Ashley Beals Pace is a multi-media artist living and working in East Tennessee. With degrees in architecture (Bachelor of Architecture, University of Tennessee, 2001) and industrial design (Master of Industrial Design, Pratt Institute, 2007), her work ranges in scale from small architectural drawings to built work. Growing up in Appalachia, her interests lie in the vernacular of the region which is evident in the functional beauty of handcrafted items, like brooms, quilts, and tools as well as the architecture of the region. Her interest in the natural world continues on the trails of the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding area where she enjoys hiking, swimming, and exploring. She finds links between design and the natural environment with the underlying structures, geometry, and rhythms in plants, animals, leaves, fungi, and flowers. Her work focuses on the intersection of motherhood, handcraft, traditions, place, and nature. Themes include beauty in the mundane, mystery in the overlooked, and wonder in the humble. She explores the methods of imperfect handcraft juxtaposed with the rigor and rhythm of underlying structure in the natural world.
Email
apace@sanderspace.com
Phone
(865) 414-0648