Swampland:Guest Writer Diane Lehr and Renowned Ceramicist James Watkins

Guest Writer Diane Lehr and Renowned Ceramicist James Watkins

Posted: Jul 22, 2009

Swampland is honored to have Diane Lehr as our guest writer for this month. Lehr graciously consented to do a feature on renowned ceramicist James Watkins, who was born in Athens, Alabama, and returned there this past weekend to help raise funds for the Trinity School Project. The photo shows Lehr with artist James Watkins. In the foreground is a piece entitled "Cauldron" from his stunning Guardian collection. Most of Watkins' works pay tribute to the artifacts of his past and his African-American heritage Diane is shown here holding a copy of Watkins' biography A Meditation of Fire by Kippra D. Hopper.

Thanks to the hard work of community minded people like Diane Lehr, Athens, Alabama is becoming a thriving art center. Lehr moved back to the south a few years ago to the area of East Limestone near the county seat of Athens. She was one of a group of people to ask the question," Why not an art happening in Athens?" So Art On The Square was born. Lehr is in charge of their PR/ Media for this year's Art on the Square to be held in September.

While in Athens, Lehr has expanded her volunteer work into many area. She has worked on numerous committees and organized a variety of projects for the city. She was a director of programs with The Boys and Girls Clubs for a year and is also active with Spirit of Athens ( the downtown revitalization organization).

Currently she is assisting with the first independent film festival in Athens, "The Southern Shorts" festival coming up in October. Her mixed media art is featured in The Huntsville Art Blog this month. She is also working on a book with Alissa Rose-Clark that is directed at empowering local women, and she is a regular guest writer with The News Courier in Athens.

Lehr has had a varied and somewhat miraculous life. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, she was always attracted to art, poetry and being from Memphis, there was always the music. She started her college career as an English major until her parents said, "You are the oldest daughter! We are not the Vanderbilts! You need to get in a different major!" So she became an RN and spent many years as a Pediatric Nurse in Memphis. Later she returned to school and received a second Bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology. She also took every opportunity to take writing courses and art classes. During her 9 year marriage to her first husband, she had two beautiful children. After the divorce, she continued to be a working RN and a single mom, all the while reading voraciously and attending every music venue and art show she could manage. Her best friend in Memphis was a central influence on her artistic quest. They both worked at LeBonheur Children's Hospital there. Her dear friend "diane" now owns a beautiful gallery, Overton Park Gallery, and art shop, "diane's" near the Memphis College of Art in a great historic bulding that she and her husband own. Lehr's art is exhibited there and sells quite well.

Later Lehr married a man in the Air Force and moved to Germany where she worked for the Army as a civilian RN. It was there that she studied photography and saw the works of the Great Masters. She also took traveling coursework that started in Paris at The Louvre and ended up in Picasso's last home in Antibes, France. While in Europe, she immersed herself in the art of Venice, Florence, and Rome.

In 1999, when her mother was dying from cancer, Lehr moved back home to Memphis. In May of that year, while standing on her front porch with her husband, they were assaulted at gunpoint. Lehr was shot in the back and went to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center. She went into surgery not thinking she would get out easily, if at all, but she walked away from the hospital 36 hours later. That experience gave her a gratitude beyond human understanding, and to this day she believes that gratitude is the most holy of emotions. The bullet is still lodged in her back, but the assailant is serving a 50 year sentence. The attacker had committed numerous armed robberies, plus a carjacking, and had shot three other people.

After this experience she found herself in New Mexico--here her husband was stationed in Albuquerque,--working as a Children's Psychiatric Nurse with other like-minded hiking-artist types.and chasing the light and the art. She took art classes under the world renowned santero artist Charlie Carillo ( whose work is owned by the King of Spain, the Pope and President Bill Clinton.)

One day shorlty after 9/11, Lehr said to her husband, "I have to go back home to the South." And so they moved to East Limestone. Athens, Alabama, is fortunate to have a person of Diane Lehr's calibre giving of her time and talents to make Athens a better place to live.

---Penne J. Laubenthal

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barrykay says...

Very nice article, Diane; and interesting information about James Watkins. Glad you're raising awareness about the Trinity School Project, too. Thanks for all you are doing.

Tennesseegal says...

The project got a $25,000 boost today. I can't wait to see it completed.

badsoutherngirl says...

Glad you could share your story and love of art Diane. The James C Watkins exhibit was wonderful! Thanks also for you part in making Athens an art destination.

vicjoys says...

Oh MY! Reading this article makes me wish I had been there. Athens, AL and it's citizens are so fortunate to have such a well cultured group of people willing to vounteer their time to educate all of us about art and artists whom we normally wouldn't know about. Thank you so much! V.Smith

Thirdstonestudio says...

The ability to create Art is a gift from God. It is great to see Athens be progressive in this area. It adds vitality to the town..kinda like a visual vitamin for the mind and soul.

blackinathens says...

Diane has a way of "painting with her words." Her article about James Watkins' exhibit was great-I could envision being there. Can't wait to see what else this civic minded "giver" posts this month.

LMilby says...

What an incredible opportunity to see this wonderful art in Athens Alabama! Diane your words helped those who weren't able to experience it personally, hopefully to get a glimpse of the excitement we did that day! Thanks for truly expressing yourself and sharing your excitement about art for us to enjoy! LMilby

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