Bellwethers is a regional juried exhibition of collegiate student art held annually by the University of Tennessee at Martin’s Department of Visual and Theatre Arts in collaboration with the West Tennessee Regional Art Center in Humboldt, Tennessee. Originally known as Artists of the 21st Century, this event was created by UT Martin Professor of Graphic Design Lane Last in 2000 as a way for college art students in the region to see how they measure up against students from other programs under the professional review of an outside juror. In 2018, Artists of the 21st Century was rebranded as Bellwethers. The word bellwether, derived from a Middle English word that referred to a lead sheep in a flock with a bell around its neck, is often used to designate a leader or indicator of trends within a geographic region.
In 2024, the UT Martin faculty created the Lane Last Award for Best in Show to honor Professor Last’s many years of support of the department and this exhibition. In 2025, programming for the exhibition was assumed by the newly formed Center for Southern Art, an academic center located in the Department of Visual and Theatre Arts on the UT Martin campus that is devoted to the cultivation of excellence in the visual art of the Southern United States. The Bellwethers 2025 exhibition is open to all undergraduate art students enrolled in a visual arts program at two-year or four-year institutions in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Our juror for this year's exhibition is Lacy Mitcham, Public Programs Coordinator at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.
The closing reception and awards ceremony will take place at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center in Humboldt, Tennessee, on November 14th from 5 to 7 PM, with awards given at 6:30 PM.
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