Artist Statement and Bio

Andrew Godwin’s drawings ask whether anything is only as we perceive it. Working with pencil and paper, he attends to each subject with devotion until it reveals the larger whole. Look closely enough at a walnut, a pinecone, a coiled snake—and where does it end? Through sustained attention, boundaries dissolve.

His work is slow, obsessive, and sensual, refusing spectacle, irony, and metaphor as decoration. His drawings quietly insist: this seed is not just a seed; this object is not separate from you; perception itself is bodily.

Everything is whole—Andrew Godwin’s work is the patient, radical act of showing what is already here.

Andrew and his partner Susanne Tarovella are the principal architects of Sparkman & Associates Architects, Inc. in Knoxville, TN, where he also taught drawing and design studios at the University of Tennessee from 2005-2019.

Education

2007 - Bachelor of Architecture, Cum Laude, University of TN, Knoxville

2006 - The Necessity for Drawing, study abroad in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein, University of TN, Knoxville

Solo Exhibitions

2025 - Seeds: New and Recent Drawings, Relay Ridge Gallery, Knoxville, TN

2023 - Second Nature, The Tomato Head, Knoxville, TN (two locations)

Group Exhibitions

2026 - DRAWN, Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH

2025 - Community Canvas, Clayton Center for the Arts, Maryville, TN

2025 - Woven Together, Schilling Gallery, Knoxville, TN

2024 - Arts in the Airport, McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville, TN

2023 - Art Salon, RED Gallery, Knoxville, TN

2023 - National Juried Exhibition, Emporium Arts Center, Knoxville, TN

2022 - Art Salon, Emporium Arts Center, Knoxville, TN

2022 - Wild Life, Broadway Studios and Gallery, Knoxville, TN

2022 - National Juried Exhibition, Emporium Arts Center, Knoxville, TN

2021 - Art Salon, Jackson Terminal, Knoxville, TN

2021 - GRIT, Emporium Arts Center, Knoxville, TN

2020 - 50 Year Gala, East TN Community Design Center, Knoxville, TN

Awards

2022 - Honorable Mention for Chit-Chat #1 at “Wild Life” curated by A1 Lab Arts, Knoxville, TN

2022 - Best Work by an Alliance Member for A Home to Meet Our Needs at the National Juried Exhibition curated by the Arts and Culture Alliance, Knoxville, TN

2021 - Honorable Mention for Migration at “GRIT” curated by A1 Lab Arts, Knoxville, TN

Press

2024 - YNST Magazine, Fall 2024, featuring Second Nature

2024 - Everything is Connected, profile by Steven Friedlander, Compass, August 2024

2024 - Meet Andrew Godwin, Knoxville Voyager, Voyage Group, May 2024

2022 - New Exhibitions Opening, featuring Gratitude, Everything Knoxville Magazine, October 2022

Exhibitions and Awards in Architecture

2014 - Merit Awards for Professional Excellence (two), East TN American Institute of Architects

2014 - Finalist, NextGen Housing Competition, green|spaces, Chattanooga, TN

2014 - Green Project Award, United States Green Building Council, Knoxville, TN

2014 - Orchid Award, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Knoxville, TN

2007 - Finalist, Tau Sigma Delta Bronze Medal, University of TN, Knoxville

2007 - National Convention Exhibition, American Institute of Architects, San Antonio, TX

2007 - Art and Architecture Honors Exhibition, University of TN, Knoxville

2007 - Schweizer Reise: Tour of Switzerland, University of TN, Knoxville

2006 - The General Shale Scholarship

2005 - Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, University of TN, Knoxville

2005 - Award of Excellence for Design in Fourth Year Studio, American Institute of Architects, Knoxville

2005 - The Bullock, Smith & Partners Scholarship for International Travel

2005 - The University of TN School of Architecture Scholarship

2005 - The University of TN Trustee’s Scholarship

2004 - The Hubert Bebb Scholarship

2003 - Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement, University of TN, Knoxville

Teaching Experience

2011-2019 - Lecturer, University of TN, Knoxville

• First year undergraduate design studio (spring 2019)

• Third year undergraduate design studio (spring 2018)

• Introduction to the Built Environment (summer 2015)

• Fifth year undergraduate and graduate design studio (fall 2014, fall 2015)

• Third year undergraduate design studio (fall 2013)

• Second year undergraduate design studio (fall 2011, fall 2012, spring 2013)

2005-2007 - Teaching Assistant, University of TN, Knoxville

• Representation II: Drawing and Intention (spring 2005, spring 2007)

• Representation I: Drawing and Perception (fall 2006)

• Representation III: Digital Media (fall 2005)