MECC Hosts “Appalachian Mountains Tribute” Exhibit by Jennifer Fletcher Meade
BIG STONE GAP, VA — Mountain Empire Community College is currently hosting “Appalachian Mountains Tribute,” a photography exhibit by Jennifer Fletcher Meade, on display now through June 10 in The Slemp Gallery, located in the Wampler Library on MECC’s campus. The exhibit is open to the public.
The public is invited to a reception for the exhibit on Friday, May 1, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
This photographic collection is a tribute to the Appalachian mountain region of Southwest Virginia, honoring its people, flora, fauna, beauty, and history through fine art photography.
In reflecting on the inspiration behind her work, Meade shares:
What is or Who is an Artist?
We are all artists, whether we think so or not.
According to Merriam-Webster, an artist is a person who creates works of art using conscious skill and creative imagination.
What is art? It is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination in the production of aesthetic, or beautiful, objects.
Therefore, each of us is blessed with some level of skill and creativity because we all have created some type of art, intentionally or unintentionally.
As viewers experience these photographs, Meade hopes they will reflect on their own creative journeys, their own skill and creativity, and themselves as artists.
She writes:
“We are on a Journey…… and, it is the Journey itself that is important. More importantly, it is the experiences along this Journey. Each experience evokes emotions and feelings that determine how we express ourselves and how we perceive our surroundings. We all have important feelings, ideas, thoughts, and emotions to express and share with others. The expression medium is one’s own choice; whether it be voice, strings, keys, words, pastels, inks, oils, acrylics, metals, cloth and thread, or the capture of light really isn’t important. The expressions and the evoked emotions from these creations for oneself and for others are the most important!”
Jennifer Fletcher Meade
…journey through light…
Located in Big Stone Gap, VA, Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) was established in 1972 to support Wise, Lee, Scott, and Dickenson Counties and the city of Norton. MECC enrolls approximately 2,700 credit students (1,400 FTE) and 750 noncredit students each year across a range of academic and career-technical programs. Learn more about MECC’s Promise Program at www.mecc.edu/promise.