New exhibit now open at the JCA

Coby Alexander A new exhibit is now open at the Johnson Center for the Arts in Downtown Troy, featuring the work of Charles Adams and Guadalupe Lanning. Both artists come from different backgrounds. Adams is from Troy and works with glass and Lanning lives in Huntsville, Alabama, but is from Mexico City and creates quilts and pottery. The JCA’s Executive Director Brenda Campbell said that now is a great time to visit the center because of the opportunity to see the artists, it provides local entertainment, and the JCA is taking steps to keep visitors safe. After stepping through the doors of the JCA, visitors will mmediately see pieces from Adams sculpted out of glass. Campbell said she admires Adams’ work because it has a multitude of meanings, but there’s one that tends to stand out most to center visitors – an angel draped around a fire, which Adams made after his first studio burned down. “People started asking him to make things, so he went through the ashes (of the studio) and found glass pieces he already cut,” Campbell said. “So he put those in an angel and called it ‘Out Of The Ashes’.” Campbell also explained how the pots and quilts Lanning creates are intentionally and uniquely crafted. “Everything that Lanning does is so geometric, and it’s an exact duplicate (of each pattern),” Campbell said. “Each pot could take her from weeks to months to create.” Campbell said, with the countermeasures being set in place for COVID-19, the art center is a great place to enjoy art with a peace of mind. “We’re asking everybody to wear a mask; we have hand sanitizer out; we sanitize repeatedly within the center and we really want to make sure everybody feels safe,” Campbell said. The reception for the current exhibit will be Thursday, Aug. 20 from 6 - 8 p.m. The artists will be present to discusstheir work and food that reflects the artists will be served. For more information, visit the center’s website jcatroy.org.