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Opening Reception – River of Earth: Meaning and Material in Self-Taught Art From Appalachia at Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries (Norfolk)
September 4, 2025 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries present works from the Self-Taught Art Collection that explore the materiality of self-taught art from the Appalachian region and the landscapes, spiritual currents, and folkloric traditions from which they emerge.
Parallel to the stream of millions of tons of coal that have flowed from the coalfields of central Appalachia to the Coal Piers of Lambert’s Point just south of the Gordon Art Galleries, this exhibition follows a metaphorical river of earth comprised of stone, clay, wood, fiber, plants, and animals that make up the landscape of the Appalachian Mountains.
Featuring works by Minnie Adkins, Bessie Harvey, S.L. Jones, Georgia Blizzard, Leroy Almon Jr., and over thirty other artists, the exhibition tells diverse and intersecting stories of the relationship between meaning-making and materials drawn from the mountain landscape.
The exhibition is free and open to the public, with an opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m.
For updates, follow @oduarts and @gordonartgalleries on Facebook and Instagram, and learn more about the Gordon Art Galleries at odu.edu/arts.
