I can’t recall who coined the phrase ‘Pine Mountain Throw Down’ but I’m gonna borrow it for this post because it so appropriately describes the Wildlands Art & Music Show that took place this past weekend in Lexington, KY!
In 2015 Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, in collaboration with writer Erik Reece, and visual artist and writer Zoe’ Strecker hosted artists’ retreats on Pine Mountain, a 125 mile forested ridge line in southeastern Kentucky. These retreats were geared towards engaging and educating artists about the Pine Mountain Wildlands Corridor project in hopes they would be inspired by their experience. There was both a spring and fall retreat and the artists that attended became known as the Pine Mountain Collective. I was fortunate to attend the fall retreat during quite possibly one of the most beautiful autumn weekends of the year! (Read about my retreat experience)
I was inspired…we all were inspired! The creative outpouring that followed those retreats were displayed to the public during the Wildlands Art and Music Show at The Grand Reserve in Lexington, which benefited KNLT. It was a great success and very well attended! I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I’m ready to go back to Pine Mountain!
Below are some pictures from the event. Scroll down to the bottom of this page to see a list of all the artists involved in the Pine Mountain Collective with links to their respective websites!
A big THANK YOU to Greg Abernathy of KNLT for his hard work in organizing the retreats and the Wildlands Art And Music Show.
~jz
A list of participating artists, writers, poets and musicians with links to their websites!
Art:
• Zoé Strecker, visual artist, writer, professor of art & retreat co-host
• Greg Abernathy, visual artist
• Whit Baker, writer and visual artist
• Carrie Billett, actor, artist & writer
• Jeff Chapman-Crane, painter & sculptor (Valley of the Winds Art Gallery)
• Mike Frasca, potter
• Valerie Sullivan Fuchs, new media artist
• Mike Goodlett, visual artist
• John Lackey, painter, printmaker, illustrator & poet (Homegrown Press)
• Nana Lampton, painter & author
• Guy Mendes, photographer
• Timothy Polashek, a composer, music technologist & professor of music
• Jeff Short, glass artist
• Diana Sudyka, illustrator
• Erika Strecker, sculptor
• Melissa Muir Sutherland, visual artist
• Lina Tharsing, painter
• Petersen Thomas, painter
• Brian Turner, printmaker (Cricket Press)
• Sara Turner, printmaker (Cricket Press)
• Jenny Zeller, visual artist & photographer
Readings:
• Erik Reece, author, professor of writing & retreat co-host
• Carrie Billett, actor, artist & writer
• Ed McClanahan, author
• Bobbie Ann Mason, author
• Trina Peiffer, poet
• Eric Scott Sutherland, poet
• Richard Taylor, author, poet & professor of writing
• Mary Ann Taylor-Hall, author
Music:
• Daniel Martin Moore
