Johnson City has taken a creative leap into the world of outdoor art with a new printmaking exhibition that's making waves in the downtown area. Seven local artists have been showcased in this unique installation, which is turning heads and sparking conversations among locals and visitors alike. As reported by the City of Johnson City's official website, the Johnson City Public Art Committee (JCPAC) has curated an array of designs that are not just visually striking but deeply rooted in the community's ongoing narrative of transformation and growth.
Selected after an open call for artwork proposals, artists like Billy Arrowood, Gabrielle Barnhart, and John Hilton—along with Bird Honeycutt, Cait Maltbie, Annie Hutchins Parr, and Zoey Thomas—hand-carved their 4-by-2 designs into medium-density fiberboards. While the sun sets beautifully over the installations, East Tennessee State University professor and project manager Sage Perrott, overseeing the effort, employed the traditional wheatpaste technique to affix the relief prints onto a southwest-facing wall in downtown's breezeway, connecting the Downtown Square parking lot to East Main Street.
The theme of "re-envision" has been richly interpreted through the artists' lens, as the cityscape of Johnson City serves as a canvas for reflecting on the region's evolution. According to the city's announcement, downtown Johnson City has been a focal point where spaces are reimagined and history is artistically repurposed. This exhibition paints a broader picture—literally—of how Johnson City is embracing its past while looking squarely at its future through these large-scale, handcrafted prints.
With the backing of the Tennessee Arts Commission via a grant, these public artworks are set for display until June 2026. Having made a strong impression on the community, they are meant to naturally deteriorate over time, which is in line with the ephemeral nature of the wheatpaste art method. This detail, while seemingly small, nods to the impermanence and constantly evolving nature of art and cities alike—as the pieces fade, so may the landscape around them continue to shift and transform.
