Drink of Water. Martha Strawn, artist
The Upstairs Artspace, in Tryon, welcomes photographer Martha Strawn to the gallery as its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Artist. An exhibition of her photographs titled The Phenomenology of Water: Works by Martha Strawn opens Sunday, November 1, with a free community reception from 2–4 p.m. The show runs through January 8. Two other collaborative exhibitions of her work will run during this time: a satellite installation titled Overflow at the Tryon Arts and Crafts School Rear Gallery from Tuesday, November 3, through February 14; and an exhibition of work exploring water as a theme by artists at Tryon Painters and Sculptors.
The exhibition at Upstairs Artspace will include about 85 larger-scale photographs (in the 30” x 40” range), three immersive videos and hanging textile/curtain pieces. “The Phenomenology of Water invites us to look beyond the surface and explore water as memory, experience, environment and symbol through Strawn’s extraordinary photography,” says Claire Sachse, gallery manager at Upstairs Artspace. “This isn’t simply an exhibit about water—it’s an invitation to reconsider our relationship with it.”
Glacier Melt. Martha Strawn, artist
Strawn is a lifelong educator and conservationist, and says she wants her photographs to convey her own perceptions of water as essential to consciousness. “My perception is that the sun’s energy acts with water to create conscious beings existing in a network of life that is interconnected Earthwide, a web of life,” she says. “Our lives are layered realities from moment to moment, and I make images that attempt to show those layers of reality and the depth of our souls in the images of water’s layers and depths, and its various forms. I use water because of its essential role in creation.”
She hopes visitors to the exhibitions will stay with their favorite images long enough to explore their own connections to water. “I hope the pictures move viewers’ feelings about life as displayed in the currents, visible layers and occasional vast quietness imaged in the prints,” she says.
Additional events in collaboration with the exhibition include an artist talk and Q&A on Wednesday, November 4, at 2 p.m. at Upstairs Artspace; a Water and Light photography workshop led by Strawn and Monica Stevenson on Wednesday, November 11, at 10 a.m. at Tryon Arts and Crafts School; a panel conversation titled A Deeper Current: Exploring the Meaning of Water Through Art, Nature & the Human Spirit on Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. at Upstairs Artspace; and an art history lecture led by Dr. Lili Corbus on January 6 at 2 p.m. at Upstairs Artspace. All of the events except for the November 11 workshop are free and open to the public. Register for the workshop at TryonArtsAndCrafts.org.
In 1983, during the time she was teaching at the University of North Carolina, Strawn was selected as Artist in Residence at Upstairs Artspace. “Having this exhibition at the Upstairs makes me feel like I am completing a circle of creativity in Tryon,” she says. “I once again feel honored and happy to share my work with the community here. I am delighted to give back to the place that gave me a start so many years ago.”
The Upstairs Artspace is located at 49 South Trade Street, in Tryon. To learn more, visit UpstairsArtspace.org, call 828.859.2828 or email frontdesk@upstairsartspace.org.
