CLARKSVILLE, TN − The New Gallery located at 15 Henry St., is kicking off its 2024-25 exhibition season with Building Castles in Air, a solo exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist and Austin Peay State University alum Ashanté Kindle.

The exhibition is open now through Oct. 4, with special events on the schedule including an artist lecture, gallery reception, and spotlights during Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walk.

“Kindle’s work is an abstract exploration of the narrative embedded within Black hair,” said Michael Dickins, director of The New Gallery. “It’s an honor to welcome her home and to host her work in The New Gallery, but I am mostly looking forward to her returning to the Department of Art + Design to talk about her journey and artistic practice to our current students.”

A Clarksville native, Kindle graduated from APSU in Spring 2019 and has since exhibited her work in various galleries and museums throughout the country. Building Castles in Air is her latest solo exhibition.

“Each piece is an invitation to contemplate the profound generational connections, and the personal tales entwined in the act of hair care,” she said. “I utilize the textures, curl patterns, and styling of Black hair in abstract paintings and video work to envision new realities of personal existence that defy standards of conformity. By magnifying the hair strand on canvas, accentuated by stylish adornments, the cellular properties of the hair follicle begin to symbolize the infinite space of the cosmos.”

There are several events associated with the exhibition:

  • Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walks: 5-7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 and Oct. 3
  • Ashanté Kindle artist lecture: 6 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Art + Design Building, Room 120. Kindle will present her work and creative practices.
  • Reception and Gallery Talk: noon Sept. 18 in The New Gallery

Thanks to the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA) at Austin Peay, all exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

The New Gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed on weekends and holidays and follows the university’s academic calendar. For more information on this free public exhibition, contact Michael Dickins, director of The New Gallery, at dickinsm@apsu.edu.