COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (April 8, 2005) – A bachelor of fine arts thesis exhibition by Anderson Bailey, a ceramics student at Tennessee Tech University’s Appalachian Center for Craft will be on display in Gallery One from April 14 through 17.

An opening reception for the artist is set for Friday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m.

Entitled Lost on a Desert Island, the exhibit showcases Bailey’s love of the ceramics craft that has taken him from Tennessee to New Mexico and back again.

Bailey, a native of Tennessee, discovered his passion for ceramics art as a student in high school, when his art instructors helped him find what has now become a pivotal part of his life.

Following graduation, he moved to Albuquerque, N.M., to pursue an arts degree at the University of New Mexico but chose to return to his native state to complete his studies.

“My work is inspired by a love for the material, and my goal is to create functional objects full of life and animation,” he said. “A function is necessary to create a more intimate relationship between the object and its user.”

Bailey says the wet clay encourages him to build forms with a sense of gesture, and he accomplishes his artistic goals simply through the manipulation of the art form and the addition of an arm, leg, lip, curl or foot.

To reach the Craft Center from Cookeville, take Interstate 40 to Exit 273, turn south toward Smithville on Highway 56 and drive approximately six miles, turning left immediately after crossing Hurricane Bridge.

The Craft Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

For more information, call Gallery Manager Gail Looper at 931/372-3051.

--Tracey LeFevre
This information posted 08 April 2005