Movement + Attachment brings together recent works by Karly Jean Kainz and Trisha Ram, two friends bonded through their shared newness of place and passion for community building. The exhibition explores how Knoxville has shaped their creative practices, offering space for reflection, curiosity, and connection.

Rooted in the everyday, my work investigates how personal collections come and stay in one’s life. Reflecting on my time in Knoxville, these pieces draw from my surroundings, of bright blue skies and grass so lush it envelops your feet—all a part of a landscape that feels incredibly familiar. After moving here from the desert, my attention gravitated toward the ground (as it often does), but instead of an abundance of rocks, I encountered wood chips. As seen in Ground Decorationand The Sky is Blue, the Grass is Green, & the Wood Chips are Brown, this common material became a point of fascination, suggesting how a place can be defined through its landscaping and curation of natural elements.

Stemming from my research on Midwestern grottos, I continue to be influenced by their chaotic, accumulative surfaces and the use of gathered materials. Using old paper, hand-me-down clay, and Bic pens from my junk drawer, works like Collection Drawing 1 carry a similar impulse, transforming the ordinary into something new with deeper meaning.

Throughout my time here, I’ve gathered many special things, from sweet gifts to new works of art. Tennessee has been a generous place, shaped by warm, creative people, and where we welcomed the newest addition to our family—Oatmeal! Now, when I encounter a beautifully patterned quilt or that intense Tennessee orange, I’ll be reminded of here as a place that allowed me to revisit past selves while embracing the present.