JOHNSON CITY – The Reece Museum and Slocumb Galleries at East Tennessee State University
received multiple honors from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) during the
organization’s recent virtual Awards of Excellence Conference.
The TAM awards are presented annually to museums across the state for exceptional
projects, programs and events. Nominations are made by museum staff and individuals.
Each entry is presented to the TAM Awards Committee, who makes final judging and awards
decisions based on creativity, originality, resourcefulness, success, support of museum
mission statement, and utilization of staff and volunteers. Categories include permanent,
temporary, blockbuster and traveling exhibits; educational programming; special events;
publications; digital media; audio visual; special recognition; and volunteerism.
The Reece Museum received a Special Recognition Award of Excellence for its “Local
Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic” collection initiative and a Temporary
Exhibition Award of Excellence for its “Suffrage in Southern Appalachia” exhibition.
“Local Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic” is a special collection of 40 juried,
purchased artworks by regional artists. Now part of the Reece’s permanent collection,
these works provide a snapshot of artistic expression during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community partners Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts! and ETSU’s Mary B. Martin
School of the Arts both contributed funds to purchase the artworks alongside the Reece
Museum’s financial commitment.
“Suffrage in Southern Appalachia,” researched and developed by Reece Museum Collections
Manager Becca Proffitt and installed by museum staff, utilizes artifacts from the
permanent collection and focuses on the history of suffrage in Southern Appalachia
and Johnson City. The exhibition coincided with the unveiling of the Passing the Torch
mural in downtown Johnson City; provided a timely exhibition commemorating the centennial
anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the 94th anniversary
of the Johnson City Suffrage Parade; and coincided with the 2020 local, state and
national elections.
Slocumb Galleries, for the second consecutive year, has also received an Award of
Excellence, this year in Special Recognition of its “Visibility as Presence” exhibition
series. In 2020, the honor was awarded for its temporary exhibition series “Diverse
and Empowered.”
The “Visibility as Presence” series featured “Black Diaspora: From Africa to Appalachia
to Affrilachia,” “New Latinx South: Vanessa Gonzalez and Nick Peña” and “Welcome Home:
Her Liminal Asian Appalachian Experience.”
The Reece Museum, located on the campus of East Tennessee State University, is open
Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/reece or phone 423-439-4392.
Slocumb Galleries is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tipton Gallery is open Thursdays
and Fridays from 5-7 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/cas/art/galleries/ or phone 423-439-4291.
Visitors to all venues are required to wear a face covering and observe social distancing guidelines.