JOHNSON CITY (Feb. 25, 2013) – The 28th annual “Positive/Negative” National Juried Art Exhibition at East Tennessee State University’s Slocumb Galleries is under way and continues through March 8 with the theme, “Minority Rule.”

The juror for the exhibition is acclaimed artist Michael Ray Charles, an African American painter based in Texas and one of the first group of artists featured in “Art21,” the high-profile PBS series on contemporary art. Charles will speak during the Juror’s Lecture and Awarding Reception scheduled for Monday, March 4, from 5-7 p.m. in the Ernest C. Ball Hall auditorium.

The theme of “Minority Rule,” according to Charles, “is a concept inspired by evolving forces integral to life in America during what I refer to as the ‘threshold years’ of the 21st century. Cultural norms, traditions and values are in a constant state of negotiation. In an attempt to accommodate non-traditional norms that are shaped by technology, labor, economics and globalization, established customs and beliefs are re-examined, modified, and, in some cases, rendered obsolete.

“As Americans take measure of complexities associated with accommodating non-normative perspectives,” he continued, “they also seek to understand our society’s shared triumphs and failures. This exhibition seeks nuanced artworks that reflect the complexities artists confront today.”

Charles is a graduate of McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La., and holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of Houston. According to his profile on PBS’ “Art21” website, his paintings “investigate racial stereotypes drawn from a history of American advertising, product packaging, billboards, radio jingles and television commercials.” His works are held in numerous distinguished public and private collections, and he currently exhibits at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York and the Cotthem Galleries in both Belgium and Spain.

“Positive/Negative” is sponsored by the ETSU Department of Art and Design and Slocumb Galleries in partnership with ETSU’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, Black Affairs Association and Student Government Association B.U.C. Funding.

Regular hours for Slocumb Galleries, located in Ball Hall, are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, with extended hours during receptions. The exhibit and the Juror’s Lecture and Awarding Reception are free and open to the public.

For more information or special assistance for those with disabilities, contact Slocumb Galleries Director Karlota I. Contreras-Koterbay at (423) 483-3179 or contrera@etsu.edu.