New contemporary art gallery opens with "Representing Place: Photographs of Applachia"

Specializing in photography by emerging and established artists in the U.S. and abroad, Tracey Morgan Gallery opens with broad-ranging historical exhibition

Tracey Morgan Gallery, located at 188 Coxe Avenue in the growing South Slope area of downtown Asheville, will open on January 20, 2017, with a photographic representation of the Appalachian region from the late 1900s to the present. The inaugural exhibition, “Representing Place: Photographs of Appalachia,” was created in collaboration with photographer Stacy Kranitz and features work by pioneering photographers Doris Ulmann, Walker Evans, O. Winston Link and Bayard Wootten, alongside 1970s and 1980s photographers William Gedney, Susan Lipper, Rob Amberg and Mike Smith, as well as contemporary artists Tammy Mecure, Ken Abbott, McNair Evans, and others. 

“The Appalachian region has a deeply rooted relationship to the documentary tradition,” notes gallery director Tracey Morgan. “Later twentieth-century work in Appalachia brought an extra level of intimacy to the documentary tradition, and contemporary work by emerging artists is adding to this legacy with diverse works about race and class. We’re excited to offer such a wide-ranging exhibit for the gallery’s opening show.”

Morgan’s prior gallery experience includes director- and associate director-level positions with notable galleries in Florida and New York, most recently with Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City. “It has always been my dream to open a gallery,” Morgan said, “but in New York City that simply wasn’t feasible.” Familiar with the Asheville area from her student years at Brevard College, Morgan realized the city’s small-town size and active music and arts scene made it an ideal location for the gallery she had in mind. She and her husband left New York City for Asheville in 2015, and she began searching for gallery space last spring.

Tracey Morgan Gallery will specialize in contemporary photography, works on paper, sculpture and video by emerging and established artists from the United States and abroad. Its secondary focus is to promote the visual arts in the local community by highlighting work created by resident artists or work pertaining to the Western North Carolina region. Each year the gallery will present a rotation of well-researched exhibitions by individual artists, as well as curated group shows exploring historical and contemporary themes. The gallery aims to assist both beginning and experienced collectors in building or expanding their collections, as well as to provide consultation to museums and corporations.

Tracey Morgan Gallery is located at 188 Coxe Avenue in Asheville, North Carolina. Hours are 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit TraceyMorganGallery.com, or call (828) 505-7667.