My Journey

Let the Beauty of What you Love Be What You Do.  -Rumi

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It's me in the pic, Bethany Jewell, with arms wide and trusting what I know best, my heart.  This was taken off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the backside of Grandfather Mountain (distinguished in 1992 as a U.N. Biosphere Reserve).  I get to call this magical place in North Carolina home and it daily inspires my creative work.  My art practice spans multiple disciplines.  Painting, illustration, photography and narrative all intertwine with my passion for our natural world.  A childhood traipsing the wild woods in an impoverished area of West Virginia spawned my drive for understanding the link between humanity and nature.  

 

I've worn many hats trusting my heart.  They have led me to spectacular places and people. From the shores of Dakar, Senegal, to the inspiring halls of Harvard's Widener Library, I've been blessed with many adventures.  My biggest adventure now is trusting my heart in pursuit of the art that wakes me at night.  It's an idea that maybe I can take the complexity of our natural world and cut through the cacophony of our technological moment to find my own inner stillness...and maybe bring others to theirs.  

 

Photojournalism exhibits documenting Bethany Jewell's volunteer work with women’s cooperatives in Senegal, West Africa were featured in numerous galleries and publications.  She now returns to her studio after a career centered on climate change and sustainability. Bethany holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Communications and Human Rights from the University of North Carolina Asheville and a Master's Degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard. Her works have been acquired by private collectors across the United States.  She is currently represented by Mountain Blue Gallery and is completing a new series on endangered species of the Appalachians in partnership with the Blue Ridge Conservancy.

 

EDUCATION

Harvard University: MA Sustainability & Environmental Management

UNCA: BA Political Communications and Human Rights

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RESIDENCIES

Blowing Rock Artist in Residence - Blowing Rock Historical Society

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EXHIBITIONS

Mountain Blue Gallery - Banner Elk, NC

Dickson Gallery - Banner Elk, NC

Les Fleurs Gallery - Banner Elk, NC

Union Mission, Inc. - Savannah, GA

Bread & Butter Cafe - Savannah, GA

Jacobs Window Gallery - Asheville, NC

Center for Diversity Education - Asheville, NC (permanent collection)

Eagle Street Market Street Development Corp., - Asheville, NC (permanent collection)

 

PRIVATE COMMISSIONS for COLLECTORS:

Raleigh, NC

Washington, DC

Knoxville, TN

Savannah, GA

Tuscaloosa, AL

Charlotte, NC

Davidson, SC

Blowing Rock, NC

Banner Elk, NC

Boone, NC