Gallery Reception – Have a Seat featuring Clay Palmer
The Batesville Area Arts Council is pleased to present Have a Seat, an exhibition by Clay Palmer at the BAAC Gallery on Main. Please join us for a reception this Friday, September 29, 5 – 7 p.m. with a brief artist talk from Palmer at 6 p.m.
Palmer’s work examines contemporary Southern life through genre scenes that address the anxiety of living in a period of history ravaged by ideological, economic, and socio-political friction. His recent works are directly related to the anxieties of his newfound role as a father. “As I navigate this unfamiliar territory, I find myself meditating on my own paternal relationships, reflecting on my childhood, and analyzing my many shortcomings to gain some insight into the everyday challenges and joys that becoming a new parent imparts.”
Clay Palmer holds an MFA in Painting from the University of Memphis and a BFA in Studio Art as a University Scholar from the University of Tennessee at Martin. He serves as the Gallery and Events Coordinator and a Lecturer in the University of Tennessee at Martin’s Department of Visual and Theatre Arts. Clay currently resides in Trenton, Tennessee, with his wife, Olivia, and their son, Theo, along with their dogs, Scarlett and Byron, and their cat, Bukowski.
Reception: Friday, September 29, 5 –7 p.m.
Members Only Happy Hour: 4 – 5 p.m.
This exhibition is sponsored by Fuller Bumpers Attorney at Law.
2023 BAAC Membership Program
Become a BAAC Member this year and enjoy fun, new benefits! New membership benefits include access to members-only events like Member Happy Hours, along with all of our exhibition postcard mailings, and special discounts on workshops and gallery items throughout the year.
If you’re an artist, you can benefit from our Artist level membership, which includes an online artist registry and an opportunity to exhibit work in our Annual Member Exhibition.
Your membership contribution allows us to achieve our mission of enriching our community through the arts, so please consider joining today!
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew serves on the Arkansas Travel Council Board of Directors, is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current publicity chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.