Dogwood Arts is excited to announce the opening of the 2022 Epiphone Student Guitar Exhibition & Auction. The exhibition features work by 20 students from 11 East Tennessee middle and high schools, along with a piece by prominent local artist, Curtis Glover. All of the guitars are currently on display at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in the Old City [123 W. Jackson Avenue] and an opening reception will be held from 5-8PM on Friday, May 6th.
“Providing opportunities for youth artists to exhibit their work alongside professionals is an ongoing mission of Dogwood Arts––you can see it on display at programs like Chalk Walk, Synergy, and now the Epiphone Exhibition! This is the first year that we’ve invited a professional artist to participate in this exhibition,” said Emily Curran, Visual Arts Program Manager for Dogwood Arts. “We were so excited to work with Curtis Glover on this project––we hope that collaborations like this between youth artists and professionals will inspire the next generation of artists to pursue creative careers in the future.”
Participating East Tennessee Schools include: Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, McCallie School, West Valley Middle School, Brown Intermediate School, Fulton High School, Powell Middle School, Hardin Valley Academy, Heritage High School, Karns High School, Thursday Connection, and Career Magnet Academy.
The guitars for the exhibition were generously provided by Epiphone and the Gibson Foundation. All of the guitars are up for auction, with proceeds benefiting youth art initiatives at Dogwood Arts and the Songbirds Foundation’s ‘Guitars for Kids’ program. The online auction has already raised over $2,300 and will be live through midnight on May 31st. The public is invited to participate in the auction at https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/epiphone-student-art-guitar-auction-2022-31062.
About the Songbirds Foundation’s ‘Guitars for Kids’ Program: The program focuses on guitar basics and provides school-age children with the fundamentals through a diverse range of playing styles and techniques. Students work with certified music therapists in a group setting to develop their social-emotional capacity so they’re better equipped to navigate life’s challenges, creating friendships and establishing musical bonds with other players. In 2021 over 55 schools, 18 partner programs, and 3,500 students took part in the program, with more than 800 guitars distributed across the state.
The exhibition was on display at the Songbirds Museum, a one-of-a-kind guitar museum located in Chattanooga during the month of April. The public can now view the exhibition at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in the Old City, and at the Southern Skies Music Festival on Saturday, May 14th.
