Limestone University Art Gallery Hosting “Natural Instincts And Other Curiosities”

The Limestone University Art Gallery is currently showcasing its final exhibit of the current academic year, “Natural Instincts and Other Curiosities” by Tim Massey.

The exhibition is now open and will run through May 10. The Gallery will host a reception and artist talk on Monday, May 1, starting at 5 p.m. in the Hines & Riggins Center. Admission to the Gallery and the reception is free.

“Natural Instincts” is a collection of interpretative studies of growth, decay, and regeneration cycles of natural forms within the environment. It is inspired by American written and oral traditions, especially belief systems, superstitions, premonitions and rituals.

In addition to finalized prints, Massey also provides several of his blocks and plates in order to showcase the process of making art. The exhibit is meant to be immersive, where viewers are invited to engage with both the final products and these process pieces.

Born in Tennessee, Massey was raised on a 30-acre farm in Seven Islands, a remote area between Knoxville and the Great Smoky Mountains. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking and Drawing from the University of Tennessee in 1984 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from The Ohio State University in 1986.

After several university teaching jobs and freelance exhibit design and fabrication gigs, he began teaching Printmaking during summer sessions at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts at Middle Tennessee State University. In 1995, Massey became the Exhibition Coordinator for the Ewing Gallery at the University of Tennessee. He left Knoxville to become the Director of Tower Fine Arts Gallery at State University of New York in Brockport in 2001. While at SUNY Brockport, he also served as the coordinator of the Drawing and Printmaking concentrations, as well as a three-year stint as the Chair of the Department of Art.

In a roughly 38-year artistic and higher education career, Massey has participated in over 90 international, national, and regional exhibitions. Most recently, his work was accepted into the “Made In NY” exhibition at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY. His works are included in over 20 public and private institutional collections, including the Columbus Museum of Art, Purdue University, Clemson Architectural Foundation, and the Knoxville Arts Council. In 2021, Massey originated and organized the international printmaking portfolio exchange “Strained Separations: Reflections on a Pandemic,” which made its way to Limestone University in September of 2022.

Upon retirement, Massey returned to Seven Islands to establish the Lucky Dawg Studios and Printshop, and he has several projects in the works.