Call For Artists: Liberty and Legacy Community Art Show

The Johnson County Center for the Arts featured art show in July, Liberty and Legacy, is a special community art show honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. This exhibit invites local artists to share works that celebrate, reflect on, or are inspired by this historic milestone. The rich history of Johnson County and northeast Tennessee reaches back to the time of native Americans and early pioneers and continues through iron ore mining and green bean picking. Our music, hard work, and rugged individualism are also part of this area's history. The show is free and open to local artists of all experience levels. All entries must be handmade, original works in any medium. Artwork should celebrate or reflect on the 250th anniversary in a positive, respectful, and family-friendly manner. The Johnson County Center for the Arts' Gallery on Main maintains a welcoming environment for all visitors and reserves the right to not accept overtly political or controversially themed entries to Liberty and Legacy. All two dimensional work must be framed or gallery-wrapped and ready to hang. The submission deadline is Tuesday, June 16 at 5 p.m. at the Gallery on Main at 129 W. Main St, Mountain City, TN. Artwork will be displayed at the Gallery on Main from Saturday, July 4 through Saturday, July 25. AMERICA 250 ART EXHIBIT The America 250 Art Exhibit is a special opportunity for two dimensional submissions to Liberty and Legacy. This exhibit is a collaboration between Johnson County Tourism, Johnson County Center for the Arts, and the TN250 initiative to celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary. One piece will be selected to be professionally framed and permanently displayed for the public in the Cpl. William C. Mosier Memorial Building (formerly, the Armory) and a framed reproduction will be displayed in the new VFW building on Cold Springs Rd. "When we started planning for America 250, I kept thinking about how our story didn't begin in 1836—it began long before, in these mountains where early settlers, long hunters, and patriots helped shape the foundation of this country," said Sheila Caldwell, Johnson County Tourism Coordinator. "That idea became the heart of our TN250 project. We wanted to tell that origin story in a way people could see and feel. The painting in the William C. Mosier Memorial Building should bring that history to life, and the companion piece for VFW Post 6908 carries that story forward—honoring not just where we came from, but the generations who have served to protect it." To have your Liberty and Legacy submission considered for the America 250 Art Exhibit, your artwork must be 12"X16", original, handmade, and two dimensional. The selected artist will receive a $250 honorarium. The America 250 Art Exhibit is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States semiquincentennial.