass Screening during UMOJA

McKinney Center

Greenville University, Illinois The Office of Diversity & Inclusion

Greenville Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to transform students for lives of character and service through Christ centered education in the liberating arts and sciences. It is with that goal in mind that we have begun to develop programs and services necessary to create a climate that values and celebrates multiculturalism. At the same time, we seek to support the ethnic student population and encourage them to utilize GUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources in order to prepare them to succeed by furthering their life goals and thus enhance their overall growth and development. Mission Our mission is to enhance, promote, and support Diversity and Inclusion at Greenville University through education, recognition, support of student leadership and character development, and appreciation of rich cultural heritage of diverse ethnic populations. Our goal is to ensure that every student that walks onto the Greenville University campus feels like they belong here. Goals To facilitate the advancement of multicultural and cross-cultural awareness and communication. To produce students who respect and understand other cultures and their contributions to society. To encourage students, faculty and staff to reflect on their own experiences and assess their prejudices, attitudes and values as they relate to dealing with people from different cultures. To maintain a database of multicultural and cross-cultural training/education materials and resource persons, who are available to make presentations pertaining to the language, culture, history, or current issues of different cultures. Dr. Terrell Carter Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Greenville University

Department of Art & Design

Slocumb Galleries

The ETSU Department of Art & Design provides comprehensive training in the visual arts and art history. Students develop problem-solving skills, a strong work ethic, and an ability to communicate verbally and visually through their time with us. Alumni from our program are thriving in various careers in the arts. The faculty includes internationally exhibited artists, published authors, and a Guggenheim Fellow. Within the College of Arts & Sciences, it is affiliated with the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts at ETSU, which sponsors an eclectic calendar of visiting artists, curators, art historians, and exhibitions on the ETSU campus each semester.

The ETSU Slocumb Galleries and Tipton Gallery, under the Department of Art & Design, promote the understanding, production, and appreciation of visual arts in support of the academic experience and the cultural development of surrounding communities. Named after Prof. Elizabeth Slocumb, an art teacher at ETSU (then, East Tennessee Normal School) and first Chair of the Department of Art & Design, the galleries’ mission is to develop creative excellence, foster interdisciplinary collaborations, promote inclusivity and encourage critical thinking by providing access and platform for innovative ideas and diverse exhibitions.

The facilities are comprehensive, with materials and spaces for Graphic Design, Fibers, Painting, Printmaking, Ceramics, Drawing, Jewelry & Metals, Sculpture, Analog and Digital Photography, and Extended Media. We have two exhibition spaces, the Slocumb Galleries and a satellite gallery in downtown Johnson City, Tipton Gallery, that host exhibitions by students, visiting artists, and faculty.

The year-long calendar features Visiting Artists’ Exhibitions and Lecture series, curated/juried exhibitions, and MFA / BFA / BA student exhibitions. The Tipton Gallery, initially a student exhibition space, organizes monthly art activities in coordination with Downtown JC First Fridays and festivals. The exhibitions, art educational programming and community engagement activities promote formally/artistically diverse, cuturally/socially relevant and thought-provoking images that encourage critical discourse. The annual Positive/Negative National Juried Art Exhibition features emerging, and nationally renowned US contemporary artists who employ diverse media and innovative techniques that contribute to the evolving definition and trends in American art. Accomplished artists and renowned curators from prestigious institutions serve as jurors, as it contributes to the academic and regional communities’ exposure and appreciation of current practices in contemporary art.

The Department of Art & Design is accredited by NASAD, The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and is a member of CAA, the College Art Association; SECAC, Southeastern College Art Conference; ISC, the International Sculpture Center, and is a consortium member of SACI, Studio Art Centers International, based in Florence, Italy. Annual study abroad opportunities are available to all ETSU students; the Ceramics program offers an annual workshop in Spannochia, Italy. Degrees offered: Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Studio Art Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Studio Art Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Graphic Design Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art History Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Studio Art Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Studio Art with minor in Education Minors in Studio Art and Art History

Programming is supported by ETSU Department of Art & Design, the Honors College and ETSU Office of the President, in partnership with various academic units and funding support from the Student Activities Allocation Committee (SAAC) Funds, Student Government Association (SGA) B.U.C. Funds, MBMSOTA, Friends of Slocumb Galleries, the Arts Fund from East Tennessee Foundation and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

etsu.edu/cas/art

etsu.edu/cas/art/galleries

Tennessee Arts Commission (TAC)

Arts Fund at East Tennessee Foundation

The Tennessee Arts Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly with the special mandate to stimulate and encourage the presentation of the visual, literary, music and performing arts and to encourage public interest in the cultural heritage of Tennessee.

The Arts Fund for East Tennessee, a field-of-interest fund of East Tennessee Foundation (ETF), serves as a source of funds to support excellence in the arts, expand access to the arts, and connect artists with each other. We are proud to partner with ETSU to support a series of exhibits that celebrate Black, Asian, and Hispanic Appalachian diversity. EFT is a 501(c)(3) public charity and community foundation created by and for the people of East Tennessee, where many donors join together to make the region they love a better place, today and for future generations.

The mission of the Tennessee Arts Commission is to cultivate the arts for the benefit of all Tennesseans and their communities. Through a variety of investments, the Commission encourages excellence in artistic expression through the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s artists, arts organizations and arts activities. That commitment has expanded through the years to increase access and opportunities for all citizens to participate in the arts. The Tennessee Arts Commission builds better communities by: - Investing in Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nonprofit arts industry to enhance cultural life - Serving citizens, artists and arts and cultural organizations - Supporting arts education to increase student outcomes - Undertaking initiatives that address public needs through the arts

easttennesseefoundation.org

ETSU Student Activities Committee (SAAC)

Allocation

Student organizations and university departments which provide significant benefits to the entire student body are eligible to apply for funding to support student activities and services. h t t p s : / / w w w. e t s u . e d u / s t u d e n t s / c u r r e n t s t u d e n t s / studentactivityfunding.php

tnartscommission.org/art-grants/

Arts Build Communities (ABC) Grant

Humanities Tennessee

The Arts Build Communities (ABC) grant program from the Tennessee Arts Commission is designed to provide support for arts projects that broaden access to arts experiences, address community quality of life issues through the arts experiences, offer arts programs that are designed to help affect positive change in community social issues, develop arts programming that strengthens social networks through community engagement, and undertake cultural arts initiatives that enhance a communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity and/or economic development. The ABC Grant for Washington County is managed by the First Tennessee Development District.

Humanities Tennessee is a non-profit organization that fosters community and civility in Tennessee through engaging programs that examine and reflect upon ideas, stories, history, arts and culture. In addition to our own programming, we partner with a variety of organizations across the state who are similarly encouraging community dialogue and activities that push us to think deeper and develop mutual respect and understanding for each other. Formerly the Tennessee Humanities Council, it is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Founded in 1973, we continue to develop ways to connect, learn, and grow as a community.

tnartscommission.org/art-grants/

https://www.humanitiestennessee.org/about/our-story/

McKinney Center in Jonesborough

Langston Education and Arts Development

The McKinney Center is located in the historic Booker T. Washington School that was originally completed in 1939 as part of the WPA program and opened its doors in 1940 for the purpose of instructing African-American children, first grade through eighth grade. The school operated until integration in 1965 and then sat dormant until 2010 when the Town of Jonesborough decided to restore the building.

LEAD is an acronym for Langston Education and Arts Development, Inc. Founded by alumni of Langston High School in Johnson City, Tennessee along with many friends and supporters from the community, LEAD has as its mission to: preserve the integrity, legacy and historical value of Langston High School campus for the posterity and enhancement of the community. LEAD is committed to providing responsive educational and multi-cultural opportunities designed to bring diverse groups of people together in a safe learning environment.

The McKinney Center also houses the Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts. The arts program is designed to inspire area residents through appreciation for and participation in the various forms of art and expression. The comprehensive arts program offers a variety of educational opportunities for learning such as drawing, painting, mosaics, theatre, dance, and music. With an excellent fine arts faculty, students receive world-class instruction. https://www.jonesboroughtn.org/index.php/component/ k2/147

Topper Academy As a â&#x20AC;&#x153;school within a school,â&#x20AC;? Topper Academy provides an educational setting that provides both face-to-face and blended instruction to enable students to complete academic requirements in a self-paced, personalized environment. All courses offered at Topper Academy meet the graduation requirements for both a State of Tennessee diploma (22 credits) and a Science Hill High School diploma (28 credits). Topper Academy staff will analyze the transcripts of incoming students and plan a personalized pathway for each student. http://www.jcschools.org/index.php?option=com_conten t&view=article&id=425:topper-academy&Itemid=225

http://leadlhs.org/about/

ETSU Language & Culture Resource Center The vision to bridge boundaries between the native English-speaking communities in East Tennessee and the non-native English speaking communities, such as the Latinx community. Our mission is to increase the awareness and understanding of diversity by involving the university faculty and students in hands-on, communitybased learning experiences and to bring together people from every age and background to share cultural strengths and humanity through research and outreach programs as they work toward the acculturation of the local non-native speakers of English communities. The LCRC publishes El Nuevo Tennessean, a bilingual newspaper in Spanish and English, and provides a bilingual Resource Guide for Washington, Unicoi, Carter, and Greene counties. The LCRC also provides translation and interpretation services as well as English as a Second Language classes in the community. The LCRC sponsors an annual Hispanic Student Day at ETSU for high school Latinx heritage students for a oneday introduction to college life. The goal is to encourage all attendees to complete high school and teach them about the options available for them to pursue higher education. https://www.etsu.edu/cas/lcrc/about/mission.php