TRYON – When artist Kris Neely used to think about safety pins, they were a device used to keep diapers and clothes together. Today, the pin has taken on a new connotation relevant to the social climate of the world, according to Neely.

When Neely’s brother Erik passed away in 2000, his mother asked him to paint a safety pin guardian angel to hang in his brother’s childhood room. He created a small one to hang in between the door frame and light switch.

Since then, Neely, a professor of studio art at Spartanburg Methodist College, has created more than 10,000 safety pin paintings and has shared them worldwide. The safety pins he creates are on sale at the Carri Bass Studio in Tryon and online at Etsy at Wet Paint Syndrome. The exhibit at Carri Bass Studio runs through January 6 and  focuses on the functionality of safety pins in relation to guardian angels.

A portion of the sales go to The Project for Community Transformation created by his brother Scott to empower congregations to transform their communities by alleviating poverty and ending racism.

“She wanted something to go in his childhood bedroom to remind her to be hopeful,” Neely said. “You can imagine that was the saddest place in the house for a grieving mom.”

Wanting to give some out to her friends, Neely’s mother then asked him to create 10 more using wooden scraps from his studio in Spartanburg.

“I do not consider this to be a political symbol because no political party owns love,” Neely explained. “No party owns human kindness. For me, the safety pin movement is important and I feel like this art is tied into it in some ways. It’s more about protecting individuals who are vulnerable or at risk.”

Neely and his wife Patrice have three children, Michael, Allie and Caroline, who refer to him as the “Angel Man.” His other hobbies including writing and spending time with his family.

“The guardians were intended to be a simple reminder of hope in dark corners of our lives where we feel the most afraid and alone,” Neely said. “Painting guardians is a manual act of contemplative prayer for me. More important than that, the image of the angel is the knowledge that you have a friend who cares and understands the difficulty you face.”

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Born in Winston-Salem, N.C., the professor of studio art at Spartanburg Methodist College has a new exhibit running through Jan. 6 at Tryon’s Carri Bass Photography Studio at 25A S. Trade St.

“I really thought I was headed to be an Episcopal priest after graduating from Wofford College with a religion degree,” Kris Neely explained. But, after a “number of personal detours,” Neely began teaching high school English while pursuing his master of fine arts degree at Goddard College in Vermont. From there, he worked in various administrative roles at Wofford College before becoming a full-time professor.

“I then went into teaching in studio art full-time and that has really been my calling and my vocation,” Neely said, “and it’s been something that has been tremendously impactful in the way I live and the way I see the world.”

Art, according to Neely, should be “civically engaged,” meaning it should be relevant to what is going on at the time to connect with the community.

“That has been a part of my artistic practice, whether it’s been a public artwork or the theme of a show,” Neely said. “It can also be something I am struggling with or something I think the community is struggling with. These are the threads that go throughout my art.”