A Central High School artist learned recently that her work will be included in a statewide exhibition in Nashville, reaching a goal many artists with more experience are still striving to accomplish: having their work displayed in a world-class art museum.
Trinity Anthony sent in four pieces to the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, unsure if even one would be selected for the Young Tennessee Artists exhibition.
“I wasn’t sure if anyone liked it,” she said about her piece entitled Internal Transfixation, which was selected for the show. Anthony said that because of Covid, she wasn’t able to get much feedback about the painting before submitting it to the Frist: “I was really surprised when it got in because no one was really able to comment on it.”
The piece is one of her favorites, she said, inspired by a previous traumatic accident that kept her away from her school and friends for half a year. Nearly six years ago, Anthony suffered a severe concussion after a fall.
“I was just stuck in my room for six months with nothing,” Anthony said of her recovery. “I couldn’t watch TV. I couldn’t read because the words just hurt. I had to have lights off all the time.”
It was then, in the darkness of her bedroom, alone, that she picked up drawing.
“I was able to draw things around me,” she said. “That was my only outlet to express myself and how I felt.”
When she was eventually cleared for 15 minutes of screen time per day, she utilized those periods by watching art videos and documentaries of artists to learn their techniques and improve her own skill.
“Once I got through all that, it really just blossomed,” Anthony said. “It’s an obsession.”
She has since had her work displayed in several art shows across her community, including the Knoxville Museum of Art East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibit, the Tennessee Valley Fair Art Show, and two Central High School art shows.
The young artist not only excels in her creativity and artistry, but also in academics and extracurriculars. At Central, she is a member of the National Honor Society, was in the Science Club, created the Book Club, is the president of the Art Club, takes AP courses, and is studying for the ACT.
In her community, Anthony is a member of the National Art Honor Society, is on the Knox County Library Teen Advisory Board, completed an internship with The Bottom community center, worked as an apprentice at Beardsley Community Farm, and has been invited to be a part of a new arts collective in Knoxville.
Amanda Cagle, Anthony’s 7th-grade principal at South-Doyle Middle School and now an assistant principal at Central, says Anthony “surpassed my thoughts of what you could do at that age.”
When reflecting on her success and growth as a young person, Anthony said, “It feels very surreal, and it feels like an out-of-body experience. But it’s all very exciting.”
Anthony’s work will be displayed in the Frist Museum at the Conte Community Arts Gallery from Sept. 2, 2022, through Feb. 12, 2023.
Josh Flory is a multi-media specialist with Knox County Schools and writes this blog, Hall Pass, for the KCS website.