Found objects, family stories and the power of memory take center stage in a new exhibition now open at East Tennessee State University’s Reece Museum.
“Memory to Materials & Objects,” a solo exhibition by multidisciplinary artist LaKesha Lee, runs through Sept. 19.
Through assemblage, collages, sculpture and ceramics, Lee uses old photographs, textiles and everyday artifacts to create a material language that bridges the past, present and future.
A public reception is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4, from 5-7 p.m.
“I work with materials that carry personal and communal significance, layering found objects, fabrics and ceramics to build intimate and expansive material composition,” said Lee. “These materials act as vessels of memory, balancing preservation and healing. Through cutting, stitching, firing and assembling, my process becomes one of repair and reclamation – an homage to love, resilience and continuity within the African American experience.”
Family remains at the heart of her work.
Drawing from matrilineal storytelling and African American craft traditions, Lee blends photo repetition, material layering and quilting techniques to reimagine personal and collective histories. Her work challenges perceptions of Black bodies and labor while honoring regional history.
A recent graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s MFA program, Lee now teaches art at Belmont University as a faculty fellow.
A second exhibit made by teens
Lee also served as the visiting artist for the Reece Museum’s 2025 Teen Renaissance Art Camp this June. Working alongside nine young artists, Lee and Reece staff helped students create personal quilts and a collaborative group installation.
The result is “Bound & Threaded Stories,” a fiber-based exhibition that includes wall quilts, soft sculpture and other materials creatively reused to tell personal stories. That exhibition is on display in an adjacent gallery through Sept. 12.
The Reece Museum is a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, which is housed in the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies. The Reece Museum is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Follow the Reece Museum on social media for more content and digital programming. For more information, visit etsu.edu/reece or call (423) 439-4392.
Anchored by the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, ETSU is home to a vibrant arts community, hosting dozens of concerts, exhibitions and performances throughout the year.
