Hunter Museum of American Art presents the art of Terry Cannon accompanied by the narratives of Normal Park Museum Magnet School's fourth-graders. Click to enlarge all our photos.
photo by Christina Siebold
The Hunter Museum of American Art will unveil a new art exhibit, “Every Picture Tells A Story,” Friday evening. Artist Terry Cannon’s art will be accompanied by narrative interpretations of fourth grade students at the Normal Park Museum Magnet School in North Chattanooga.
Four of Mr. Cannon’s works were sent to the school, where students studied them for inspiration before writing a story to go with the art. The best stories were chosen by Mr. Cannon to be hung in the exhibit at Hunter.
Jill Levine, principal at Normal Park Museum Magnet, said the experience raised the quality of work among her students.
“Terry Cannon’s art is so colorful and lively - from the time the paintings were brought into the school they sparked great creativity.”
Each of the students at Normal Park Museum Magnet practice the writing process on a regular basis - from “sloppy copy” to publishing. With the lure of having their work hung in an official art exhibit, Ms. Levine said her students were up to the challenge.
“Normal Park Museum Magnet is connected with seven local museums, and we have student exhibits at the Regional History Museum and at the airport already. It fosters such a sense of pride in the kids when they know that if their work is good enough, it will be on display.”
Some of the narratives give general impressions of the picture, others detail complex stories. Some of the characters or creatures in were named by the students. In “Waiting for Inspiration,” one student named the woman “Mrs. O’Neill,” another named the bird, “Isabella.”
Several students inserted themselves into the story. Anthony Sindoni wrote a narrative for “Inspiration,” which depicted a man playing a guitar. “The Prince loved his guitar, but he didn’t know how to play, so he asked the famous guitar player, Anthony Sindoni, to teach him.” Of course, the story ended happily ever after.
Terry Cannon is a self-taught artist and says he first began creating whimsical images as a child. Those early years of creativity shaped Mr. Cannon’s style and remains part of his work today.
“I always strive to be open to spirit and mystery when I paint,” Mr. Cannon said. “I feel that children generally maintain that same state of openness, so I love to gather their interpretations of my work.”
On Mr. Cannon’s work, “Harvest,” a crow sits on a cow that is standing on a red road in the middle of a cornfield, with the sun low in the sky. Fourth-grader Payton Fields wrote an accompanying story about the cowboy crow and his adventures riding his calf in the field every day. Payton closed his essay saying, “If you look beyond where you can’t see, you will find that the road will never end. If you look even farther, you will see that the calf and the crow are still riding to this day. And if you come on just the right day, you will see the sun’s face, the brighter sidewalks, and corn that never stops growing.”
Hunter’s new exhibit, “Every Picture Tells a Story,” will open with a reception on Friday, October 10, from 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The art and stories will be on display through November 4, 2003.