Current Exhibits at the Reece Museum
Innerworkings
Mr. December
Tune in on my Memories
CURRENT EXHIBITS
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An Exuberant Spirit: The Sammie L. Nicely Collection (May 1 - October 13)
An Exuberant Spirit: The Sammie L. Nicely Collection, is now on display at ETSU’s Reece Museum through October 13. A reception and celebration will be held on Thursday, June 15, from 4 to 7pm.
Samuel Louis Nicely (1947 - 2015) was an artist and educator who embraced his cultural heritage as an African American man from Appalachia. Nicely self-identified as a contemporary folk artist, and his unique aesthetic is a blended exploration of African and Appalachian ancestry that is evident in both his art and his collection. In 2020, fifty works from Nicely's personal collection were bequeathed to the Reece Museum, and since then the special collection has grown to include 138 works that represent a variety of media and forms.
“This eclectic and diverse collection of works reflects Mr. Nicely’s talents and eye for beauty as both a collector and an artist,” says Reece Museum director Rebecca Proffitt. “This exhibition is the first opportunity we have had to see the collection as a whole, and to experience the power and emotional impact of sharing space with all of these artworks.”
Nicely first became associated with the Reece Museum in the 1980s, when he exhibited his work and facilitated a clay demonstration for a family day event. In 2014-2015, Nicely was the Artist in Residence for the Reece Museum. He created a program to bring Reece artifacts into local schools, where students worked with him to create responsive art, ultimately resulting in an exhibition titled Exuberance: Kids Make Art about Art.
Exhibition coordinator Spenser Brenner worked with Nicely during his residency and remembers that “witnessing the effect Sammie had on young artists and the work they produced was amazing. The energy in the work was palpable — exuberant.” Curated to show the breadth of the full collection, An Exuberant Spirit features eighty-one artworks from the full collection. Brenner continued, “With this exhibition it feels like we’ve been able to come “full-circle” to honor Sammie, his art, his collection and his Spirit.”
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Innerworkings: Tools & Machines from the Permanent Collection (May 8 - 31)
Innerworkings is an exhibition that explores artifacts from the Reece Museum Permanent Collection that reside within some of our least-exposed storage locations. The utilitarian machines and tools featured in this exhibition are seldom seen by museum visitors, but they were once used as essential and functional pieces in daily society. Many of these artifacts include exposed gears, cranks, and important mechanical parts that, while small, are integral to their utilization. Innerworkings provides a space for visitors to interact with and appreciate fundamental tools that have historically measured and shaped agricultural, social, and technological progress. Additionally, the display of these artifacts allows for them to be properly photographed and cared for while out in the open, emphasizing the complex, symbiotic relationship between collections care and public exhibitions.
The Reece Museum currently houses over 22,000 artifacts that tell the story of Appalachia at a regional, local, and global level. The artifacts in the Reece Permanent Collection represent a broad and eclectic range of both fine art and historically significant items, which the museum continues to collect.
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I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story (May 1 - July 21)
I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story Poster Exhibition
SITES and the Smithsonian's Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) celebrate Asian Pacific American history across a multitude of incredibly diverse cultures and explore how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of our nation’s history. While this journey has many points of origin, it truly began in America, a nation founded and built by immigrants, and enriched by the vibrant diversity of their heritages and traditions. Asian immigrants are an integral part of every chapter in this country’s great chronicle, building bridges, toppling barriers, forming communities—and pointing the way to its future.Rich with interesting, often surprising stories, this set of eight visually compelling educational posters takes a sweeping look at a little-known chapter in American history, from the very first Asian immigrants to the influx of highly skilled workers many decades later. This poster exhibition offers students, regardless of heritage and family history, the opportunity to be engaged and inspired through related activities and lessons in social studies, creative writing, art, and communications.
I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Teacher resources courtesy of Teaching Tolerance.
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Mr. December: The Life, Art, & Experience of William Nealy... Illustrator & Outdoor Sports Cult Hero (March 13 - June 9)
The Reece Museum, in association with the Nantahala Outdoor Center, present Mr. December: The Life, Art, & Experience of William Nealy... Illustrator & Outdoor Sports Cult Hero, on display through June 9. A special event will be held on Wednesday, April 12. At 3:30pm on the April 12, there will be a conversation with Daniel Wallace, author of Big Fish, about his new Nealy memoir entitled This Isn’t Going to End Well, and at 7 pm Wallace will give a premiere reading & sign copies of the book. The events are part of the ETSU Spring Literary Festival.
During the late 1970s, the artist, author, and part-time adventurer William Nealy began creating a series of hand-drawn river maps and guidebooks that became popular among rafters and other outdoor enthusiasts. This exhibition, curated by Dr. Scott Honeycutt and Reece staff, features Nealy’s work and celebrates his adventure lifestyle through an installation of various outdoor-adventure equipment.
Dr. Scott Honeycutt said about the exhibition: “The rivers of the southeastern United States are some of the most important waterways in the entire country. They are our national treasures, and those of us who love America’s wild heart have a responsibly to share that love. I hope people will come to the exhibit and marvel at the way that Nealy was able to capture in pen and ink the vibrancy of our landscape, and I hope that visitors are inspired spend more time in the outdoors, exploring its rough-wonder and advocating for its protection.”
Mr. December features over 100 original William Nealy artworks on loan from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, including maps, cartoons, comics, books, and sketches. Also on display are large-scale reproductions of Nealy’s art, including an eight-foot-tall map of the Nolichucky River. Visitors are invited to navigate the exhibition using a custom Exhibition Guide that includes a map of the gallery, and to participate in a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a unique prize.
The Reece Museum will be open to the public on the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 3pm, February through May, in addition to its regular hours. On Saturday, April 1 from 1 to 3pm Dr. Scott Honeycutt will provide guided tours to visitors, and Blue Ridge Paddling will be at the museum to talk about river paddling.
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Tune in on My Memories: The Work and Play of Richard Blaustein (April 2022 - June 30, 2023)
In collaboration with the Archives of Appalachia, Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies, and the Blaustein family, the Reece Museum presents Tune in on My Memories: The Work and Play of Richard Blaustein. The exhibition is on display now through June 30. The Museum will open from 10 am to 3 pm on the 1st Saturday of the month from February through May, 2023.
Watch Gallery Walkthrough with Roy Andrade.
Tune in on My Memories is curated by Roy Andrade, ETSU professor and director of Old-Time Music Studies, with Reece staff. Comprised of audio and video of Blaustein's music, instruments, photographs, scholarly work, original art, and museum artifacts. The exhibition celebrates the life of Dr. Blaustein, a consummate old-time musician, ETSU anthropology professor, and first director of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services at ETSU.
As a young man, Dr. Richard Blaustein fell in love with the music and culture of rural
America — he said he related to country people more than he did his Brooklyn neighbors.
In 1972 he relocated to East Tennessee and began his career at ETSU in Sociology and
Anthropology. Over the years he touched the lives of many with his passion and humor,
intellect and imagination, and gentle spirit. 
Click Here to view Blaustein discussing and demonstrating ballad singing.
Click Here to view Blaustein in the classroom in 1978. (Starts at 31:00)
Learn more about the original script and background information for Country Music in the Tri-Cities.
View the Country Music in the Tri-Cities slideshow tape in its entirety.
The Reece Museum will be open to the public on the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 3pm, February through May in addition to its regular hours.
The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, which is housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please phone (423) 439-4392. ETSU is an AA/EEO employer.
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Embracing the Question: A Conversation with Eclectic Artwork (Online Exhibition)