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JOHNSON CITY — The Reece Museum and Slocumb Galleries at East Tennessee State University received multiple honors from the Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) during the organization’s recent virtual Awards of Excellence Conference.
 
The TAM awards are presented annually to museums across the state for exceptional projects, programs and events. Nominations are made by museum staff and individuals. Each entry is presented to the TAM Awards Committee, who makes final judging and awards decisions based on creativity, originality, resourcefulness, success, support of museum mission statement, and utilization of staff and volunteers. Categories include permanent, temporary, blockbuster and traveling exhibits; educational programming; special events; publications; digital media; audio visual; special recognition; and volunteerism.
 
The Reece Museum received a Special Recognition Award of Excellence for its “Local Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic” collection initiative and a Temporary Exhibition Award of Excellence for its “Suffrage in Southern Appalachia” exhibition.
 
“Local Art in the Age of the 2020 Global Pandemic” is a special collection of 40 juried, purchased artworks by regional artists. Now part of the Reece’s permanent collection, these works provide a snapshot of artistic expression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community partners Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts! and ETSU’s Mary B. Martin School of the Arts both contributed funds to purchase the artworks alongside the Reece Museum’s financial commitment.
 
“Suffrage in Southern Appalachia,” researched and developed by Reece Museum Collections Manager Becca Proffitt and installed by museum staff, utilizes artifacts from the permanent collection and focuses on the history of suffrage in Southern Appalachia and Johnson City. The exhibition coincided with the unveiling of the Passing the Torch mural in downtown Johnson City; provided a timely exhibition commemorating the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and the 94th anniversary of the Johnson City Suffrage Parade; and coincided with the 2020 local, state and national elections.
 
Slocumb Galleries, for the second consecutive year, has also received an Award of Excellence, this year in Special Recognition of its “Visibility as Presence” exhibition series. In 2020, the honor was awarded for its temporary exhibition series “Diverse and Empowered.”
 
The “Visibility as Presence” series featured “Black Diaspora: From Africa to Appalachia to Affrilachia,” “New Latinx South: Vanessa Gonzalez and Nick Peña” and “Welcome Home: Her Liminal Asian Appalachian Experience.”
 
The Reece Museum, located on the campus of East Tennessee State University, is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/reece or phone 423-439-4392.
 
Slocumb Galleries is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tipton Gallery is open Thursdays and Fridays from 5-7 p.m. and by appointment. For more information, visit www.etsu.edu/cas/art/galleries/ or phone 423-439-4291.
 
Visitors to all venues are required to wear a face covering and observe social distancing guidelines.