Juried Fine Art Show

Annamarie “Anna” Buchanan is the Curator of Contemporary Fine Art and Craft at the William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, Virginia. In the last 4 years, Buchanan has curated over 15 exhibitions and served as a juror for several regional art shows; she has served in galleries and museums for 11 years.

“I have loved art and drawing as long as I can remember,” explains Buchanan. “I grew up in Midland, Michigan and spent my summers visiting family in Grayson, Kentucky. Growing up there was a small, affordable museum close to our house. My mother would take me there and we always had the best time. My mother loves impressionism and she had prints in our home of Mary Cassatt’s work. When I began drawing, I tried to copy the prints that my mother had, cartoons that I watched, or patterns on the floral couch. I learned to draw by observation. When I was 9 years old, my mother and grandmother knew that I could really draw—my family was so kind and supportive of my art practice. My mother signed me up for private art lessons with a local artisan. Everything that I learned I learned from artist Kathleen Sullivan. I studied with Mrs. Sullivan for 10 years. She not only taught me to observe, but to listen to what the work was telling me. I owe my career to my supportive family and to master artist and mentor Kathleen Sullivan.”

In 2016, Buchanan realized a need to revamp art programs in her community and developed an arts outreach organization called Arts2Grow on her college campus. Arts2Grow reached out to local Girl Scout Troops, Masonic Homes and partnered with the Alma Community Arts Center in an effort to revitalize art within the area. Through art and activism, Buchanan hopes to get people thinking about the ways they themselves can make an impact in their own communities.

Buchanan received her BFA from Alma College in Alma, Michigan in 2017. While achieving her degree, she worked three respective jobs as a library circulation desk assistant, assistant student art historian, and gallery preparator at the Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery.

In 2019, Buchanan received her MFA from Clemson University in South Carolina with an emphasis in drawing. While earning her master’s degree, she steadily volunteered at the Museum of the Cherokee in Walhalla, South Carolina as both a curator and librarian.

“People ask me what I enjoy curating the most,” says Buchanan. “I tell them, I enjoy curating empathy. I believe that art has the power to create true empathic connection between artist and viewer. As a curator, I want to walk in tandem with both artist and audience to make the art and its meaning accessible for all.

Buchanan’s work has been in several publications including See Spot Run, Pine River Anthology, LUMINA and Paper Darts. She has also exhibited her work at Kai Lin Gallery, Fe Gallery, Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery, Clemson University, and Holler House.