Marquee magazine article
James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center Named Best in the Mountain South
Good things come to those that wait. In the same month that James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center celebrates its 5th Anniversary in Greeneville, Tennessee, it has received unexpected but welcome news. Greeneville’s regional art center, located since 2002 in the downtown historic district, has been voted the favorite gallery in the Northeast Tennessee/Southwest Virginia/Western North Carolina region by the readers of Marquee magazine. Marquee, devoted to the presentation of “Life in the Mountain South”, published the good news about James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center in its September/October, 2007 edition.
“Marquee Performers is an annual poll of our readers conducted both on-line and in paper format asking them what they like best about the Mountain South,” Says Mary Ellen Miller, Marquee Magazine’s executive editor, “Marquee's readers named James-Ben Gallery in Greeneville as their top choice in the gallery category.” The gallery is highlighted in the Marquee #1 Performers article of the “Features” section of the September/October 2007 Marquee.
“What is particularly pleasing about this honor,” says gallery director James-Ben Stockton, “is that it comes from the magazine readership, which translates to a pat on the back from folks who’ve enjoyed their visits to our art center.” Among favorites ranging from day trips to sports figures, James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center joins the ranks with regional perennial icons such as Abingdon’s Barter Theater, and UT Women’s Head Basketball Coach Pat Summit.
Stockton himself is shown in the feature photograph with Polly (Princess Pei Pei), the six-toed gallery cat. “Cats with extra toes are known as ‘polydactyls’, so her name was a natural choice,” notes Stockton. “She’s still quite a young lady so we look forward to many years of having her on duty to charm visitors.” Surrounding them in the Marquee photograph is just a sampling of the remarkable Tennessee art that is the gallery’s specialty and passion. Many of the artists shown are natives to the Greene County area. Others, like Stockton and partner Daniel Luther, are enthusiastic transplants to Northeast Tennessee. “Polly, of course, is among the natives here,” says Stockton. “She was born in Mt. Carmel.”
James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center opened its doors in Franklin, Tennessee in 1992. In 2001, the gallery was recruited to move to Greeneville by local philanthropist Scott Niswonger as part of a long-range vision to revitalize the historic downtown area of Tennessee’s second oldest community, perhaps best known as the home of America’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson. Partners James-Ben Stockton and Daniel Luther are artists themselves, not only as jewelry designer/artisans, but also as performers, writers, promoters, and teachers.
“We’re particularly proud of the way we’ve been received into the local culture of Greeneville and Northeast Tennessee,” says Luther. “One of our best features is the emphasis on art that reflects the historic heritage and natural beauty of the Appalachian region.” James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center is located on Greeneville’s Main Street, next to the General Morgan Inn and Conference Center, itself a readers’ favorite among the Marquee #1 Performers. “This is such an exciting time to be part of downtown Greeneville,” says Stockton. “The beautiful, grand hotel with which we’re associated is already the center of our town’s 21st century rebirth. It’s no accident that Marquee readers acknowledged it as well."
For further information about Greeneville’s regional art center, contact James-Ben Stockton at (423) 787-0195.