A fixture of both the Walnut Street Publishing community and the Chattanooga art and poetry scene (and this writer’s sibling) will be leaving soon for new adventures on the West Coast in the Seattle area. We wanted to take a moment to show our appreciation for Pierce St. Rose, who has curated most of our art exhibitions and is in their own right a talented visual artist and poet.
Pierce began creating art in earnest in 2021, experimenting with mixed media to emphasize both substance and texture. Their work is often characterized by dense color palettes as a result of the unconventional materials they use. They have had their work exhibited at multiple locations in and around Chattanooga, including ClearStory Arts and the Wanderlinger Gallery, and several pieces are currently on display at the Walnut Street Publishing headquarters in Studio 14 of ClearStory Arts.
Pierce has likewise been a regular of Wanderlinger’s Poetry Nights, and over the years, has accumulated a substantial collection of poetry, where they have sought to ask questions of the reader through reflective, vulnerable, and surreal language. Several of these pieces have been published in “The Walnut Branch” creative arts magazine, while their debut collection, “As If They Can Break,” will be published by Walnut Street Publishing this coming May.
More than these professional accomplishments, Pierce has been a constant and welcome presence at many local launches, debuts, and exhibitions as a mainstay of the Wanderlinger Poetry community, the Walnut Street Publishing community, and the homes of many friends. They’ll be missed.
You can follow Pierce’s journey and continued work @piercestrose on Instagram.
