TVMA Opens New Exhibitions, Hosts Events May 14

TUSCUMBIA-The Tennessee Valley Museum of Art presents slowly, please: cheoncheonhi hae juseyo, an exhibition of textiles, collages, and photographs by Birmingham artist Tara Stallworth Lee. Her work will be on view from May 14 through June 25.

The exhibition’s opening on Saturday, May 14 will be a great opportunity to spend a day at the museum. Alongside Stallworth Lee’s exhibition, the museum will also open a “Pets in Paint” show, featuring pet portraits by artists Vivian Moody, Katie Graham, Monica Dahl, and Liza Harrison. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., collage artist Taryn Chase Jackson will help visitors of all ages make their own artistic collages for World Collage Day. And then from 2 to 4 p.m., the museum will host an opening reception for slowly, please, where visitors can meet Tara Stallworth Lee and talk to her about her work.

Stallworth Lee says that the major themes in her exhibition are listening, respect, and understanding, and that the title–slowly, please: cheoncheonhi hae juseyo– comes from a common phrase learned with studying a new language. The subtitle “cheoncheonhi hae juseyo” is Korean for “please speak slowly.”

“Learning this simple phrase offers me another avenue through which to pursue a deeper bond with my son and daughter (who are a quarter Korean), as well as with a very special great Aunt who is Korean,” says Stallworth Lee. The phrase represents the idea of “better understanding of differences and the great big world in which we exist,” and it also serves as “a plea for more time and/or a slower pace.”

The museum staff first learned of Stallworth Lee’s innovative work when she entered Emergence, the museum’s 2021 juried invitational that sought artists who were pushing boundaries of technique and theme. Impressed with the quality of her submission, museum curator Jonathan Cain invited Stallworth Lee to put together a solo show.

“I was dreaming of finding an expansive space where I could create site-specific sculptures and was beyond delighted when Jonathan asked if I’d be interested in putting together a show,” said Stallworth Lee.  “Now, about one year later, the textiles are done ‘cooking’ and ready to be transformed into something completely new. It’s really exciting and a new experience for me. This will be the first time I’ll show a collection of textiles, collages, and photographs under one roof!”

Museum hours for this exhibition are Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students, and free for TVAA members. To learn more about the Tennessee Valley Art Association, which runs the Tennessee Valley Museum of Art and the Ritz Theatre, visit tennesseevalleyarts.org or call 256-383-0533.

slowly, please: cheoncheonhi hae juseyo
Art exhibition by Tara Stallworth Lee
May 14-June 25
Tennessee Valley Museum of Art
slowly, please: cheoncheonhi hae juseyo is an ongoing body of work composed of textile sculptures, collage memorials, and photographic portraits. Through hand-dying and slow-stitching, biographical explorations, concentrated gazing, and listening, the collection features a simple desire to cultivate a greater intimacy with the world.

Birmingham artist Tara Stallworth Lee makes photographs, paper, books, and collages. Expansion of human dignity and the significance of the natural world are important themes throughout all of her work.

Tara received her BS in Psychology and Minor in Art from Birmingham-Southern College. She teaches specialty art classes for The Smithsonian Associates summer camp program in Washington, D.C. and for Studio By The Tracks in Birmingham, a studio and gallery for adult artists with autism. She is the 2021/22 recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Gay Burke Fellowship in Photographic Art. She is a resident artist at Ground Floor Contemporary.

Exhibition hours are Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the TVMA is $5 for adults, $3 for students, and free for members of the Tennessee Valley Art Association.

Pets in Paint
May 14-27
Tennessee Valley Museum of Art

Celebrate World Collage Day by joining Tuscumbia collage artist Taryn Chase Jackson for a collage-making party! Materials (paper, magazines, scissors, and glue sticks) will be provided, but you’re encouraged to bring your own as well, such as old books, magazines, cards, scrap paper, ticket stubs and other ephemera.

Drop in anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for some casual creativity. No experience is necessary! Taryn will help you get started, provide tips, and have examples on hand for inspiration.

Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for students, and free for TVAA members. Youth are welcome, but an adult should accompany kids under 13. Come out to explore this accessible art form and post photos of your creations with the hashtag #WorldCollageDayTVMA.

Opening Reception
slowly, please: cheoncheonhi hae juseyo with Tara Stallworth Lee
Saturday, May 14, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tennessee Valley Museum of Art.