Fischman Gallery partners with FL3TCH3R Exhibit following cancellation

The FL3TCH3R Exhibit, after its cancellation from East Tennessee State University in the fall of 2025, has found a new home for its next rendition. Nancy Fischman, owner and director of the Fischman Gallery, decided she was going to help bring the exhibit back for 2026 by partnering with Barbara, M. Wayne and Carrie Dyer – family of Fletcher Dyer and co-directors of the International FL3TCH3R Exhibit. "I've been to most of the FL3TCH3R Exhibits in the past," Fischman said. "It was kind of a shock to me when finally, after 12 years, there was some problem with the exhibit. I think it's something that came out of the current situation in the country. I strongly believe that censorship of art is wrong – it's absolutely wrong." ETSU prevented the art exhibit from returning to the Reece Museum in 2025 after its showing in 2024 saw backlash from the university's Turning Point USA chapter and local government officials for some of the art submissions displayed. Barbara shared she believed the canceling of the exhibit was largely influenced by the presidential election that occurred in 2024. While the art displays had been in the Reece Museum since October that year, the reception for the FL3TCH3R Exhibit happened just three days after the election in November. She said this is when people began to have issues with the art. "The side that overpowered finally felt like they could speak out and say whatever, even if it wasn't politically correct, and mount their challenge," Barbara said. "I think the election had a lot to do with it because people became emboldened to do this." Once it was shared with the public in October 2025 that the exhibit would not be coming back to the college, Fischman reached out to Carrie that same month to discuss keeping the show in Johnson City by hosting it at her gallery. "I've had some controversial pieces in my shows before," Fischman said. "I just have a very strong feeling that what Fletcher stands for, in terms of bringing socially relevant artwork to the public, I just think that's an important thing. To have that kind of thing censored is not right. So, I talked to Barbara and Wayne and offered the gallery for that." While the exhibit will be taking place at a different location, its premise will remain the same. Barbara and Wayne said artists from around the world will be able to submit for its showing, and a juror for judging the pieces will be chosen by the Dyers and Fischman. The FL3TCH3R Exhibit will, however, show a bit earlier in the year, beginning Aug. 7 and running through Sept. 27, while previous exhibits have been displayed from October into November. Barbara also said there could be a potential limitation on the amount of art displayed from the exhibit due to the amount of space the Fischman Gallery has. "We never know until we get the submissions and the deadline comes – y'know, what sizes the pieces are going to be," she said. "Then we don't know until the juror selects the pieces." Despite some mild uncertainty with the exhibit being in a new space, the Dyers and Fischman had similar sentiments about the importance of keeping the International FL3TCH3R Exhibit local to Johnson City. "Being in the Appalachian region, we needed to bring art here," Barbara said. "We needed to allow people here to be exposed to work going on in so many different places and to know the concerns that people have from a lot of different places out there." "I just felt it needed to stay here," Fischman said. "It grew up here, it's been here for 12 years and I just can't see it going someplace else. I think it has to stay here." Fischman added the show also brings attention to the region, showing how a small community can care about bigger, different issues when exposed to them through art. "This kind of show is just so important, and I think it's so necessary for this area to have this kind of exposure to international shows," Fischman said. "I'm not going to open up every month doing international shows, but I think once a year, especially with the focus of this being issues that people should consider as being important everywhere. That's why I'm excited about it – it will enhance not only the gallery's reputation, but this area's reputation."