Arlee Mains, Spring Chores, May-June 1996, Acrylic on paper, Promised Gift, Collection of Marth & Terry Satterwhite, 19.5 x 23.5 (framed). Photo: Josh White
We hope you'll join us on Thursday October 23 at 11 am when BRAHM's curator Ian Gabriel Wilson will be in conversation with Pam McKay, guest curator of the exhibition Arlee Mains: A Life in Watauga. We will learn about Arlee, her relationship with Pam, and what it is about Arlee's paintings that still captivate us today.
About the exhibit:
Arlee Mains: A Life in Watauga is an intimate installation of ten “memory paintings” by Arlee Mains (1935–2019) offers a vivid and affectionate portrait of early 20th-century life in the mountains of western North Carolina. A lifelong resident of Watauga County and a self-taught artist, Mains drew upon family stories, personal recollections, and regional traditions to create painted scenes of everyday Appalachian life. Her works portray the rhythms of domestic labor, childhood mischief, seasonal rituals, and communal joy—milking cows at dawn, dancing on a Saturday night, or greeting the mailman after a deep snow. Each painting is paired with a handwritten narrative by the artist, capturing her distinctive voice and grounding these images in lived experience. These stories have been transcribed and recorded by a local community member, and are available to hear at a listening station in the center of the gallery. Mains’ gift was not just in recalling what happened, but in conjuring the texture of memory: the smell of lye soap, the bite of cold air before a sled ride, the warmth of apple pie after church.
About the Speaker:
Pam McKay of Art Cellar Gallery in Banner Elk, NC is the Guest Curator for this exhibition.
In 1993 a young and hungry Pam opened the Art Cellar in the lower level of the very building she still operates. Her 30+ year career has blossomed from that small folk art & animation gallery where she lived in the back room to a robust artist representation, a loving community of artists and friends, and a flourishing interior design career at Dianne Davant & Associates. With an eagle eye and unwavering work ethic, Pam is truly a tastemaker of our community.
Free for Members; $8 General Admission