Exhibitions
AUNDRA MCCOY: THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE
Tipton-Ashe Gallery / 401 Ashe St., Johnson City, TN September 2 - 25th (Reception: September 4 6:00pm - 8:00pm)
Aundra McCoy
The ETSU Department of Art & Design and Slocumb Galleries in partnership with the Reece Museum, Black American Studies, Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies, Robertson Center, and ETSU Student Activities Allocations Committee (SAAC) proudly present Through the Eye of the Needle by craft master artist Aundra McCoy from September 2 to 25, 2026. The public is invited to meet the artist during the joint opening reception with Gee’s Bend No on September 4, First Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Tipton-Ashe Galleries with guests of honor Mayor, Commissioner & Mrs. Greg Cox, Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts and ETSU Vice President Arch. & Mrs. Jeremy Ross.
Master Craft Artist Aundra McCoy is based in Memphis, Tennessee, her family originally from Orange Mound, historical Black community. McCoy is a self taught artist who grew up from a lineage of seamstresses and quilters, yet, she also received her Master of Fines Arts from the Memphis College of Art. The exhibition features her Ancestral Wall Hanging series from her MFA experience. McCoy describes the significance of quilts to the Black communities as they explores “themes of time, and collective memory of joy and hardships, deeply rooted in storytelling, survival, and our cultural preservation.”
Artist and Gee’s Bend curator Aundra McCoy will conduct a ‘Ancestral Mini Quilt Workshop’ on September 9, Wednesday from 2 to 4 pm at the Reece Museum funded by the Arts Build Communities (ABC Grant), open to the public free of charge but require pre-registration. The exhibition and public engagement activities are supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts and Arts Fund from East Tennessee Foundation. All events are open to the public, free of charge; workshop require pre-registration due to limited number of seating, please RSVP to Reece Museum’s Education Curator Ashley Gregg via email greggad@etsu.edu to reserve a spot.
The Tipton-Ashe Gallery is located at 401 Ashe St, former Courthouse on the Walnut side, Downtown Johson City. Fall semester viewing hours are Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11am to 3 pm, Fridays 3 to 7pm, with extended hours during receptions and by appointment. For more information, or to schedule a visit, please email Slocumb Galleries’ Director Karlota Contreras-Koterbay via contrera@etsu.edu or text 423.483.3179.
