East Tennessee State University has canceled its annual juried exhibition of politically-themed art at the school’s Reese Museum. The exhibition, “Fletcher’s Socially and Politically Engaged Art Exhibition,” first opened in 2013, honors ETSU art student Fletcher Dyer, who died in a motorcycle accident in Johnson City in 2009 while he was a senior at the university.
It is reported allergicThe cancellation of the 2025 “Fletcher Exhibition” is the result of continued strong opposition from the ETSU chapter of Turning Point USA and Tennessee Republican Party officials. The turning point was the conservative youth movement founded by Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on September 10th.
Last year’s exhibition featured about 60 artworks selected by a jury; several works criticized conservative figures, including Kirk, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Meaghan Dee, a graphic designer and professor at Virginia Tech, is one of the judges for the 2024 exhibition. she and art news Over the past year, the two works in the controversial show that have resonated most with her are Merrill Smith Jr.’s painted wood sculptures partisanshipwhich depicts an all-white American flag, with the missing colors represented by large drops of red and blue, and a peace sign taped together by Keith Kitts, pieced together.
allergic Spoken with several of Dale’s family members. Fletcher’s mother, Barb, said the school told her “its goals no longer aligned with our goals” but declined to provide any written explanation. His sister Carrie, who also attends ETSU, said: “There was a sense of betrayal by an entity that was supposed to support us and Fletcher and freedom of speech and expression.”
In addition to the long-running exhibition, Dyer’s family has endowed the university with a scholarship to be awarded to graphic design students who “exhibit an interest in art and design work based on social and political statements,” according to the application materials. Of course, Dyer’s student work was political in nature. His website features several works that deal with political violence, such as a hand grenade wrapped in an American flag and a piece titled ” Darfur genocide.
