The Tennessee Watercolor Society became an organization in 1971. The first annual exhibition was held in 1972 at the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga. Today we are a Biennial Exhibition organization with a statewide membership of more than 200 members. We continue to be a non-profit and a volunteer organization with board members throughout the state. Our biennial exhibitions rotate across the state, with the last four exhibitions held in: Chattanooga - 2002, Jackson - 2004, Clarksville - 2006, and Knoxville - 2008. In 2010 the exhibition returned to Chattanooga. We have dedicated Contacts in each of our five Regions to act as coordinators of communication and activities. Our regions are located around the five metropolitan areas: Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and the Tri-Cities area of northeast Tennessee.

The 32nd Exhibition was hosted in Chattanooga from May 16 to June 25, 2010. The juror was George James, an internationally renowned artist and Professor Emeritus at California State University, Fullerton. He was the instructor for the exhibition workshop. Helen Burton and Linda Kerlin served as co-chairs and led a team of local volunteers for a successful event.

A full-color catalog of the 2010 32nd TnWS Exhibition has been produced, showcasing the 70 juror-selected paintings and features the award winners. A professional video of the exhibition was created by Video Ideas Productions, Chattanooga. It was made possible by a generous grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. The video features the personal critiques of the nine major award winners by the juror, George James. It contains a slide show of all 70 paintings in the exhibition, commentary by the founder of TnWS, the Chattanooga State host, and exhibition chairs, as well as an overview of the workshop, and an introduction to the host city with scenes of Chattanooga.

Both the catalog and the video DVD are available for purchase. Contact Helen Burton, 3518 Fox Run Lane NE, Cleveland, TN 37323-5744, or helenburtongraphics@gmail.com to place orders. Catalog: $15 plus $5 S&H; DVD: $15 plus $5 S&H.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, please contact Peach McComb, Membership Chair, for more information at peachmccomb@comcast.net.

To connect with a Regional Contact near you, see the Board & Committees listing on the About TnWS.

The Tennessee Arts Commission is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to ensure the citizens of Tennessee have access to and participate in the arts.