For Tammy Harrington, making art is not merely about expression. It is a journey of self-discovery.
“I always loved making art,” said Harrington during a gallery talk at Arkansas Tech University’s Norman Hall Art Gallery on Wednesday, Jan. 31. “I vividly remember the first artwork I made. It was a tiger painting. I remember making it and putting it on the wall. I love figurative work, but I’m also trying to understand who I am. My parents are immigrants from China by way of Hong Kong. They landed in South Dakota. I lived in two different worlds.”
Harrington offers a glimpse of her journey with an exhibition entitled “The Air Between Us.” It is on display 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays through Friday, Feb. 23, at Norman Hall Art Gallery, 203 West Q Street on the ATU campus in Russellville. Admission is free and open to the public.
“The Air Between Us” is a series of paper cut artworks that are self-portraits created by Harrington. Chinese paper cutting is an artform that has existed for almost 2,000 years. Connecting her Chinese roots with her love for making art is one way Harrington blends the various influences in her life.
“Hopefully you can find some inspiration from that,” Harrington told the audience at the gallery talk.
Harrington earned the 2017 Beaux Arts Award from the River Valley Arts Center. In 2023, Harrington captured first place in the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum Invitational exhibition with her paper cut entitled “Whisper.”
Professor of art at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Harrington left her Norman Hall Art Gallery audience, many of whom were ATU art students, with one piece of advice.
“It’s always good to write about your work because it informs where you should go next.”
Learn more about Norman Hall Art Gallery at www.atu.edu/art/gallery.php.
