Tim Goldsmith was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His maternal family has been in the Chattanooga area for roughly two hundred years, where he is the 5th generation of his family to reside on the same plot of land. On his father’s side, he is a 4th generation artist, following in his father, his grandmother, grand uncle and great grandmother’s footsteps. In 2012, he received a BA in Art from Covenant College on top of Lookout Mountain in Georgia. In 2019, he received an MFA in Socially Engaged Studio Art from Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In the last decade, he has maintained three key areas of his art practice: The first is a multi-media studio practice, where he utilizes all manner of media and materials, from installation and murals to more traditional skills, with his greatest love reserved for collaborative and participatory art practices and conversations around the intersection of art and faith. The second is a curatorial practice, which has been channeled through solo exhibits in a basement studio apartment, to curating a rotating exhibit and installation space in a church to most recently in his role as Curator and Education Director at the Association for Visual Arts (AVA). The final area of his practice is art education, with experience teaching private art lessons, art projects in K-12 after school education programs through the YMCA and most recently as an Adjunct Instructor in the art departments at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Covenant College.
The ultimate goal of his work is to see the visual arts thrive in his community.
Curriculum Vitae
Multimedia artist, educator and curator interested in relational practices of collaboration, community-based art-making and conversations around the relationship between art and faith.
Curator and Education Director at the Association for Visual Arts (AVA) and Adjunct Instructor in the Art Department at Covenant College.
Education:
BA in Art from Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA, 2012
MFA in Socially Engaged Studio Art, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA, 2019
Community and Collaborative Art Projects
2022
Carousel, Facilitator and workshop leader, Association for Visual Arts, Chattanooga, TN. Led a workshop with local artists around the design and development of murals utilizing poly-tab mural cloth. In the workshop, the group had an hour to secure a design with a few stipulations and the agreement that there had to be full consensus. After brainstorming inspiration from the North Shore and Chattanooga, the group landed on the idea of the carousel (as inspired by the 1894 Dentzel carousel in Coolidge Park restored by Bud Ellis) and the nearby Smoky Mountains/Appalachian foothills as a back drop.
2021
From Then to Them, Lead artist, in collaboration with The Trust For Public Land, Chattanooga, TN and Calvin Donaldson Elementary School, Chattanooga, TN, Mural depicting the transition of a century of community history in the neighborhood of Alton Park in Chattanooga (from conducted interviews with community members) and incorporated indigenous wildlife.
Street in Italy, Artist, Private Residence in Hixson, TN
2020
Caregiver “River” Mural Project (ongoing), Artist and co-facilitator, in collaboration with Chyela Rowe and the Arts in Healthcare Program at CHI Memorial Hospitals, Chattanooga, TN; Hixson, TN; Ft. Oglethorpe, GA. Participatory art project designed to provide a space for hospital associates, staff, and particularly COVID-19 caretakers to leave their thoughts, hopes, prayers, encouragement, fears, and grief amidst the growing pandemic crisis. Mural panels installed at three separate hospital campuses in the Chattanooga Metropolitan Area. Project is ongoing through the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Reflections on Gratitude and Thanks: a collection of poems, Illustrator, poetry book written and illustrated in partnership with ELLA Library of Chattanooga and several local Chattanoogan writers and poets, Chattanooga, TN
2019
Noche de Paz, Large scale painting for East Lake Expression Engine, Chattanooga, TN Created in collaboration with the K-2nd grade students of East Lake Expression Engine over the course of a month as part of the programming for their end of year Christmas concert, also titled, “Noche de Paz.”
Brainstorm, Mural at Clifton Hills Elementary School, Chattanooga TN Completed in collaboration with ELLA Library, Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise and students from Clifton Hills Elementary School
2017
“Mariposas en la calle Carmen (Butterflies on Carmen Street)” Interactive Children’s Book Project for Book Fiesta, Chattanooga, TN. Book Fiesta is a community arts and literacy event by ELLA Library of Chattanooga that partners with local artists and community leaders to create a series of interactive environments based on a collection of multilingual children’s books, with art projects, reading circles, music and other family friendly activities to promote children’s literacy.
2015
Redeemer Widows, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis, IN Collaborated with church congregants to create two large mixed-media works depicting two community leaders. Works were created through an exchange of skills and small micro workshops on new techniques (quilt design, mosaic, portraiture, etc).
2014
Feast, New City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN Collaborated with church congregants to create and install a one day liturgical art installation in the church sanctuary constructed from homemade bread. Construction involved planning, hosting and teaching a bread-baking workshop for collaborators.
2013
Cave Drawings, traveling collaborative, mixed-media drawing project Created in response to the common expression, “I can’t even draw a stick figure,” Cave Drawings was a traveling project that asked participants to collaborate and contribute to a growing collection by creating a drawing or series of drawings of a stick figure that was then named and pasted to a series of boards, depicting a simplistic but surprisingly diverse picture of human community and social interactions.
2012
Untitled (You Are Here: a Map, a Storybook, an Elevator and Some Borrowed Things) Created in fulfillment of requirements for completing a Bachelor’s Degree. Collaborative and participatory mixed-media installation made in response to the prompt, “Why are you here?” Involving faculty, staff and student body of Covenant College. Participants contributed a symbolic hand-held object to represent their answer to the prompt along with a short written description. Objects were installed over panels from historic panels from dismantled elevator in prominent communal space on campus arranged by department and timeframe of community membership. Descriptions were bound in a book and displayed in front of installation.
Speaking Engagements
2023 Panelist, “Re-Imagining the Role of the Arts,” Chattanooga Faith Work + Culture, Lunch & Learn Series, Chattanooga, TN
2022 Panelist, MFA Alumni Panel on Graduate Research, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA
Guest Speaker, Tech Goes Home for Artists (High School Students), professional development for emerging artists at Artsbuild, Chattanooga, TN
Guest Speaker, Tech Goes Home for Artists (Adults) professional development workshop for emerging artists at ArtsBuild, Chattanooga, TN
Guest Lecturer, Art Department Senior Seminar for professional practices and senior portfolio reviews, Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
Moderator, How Are We Doing? An Exhibit Conversation, as part of exhibit programming for the exhibit How Are We Doing? A Pandemic Retrospective
with panelists Kelly Spell, Chyela Rowe and Sam LaStarr, Association for Visual Arts, Chattanooga, TN
2019 Visiting Artist, artist talk for opening reception for This Page Intentionally Left Blank, & presentation in Senior Seminar research course at Covenant
College, Lookout Mountain, GA
Visiting Artist, Studio Visits in Fine Art Department, Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN
Moderator, Artist Access Panel Conversation, Association for Visual Arts, Chattanooga, TN
Artist Talk, Sideshow Slideshow Artist Talk Series, Stove Works, Chattanooga, TN
Moderator, Bridging Art & Culture Series: Meeting the Artists Panel Conversation, Association for Visual Arts, Chattanooga, TN
Solo Exhibitions
2019 This Page Intentionally Left Blank, Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
2016 Solo Pop Up Show, Personal Residence, Chattanooga, TN
Foundations, New City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN
Group Exhibitions
2019 MFA Graduate Thesis Exhibition, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
2018 SATED: The Food Container Project, Hot.Bed at James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
MFA-In-Progress, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
2017 24-hr Monument, Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Monument Lab in partnership with Moore College of Art and Design, Maryland Institute of Art,
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA
2015 Artists of East Lake, New City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN
Food Con 2015, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis, IN
February First Friday, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis, IN
2013 Contents May Have Shifted, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis, IN
2012 Untitled (Art Show), Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
Collections
Niedlov’s Cafe & Bakery Inc., Chattanooga, TN
New City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, IN
Private Collections in Chattanooga TN, Las Cruces, NM, Birmingham, AL, Indianapolis, IN, Philadelphia, PA, Baltimore, MD, Chicago, IL, Calgary in Alberta and Perth in Western Australia
Residencies, Internships and Collaborations
2023 Juror, Community, Hamilton County Schools and ArtsBuild student art competition, Chattanooga, TN
Juror, Creative Hands, Scenic City Clay Arts Juried Member Potter Exhibition, Chattanooga, TN
2022 Juror, Annual Student Exhibition, The Arts Center, Athens Area Arts Council, Athens, TN
2019-2020 Art handler on call, assisting Curator Kreneshia Whiteside with various art exhibit rotations and installations, Chattanooga, TN
Artist in Residence, ELLA Library, Chattanooga, TN
2019 Curatorial Intern, Association for Visual Arts, Chattanooga, TN
2018-2019 Volunteer Studio Helper, Meg Saligman Studios, Philadelphia, PA
2015-2017 Artistic Ensemble Member and contributing artist for Book Fiesta, ELLA (East Lake Language Arts) Library, Chattanooga, TN
2015 Resident Artist, Harrison Center for the Arts, Indianapolis, IN
2013-2017 Co-founder, Curator and Contributing Artist, New City East Lake Arts Collective (now Visual Arts and Communication Ministry Team), New
City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN
2012 Mentee, FUZE Emerging Artist Mentorship, Perth, Western Australia and Lawrenceville, GA
Leadership, Activities and Community Service
2021-2023 Commissioner & Executive Committee Member, Public Art Commission, Public Art Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN (ongoing)
Arts in Healthcare Advisory Council Member, CHI Memorial Hospital, Chattanooga, TN (ongoing)
2019-2020 Co-Facilitator and Curator, Visual Art and Communication Team, New City East Lake Presbyterian Church, Chattanooga, TN
Private Drawing Instructor, Chattanooga, TN
2015-2016 Teacher Aid and Kitchen Assistant, New City East Lake English as Second Language Program, Chattanooga, TN
2015 Work-Share Farmer, Crabtree Farms, Chattanooga, TN,
2014-2015 “Break on Impact” Team Leader, In partnership with Covenant College, Mission to the World, Clarkston, GA.
2011-2017 Child care provider, New City Fellowship at Westminster, Chattanooga TN
2012 Private Drawing Instructor
2011-2012 Member of Senior Class Cabinet, Covenant College Student Senate, Lookout Mountain, GA
2009-2010 President of Art Club, Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
2009-2010 Orientation Student Volunteer, Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, GA
2008-2010 Set Designer and Stagehand, Covenant College Theatre Department Lookout Mountain, GA