News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville Performing Arts Center wants local artists to submit paintings and sculptures with the theme “Future and Space” as part of a January exhibit.
The sci-fi theme will tie-in with CPAC’s production of “Launch Day; Love Stories from 2108.” Cultural Production Assistant Jordan Strilecky said this is the first time CPAC has officially done a tie-in theme.
“We’ve only been doing these local artists for a couple of years,” Strilecky said. “We did have one that was very interested in the play that we were doing and he took it upon himself to make pieces that go hand in hand, which kind of set the light bulb off in our head. This is the first time we’ve been able to have the show announced and get all the details together to really make it it happen.”
The selected art will go on display in the CPAC lobby starting January 5. Strilecky said the only requirements are the artist is local and it fits the theme. They are asking that artists submit their pieces that fit the theme by December 15.
“If they would like to get public exposure, we have anywhere from three to seven hundred people through our lobby a week during performances,” Strilecky said. “This exhibition is set up to go hand-in-hand with performances we got opening on the 19th of January. So we’re guaranteed to have some crowds in here to see what they’ve got.”
Strilecky said pieces to go on display will be chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis. She said the CPAC lobby can display 10-35 pieces depending on the size of the works. Artists will be told if their work was selected by December 25.
She said it is also good for artists to get into CPAC’s list of local artists, as they may be called back to do a monthly display.
“I love having local artists in our lobby. It’s great to be able to advertise that,” Strilecky said. “It goes hand-in-hand with the theatrical arts we already focus on, and this will be the first time since we started displaying local artists that we will be able to get many, many in here at the same time instead of one or two for a month-long exhibition. I think that’s the most exciting part is being able to have the variety of different artists coming through with their idea of future and space pieces.”
Strilecky said they are taken a very abstract approach to the theme and even if you think your piece may not fit perfectly to submit it anyway. She said they are accepting sculptures, physical pieces that may not technically be paintings and photography.
“Launch Day; Love Stories from 2108” tells a handful of love stories taking place among the backdrop of Launch Day, the day select citizens are evacuating the planet before the Earth ends.
