The Batesville Area Arts Council (BAAC) will host an opening reception and artist talk on Friday, June 21, for its most recent exhibition, “Back to the Garden,” by Little Rock artist Susan Chambers.
The reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the BAAC Gallery on Main, 226 E. Main St. in Batesville. There will be a Members Only Happy Hour from 4 to 5 p.m.
According to a media release from BAAC, Chambers, who holds a BA from Rhodes College and an MFA from the University of Georgia, has transitioned to full-time painting and exhibiting after years of teaching in Arkansas Arts Council residencies, local colleges, and public schools. Her accolades include a 2020 Arkansas Arts Council Individual Fellowship in Painting and first place in BAAC’s 2023 National Juried Exhibition.
Chambers explores “…her environmental concerns in vibrant paintings of the native habitat she planted in her garden…,” in Little Rock’s historic Quapaw Quarter, BAAC said.
The release notes:
“As a painter and avid gardener, Chambers is passionate about creating a haven out of native plants for birds, pollinators, insects, lizards, and other living beings. Native plants have deep roots and are drought and heat-resistant. They have developed symbiotic, beneficial relationships with pollinators over thousands of years. Her garden is now filled with the constant activity of birds, bees, and pollinators among the native plants. These plants inspire her work, as she creates paintings using vibrant, saturated color and space to create magical places between reality and abstraction. Of her work, Chambers says, ‘When the colors vibrate, I feel the transcendence of being in the garden. To lose yourself in the garden is to find a new way of being.’”
The exhibition will run until July 27, 2024, at the BAAC Gallery on Main. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. For more information, click here.
Garden of Change, Susan Chambers
Going to Seed, Susan Chambers
Images provided by BAAC
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