p u b l i s h e r ’ s NOTE
And now, more than ever, is a very exciting time to live here—this city has become so culturally rich and diverse in the arts! From attracting world-class musicians to visual artists, dancers, actors, professionals in the healing and culinary arts, Nashville has everything to offer artists and patrons alike. I’ve lived in Nashville my whole life.
Adding to that, our best-kept secret as an internationally recognized artsy city is the accessibility we have to our artists. Being neighbors, living and working in the same zip codes and enjoying the arts together gives us that coveted small-town feel. It’s a magical experience getting to know our artists. There’s a lot going on in this city, and I couldn’t dream of a better place to be than Nashville Arts Magazine. It is my address, and I’m proud to live here! In this issue, there’s a new section I have the great pleasure to introduce. Poetry features poems by you, the community, that come straight from the heart: Nashville’s heart. As the first piece we are excited to present a poem by Tracy, one of the residents at Magdalene House. It’s a great way to celebrate poetry in our community. I hope you enjoy this section, and please don’t hesitate to post online or email us with your poetry, comments, and ideas. With great pleasure, we give you the September issue. Katie Sulkowski Managing Editor
Publisher’s Correction: Several of the photos accompanying the August “Manuel: The Rhinestone Rembrandt” article were taken by London photographer, Cambridge Jones.
ON THE COVER Anton Weiss
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 7
spotlight
Tomato Art Fest 2009
Photo: Katherine Bomboy
Ushering in the season of the tomato was the sixth annual Tomato Art Fest in East Nashville’s Five Points. A New Orleans-style Second Line parade kicked off a hot August day with city blocks filled with people in red fashion, tomatoes adorned with decorations, and plenty of vendors displaying one-of-a-kind art, crafts and jewelry. It was an eclectic display of neighborhood camaraderie and everything tomato. What began six years ago as a small art exhibit to celebrate the best part of summer—the tomato—drew in an estimated 20,000 visitors this year. Barbara Mandrell and Pat Bullard
Founded by neighborhood artists Meg and Bret MacFadyen, the festival has grown to include tomato-inspired competitions and exhibits accompanied by three stages of live music and a colorful art display at the MacFadyens’ own Art & Invention Gallery. Aside from paying homage to the herbaceous plant, the festival highlights an active and friendly neighborhood. “It’s about the community and people coming together,” says Meg. Bret is quick to add, “The tomato is a uniter, not a divider, bringing together all fruits and vegetables.” Only in Nashville!
Dedication of Rose Garden of the Stars September 29th
The Nashville Music Garden is the first nationally celebrated rose garden dedicated solely to artists, songs, and industry leaders synonymous with Nashville. This garden was created by Barbara Mandrell and Pat Bullard, LifeWorks Foundation Trustee, to celebrate the music community as well as beautify the downtown landscape. The floral oasis is located within the Hall of Fame Park at the corner of Fourth Ave. and Demonbreun (across from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum) and it is home to over six dozen roses and daylilies. A public dedication of the garden will take place September 29 at 10:30 a.m. During this year’s 120th Tournament of Roses Parade, six of the roses from the Nashville Music Garden Collection were featured on the RFD-TV’s Hee Haw-themed float. Nashvillians can look forward to seeing more Music Garden roses in future Rose Parade events. For information on the dedication, visit www.nashvillemusicgarden.com.
Photo: Anthony Scarlati
Breakfast with the Authors Saturday, October 10th,
9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the Nashville Downtown Public Library. This Women’s National Book Association event kicks off National Reading Group Month and the Southern Festival of Books. Complimentary breakfast and discussion with five best-selling authors, Marie Brenner, Apples and Oranges; Holly Goddard Jones, Girl Trouble; Perri Klass, The Mercy Rule; Inman Majors, The Millionaires; and Kathryn Stockett, The Help. Master of Ceremonies is Nina Cardona, Nashville Public Radio, host of “All Things Considered.” Space is limited and on a first-come, firstserved basis; RSVP to Joanne Slaughter at joanne@garyslaughter.com or call 279-9799. Book signing follows at the Festival Signing Colonnade. For more information or to join visit: www.wnbanashville.org.
8 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
Rodin at Bella Luce
Dragon Fine Arts, in association with Twenty 21 Collections/Gallery Rodin, and Jimmy Franks’ Bella Luce, introduces an exquisite collection of limited edition posthumous original bronzes by Auguste Rodin, offering the private collector a rare opportunity of ownership of this great master’s art. Provenance is traced to Auguste Rodin, Alexis Rudier, George and Eugene Rudier and the Rudier Foundry. Twenty-four acclaimed artists and sculptors will also be included in this exhibition and sale. Including: Bruce Peebles, Matt Lamb, Frederick Hart, John Davis, Charly Palmer, Gustavo Torres, Jane Braddock, Benny Andrews, Jean Larson, Joseph Guay, Meghan Sisko, Frank Hyder, Bill Starke, Brother Mel, Mark Carson English, Dante Yarbrough, Clint Herring, Sebastian Picker, Vladimir Shapakovsky, and Patrick McGannon. This collection brought together as “The Rodin Bronzes Museum Collection,” is being made available for limited exhibition at select Museums and Institutions in the United States. Gala Event Wednesday, September 9, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. Public exhibition is September 10–13, 11 a.m.– 6 p.m. at Bella Luce located at 414 Lake Valley Drive,Franklin, TN 37069. Admission is $15. Proceeds will benefit New Hope Academy. For more information: dragonfineart.com, or call John Davis 615-593-0123.
Greek Fest
Celebrate the 2nd Annual Nashville Greek Festival, September 11-13 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church located at 4905 Franklin Pike. The festival highlights the cuisine, music, and culture of Greece. Admission is $2; children under 12 free. Free parking is available. Contact the church office 333-1047. Rain or shine, look for the “big fat” blue and white hilltop tent. Www.holytrinitynashville.org.
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 9
The Cumberland Society of Painters along with a few friends traveled to Door County, WI, August 9-15. The group set about capturing the landscape in plein-air sketches and enjoyed the comradeship of painting together. Harbors, the rocky beach, village, farmland, cherry orchards and barns filled their canvases. Artist members of Cumberland Society: Dawn Whitelaw, Roger Dale Brown, Paula Frizbe, Pam Padgett, Jason Saunders, Kevin Menck, and Michael Shane Neal. Guest painters were Gary Young, Beverly Ford Evans, and Lisa Fox. These artists are found here locally at: Leiper’s Creek Gallery, Richland Fine Art, and Southgate Studio & Fine Art.
photo courtesey of humanities Tennessee
Southern Festival of Books: October 9-11
20th Annual Event, The Southern festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written WordSM is a three-day literary Festival celebrated each year during the second full weekend of October. Located on War Memorial Plaza, it is free and open to the public. No advance registration or tickets are required. All seating is on a first-come basis. This festival welcomes more than 200 authors from throughout the nation. Book lovers have the opportunity to meet some of America's foremost writers, attend panels, readings, and book signings. In addition, the festival hosts popular book exhibitors and three performance stages. For information about the festival, visit www.humanitiestennessee.org.
10 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
performing
Stage Fright Take It or Leave It by Will Barrow When you see a performer doing their thing,
in the flow, in the zone, fully connected to what they are doing, you are experiencing their artistry in the way it was meant to be expressed. And that performer is experiencing connection to something beyond their mind and physical abilities—something transforming, even divine—they are a vessel for the channeling of an energy coming from a place beyond themselves, expressed in their own unique voice. Stage fright, in whatever degree, takes the performer away from this sacred space and into a realm of self-consciousness, fear and loathing, distraction and discomfort. It is something that affects musicians, actors, public speakers, preachers, even visual artists who are afraid to show their work to the public.
There are very practical, effective ways to overcome stage fright, if one is willing to work at understanding what is causing it and if one undertakes a course of action designed to develop another way of thinking, feeling, performing...of being as an artist. I dealt with mild to moderate stage fright for the first 25 or 30 years of my 37 years of playing, starting with piano recitals, then in college playing situations, and on into my career. This was especially true on important gigs, radio, and TV tapings, and in the studio. I found that I was often playing at a level less than my best, and, more importantly, I was unable to experience fully the joy of performing. I found myself distracted, caught up in my own thoughts and judgments, and concerned with the potential judgments of those in my audience. At least I was able to continue performing and to pursue a career in music, for at its most serious level, stage fright causes one to avoid performing altogether. I tried various approaches to making it better: smoking weed, certain physical routines, trying to be well prepared, and others. Happily, through a variety of means—mostly personal/spiritual means—I’ve gotten to a place where I’m consistently comfortable, centered, often even blissful when playing and singing, even when it’s way less than perfect.
Photo: Ann Shaw
As is the case with overcoming any problem related to our psyche and way of being, overcoming stage fright begins with understanding what is going on—psychologically, physiologically and spiritually—when we experience it. It starts with the mind—judging, worrying, playing out scenarios of mistakes/inadequacy/judgment of others, bringing in baggage from disappointing or disastrous past performing experiences. This often happens at a subconscious level. At a conscious level, we are distracted and our mind shuts down a bit. Much of stage fright is the work of the ego, which has us believe that our performance is of some earth-shattering importance and that everyone else is as freaked out and concerned as we are. (It isn’t; they aren’t.) That is not to say that our performance is unimportant, but rather that our ego leads us to feel an exaggerated sense of importance and need for perfection—at the expense of our enjoyment—and leads to a compromised performance, seemingly validating our concerns and creating a vicious cycle. Sometimes we don’t hear the conversations and inner workings of the mind, but they are present, and they make themselves felt on
14 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
Our ego leads us to feel an exaggerated sense of importance and need for perfection—at the
the physiological level. Our throat tightens, our mouth gets dry, our breathing is more shallow—all of this doing us no good, especially if we’re singing, speaking, or playing a wind instrument. Our hands might shake a little, and they’re stiffer and have less dexterity, which is a drag if we’re playing an instrument, especially in playing music where chops (advanced technique) are involved. So, basically, we’ve compromised the vessel through which our performance is being channeled. This has the effect of breaking one’s spirit as a performer. OK, that’s what is happening with stage fright on a psychological, physiological, and spiritual level, and it sucks. So what to do about it? The way I’ve presented this chain of events leading to stage fright provides a key to a way to approach changing one’s way of being and performing. I believe a change on the spiritual side of the equation is fundamental. By spiritual I mean attending to the spirit, connecting to a source beyond the mind with all its judgments, fears, and distractions. There are two fantastic and practical books I recommend for getting into the spiritual side of performing. One is by Kenny Werner, a renowned jazz pianist, though the wisdom and techniques in his book apply way beyond the jazz genre and even beyond music. It is called Effortless Mastery, and it employs practical techniques/approaches from meditation to teach one how to practice the Zen thing on one’s instrument. These same techniques and approaches could also be applied to a variety of art forms and performance mediums. The other book is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and it has to do with living and being. While it is about more than performance per se, I believe it is highly relevant for the performer. It is about living in the now, the present moment. As performers we want to be focused on what we’re playing, not what we already played (that phrase or note that didn’t come out just right) or what we’re about to play (that hard or new thing coming up). Tolle really speaks to that but also helps us to understand the sabotage our overactive minds cause to our sense of peace and well-being. The more we develop our sense of peace and the more we’re in the now, the more this will be reflected in our performance.
Photo: Anthony Scarlati
expense of our enjoyment.
There are exercises and practices that can counteract some of the physical symptoms of stage fright. Breathing exercises are very helpful in reducing things like rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, and shaking. Meditation helps to quiet the mind. From the standpoint of one’s psyche and of the conversations going on in the mind, some important things to practice and put in your mind are: 1) gratitude—it is hard to be genuinely grateful and stressed out at the same time; 2) acceptance—recognize that your performance is human and therefore imperfect, and that is cool; and 3) focus on the process and flow, not the result—this is easier to do when we learn how to be less judgmental. We should do our best in practicing to make something as good as it can be, then let go of judgment and enjoy what comes out. These are generalized concepts that can be practiced if we are aware and if we have those kinds of positive and helpful conversations in our mind. Stress, when it comes to performing, is mostly self-created, a figment of our imaginations. Given the fact that we create our own reality, we can create a new reality where performance is consistently calming, centering, and enjoyable. It didn’t happen overnight, but I can’t wait to get up in front of people and play music—even when the sound isn’t quite right, the band isn’t totally gelling, and I’m not on my “A” game. Relaxed and connected performance is something that can be practiced and a way of being. Will Barrow is a Grammy award-winning singer/ songwriter, producer, and educator. Barrow has performed and recorded with an array of artists, and appeared on national radio, and TV music channels, BET, VH1, and GAC. Barrow’s new CD release Find A Way combines his eclectic taste and musical influences.
www.myspace.com/willbarrowmusic Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 15
collections
Walter G. Knestrick A Colorful Life by Lindsey Victoria Thompson | Photography by Jerry Atnip Over
60
years
ago,
in
1947,
a
ten-year-old
walked into a classroom in Burton School, where he had been transferred mid semester. There he would meet a fellow fifth grader who introduced himself as Charles. These two young boys could not know at the time that they would seriously influence each other’s adult lives and remain friends decades later. Of course, at the time, neither could even begin to know that they would become Walter G. Knestrick, well-known patron of the arts, and Charles “Red” Grooms, celebrated modern artist. Around Nashville, Walter Knestrick is very often recognized as the name behind his reputable construction company, but, in a different circle in town, he is known as an important part of Nashville’s art community. Most notably, Knestrick has acquired the greatest Red Grooms print collection on the globe and has worked to make Grooms’ works accessible to a large audience.
Walter
Knestrick has contributed monetarily and volunteered countless hours of his time to organizations including Cheekwood, The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Nashville Symphony, and the Tennessee State Museum, to name a few. Most recently, he has been working with Watkins College of Art and Design. But before Knestrick became an art collector and philanthropist, he had a lifetime to realize his love for the arts, which he developed alongside his lifelong friend. Even at a young age, Knestrick and Grooms both had a natural affinity and aptitude for the visual arts. In fact, Grooms’ earliest known work is a colored-pencil piece that he created for an assignment in history class in the fifth grade. His teacher kept the drawing and passed it along to Knestrick over 20 years later.
Knestrick recalls that among his best childhood memories were when Grooms’ mother would roll up the carpet in her living room so that the two could work for hours, and occasionally an entire day, sketching and painting watercolors. Unfortunately, at that time, Knestrick and Grooms’ options in terms of art education didn’t extend from their living room to their school, so their parents enrolled them in classes. They learned new techniques and mediums and gained confidence in their abilities. After learning that the Tennessee State Fair had art contests in their age bracket, both were excited to enter their work. Knestrick smiles when he remembers that he, in fact, won first place, while Grooms took second. However, Knestrick says, “Red is quick to add that we were never in the same category, so he does not accept defeat.” opposite page: left:
Self Portrait, 2007
Portrait of Knestrick by Red Grooms while
both were in high school, 1956. Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 17
Knestrick insists that he will never grow old; he is simply too busy. Knestrick’s goal with his collection has always been to expose Grooms’ art to a greater and wider audience, and, with the help of the Tennessee State Museum, he arranged that 125 prints in his collection would go on a traveling exhibition. Although Knestrick had not dreamt of being a professional artist like his friend, he still enjoys making art as a hobby to this day. His medium of choice is watercolor, primarily because he doesn’t have the patience to wait for an oil painting to dry. “It’s a very demanding medium,” says Knestrick, “but if you do it for 50 or 60 years, you feel very comfortable with it.” Though he has worked in watercolor for over half a century, he still considers himself an amateur, because he has never sold a painting—he prefers to give them away. In his own home, there are not many of his original works, but several Knestrick originals can be found in the homes of his close friends and family.
above:
Peking Delight, 1979
below:
Dali Salad II, 1980
bottom:
Knestrick looks at self portrait of Red Grooms
At 72, Knestrick has never even considered slowing down. Currently, he is traveling around the globe with his wife, Sarah, trying to take a few strokes off his golf game and attempting to understand how to use his new iPhone. In between, he is still finding time to paint. With all this on his plate, Knestrick insists that he will never grow old; he is simply too busy. Lindsey Victoria Thompson is a junior at Hume-Fogg Academic High School and plans to pursue a career in writing. She is an editor for her school’s newspaper as well as a long-time volunteer for the Frist Center. She has combined her love of writing and art in this feature piece on her step-grandfather, Walter Knestrick.
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 19
People
Demetria Tells It Like It Is by Lisa Venegas | Photography by Jerry Atnip
There’s probably not a single person in Nashville who doesn’t know her. They invite her into their homes every evening, keep her busy MC’ing events, and rely on her to tell it like it is—good or bad. She is so well known, in fact, that one need only say her first name, although her last name is just as distinctive. And believe it or not, children are named after her. That’s how loved she is in this town. Demetria Kalodimos is most famous for her big brown eyes, beautiful smile and the smooth tenor voice that delivers the news for Channel 4. She has won numerous prestigious national awards for journalistic excellence, but for nearly 25 years she has also been working behind the camera to provide an artistic voice, to tell incredible stories that matter, and promote art in its many faces in Middle Tennessee. To visit her home is to revel in sculpture, religious imagery, modern art, retro furnishings, and an instrument collection. To view her films is to celebrate relentless curiosity that uncovers notorious characters and unique stories. Q. Is there anything that people would be surprised to find out about you? DK: I think people are surprised when they see me at Home Depot just like anyone else, hauling my own stuff around. Just a normal person that definitely gets their hands dirty. And I think it’s probably surprising that I love classic cars. I have a 1956 Corvette (convertible with black exterior, red leather interior) and a 1972 Olds Cutlass convertible. I grew up in a car culture; my Dad was a car racer and mechanic extraordinaire. I have a long list of cars I’d love to have someday. So maybe that’s one of the most surprising things, that I’m a gear head in some ways.
the outdoor sculpture movement, from Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley and Musica to the Athena. I even love Ghost Ballet. The Nashville Film Festival—I can’t be a big enough cheerleader for that—one of the oldest film festivals in the country. I hope everyone recognizes that it is a jewel. And so many places to soak up great music in a unique setting. I’m encouraged every day by the arts and how much value people place on it. Q. What else do you find encouraging?
Q: What changes have you seen in the arts in Nashville since you’ve been here, and which changes would you like to see? DK: All changes for the good. I mean, how cool is that to step off of an airplane and hear acoustic music, like bluegrass or jazz? I think it gets you primed for having a great time in Nashville. Ditto with the arts in the airport. The Frist has been incredible, the fact that the building has been preserved and recognized for the piece of art that it is. I love Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 25
There’s talk of starting an artists’ colony in an abandoned church on Charlotte and making it into a cooperative so you could have it all under one roof, so that people don’t have to sell their own homes to be able to have their creative endeavor—that would be cool. And for a while they were talking about opening a film studio where the fairgrounds are now. I would love to see a big sound studio in Nashville; it’s such a natural. And a shout-out to Nashville Arts Magazine! If we could really expose people to the incredible folks creating things in our state and communities, I think people will be so surprised, because I think every single person walking around here does something creative. DK:
“As long as your pulse gets a little bit faster when a good story’s happening I think that is a good indication you should stick with it.” but then I fell into news, probably at a very exciting time when CNN was just coming around. In fact, my first job offer was at CNN, and I turned it down, because I thought, this thing is not going to last. And now, of course, you can see why I’m so wise in my decision making! Q. You actually had a talk show on the radio. DK: Yeah, I had the first irreverent talk show on this small, liberal arts campus in the late ‘70s. Donahue was getting really hot then, and I thought, oh, we could do this on the radio. The power of the thing was like a Dixie cup on a string, just to the edge of campus, but we thought we were doing something very edgy. And I thought, this seems like fun. Not that it was easy, but it was less effort than the music; it came naturally. That was part of the journey in deciding to study journalism. Q. You sure make it look easy.
Q. I consider you an artist for your work in journalism and film making. Would you agree?
I would like to hope that I’m an artist on some level. I certainly grew up surrounded by art. Both of my parents were very creative. Even though my dad was an auto mechanic, he created some of the greatest looking sculpture and other art that I’ve ever seen. And my mother was always encouraging art. So it’s no coincidence that my older sister is an art teacher; my brother (although he works as an industrial engineer) is an incredible painter; my younger sister writes songs and is a graphic artist, and I love to paint too, although my path was really more music than visual art. DK:
I’ve always been a musician. I’ve played flute since I was in the third grade, and I don’t do it much anymore, but that’s what I studied in college. I always either wanted to play in an orchestra or conduct. Then I got involved in a campus radio station, of all things. Originally I thought I’d combine my arts background with journalism and maybe be a critic,
DK: Well, I enjoy it. It’s always different; that’s the best thing about the news game. It’s different than when you are working long-term on a documentary, trying to get the most out of the same story and looking at it in a variety of ways. Not that we don’t do that in news, but news is changing so much that it satisfies your appetite for doing something different every day. Q. How has news changed since you became a newscaster? DK: On a technical side, in so many ways. When I first started we were carrying gear that was practically connected with umbilical cords. We couldn’t get that far from the battery belt, and we had 50–60 pounds of stuff. It took forever to edit it together, and half the time we were waiting for film to process. We’ve gone from tape that is two inches wide to now using computer cards. And along with those technological advances we’ve got immediacy also. Now we can broadcast live as it’s happening, and that’s not necessarily always good, because you don’t always understand what’s unfolding in front of you. Can you offer decent context or explanation for what is happening? So there’s still room for pause in the immediate news-gathering world—pause to make sure we’re doing the right thing, that we’re telling the right story, and that we’re not presenting
26 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
information in such a way that is skewing the story by its immediacy.
believe that.
Q. Your other projects seem like a way of completing these
Q. There have got to be so many markets out there, bigger markets,
other aspects of your interests. For instance, your love of music
that would love to have you. Why have you stayed here in Nashville?
has translated into several projects, including music videos.
DK: Really, is there a better place to live than Nashville? I really enjoy the people, the climate, so many places to soak up great music in a unique setting, the arts scene, the film-making community… we are having a lot of fun with the 48 Hour Film contest—and again, the Nashville Film Festival. I’m very encouraged by the arts and how much value people place on it here. I think you could do a lot worse than spend 25 years in Nashville. That’s a blessing.
And doing concert performance presentations for the Country Music Hall of Fame, live shows for some artists. That’s really fun, because I think I do have a pretty good sense of what’s happening with the music, and that makes it easier to direct and edit, I think. DK:
Q. How does your production company, Genuine Human Productions, select the stories that you film? DK: I try to keep it down to four words: real people, true stories. What really happens is often way more fascinating than you could ever imagine. A lot of times I’ve used uniquely Nashville or Middle Tennessee underground material that’s not readily exposed to people. Because, let’s face it, I can’t just take off and go to the Himalayas and spend time with indigenous peoples like some documentarians. This is my world, and I have to do things around a 2-to-11 job every day where I’m constantly on call. Right now I’m sitting on about seven half-started, easilyfinished projects, but something always seems to come up. And it’s obviously been a couple of really tumultuous years.
Despite her very public life, many people may not realize that in the last two years Demetria’s mother and sister were both diagnosed with breast cancer (both are well today); her beloved father was first diagnosed with terminal lung cancer then passed soon after to a stroke, and her cherished cat of 14 years passed away. All this before losing her best friend unexpectedly several months ago. DK: On April 8 I got the call in the middle of the night that Dan [Miller] had passed away, on this trip to Augusta, Georgia, that he had talked about for months and months. That day he had written in his Facebook that he had just seen Arnold Palmer and some other legend play, and it had been a great day. I wrote back, “I hope it was everything you ever dreamed it would be.” And that turned out to be my last communication with Dan, never knowing, of course, that he would never come back from that trip. But I felt so good that that was the last thing that I put in words to one of the best friends that I ever had in my life. It’s still pretty raw at times, but now you start thinking about the little things that you did right. We never, ever argued, except that we constantly bickered. And that’s a great sort of bond to have with someone else, where you have this great static discourse. That’s such a rare thing, and I consider myself so lucky to have had that kind of a partnership with someone. But that’s what happens when you sit next to someone every day for two and a half hours a day, literally elbow to elbow for almost 25 years. Q. How incredible that two newscasters that are so loved, Dan Miller and Walter Cronkite, should pass away months apart.
I don’t think I’m overstating it—Walter Cronkite and Dan dying in the same year was a real blow [to journalism]…because, like it or not, Dan was the Walter Cronkite of Nashville. And in a local way, he did it better than anyone else will ever do it. I firmly DK:
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 27
Music
Jonell Mosser Behind the Shades by Rebecca Bauer | Photography by Anthony Scarlati
“True, we love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving. by Nietzsche are committed to memory by Jonell Mosser, who, aside from being the popular and much-loved Nashville songstress, has a profound appreciation for the spoken and written word. She likes to punctuate her conversation with quotes from her favorite authors and philosophers, and at times it almost sounds as if she’s singing instead of talking. These words
When we meet for lunch, she has just come from teaching a songwriters symposium to nine kids at Battle Ground Academy’s summer performance camp. There, Mosser mentors and guides these young music aspirants through composing a song based on their own input and ideas. She will admit it’s hard conveying her own knowledge to these kids. But she loves it, nonetheless, when things start to come together. One student in particular she describes as having “a special focus and personal style,” which he proved while playing an original, hip riff on his guitar. Mosser describes the creation as if “something lit a candle in that boy.” After class that day, the assignment turned to fitting a song idea around it, and she is confident they will finish with a good song. Mosser proudly speaks of her adoration for young artists like these in the making. “I love to see people [figuring out] how to become,” she says, stressing the word become.
Mosser, who turned a youthful-looking 50 years old this year, reveals in our conversation how she has come into her own over the past two decades as a singer/songwriter. She’s a warm and spirited individual, strong in her words, with a lively personality appropriately framed by her curly, strawberry-blond hair. She brings up losing her parents at a rather young age—her father passed away when she was three and her mother when she was almost 30. As a result, “You become a different person,” she maintains. Her mother’s death occurred while Mosser was in the midst of a divorce, a particularly hard time for her. During her grief a friend told her, “It’s the only way to be; you can stand it. Your mother couldn’t have taken it, losing you.” Little did I know we shared this common bond of losing parents early in life. I shared my personal loss with her, and, after a little exploration, we agreed “there is no looking back.” The Kentucky native moved to Nashville in the mid ‘80s with plans to be a demo singer but soon took on songwriting. She recalls performing her first song, Mama’s Dream, at a writers night. Shortly after singing the first line of the song, “My Mama and I never really got along,” she remembers seeing a man sitting in the front row, cowboy hat on, cigar hanging from his mouth, when he shouts out, “You can’t say you never got along with your mama!” With an appalled look on her face, she continues to explain, “I remember just trying to get through the song and thinking to myself, I’ll never do this again.” At the end of the song, as she hurriedly packed
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34 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
left:
Hone oil on wood panel, 80” x 48”
pa i n t i n g
Farrar Hood Finding Her Muse by Deborah Walden
daughter of photographer Robin Hood, recently returned home to the Music City. Closing a chapter on her life as an artist in New York City, she has traveled back to her roots. Hood was raised on photography. She grew up taking tiny footsteps behind her father on photo assignments. She was personally trained in art lessons with her parents. Hood says these experiences “built up a visual language” in her mind “from a very early age.” Hood left Nashville for graduate study at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. There, she earned an M.A. in art history and an M.F.A. in painting. She notes that before attending Pratt, her work was portrait-based, but she says, “Graduate school forced me to home in on my intention with paint.” Lush paintings infused with artificial light and executed in minute detail, Hood’s works represent the marriage of her divergent influences. She sets up props, backdrops, and models into a meticulous arrangement and photographs them. Clearly she is her father’s daughter: one source of her inspiration is the photograph. For Robin Hood, photos offer a final product; for his daughter, they represent a starting point. Until recent months, the theme of the sleeping woman has defined Hood’s canvases. The settings of her paintings and the appearance of her subjects remain diverse, but each image captures a woman lost in an unconscious state. These subjects inhabit a dream world that is dislocated from the experience of the viewer. Often, they twist their hands as if in struggle or contort their bodies into painfully unnatural poses. Their worlds are electrified by a tremor of nervous activity in spite of their rest. Hood says that depicting a sleeping subject allowed her to “strategically place bodies in more interesting compositions.” Rising Cool features Hood’s sister asleep on a floral chair balanced precariously between the floor and wall. The subject appears so lost
photo Robin Hood
Nashville native Farrar Hood,
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 35
top left:
S.S. Pause, oil on wood
panel, 40” x 48” 2004 top right:
Rising Cool Settling
Warmth, oil on canvas, 40” x 60” 2002 left:
Breaking the Hours, oil on
wood, 72” x 48” 2005 right:
There It Pulls, oil on wood
panel, 48” x 48” 2003 below:
Faster, But Still Yet, oil on
wood panel, 48” x 84” 2003
36 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
above: right:
Liaison, oil on wood, 46” x 96” 2005
Forward and Turning, oil on canvas, 40” x 60” 2002
in her dormition that she has been swept up and moved against the wall: the sensation of transport permeates the arrangement. The intricate diamond pattern on the wall and ceiling is actually from Hood’s childhood room. She remembers that the wallpaper sometimes felt like a protective enclosure and at other times like a “constrictive net.” She captures this dual reality in the busy pattern that surrounds the clinging, twisted body of the sleeping woman in this painting. The inanimate objects of Hood’s paintings manifest a tangible, palpable presence. Based again in her choice of subject and style of arrangement, these objects reveal texture, presence, touch. Such visceral, tactile elements define the lavish realism of her work.
Lush paintings infused with artificial light and executed in minute detail...
Since returning to Nashville, Hood has taken a new direction with her painting. “In the last six months I started to resubmerge myself in painting. I was more interested in developing my art than in developing a New York art career. I had to allow myself room to step back and look.” Inspired by these changes, she has begun a new series of women waking. She is now painting “women who are active, awake, moving toward something. [They are] to some degree about struggle and changing patterns in life—moving out of one state and into a higher conscious state.” These new works echo Hood’s personal journey, both aesthetic and geographic, to find her own muse. Hood has an upcoming exhibit at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Center October 1–November 1. Opening Reception and Gallery Talk: Thursday, October 1, 5–6:30 p.m. You can view Hood’s gallery online at www.farrarhood.com. Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 37
feature
Anton Weiss Freedom of Expression by Katie Sulkowski | Photos by Anthony Scarlati
the most definitive movement in American art captured the global imagination. Abstract Expressionism dramatically transformed visual culture as the world had known it. Figures like Jackson Pollock and Clement Greenberg championed Abstract Expressionism as the culmination of all art history to date. Artists and critics, fueled by American political and economic prominence, used Abstract Expressionism to relocate the art capital of the world from Paris to New York City. Waves of Eastern European painters departed for the United States and brought with them the cultural richness and classical training that they had received in their homelands. Anyone who appreciates modern art knows that the year 1945 is the watershed moment for this style. Postwar America bebopped in local dance halls, drove fast cars, and lined up at drive-in movies. The pride of victory in war and economic flourishing permeated American culture. European artists made the journey from war-torn, occupied Paris to the bustling streets of New York City. In this environment, Abstract Expressionism exploded in popular culture. This painting style forever changed the course of modern art. One can trace the same geographical and stylistic motifs in the career of Nashville artist Anton Weiss. Weiss, who is Austrian, arrived on American shores from behind the walls of a Russian concentration camp. His brother and grandfather dead, his father forced into years of conscription with Hitler’s army, Weiss’ life was shattered and broken. For him, the colorful sidewalks of New York City and the freedom of Abstract Expressionism determined the arc of his life as an artist. Weiss spent his boyhood summers at his mother’s family’s winery in Yugoslavia. The country was invaded by the Nazis at the outset of World War II. Before the war, Weiss’ childhood had been quiet and peaceful. His parents were both painters, and his early memories are dotted with recollections of their work. When Hitler’s army exited Weiss’ ravaged homeland, the echoing footfall of soldiers’ boots fell on a life altered and damaged for the teenage artist. In the years directly following World War II,
Forced into a Russian concentration camp in Yugoslavia, Weiss and his mother both courageously escaped. Weiss was 10 when he entered and 13 when he escaped six months after his mother. This turning point in his formative years allowed the artist to take part in an activity that has characterized his career and painting process to this date: the quest for freedom has played like a leitmotif throughout the artist’s personal and professional life. In Weiss’ opinion, his experiences in the prison of a concentration camp fuel a greater freedom of expression in his paintings today. He says, “I don’t feel bad about what happened to me. I reveal or address those experiences to make me a better individual, and I will perform in a much deeper sense than if I block them out. There’s no such thing as a bad experience if you use that experience as a positive gesture for the future. I think that you survive by that, and eventually it makes you a broader individual.”
During the war, Weiss had watched a documentary on the stormy life of the artist Michelangelo with his father while the latter was on leave from war. The film made a vivid impression on the young boy. He knew as he left the theatre that his true passion and
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 39
(Laughs.) Everything that I achieved was mine. And it still is. It’s not going to reflect on my parents; nobody gave it to me. I created it, you see.
Anton Weiss The Interview
KS: Talk about your painting technique and what it is you want to accomplish.
by Katie Sulkowski | Photography by Anthony Scarlati
It was a beautiful sunny morning when Anton Weiss and I sat down for this interview. He came straight from his studio, creative and energized, a little guarded at first, but in no time we were into interesting waters. He looked a lot younger than I expected, dressed comfortably in his sandals and with a smile that simply wouldn’t quit. There was a lot of ground to cover. I knew he had survived 2½ years in a Russian concentration camp in Yugoslavia, and yet, rather than being bitter, he has found a way to accept it and to use the experience in a positive way. I thought it was a good place to start.
The experience for me is that you exist from one period to another period, and your experience is elevated automatically because you can’t help but gain knowledge. This is what I have lived. At the end of the day, I’ve gained a tiny bit of experience or knowledge,
AW:
“There is no such thing as a bad experience, if you use that experience
KS: Let’s start at the beginning. What was it like for you grow-
to your benefit....”
ing up during the war?
I was on my own a lot, especially for those 2½ years. I was 10 years old, and survival was the only solid issue that you were concerned with. They were trying to take those kids and convert them into Communism and control their destiny. My mother escaped from the camp six months before I did. I knew where she was crossing the border; in case something happened once I left the camp, I knew where to find her.
AW:
KS: You were 13 when you got out of the camp. Were you able to pursue art at that point?
Yes, when I went to apprentice in Austria. In the summertime, we didn’t go home or on vacation; we were allocated to do labor for the country, and you were paid while you performed those acts. It was such a beautiful experience. I loved it! Of course, when my parents decided to come to the States, I didn’t want to leave. Looking back now, the life that I chose, it’s all been good ever since then. I don’t have any complaints about life.
AW:
KW: Your father was employed by Peabody. What were you doing at that point in your life?
That’s right. My father wanted me to be something other than an artist. He said, you need to get a degree. I said, Dad I could care less about a degree; I want to paint! I signed up for two months at Peabody, and it didn’t take. I would spend more time with the teacher there, Alfred J. Pounders, in his private studio painting with him. So I said, why am I doing this? Pounders said the same thing: unless you’re going to be an educator, why are you going through this agony?
AW:
and what I did yesterday becomes obsolete. This is the process of putting pigment on top of pigment. I’ve learned you can become paint-transparent with opaque pigment. What that means is you will use a flat area of canvas, or whatever, then you will use overlays of another color, not necessarily a complementary color, but a color of your choice. And you will leave fragrances of the underneath color evident. And you do this like 20 times, and what happens in this sequence is you create depth. This is what I’m concerned with now; I’m painting with a concept of transparency, with an opaque fashion. This is where I departed from Hoffman. KS: As you’re painting and taking away from a surface, are there other things going in your mind; are you reaching back
The thing is, my father would never spend a dime on my art education. Not one single dime. And later, I found out why. He thought if this is something you’re passionate about, you agonize over it.
into the past when you paint?
Oh yes. Let’s put it this way—it may reach a point of explanation: your experiences that happen in the past, whether they were
AW:
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 45
Architecture
The Hermitage Hits 100 by Deborah Walden | Photography by Jerry Atnip Ah, if only the walls of the Hermitage Hotel downtown would give up their secrets. Dinner
parties for presidents, golden-age starlets of young Hollywood, mothers and daughters dining on the hallowed post-shopping lunch, honeymooners, high-society belles and beaux have filled the banquet halls and bedrooms of the grand estate for almost a century. In September, the Hermitage toasts its centennial with a coffee-table book that celebrates its rich history as a cherished Nashville institution. Featuring detailed, gorgeous photographs taken throughout its history, the collection conjures up the hotel’s colorful past and boasts of its glorious present. The Hermitage remains a building of both local and national importance. The hotel is included on the National Register of Historic Places and is a member of the Historic Hotels of America. The stories that have played out behind its walls have done so on the world stage. The structure is central to the spirit of Nashville. The city’s defining monument in the early twentieth century, it is still the location of numerous weddings and receptions. Many Nashville couples and families have begun their lives together in this establishment. The Hermitage deserves its status as an icon of the Nashville skyline as much for what it is not as for what it is. The building casts a powerful relief against some of its less fortunate contemporaries that have fallen victim to demolition or destructive updates. The rare, original Art Deco structures of the Sudekum Building and the Tennessee Theatre were destroyed, only to be replaced with the hastily built stucco exterior of the Cumberland downtown. At one time, the Hermitage faced a similar threat. The ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s marked difficult decades for the once-glowing establishment. After closing its doors in 1977, the hotel was slated to be transNashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 49
“Meet me at the Hermitage” became the motto of Nashville socialites. It takes little imagination to picture oneself in the exciting early years of the hotel’s life. One feels that train passengers should shuffle into the lobby from a foggy exterior, wearing mink stoles and cloche hats. Founded in 1908 by 250 Nashvillians, the Hermitage was Nashville’s first million-dollar hotel. It soon became the symbol of thriving city culture downtown. Only the finest materials were employed in its construction. The Grand Ballroom, which saw the glittering white dresses of many a debutante ball, was paneled in Circassian walnut that sailed from Russian ports. Both Italian and Siennese marble graced the entrance. Glazed terra cotta lions adorned its exterior, and hand-cast plasters decorated its richly painted ceiling. Hotel architect John Edwin Ruethven Carpenter was the first Tennessean to complete architecture school. He attended The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; the school now known as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Les Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris. Carpenter is famous for working in the Beaux Arts style named after the institution that he attended in Paris. This style, inspired by both classical and French Renaissance influences, features prominently among many American buildings from this era, such as Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library in Manhattan. Carpenter himself is most famous for his design of the 630 Park Avenue building that was considered to be the finest apartment plan conceived for the Big Apple. When the doors of the Hermitage opened in 1910, it signaled a new chapter in the exciting city life of the developing Southern metropolis. “Meet me at the Hermitage” became the motto of Nashville socialites. The story of its early days is the tale of the early-twentieth-century American city. Malls and shopping districts were located in downtown areas. The Arcade in Nashville was the popular destination for mothers in smart new dresses holding the hands of daughters in tiered skirts and shiny new shoes. These excursions were often punctuated by a visit to the Hermitage for sandwiches and teas. Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 53
At night, young Nashville crowded the Oak Bar and Grille Room to dance to the tunes of the Francis Craig Orchestra. Craig, the man responsible for introducing Dinah Shore to American audiences, enjoyed a stint at the Hermitage from 1929 to 1945. His radio show was broadcast nationally by NBC. Stars and starlets stayed at the hotel when in Nashville. Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, and Al Capone all spent nights on a Hermitage mattress. Gene Autry, dressed in his signature cowboy attire, famously lodged his horse at the fine establishment during a stay in the Music City. The Hermitage boasts a rich political history. It was the site of suffragist battles when both pro- and anti-suffrage ambassadors made the hotel their campsite during the historic 1920 ratification. Tennessee Representative Harry Burn cast the deciding ballot that enabled women to vote nationwide. Six presidents, including Taft, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Johnson, and Nixon stayed at the hotel. Memphis politico Edward H. (Boss) Crump, known as the Red Snapper of Tennessee politics, made the Hermitage his political headquarters. It became the home of the state Democratic Party. Events that took place at the Hermitage shaped the future of the American public. Roosevelt and his wife promoted New Deal politics while in Nashville; many of the programs supported by this strategy were ushered through Congress with the aide of Tennessee Senator Joseph W. Byrns. The hotel served as a headquarters for John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential run. While visiting Nashville, the would-be president addressed the city’s hopeful residents from the hotel steps. As suburban sprawl began to take its toll on American downtowns, the city center that had once been the heartbeat of Nashville’s cultural life began to decline. Malls began to appear in outlying areas, such as Green Hills, and the hustle and bustle that defined the downtown Arcade began to quiet. During these years, the Hermitage finally closed its doors to a glorious past, signaling an end to an era and a sad trend in the fate of historic American buildings.
In 2000, Historic Hotels of Nashville, LLC, began a $17 million renovation of the long-neglected establishment. Their goal was not to rip down its Beaux Arts exterior in order to replace it with more contemporary material or to “update” its early-twentieth-century décor. They wished simply to return the landmark to its former glory while fulfilling the needs of contemporary Nashville residents and travelers. The original plasters were painstakingly copied and recast for repair. Years of smoke and varnish were stripped from the Russian walnut. A palette of fresh paint was selected from the richly colored skylight that adorns the capital of the lobby. Bedrooms were gutted and updated. The result is Tennessee’s only AAA Five Diamond and Mobil Five Star Hotel. Featuring spa services, televisions in suite bathrooms, and a myriad of modern accommodations, the Hermitage remains true to its heritage as the city’s luxury hotel establishment. The hotel restaurant, the Capitol Grille, has been named a AAA Four Diamond restaurant and was lauded by Gourmet magazine as one of America’s best restaurants in 2004. With September signaling the centennial year for Nashville’s grande dame of hotels, the Hermitage looks back at its exciting and diverse history. The only commercial Beaux Arts building remaining in Nashville, it is a landmark of the city’s architecture. Returned to its former glory, the old building continues to shape the lives of Nashvillians just as it defined the experiences of generations past. A visit for tea, a dinner at the Capitol Grille, or a much-needed “staycation” at the hotel should be penciled in on the calendar of any proud Nashville resident this year.
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Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 55
photography
Byron Jorjorian Photographer Byron Jorjorian’s award-winning photography has been
appreciated and admired all over the world. His work has appeared in major publications including Time, National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Smithsonian Books and the Audubon Field Guides. He, like most, began humbly. His interest in photography started at age 11, when he got his first camera as a gift from his grandfather. This small event was life-changing for the young Byron and awakened in him an insatiable passion for photographing nature. With operations based in Nashville, Byron and his wife, Susan, have grown the business to a staff of seven employees. Each month thousands of images are sold worldwide through their website. “My favorite thing is to explore the unknown. I do a lot of photography for conservation groups, and they send me to far-away, unknown areas they hope will become preservation sites. I take a GPS, a protein bar, and 40 pounds of camera equipment. I get so pumped; I’m there to get one thing and one thing only—the perfect shot.” For more information go to: www.byronjorjorian.com.
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 57
above:
This image was taken not far from
my home one evening. I happened to have my camera with me in the car while I watched the approaching storm. I pulled
above:
This was the last tree with any fall color remaining in a
forest of gray. All the other trees had already shed their leaves, leaving this lone maple tree. below:
I was on my way to teach a photography workshop early
my car off to the side of the road and
one morning and saw the sunlight streaming through trees. I
captured this image of the stormy sky.
pulled my car over to the side of the road and took this image.
above:
This is one of my favorite
places in the world to visit. My son calls this place “the healing waters,� and I think it aptly fits. To me this image has three different perspectives: one is the overall feeling of being in a rainforest; the second is the waterfall tumbling over the rocks, and the third is the abstract union of the water, moss, and rocks. right:
Fall colored leaves
reflected in water along Fiery Gizzard Trail, Tennessee. far right:
Sunlight streaming
through the foggy forest at Redwood National Park. 58 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
below:
The frost on these leaves
right:
I canoed past this spot
below right:
The vast
far right:
Sometimes I am
greeted me one January
the afternoon before and found
abundance of the
surprised by nature and
morning just outside my front
out that it was accessible by
wildflowers offers so much
end up with the perfect
door. This image alone proves
land. Early the next morning
color and almost limitless
image. On this particular
that there is beauty to be
I drove over and caught the
opportunities for composition.
trip, I had this image in
noticed everywhere around us.
early morning sunrise.
mind before arriving at the water gardens. I was in pursuit of a water lily that had perfect proportions and glowing color. I spent two entire days shooting the flowers and plants before I found this one perfect lily. I was fortunate to be able to capture it in just the right light.
60 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
Theater
Grab the People’s Branch and Hang On! by Jim Reyland Thomas Jefferson said, “Every generation needs a new revolution.”
People’s Branch Theatre, founded by visionary artist Brian Niece in 2000, has established itself as Nashville’s professional progressive theatre, celebrating ten years of producing radically innovative and socially progressive plays. That’s a hard thing to do for one year, much less ten. Audiences like the familiar; it’s safe for them and safe for producers. It’s hard getting people in the seats for shot-in-thedark theatre.
far left:
Jenny Littleton
and Mary Bailey in Waiting for Godot below left: left:
Ross Brooks
Hanging Mary by
Matthew Carlton with Omisade Eniafe and Brian Webb Russell photo by brendon lapier below:
Hedwig with Martin
Lynds, Eric Tichenor, R Alex Murray and Brooke Bryant photo by ross brooks
are trying to come up with new stories to tell, new ways to tell old stories. So looking for new ideas all the time as a writer puts me in a position to take risks, and that’s what theatre is all about. Theatre as an art form will survive only if it and its participants are able to adapt, and that means coming up with new ideas and new ways to tell stories.” But People’s Branch Artistic Director Ross Brooks isn’t listening. An accomplished actor and playwright and graduate of the Creative Writing program at Boston University and an alumnus of the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Ross has prepared himself well to swing from a precarious branch; running a cutting-edge theatre organization in a realityshow world. “I think that being a playwright helps, mainly because playwrights
People’s Branch Theatre is consistently expanding the boundaries of what is possible on a local stage. PBT adds a dynamic and exciting voice to Nashville’s cultural landscape. And, according to Brooks, the key is to embrace as many new voices as possible. “High-concept stuff fits in well with PBT’s mission, but we can like a play just for its originality of approach. Hanging Mary is a great example of that. Not only is it a really fascinating story—a true piece of Tennessee history—but the conceptual idea surrounding the way Matthew Carlton staged the play was compelling and innovative as well.” People’s Branch Theatre marks its tenth year with a season of anniversaries and triumphs. The 2009-2010 season celebrates the lives of extraordinary people and extraordinary events, including Galileo by
72 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
left:
Death Of A Maiden with
Chip Arnold, Erin Whited and Buddy Raper photo by rb below:
Brian Niece and David
Wilkerson in Einstein’s Dreams bottom:
Rhino with Brandon Boyd
photo by brendon lapier
Bertolt Brecht, one of the twentieth century’s most radical and influential playwrights; a new musical about the quintessential American, Straight Outta Hannibal! The Life of Mark Twain, Rock Star by Ross Brooks, music and lyrics by Brooke Bryant and NaTasha O’Brien; the return of Hedwig and the Angry Inch by John Cameron Mitchell, music and lyrics by Stephen Trask; and 10x10x2, the second installment of PBT’s Short Play Festival, featuring three evenings of tenminute plays written by Nashville’s best local high school, college, and adult playwrights. These are wild economic times for all the arts, especially for local nonprofit theatre companies with a bent for the untried. But Ross says he’s not scared. “Scared? Nah. It is difficult to get people to take a chance on something unproven, when there’s no guarantee it will sell. However, there are always a few who have faith and who are willing to take the leap with you, and thanks to them.” Actually, the current arts economy is a little like a typical People’s Branch production as Ross describes it. “I like not knowing what’s coming next. It’s okay to come to the theatre with a sense of uncertainty. It’s okay not to know what to expect, to come with an open mind. That’s when the theatre can truly affect you, when you’re open to the experience of something you’ve never seen before that is happening live right in front of your eyes.” Hard work and calculated risk can bring big rewards. PBT is doing the work, work designed to capture a new generation of arts lovers willing to take a chance. If that sounds like you, then do your part by attending productions offered by People’s Branch and other companies like them. Seek out emerging artists and applaud their work. People’s Branch has proven itself a true theatre revolution, and it deserves our support. Become a member of PBT and receive tickets to each production as well as information about classes, workshops, and special events that make you a part of Nashville’s vibrant arts community. People’s Branch Theatre, P. O. Box 24412, Nashville, TN 37214, 615-495-4030 www.peoplesbranch.org mail@peoplesbranch.org
Jim Reyland is the producing artistic director of Nashville’s Writer’s Stage Theatre www.writersstage.com and president of Audio Productions, Nashville www.audioproductions.com. His writing and composing credits include Used Cows For Sale, A Sugar-Coated Pill, Stuff, Further Than We’ve Ever Been, Shelter, A Terrible Lie, Article IV and the Musical 21 Baker Road with Addison Gore. jreyland@audioproductions.com
Nashville Arts Magazine | September 2009 | 73
anything goes
Douglas Regen What characteristic do you most like about yourself?
Who would you most like to meet?
My willingness to try anything…to be an explorer. I’m honest and fair and, of course, my creativity.
My ancestors…especially William Strickland, the builder of our state capitol.
And what do you like least?
What are you going to be when you grow up?
Starting too many projects at the same time and not being able to say no.
A well-rounded adult.
What was the last book you read?
It’s more about what inspires me, and that would be finding ways to reuse materials in creative, unexpected ways.
Regrettably, I have not had much time to read.
Who has most inspired you?
Who is your favorite artist?
Mark Rothko. I love the scale of his work. What are you most proud of?
My work and my family. Why Nashville?
I grew up here and love how Nashville has grown and matured. We have a thriving art scene, great restaurants and an amazing diversity of cultures. It’s a great city to raise a family in. What do you like most about the city?
I like the diversity of people, the awesome old neighborhoods and cool new revitalized areas of town. The mix of the old and the new is what makes Nashville the place to be. What do you like least?
It’s too far from the Florida Keys. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would want perfect vision. Without glasses or contacts I’m blind as a bat. An embarrassing moment you would most like to forget?
An awful interview at NBC in New York. Are you happy with where you’re heading
Absolutely! What’s your mantra?
You get what you give. What’s it like being you these days?
Photo: Anthony Scarlati
Scattered. I’ve got a couple of furniture commissions underway, designing a series of music books for a client, and starting to teach a class in the fall. And, of course, still working at the farm in my spare time. What talent would you most like to have?
The ability to help people see the world with unbiased eyes. What is your most treasured possession?
A set of woodworking tools that belonged to my great-grandfather that was used during the construction of Union Station. What is your greatest regret?
That I did not spend enough time with a friend before they passed away. Douglas Regen is an advertising agency executive turned full-
You have five minutes left to live; what are you going to do?
time furniture designer/builder working with recycled materials.
Change my Facebook status.
You can see his work at www.raintreecollection.blogspot.com. 76 | September 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine
p u zz l e r
Artrivia By Dave Turner
Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. He was invited there to lecture the staff as part of an ongoing art education program. After being shown sections of the then-in-progress Fantasia, Wright was quite vocal in his dislike for the project. It was simply absurd, in his opinion, to illustrate music. He suggested Disney take a long vacation and reconsider his position. Nashville Arts Magazine September 2009 Crossword In 1940, architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited
Across 1 4 8 12 14 15 16 18 19 20 22 24 25 28 32 35 36 37 39 42 43 45 47 48 52 53 54 57 61
Roadside sign Herring relative Competent Track shape Wing (Fr.) Nose, to some Old West painter, Frederic Old two-door car Jagged More than one or two Store events Author LeShan Broke bread Olympia painter Antitrust laws protector (Abbr.) Exhausts Greek letter Spring Heightened Part of USDA (Abbr.) Golfer Palmer, to pals Ancient Football positions (Abbr.) Painter of colorful and primitive rural scenes Mineo of Exodus Sparkler Rascal TV installment Plains tribe
Jazz legend Miles Davis was the first-ever subject of a Playboy interview in September of 1962. The interviewer was Alex Haley, who went on to write the bestselling Roots. While some controversy exists as to exactly when high heels were first worn, and by whom, many credit their invention to Leonardo da Vinci. PuzzleJunction.com
63 Sir or madam, e.g. 65 The Night Watch painter 67 Fragrant oil 68 Magazine contents 69 I, Claudius role 70 Night light 71 Advance funds 72 Wrecker’s job Down 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 21 23 26 27 29 30 31
Horror film staple Certifies Pago Pago’s place Droop Some plays Burn balm Mile-High City Celebes dwarf buffalo The Slave Market painter Cut off Summer on the Seine Cotton thread Skedaddles Exigencies Actor Byrnes of 77 Sunset Strip Skyrocket Beguile States (Fr.) Reuters rival inits. State in NE India Subsidy
Copyright ©2009 PuzzleJunction.com
32 Mastheads 33 ___ cotta 34 Painter Giovanni Antonio Canal’s AKA 38 Brooch 40 Freudian topic 41 Famed loch 44 More uptight
46 Designer’s concern 49 ___ amis 50 Unprincipled 51 Paradise Lost figure 55 Haystacks painter 56 California's San ___ Bay
58 Scheme 59 Showroom model 60 Jane Austen heroine 62 Pack away 63 Tartan cap 64 Former Japanese prime minister 66 ___ vivant
down : 1 Gore, 2 Avers, 3 Samoa, 4 Sag, 5 Hits, 6 Aloe, 7 Denver, 8 Anoa, 9 Boulanger, 10 Lop, 11 Ete, 13 Lisle, 15 Scrams, 17 Needs, 21 Edd, 23 Soar, 26 Tempt, 27 Etats, 29 Upi, 30 Assam, 31 Aid, 32 Flags, 33 Terra, 34 Canaletto, 38 Pin, 40 Ego, 41 Ness, 44 Edgier, 46 Decor, 49 Mes, 50 Amoral, 51 Satan, 55 Monet, 56 Pedro, 58 Plan, 59 Demo, 60 Emma, 62 Stow, 63 Tam, 64 Ito, 66 Bon. across : 1 Gas, 4 Shad, 8 Able, 12 Oval, 14 Aile, 15 Snoot, 16 Remington, 18 Coupe, 19 Erose, 20 Several, 22 Sales, 24 Eda, 25 Ate, 28 Edouard Manet, 32 Ftc, 35 Saps, 36 Sigma, 37 Leap, 39 Risen, 42 Dept, 43 Arnie, 45 Aged, 47 Rts, 48 Grandma Moses, 52 Sal, 53 Gem, 54 Scamp, 57 Episode, 61 Otoes, 63 Title, 65 Rembrandt, 67 Attar, 68 Ammo, 69 Nero, 70 Moon, 71 Loan, 72 Tow.
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