The “Drawing Discourse” juried international exhibition of contemporary drawing is now open in the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery. It's the 14th year UNC Asheville has hosted this competitive exhibition, which features selected works from 65 artists from six nations. Highlights this year include hyper-realistic charcoal portraits, abstract works, pastel pieces and much more.
Behind the scenes, Tamie Beldue, chair and professor of art, and a team of students have worked to unpack, install and light the exhibition.
"Experience outside of the studio is always valuable within the art world," said senior BFA student Hannah Durham. "Seeing how things operate outside of your personal creative space is super important.
"I think it's really important to see artists, too," Durham continued. "It's inspiring to hear about how they're navigating the professional world."
Durham is a sculpture student and found working to install the exhibition helped her imagine how her own pieces might be displayed in a gallery.
“I find that valuable, especially as a sculpture student, since I might have more non-traditional materials going on the wall. I’m thinking about what's going to be the easiest way for someone to install this, with a more mixed media perspective,” Durham said. “It’s really nice information to see what happens with your work once it leaves your possession and goes into the gallery space.”
Durham was also looking forward to the opportunity to meet and network with the artists featured in the exhibition at the opening reception. Additionally, students in Beldue’s advanced drawing curriculum choose one artist that they would like to invite for a Zoom studio visit, then they drafted email requests, contracts and questions for the artists to respond to in their discussions.
The artwork—and the work put into installing it—will be on view through Feb 10.
© 2026 UNC Asheville
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