2024 Fairview Arts Council Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

See Page 4 for more on the mural story

ART

THE FAIRVIEW ARTS COUNCIL UPCOMING EVENTS:

MAY 4 THE PEARL ON OLD NASHVILLE HIGHWAY IN FAIRVIEW IS HAVING A VENDOR EVENT FOR ALL TYPES OF MAKERS

MAY 5 2:30 PARANORMAL FRIENDS MEETUP AT FAIRVIEW RECREATION

MAY 11 WE WILL BE AT THE FAIRVIEW ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR AT BOWIE PARK

JULY 3 LOOK FOR US AT THE CITY FIREWORKS EVENT

AUGUST 3 FAIRVIEW LIBRARY ART SHOW (LOOK FOR THE FORM TO REGISTER YOUR ART ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE SOON ) SEPTEMBER 21 PLEIN AIR PAINTING EVENT WITH FAIRVIEW NATURE FEST AT BOWIE PARK

OCTOBER (2ND WEEKEND) COMIC-CON LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED FIRST THURSDAYS MONTHLY IN DICKSONART EVENTS

MUSIC

SECOND SATURDAYS 10 AM DOUG’S GUITAR PULL AT PIZZA HUT

MAY 18 AT LOLLY BEE BAYOU FARM ON CUMBERLAND DR LIVE MUSIC BY HANNAH JUANITA, DUSTIN BOTHWELL, BRENNA MACMILLAN AND GARRETT BRADFORD AND CAMPING AVAILABLE - $10

MAY 8 6PM SONGWRITERS NIGHT AT CANO’S HOSTED BY ADAM LEE

MAY 9 7:30 AT FRANKLIN THEATER GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK SERIES: THE MUSIC OF BILLIE HOLIDAY FT CHAMPIAN FULTON TRIO

JUNE 1 11AM-11PM MUSIC FOR MISSION 22 AT ALCHEMY TRUCK WASH ON HWY 96 BY THE INTERSTATE

THEATER

APRIL 19–28 FAIRVIEW COMMUNITY THEATER PRESENTED ‘DYING FOR THEATER' WEEKENDS FROM AT HISTORICAL VILLAGE

JUNE 14-23 AT DICKSON WAR MEMORIAL THE RENAISSANCE PLAYERS PRESENTS “THE SPITFIRE GRILL”

FESTIVALS

MAY 4 FULL MOON BLOCK PARTY - DICKSON MAY 18 8:30 PM STAR PARTY AT BOWIE PARK

MAY 18-19 10AM - 4PM SUMMER FEST WITH THE WALTONS AT JOHNNY CASH’S STORYTELLER’S HIDEAWAY FARM

Author Sarah Jenkins: Interview with Nashville actor and poet laureate, Cameron Mitchell

“BUT THEN I TELL MYSELF, SOMEONE NEEDS TO HEAR MY MESSAGE AND I WANT MY MOTIVATION TO BE STRONGER THAN MY FEAR. WHEN I GO ON THE STAGE, I AM NOT OKAY DESPITE MY PLEA. THE WORLD WON'T STOP FOR ME MY DREAMS SEEM TO BE SLEEPING. I DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MAKE THEM HAPPEN TODAY. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A FIRE TO EXIST UNDERWATER?”

Cameron L. Mitchell is a well-versed Spoken Word Artist who in addition to mentoring youth with Southern Word for five years, has performed in many projects including “Ghost” at the Nashville Children’s Theater, “Project Awake” with Abrasive media, Oz arts in Fast/Forward, and Pill Hill with Destiny Theater Experience to name a few. A Memphis native and graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Cameron’s poetic prowess and conceptual theatrics blend together for a transformational experience that inspires the community, and highlights mental health awareness.

If you could be anyone or do anything with your life, what would that look like?

In a poignant in-person interview with Nashville-based actor and poet laureate Cameron Mitchell, Sarah explores how to build effective communication skills, break out of comfort zones, and use individual voice to make a difference in the world and within our communities. The impossible becomes possible.

A huge thank you to Cameron Mitchell and the Free Fyre team.

https://www freefyre org

Sarah is a Nashville-based author and podcaster, a former theater director, and long-time youth mentor. She lives on a small farm with her family and their German shepherd Charlie

https://www.instagram.com/ authorsarahjenkins/ https://www.youtube .com/watch?

v=plPo5FpYprU

AI IN TODAY’S CREATIVE WORLD

BY: KAREN FOX

Unless you’ve lived under a rock these past few years, you’ve undoubtedly heard the term “AI” floating about in conversation. It is a polarizing topic among many As a photographic artist, my newsfeeds are bombarded daily with people panicking about being “replaced by machines” or singing the praises of the Almighty AI and its time and moneysaving task management No matter the side you fall on, or somewhere in between, AI has been with us for much longer than many realize and is here to stay

So What is AI?

AI, in its purest form, is just a tool All tools require some skill to use You probably won’t catch me wielding a chainsaw, yet I am comfortable enough at my keyboard wrangling text or generating an element for an image composite using AI

Another common misconception is that AI is something brand new “AI” is a catch-all term used for many things. Some of the earliest AI computing theories developed in the early 1900’s Today, some software titles and apps on your phone use “AI” to help you be more productive or enhance your photos. Our calendar assists us in managing our time better, and apps and software offer suggestions for reminders or meetings My phone makes sure I never forget the birthday of a loved one “Siri” can tell us a bedtime story, and who doesn’t have a great (or horrifying!) story about a mishap with autocorrect? All of these things take their place in the evolution of AI I’ve written this article with a few nudges and prompts from ChatGPT! It helps me to write faster and organize my often scattered thoughts Did you see that squirrel ?

Ethical considerations

There is still much controversy at the intersection of AI and digital art & photography AI engines typically use a method known as “scraping” which collects and indexes data from the Internet to train AI image generators In this scenario, millions of images are scraped for their data and alt tags that describe the artwork. The sets are assembled into vast databases and used to teach the AI engine how to interpret and produce images based on pixel arrangement and accompanying text.

In early 2023, Getty Images, one of the largest stock image houses, filed a lawsuit against Stability AI, maker of the Stable Diffusion engine Getty alleges that their images were illegally used and has cited examples where even the Getty watermark was reproduced in AI-generated images Getty is seeking relief by demanding compensation and requesting that Stability immediately remove all Getty intellectual property from the databases

In September of 2023, Getty launched their own AI engine using legally licensed stock images Getty claims images generated in this way are commercially viable because they are not created with stolen images *

Adobe’s Firefly AI image generator is also considered commercial use-appropriate because it too is trained with stock imagery

The biggest concern for artists and photographers is that currently there is little that can be done to stop their work from being scraped. There is no way to opt-out to protect your images The only surefire method is simply not to post to the Internet, which is not viable for most. The work created from our souls is meant to be shared In our modern world, one of the best ways to connect with others is through the sharing of our creative works.

Productivity Tool That Requires Human Interaction

Human intervention is a crucial component in any professional workflow assisted by AI AI can make suggestions based on a complicated set of mathematical equations yet it cannot make decisions with emotion, compassion, or love It does not understand the nuances of humor, sarcasm, or social issues. While AI algorithms can perform seemingly miraculous tasks, they fully lack the artistic judgment of a human being

The key ingredient will always be the artist that creates the image Without our thoughtful interaction, it is just consumable content meant to sell a product or fill an advertisement It’s the new iteration of instant gratification which is often hollow and forgotten in moments. The soul of an image is derived not from algorithms but from the skilled hand and creative mind of the artist

The best of both worlds?

Where will we be in another year? Five? Ten? In my opinion, those who learn to harness the power of AI and use it ethically will be our next generation of innovators (I’m waiting for the day AI can learn to clean my house and then I can spend my days creating beautiful things!) -KF

* A short note about copyright and fair use: When you post your work on the internet or social media, it does NOT mean you have relinquished your rights to the art you have created! It is not “fair use” for someone to steal your work and use it as their own or to promote their service/product without your permission and appropriate compensation, simply because you shared it.

For the past year, the Arts Council planned and worked to secure sponsors and the permission and approval of the design with the owner, Mr Tollefson, to paint his building with ‘Garden Party’, a whimsical design by Michelle Grayum The FAC then set out to get the design outlines on the wall and on March 23 the community showed up big time to help add color to the design. It was a beautiful day and we are so appreciative of the hard-working, fun-loving group that came to help beautify the east entry to Fairview!

Local artist and board member of FAC, Michelle Grayum designed the mural She explained her inspiration, “My intention behind the ‘Garden Party’ mural design is to not only add a little beauty to our sweet community of Fairview, but also to inspire wonder by harkening back to those childhood days when time and deadlines didn’t matter – when we could roam free among fields of flowers while chasing butterflies, fireflies, and fly balls, and have a garden party with our best friends ” Michelle also created a great Spotify playlist for this event!

of Fairview, TN and Mayor, Lisa Anderson of Fairview, TN

Order your T-shirt of the first Fairview

Mural here or scan

QR code: https://fairview-artscouncil square site/

Aaron & Michelle Grayum

The Fairview Arts Council Newsletter edited by Michelle Murakami and the Fairview Arts Council