GREENEVILLE – Community members can display their artistic talent and have fun in a relaxing environment with the return of Valentine’s Painting Night at Tusculum University.
This couple shows off their finished product at Valentine’s Painting Night in 2025.
Benjamin Conley teaches participants at Valentine’s Painting Night in 2025.
The event will be held Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center and feature an opportunity for participants to create an Impressionist landscape. Benjamin Conley, assistant professor of art and design at Tusculum, will lead guests through the process and stop by stations periodically to provide one-on-one guidance.
“Everyone has a great time at Valentine’s Painting Night,” Conley said. “It is a perfect opportunity for those who are artistically gifted and those who are trying painting for the first time to develop their skills. Just as importantly, though, it is a fantastic way to spend an evening with someone special or enjoy downtime on your own. The fellowship is wonderful, and you go home with something new you can hang on a wall.”
Organized by the Center for the Arts, this event is part of Tusculum’s Painting with the Masters Series. Valentine’s Painting Night has become a popular new tradition that has previously consisted of painting a Paris scene, an Italian province landscape and a Mediterranean landscape. This will be the fourth year the Center for the Arts has held the event.
Valentine’s Painting Night is open to people of all ages.
The event will last about two hours. It will start with a buffet-style meal followed by the painting starting at 7 p.m. Attendees will also enjoy live music, and a photo booth will be available for those who would like their pictures taken by one of Tusculum’s student volunteers.
Conley has already positively impacted Tusculum’s art program, bringing in a host of professionals to display their works and overseeing an update to the Clem Allison Gallery, which is adjacent to the Annie Hogan Byrd lobby. He is the director of that space. He is also providing valuable mentorship to his students and providing them with opportunities to develop as leaders in addition to up-and-coming artists.
A woman creates her painting.
Dr. Scott Hummel, left, and his wife Starr apply the paint strokes at the inaugural painting event.
Mattie Olmsted, left and Trevor Kahland work on their painting at the 2025 event.
He is in the early stages of his career but has hit the ground running by showcasing his work in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. Conley has held 22 exhibitions since 2020 and participated in multiple collaborative art projects. He has earned several awards and honors, including a best in show first place award for his exhibit “Good Grief” at the Fischman Gallery in Johnson City.
Conley has a Bachelor of Science in art education from Lee University and a Master of Fine Arts in studio art from East Tennessee State University.
Valentine’s Painting Night costs $40 for individuals and $70 for couples, with the proceeds being used to support the university’s art program. The price covers all supplies for the painting as well as the food and entertainment. To purchase tickets, please visit https://bit.ly/3LNincj. To ensure comfort for all guests, the number of participants is capped at 50.
“My wife and I have participated in this event and have enjoyed ourselves immensely,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “The atmosphere at Valentine’s Painting Night is great, and we enjoy talking with other participants. This is definitely a can’t-miss event led by an extremely talented young artist who is making his mark on Tusculum and the art community.”
Anyone with questions can email Conley at bconley@tusculum.edu.
To learn more about Tusculum’s academic art program, please visit https://site.tusculum.edu/art-and-design/. Additional information about the Center for the Arts is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/center-for-the-arts/. Further details about the university can be accessed at www.tusculum.edu.