The Fountain City Arts Center presents the 2026 Juried Regional Exhibition.
March 10 - April 26, 2026
Forty-six dynamic pieces, created by artists living within a 100-mile radius of Knoxville, were selected for inclusion by this year’s juror, Jessie Van der Laan.
Forest in Transition
Deborah Stroud
Oil painting
$275
2025
A Chair is Still a Chair: Ode to Luther
Valerie Spiva
Acrylic and Collage
$285
2026
Sebastian
Renee Branum
Oil painting
NFS
2025
Jardin Des Papilions
Laurel Hughes
Scratchboard and watercolor
$395
2025
Jessie Van der Laan is an artist and educator living in Knoxville, TN. She holds degrees in Printmaking and Drawing from Washington University in St. Louis (B.F.A., 2002) and Studio Art from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (M.F.A., 2009). Her interdisciplinary work is informed by her training as a printmaker and a childhood spent sewing, drawing, and daydreaming. She has exhibited her work in numerous national and regional exhibitions, including solo shows at Lindenwood University and Moberly Community College of Missouri, at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN, and Mighty Mud Gallery in Knoxville, TN. In 2023, Van der Laan received a Bailey Opportunity Grant to pursue her print works at Relay Ridge of Knoxville, TN. Van der Laan is an Associate Professor of Art and Interim Dean of Humanities at Walters State Community College in Morristown, TN.
Exhibiting Artists:
Billy Bailey, Renee Branum, Keith Bryant, Reuben Burr, Shelly Colletto, Bebe DeBord, Tracy Gray, Debby Hall, Betty Hueser, Laurel Hughes, Leslie Hymel, Mari Jones, Merry Koschan, Christa Lane, Liz Lee, David Liles, Cathy Madden, Tanya McDavid, Elizabeth McGrady, Connie McMahan, Sylvia Milanez, Haley Myers, Kerry Osborne, Danielle Poisal, Christopher Rohwer, Robin Rohwer, Carla Sanchez, Jerri Schmidt, Valerie Spiva, Deborah Stroud, Marion Tant, and Clare Wilkins.
A Statement from the Juror:
It was an honor to review the work submitted for the first Regional Juried Exhibition at the Fountain City Arts Center. The various works represent a range of talent from our area across multiple mediums and subject areas. Common across the submissions was the sense of a search for reflection and connection. This is evident in close observations of plants and animals, contemplative figures, and captured moments of solitude within nature. The resulting exhibition includes works that best highlight these acts of care and attention through their use of detailed textures, compelling use of light and color, and spaces which draw the viewer in to share the experience. – Jessie Van der Laan, Juror
The awards will be announced at the exhibition closing reception on April 26, 2026 from 2-4pm and will be awarded as follows: $150 Best of Show, $75 Second Place, two $50 Honorable Mentions. We hope you will join us at the reception!
Exhibition: March 10 - April 26, 2026