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He’s one of Tennessee’s “most amazing self-taught artists.”  

Guests coming to the Reece Museum will have “an opportunity to experience the full breadth of the artist’s work from paintings and drawings to etchings and hand-colored prints,” according to Spenser Brenner, exhibition coordinator at the Reece Museum.  

The artist is Paul Lancaster, whose work is on display at the museum on the main campus of East Tennessee State University through Sept. 20.  

For anyone interested in the wonders of nature, it’s a sterling opportunity.   

The work of Lancaster, who was born in 1930 and died in 2019, is part of permanent collections at The Reece Museum, as well as at several prestigious institutions across the United States, including the Smithsonian and the University of Virginia.   

In cooperation with Grey Carter-Objects of Art, Reece staff curated “Tennessee Visionary: The Art of Paul Lancaster,” which features the 68 works presently on display.   

Visitors to the Reece will be immersed in Lancaster’s “fantastical world of nature and beauty,” Brenner said.   

“We are thrilled to be able to work with Grey Carter to make ‘Tennessee Visionary’ a reality,” he said. “The Reece and Grey have collaborated on two previous exhibitions that explored other self-taught artists that he has collected and represented.”  

Many of the works are for sale, and a pricelist is available at the museum.  

Named for the late congressman, B. Carroll Reece, the museum is a tremendous site of art and culture that enriches the campus community and region.   

Other exhibits are currently open to the public, including “Botanical Journeys” through Aug. 23, “Tag the Reece: Graffiti in the Museum” through Sept. 13, and “Stich Together: The Social Seamstress in Southern Appalachia” through Jan. 10. 

The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services,  housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on ETSU’s main campus and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Follow the Reece Museum on social media for more content and digital programming. For more information, visit etsu.edu/reece or call (423) 439-4392.