Bruce Childs exhibit documents life of Bon Aqua farm wife

Release Date: 3/17/2006. Expired: 5/27/2006

For more than 20 years artist Bruce Childs has been visiting with and documenting the farming lifestyle of Bon Aqua’s Dollie Patterson. Through videos and photographs, Childs presents a narrative journey called Portrait of Dollie Patterson on display in the Visual Arts Gallery of The Renaissance Center in Dickson April 8-May 27.

An opening reception will be 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8.

Childs, a professor of art at Austin Peay State University, presents a personal look into the life of a Tennessee farmer. In visits from 1981 until her death last year, Childs talked with Patterson about the disappearing farm family and the values once important to generations of American farmers.

More than 100 hours of video and many photographs over time have been distilled into a brief overview of Patterson’s life and work in the farming community of Middle Tennessee.

“Dollie was an engaging conversationalist who took firm stands on the traditions of growing up in and raising a family in the farming community,” said Childs.

Portrait of Dollie Patterson consists of a presentation of a video documentary in progress, a photographic narrative of the farm landscape and portraits of Patterson herself.

A Cape Cod, Ma., native, Childs has been on the Art Department faculty at APSU for more than 25 years where he teaches printmaking, electronic media and photography.

As an artist specializing in drawing, printmaking, digital imaging and gender studies, his work has been featured from Middle Tennessee to Massachusetts.

Childs earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from the Massachusetts College of Art, an MA from St. Cloud University and MFA from State University of New York in Buffalo.

Portrait of Dollie Patterson will be exhibited in the Visual Arts Gallery April 8-May 27. The gallery is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and admission to the gallery and opening reception is free.

For more information on exhibits in the Visual Arts Gallery at The Renaissance Center, contact curator Curtis Southerland at (615)740-5519 or .

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.

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