)
..)J
J
.).)
J
:J
J
..)
..)
..)
)
METALSTICKS&STONES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - a sculpture show of epic proportion
)
J
)
)
..)
)
..)
...J
.)
October 26, 27, 28
)
)
Friday 6-9pm • Sat 10-Spm • Sun 10-Spm
_j
Three Days Only!
.J
Sculptors Anton Weiss • Brad Sells • Buddy Jackson • Charlie Hunt • Clay""Enoch Diana Johnson Wiles • Irene Ritter • Joe King • John Matusz • Lanie Gannon • Lisa Jennings • Michael Allison ) Shadow May • Sydney Reichman _)
)
-
) _)
Artist's Reception Friday 6:00-9:00pm J
)
)
)
)
Live music • Food • Libations _)
)
.)
j
'in Historic Leiper's Fork
LEIPERS CREEK GALLERY www.leiperscreekgallery.com
)
NashvilleArts.com
)
..)
October 2O12 | 3
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 5
photo: Vauxite Creative
spotlight
Kristin Llamas
Our Time N
ashville artist Kristin Llamas debuts new work at the Gordon Jewish Community Center this month. Llamas,
who has shown her work in all fifty states, will share the latest in her evocative art. Our Time was loosely inspired by the Socratic Dialogues series held at the Nashville Parthenon. At these events, members of the public were invited to take part in a symposium. These moderated discussions embraced themes from the dialogues of ancient classical philosopher Socrates. The talks covered topics such as, “What Is Justice?” “What Is Truth?” and “What Is Beauty?” Llamas’ role in the talks was to sit back, listen, and get inspired. The result of the dialogues will be a 2013 show by Llamas in the Nashville Parthenon. Llamas claims that Our Time represents “work that I have been focusing on while doing the Socratic Dialogues.” She says the exhibit is the natural outcome from her experience of sitting quietly through the Socratic Dialogues. Questions bubbled in the artist’s mind during the discussions, and she felt passionate about issues that she could not speak about out loud. Paintings from Our Time gave Llamas a means to express herself during this time. The artist says that she “could sense the tension in our society” during the Parthenon talks. For her, the paintings “became a quiet place.” In comparing the group of works from Our Time and the works from her upcoming Parthenon show, Llamas says, “This exhibit is not the political or controversial series that is to debut next fall, but more a quiet reflection. In some ways, it can be considered the calm before the storm.” Our Time features Llamas’ trademark canvases that have been torn apart and sewn back together. She begins with a base of acrylic paint and completes all details in oils. Llamas also includes mirror writing on her canvases. View Kristin Llamas' show, Our Time, at Janet Levine March Gallery, October 3-30. The artist reception for Kristin's show will be on October 10 from 7-9 pm and will feature a performance by Tom Shinness. www.kllamas.com www.nashvillejcc.org
Enter Crimson, 2012, Acrylic and oil on pieced canvas, 36" x 51"
American Apron, 2012, Acrylic and oil on pieced canvas, 60" x 36"
10 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
spotlight
Jazzmania 2012 O
n Sunday, October 21, the Nashville Jazz Workshop will fill the Factory at Franklin with song. The NJW’s annual fall jazz party and fundraiser,
Jazzmania 2012, will treat patrons to a night of food, fun, art, and, of course, some of the best live tunes Nashville has to offer. Proceeds from the event will help support the mission of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, a non-profit organization for jazz education and performance. Guest artists include vocalist Liz Johnson, drummer/ composer Marcus Finne and his band, the Jeff Steinberg Orchestra, Roger Spencer, Denis Solee, Rahsaan Barber, Dann Sherrill, and special guest Jeff Hall.
One of the highlights of the event is the live and silent auction. Guests can bid for event tickets, dinner packages, in-home concerts, and artwork. Visual art lovers will enjoy the auction of Small Works, a collection of 5” x 7” paintings by favorite local artists created specifically for this event. Global cuisine from TomKats catering will sweeten the deal. Nashville Jazz Workshop staff member Graham Gerdeman says, “It’s an amazing event, with truly world-class music and great food and wine. The Small Works auction sets the event apart. Personally, I'm excited about seeing the Jeff Steinberg orchestra, which is not a band you'll often get the chance to see. Steinberg is a renowned arranger and rarely performs live with a large ensemble.” Jazzmania will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. in Jamison Hall at the Factory at Franklin. For more information visit www.nashvillejazz.org.
photo: bo may
photo: bo may
photo: bo may
Larry Seeman, Development Director for the Nashville Jazz Workshop, says, “A lot of people still may not be aware that Nashville has a nonprofit jazz organization that's a combination jazz school, world-class performance venue, and community center. There's only one other school like this in the country, so it's a big deal for Nashville. So one thing we want to accomplish with Jazzmania is to build awareness. The other thing is fundraising—our classes and performances cost money, and it's important to us to keep tuition and admission fees low so anyone can participate. Jazzmania helps support our programs all year and is a great party to boot. People tell us it's the most fun of any of the charity fundraisers they attend!”
12 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
spotlight
Happy 100th Shelby Park! photo: martin o'connor
Historic East Nashville marks an important anniversary with the Centennial of Shelby Park. October 13 will be a day of celebration for this landmark. Festivities include visual arts programming, original dance, live music, and storytelling. Metro Parks purchased the Cornelia Fort Air Park, which lies adjacent to Shelby Bottoms, after the property was flooded in 2010. Metro Parks gave artists the chance to go on a “treasure hunt� on the property. Creatives dug through abandoned hangars and buildings, finding airplane parts and other material on the site. Many of the artists who participated in the event will display the fruits of their labor at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center. Contributing artists for the show include Alan LeQuire, Andee Rudloff, Annie Freeman, Barry Noland, Bill Brimm, Bret MacFadyen, Don Evans, Erika Wollam, John Guider, John Reed, Kathryn Dettwiller, Libby Byler, Sheila B., and Stacey Irvin. No celebration is complete without dancing. The Shelby Centennial brings together five choreographers for a performance organized by Andrew Krichels. The lineup of performers includes Blue Moves under the direction of choreographers Amanda Cantrell Roche and Holly Cannon Hesse; FALL directed by Rebekah Hampton; Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville directed by Jen-Jen Lin; and Nashville Ballet II performing choreography by Banning Bouldin. Cornelia, John Reed Performances will be integrated into the natural beauty of Shelby Bottoms, with dancers emerging from caves, hanging in silks from park trees, and dancing on the island in the lake. Performances will loop from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Look for the dancers along the route between the lake and the tennis courts near the main entrance of the park. The Shelby Park Centennial is free and open to the public. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A fundraiser for the Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms will take place on October 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.shelby100.com.
spotlight
Southern Festival of Books M
ore than 30,000 book lovers will flock to downtown Nashville for a chance to celebrate the written word this month. The 24th Annual
Southern Festival of Books will take place from October 12 to 14 at the Legislative Plaza. The event has brought a diverse group of writers and readers together since 1989, and it continues to grow stronger. The festival is a free event presented by Humanities Tennessee, a non-profit educational organization. It is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Ingram Content Group, along with many other national, regional, and local supporters. Humanities Tennessee President Robert Cheatham claims, "Every year our goal is to provide a program that is rich in content and diverse in its offerings, so that readers of all interests can meet favorite authors and discover new ones." This year the festival announced a new partnership with local literary landmark Parnassus Books. The independent bookseller will run the on-site book sales during the event. Ten percent of all proceeds from Parnassus sales at the festival will go to Humanities Tennessee. Cheatham says, “The authors at the festival are always the nation’s top-notch writers, and being able to hear from them in an intimate setting, followed by the chance to purchase the books on site and have them signed by the author has always been the charm of the event. Parnassus has recognized the unique opportunity the festival brings to readers, and their support of this event shows their commitment to supporting the community’s love of the written word.” Headlining authors for this year’s event include New York Times bestsellers Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and A. J. Jacobs (Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection and The Year of Living Biblically); R. L. Stine, author of the new horror novel Red Rain; Pulitzer Prize winners Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights and Father’s Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son), David Maraniss (Barack Obama: The Story), and Junot Diaz (This Is How You Lose Her); young-adult authors Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) and Judith Viorst (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day).
NashvilleArts.com
Culinary enthusiasts will savor the opportunity to meet Amy Lyles Wilson (Farm Fresh Southern Cooking), Southern Living editor Rebecca Lang, Top Chef finalist Kevin Gillespie, and Tayst chef/ owner Jeremy Barlow. Local writer Alice Randall will join Adam Ross, Ann Shayne, and Jeanne Ray for a notable display of Nashville talent. Southern Festival of Books, October 12 to 14, Legislative Plaza. www.humanitiestennessee.org
October 2O12 | 15
photo: anthony scarlati
spotlight
Lena Lucas 37 Glorious Art Years by Joanne Lamphere Beckham
O
n a hot day in August, Lena Lucas lovingly surveyed the clay, pottery wheels, and kilns in the ceramics studio at Centennial Art Center. As she prepared to celebrate her retirement
as gallery manager and instructor of sculpture and pottery, Lucas reflected on nearly four decades of creating and teaching art at Centennial. "I’ve been blessed with the privilege of teaching so many people in my pottery classes through the years,” she says. “I loved sharing as I was learning and adapting to each student’s learning style.” Lucas began her tenure at Centennial in 1975 as a 19-year-old receptionist. When then-director Ann Horan asked her to fill in occasionally for the instructors, Lucas found that teaching came naturally. She became a full-time ceramics instructor in 1978, eventually overseeing the department. Lucas began managing the center’s gallery in 1982, organizing exhibits of local artists like James Threalkill, Brenda Stein, Edie Maney, and many others. “I’ve loved working with the artists and installing the exhibits, combining artists whose works complemented, rather than competed with, each other,” she says.
Lucas attempts to express life’s challenges and transcendence through her abstract clay structures and paintings. She also creates naturalistic paintings and ceramics as a way to meditate. “I think of my wheel-thrown and hand-built pottery vessels as possessing a ceremonial energy inspired by ancient Chinese bronze vessels I saw as a young woman,” she says. “The hand-built ones make me imagine a sacred purpose they may be intended for. I often use imagery from my abstract paintings on the surfaces of my wheel-thrown jars to describe what is contained within.”
Past Present Future, Acrylic on canvas
A series of work-related spinal injuries made it necessary for Lucas to take early retirement August 31, 2012. She hopes to spend her days healing, making art, writing music, and teaching art workshops. “I’m not disappearing off the face of the earth,” she says. “I hate to leave Centennial Art Center. I’ve loved working here. Being able to have a career in art has truly been a blessing.” For more information about Lucas, please visit www.lenaaricelucas.com.
Gifted in painting, sculpture, and fine art pottery, Lucas has been sharing her love of art since she was 10 years old, when she turned her Inglewood basement into an art classroom for her playmates. She credits Bill Johnson and Bob Hollingsworth at McGavock High School and Michael McBride, her advisor at Tennessee State University, as “amazing teachers” and important mentors. Although she found drawing and painting to be “easy,” working with clay was a different story. “When I started with clay at age 17,” she remembers, “it was the first medium that said no, I don't think so; you have to start over and pay attention this time.”
Inner Causeways 2, Acrylic on canvas NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 21
spotlight
I Am Curious Yellow Lori Field’s exhibit of spellbinding mixedmedia paintings is on exhibit at Cumberland Gallery. The artist’s solo exhibition I Am Curious Yellow will be on display through October 13. Field’s psychological explorations feature anthropomorphic creatures in fantasy environments. Her materials are as imaginative as her subject matter. The artist weaves together layers of colored pencil drawings, antique lace, I'm Just Wild About Saffron Dresden foil, sequins, and silk scarves. She combines these elements with encaustic painting and applies them to thin sheets of rice paper. What results are delicate, shimmering works with three-dimensional details. In her latest series, Field explores the color yellow. She explains, “The paintings allowed me to get up close and personal with the color and to create my own obsessive, yellow-fevered narratives.” Themes in Field’s work include female identity, loss, rebirth, politics, culture, and the environment. Air in Autumn, sculptures by Johan Hagaman, is also on view at Cumberland Gallery.
Saint Amarilla of the Woodpeckers
www.cumberlandgallery.com
exhibit
Sweet Dreams
photo: anthony scarlati
& Flying Machines
by Susan W. Knowles
J
ack Hastings did not set out to become an artist. Arlyn Ende always knew she would be. Her
“dreamy Southern childhood” found her scribbling on every available surface. Hastings, who grew up moving around the country as the son of an itinerant dredge boat captain, casts a realist’s cold eye on the world. Ende sees beauty all around her. Her bold, abstract, artistic language is inspired equally by nature’s fleeting cycles and the intellectual weight of poetry. She finds metaphor in the materials and techniques she uses— textile design, weaving, papermaking, drawing, and collage—fluently transforming ideas into images. Hastings once aspired to make a living as a socially conscious mural painter, but the Bauhaus aesthetic in American architecture after World War II all but eliminated the need for decorative interiors. So he made a career out of designing utilitarian complements to modern architecture. All the while he has made sculpture and written poetry and prose for his own pleasure. above: Jack Hastings, Existential Kiss, Painted bronze, 21" x 18" x 16"
Arlyn Ende, Everything Is Like an Orchid, Collage, 24" x 48", Private collection
”
Arlyn Ende, Tires, Tracks, Treads, Handtufted wool tapeta, Bridgestone Firestone Lobby photo: anthony scarlati
“
Committed artists and dedicated partners whose romantic life together began when they ran away from New Orleans over four decades ago, Jack and Arlyn are rarely separated. Yet their artistic visions are widely divergent. Their partnership is one of independent spirit and mutual support. In 1979, for Arlyn’s enormous wall tapestry in architect Robinson Neil Bass’s modern interiors for Nashville’s Commerce Union Bank, Hastings helped calculate scale and technical requirements for mounting. For a recent wall sculpture at Murfreesboro’s Middle Tennessee Medical Center, Ende helped Hastings conceptualize a curved wall surface.
Hastings and Ende have long lived on the edge. As back-to-the-land farmers, they raised goats and practiced sustainable living, including “loca-vore” food consumption and a “grass” toilet, long before current trends. Not only did they push the envelope to gain support for large-scale public art, they also worked in community, gathering friends and admirers in Murfreesboro, Bradyville, Woodbury, and Sewanee.
Arlyn Ende photo: John Guider
Jack’s engineering genius and whimsical imagination are on display in the spritely aluminum Dancing on Air mobiles at the Nashville International Airport. Arlyn’s brilliant woven coverings for eleven stories of Elevator Walls at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have lifted the spirits of many. Their work introduced innovative techniques and motifs: carved concrete fireplaces and planters paired with colorful, highly textural rugs and wall hangings. Alice Zimmerman, longtime trustee of the American Crafts Council and partner with Nancy Saturn in the avant-garde Zimmerman-Saturn Gallery on Second Avenue, praises their professional approach, starting with a small-scale maquette for every piece: “Arlyn is a consummate artist, terrifically well-read, erudite, and charming.”
Prior to their upcoming exhibition at Tinney Contemporary, the only time Ende and Hastings have exhibited together was in 2004, at Saint Andrews-Sewanee Gallery. “When all is said and done, their careers and lifestyle exemplify what it is like and what it takes to survive as artists,” aptly stated the gallery brochure.
photo: John Guider
Arlyn and Jack speak more eloquently than any writer could paraphrase. The following questions and answers are from interviews in late 2011 and recent conversations with their supporters and admirers.
Arlyn Ende, The Ort Rug (detail), Hand-tufted wool rug, 15’ 8” x 9’ 6” 30 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
Jack Hastings, Thing, Painted aluminum, Private collection
drawn to the artisans whose works weren’t always the right fit for a fine arts gallery. When he found himself at a crossroads, he began imagining how to showcase the work of these artisans.
While David may not have been able to draw the perfect eye, he has definitely developed the perfect eye for talent and presentation. No other art gallery in Middle Tennessee offers Fox’s combination of American-made artisan products in such an inviting, warm, and historically rich setting. The Copper Fox is located at 4136 Old Hillsboro Road. www.thecopperfoxgallery.com
NashvilleArts.com
photo: lisa fox
“My vision was to create a place where people would be genuinely surprised and delighted by the visually stunning and diverse offerings of handmade goods and original pieces—pottery, jewelry, handmade furniture, walking sticks, handmade boxes, abstract ceramics, and functional to non-functional pieces. I also wanted to make each piece a part of the total environment. I envisioned a spacious and uncluttered place where people would have plenty of room to move, appreciate, and experience each earthen treasure,” Fox explains.
October 2O12 | 35
photo: Joshua Black-Wilkins
His Technology Series, according to Jackson, “addresses how our culture is being funneled through technology—creating the potential for irony, distraction, and seduction—and how it affects the way we relate and communicate with each other.” The artist explains, “Images of people as characters in different settings interacting with each other and technological devices drive the series.” The Semi-Abstract Series, which Jackson claims is more about feeling than logic or intellect, provides a counterbalance to the evocative social commentary of the Technology Series. The paintings in both series offer clear evidence of Jackson’s artistic roots. He explains that painters like Fischl and Salle are part of his DNA as a painter. Like his predecessors, Jackson meditates on the alienation of individuals in modern society through displays of technical mastery. In Dinner Date, a canvas from the Technology Series, Jackson depicts several couples in a restaurant. The younger pairs face a psychological divide put in place by the distractions of mobile devices. Smartphones have supplanted both human connection and sexual interest. The story that led Jackson to these paintings is as interesting as the finished pieces. In the foreground of each of these paintings is a laptop featuring a screenshot from the Internet. One night in 2009, Jackson couldn't sleep so he found an old Clash music video to watch on YouTube. At one point he paused the video and thought, I could paint the still shots from YouTube videos. As he considered the possibilities, “the
by Gary McDowell
P
ost-it notes, hundreds of them, cover two adjoining walls in John Jackson's studio, which is the entire downstairs of his suburban Hermitage, Tennessee, home. The Post-its are reminders, pep talks, food for thought:
“Perfection is boring.” “OK, now what?” “Let paint be paint.” “Often the mistake is more interesting than the correction.” Jackson committed himself full time to painting seven years ago. He sets out to fulfill an original niche in contemporary painting, one that follows the path blazed by the neo-expressionist painters, such as Julian Schnabel, David Salle, and Eric Fischl. Jackson, a kind man who cut his teeth by earning a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in art-obsessed 1980s New York City, is capable of much warmth through a handshake, through an “Excuse the mess. My home is my studio.” His belted khaki shorts and cut-off T-shirt tell about his workaday attitude, and the coffee he brews, which is strong and black, tells about his nocturnal spirit.
facebook Sunset, 2012, Oil on canvas, 58" x 72"
Jackson works at night. All night. Every night. He has studied with legendary local painter Michael Shane Neal and pursued numerous figure-study courses at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. Jackson embodies technical ability. He works hard, has worked hard for seven years, to master technique in drawing and painting. But it's values, the relative lights and darks, that are most important for Jackson. And in a twist of language, it's the values (i.e. ideals) that Jackson embodies that make his paintings technical marvels. Jackson's new paintings, of which there are two series, pretend to be of two minds, but in reality they acquiesce to create one conversation. Both series stem from the same source: Jackson’s artistic obsession with the role of technology in contemporary life.
Visualizer 1, 2012, Oil on canvas, 62" x 96"
40 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
photo: alan messer
Ocean Wave with Color Bars, 2012, Oil on canvas, 58" x 58"
explosion,” as Jackson calls it, happened. He would paint the whole screen and the computer, not just the video: he would use this device to foreground a narrative in detailed figure paintings. This foregrounding of technology as subject matter opened a Pandora's Box for Jackson. Like Salle, Jackson uses the nude figure to explore the diminishing bonds between people in our culture. By inserting technological components in the foreground of his works, Jackson disrupts the narrative of the paintings, offers insight into faltering relationships, or distracts the viewer with unexpected, inhuman elements. In facebook Sunset, Jackson paints a scene of a couple walking on the beach. Layered on top of the image are elements of a Facebook page. One of these elements features a comment that Jackson found on the Internet. In it, a woman claims, “When I have a question that I think might sound stupid to other people, I just Google it.” The disconnection between individuals in our tech-obsessed culture is vividly displayed in a poignant, personal admission to the world at large and, somehow, to no one in particular. After two years of working on the Technology Series, Jackson needed a reprieve, a space to create something “more about feeling than
Dinner Date, 2011, Oil on canvas, 64" x 96"
thought,” so he turned to a more organic and sensual style, the result of which was the Semi-Abstract Series. This movement between projects continues to refine and refresh Jackson’s artistic vision. The abstracts allow Jackson a new vocabulary, one more rudimentarily animal, one more about beauty than adherence. In Visualizer 1, which takes its inspiration from the visualizer effect in iTunes, the lines are pre-circular, arc themselves in space, recommend the hint of light rather than the artist’s possession of it, and in this space Jackson’s experience shows: he knows that the art viewer doesn’t need answers. We seek instead surprise and wisdom gleaned from what we might see, what we might not see. Art critic and poet John Yau writes that people are tired of passive media and are instead interested in being exposed to their inner dreams: “Beneath our actions are such worms as fantasy, voyeurism, and embarrassment.” That's what a Jackson painting is about: worms, embarrassment, inner dreams. The artist exposes the loneliness and vulnerability in contemporary relationships by laying bare the human figure and exploring our cultural obsession with technology.
SeXBOX, 2011, Oil on canvas, 68" x 84"
Jackson’s show, Technology and Abstraction, will be up at The Rymer Gallery October 25-27, from 6 to 9 p.m. Please be advised that some images in Jackson’s show are graphic in nature. NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 41
artist profile
John Baeder
Another Side of Passion by MiChelle Jones
I
n the forty years since he left the Mad Men world of advertising at a top New York agency, John Baeder has traversed the country capturing iconic images of the great American roadside, establishing an international reputation as a photorealist painter.
However, his latest Nashville show—he also exhibits regularly in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Paris—is something completely different: a series of painterly still-life photographs drawn from the work of baroque-inspired still-life artists, particularly Chardin and Luis Meléndez.
Twenty of Baeder’s still lifes are on display at The Arts Company in John Baeder: The Magic of Illusion and Reality—Painting and Photography from October 6 through November 16. All shot using natural light—specifically north light just as those early painters used—the photographs are a testament to Baeder’s love of the genre and a statement of his connections to the items featured in the images. In the compositions, which in some cases bring to mind sophisticated magazine advertisements from publishing’s
above: A, B, C, 1955 Ford Sunliner. A most cherished type book, the ABC yellow and black cover design was a natural with a few yellow and black models, a Pontiac and DeSoto, both also 1955, when two-tone color combinations started to peak. The Ford's lines worked better with the lemons and vase, also my mom's. The red raspberries were a natural punch of color to break the "color theme."
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 45
golden age, Baeder combines artificial flowers and fruit, vintage books and glassware with one of his many 1:24-scale models of vintage cars. Baeder began incorporating books from his own collection not only for the personal, biographical connection, but also for form, color, and messages about the compositions. Traffic: Accidents and Congestion, for example, takes its name from the volume standing behind a tow truck. The livery of the vehicle ties into the reds of apples and other fruits lying nearby as well as the book’s blue cover. (Baeder has shared with us a personal recollection for each of the works printed here.) The use of vehicles in the photographs adds a touch of irreverence and a personal perspective. Baeder estimates he collected hundreds of these die-cast vehicles over a five-year period. His Nashville home is filled with toy and model vehicles, most arranged on specially built shelves, others placed on almost every surface of the airy room he uses as his still-life studio. The presence of the vehicles in the photographs also gives Baeder a means of tricking the eye—a visual jolt. The juxtaposition in scale of the automobile or truck and the life-size, but fake, vegetation
Traffic Accidents and Congestion. Traffic Accidents was an accident, another surprise found on a bookshelf. Tow trucks have always been a fetish. I used to draw them when I was a kid, getting kicked out of class. ADD was unknown then. I have too many in the collection and had to use one of my favorites, mostly because of the color combination. There's a subtle narrative with the stacked book titles. below: John Meyer's Wooden Bowl. John Meyer was the best wooden bowl maker in Nashville. We all miss him. It was sitting innocently on top of a Haywood-Wakefield corner cabinet; it reached out and said "use me" as I did with an equally innocent 1951 Ford. It called for the also-innocent grapes, which are so ubiquitous in all early still life painting. One can't go wrong with using grapes with frequency; their repeated forms are mesmerizing.
46 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
A, B, C, D, Ford, 1955 Sunliner, on the other hand, is awash in yellow hues. Perched atop a book with yellow accents, lemons, a common fixture of baroque stilllife paintings, anchor the photograph. The result is a celebration of color that acts as a tribute to Baeder’s historic inspiration and his personal obsessions as an artist and a collector.
Homage to Aunt Emmy and Uncle Zolty. My sister and I inherited a few bottles of Baeder cologne, perfume, soap, and the recipe book. One summer during the same week the two left bottles appeared on eBay, from two sources—one in Roanoke, Virginia, the other in Los Angeles. A most bizarre happenstance located by a gumshoe friend. They were a shocking surprise; I had never thought of looking for more.
At times, the personal narratives in Baeder’s photographs are poignant, as in the sublime Homage to Aunt Emmy and Uncle Zolty. This photograph is dedicated to Baeder’s paternal family, most of whom perished at Auschwitz. His family was in the perfume and cosmetic business in Budapest, Hungary, before the war, he explains. His aunt survived the war and managed to rescue a few of the family’s possessions, kept hidden in her coat, including the recipe book shown in the image. Four exquisite art deco-style fragrance bottles, each embossed with the Baeder name, and a vase with pink and orange roses are positioned next to the open book. A silver Packard is parked in front. “I put the Packard in there because it’s elegant; they were elegant bottles, and it was an elegant business. An elegant family, actually, all gone. I wish I knew more about them.”
adds another dimension to the still lifes and also recalls the photomontages of surrealist photographers in the early twentieth century. In some cases objects are the impetus for the compositions—old glass bottles, a particular car, or the shape of a piece of fruit. “Capturing the essence and spirit of each individual element and then making a whole statement is what I strive to achieve with each image,” Baeder explains. Baeder also developed compositions as color studies, as in Red Book. The picture features red apples in a Fiestaware bowl, a vintage Redbook magazine, a red book, and a three-tone model car. Baeder found the magazine on eBay and was struck by the cover’s red background and image of a woman dressed in beige and black. Next he located the car, a 1956 Buick Roadmaster, whose red-andcream body and black top picked up the colors of the magazine. “Everything was working. When that happens, that’s like a little mini visual event for me,” Baeder laughs.
1941 Chevrolet Suburban. The 1941 Suburban was originally shot in various compositions, in early evening, summer light. Something was missing. I stumbled across the book, as I do many. The title was a natural for the faux ideas.
Twenty Grand. Georgio Morandi is my favorite twentieth-century still life painter. This image with vases is a homage to him. I didn't have to go through a great decisionmaking process with the "Twenty Grand Duesenberg"; it just fit. No rationale. The car was named such because in 1933 it cost $20,000. It was specifically made for the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.
American Specimen Type Book. I've been a type nut since I was a kid. The ATF book was a bible to many in the graphic arts and printing industries. The color relationships were the compelling factor. It was one of the first ideas when starting the series a few years ago, then reshot in a different light.
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 47
Though this series of still lifes is new and different, it also continues a line of work Baeder has been exploring for some time. He began painting still lifes in 1997, while taking a break from his diner series. At that time he was searching for the “quintessential American still life, the experiential still life that everybody is confronted with every day,” he says. He found it in the multitude of items located on the counters of gas stations and convenience stores. Antique malls also captured his imagination. “All this stuff sitting on a shelf, they had a humor and a sadness about them,” he says. “All these little figures . . . they had a life of their own sitting on a shelf waiting for another life. The way they were all placed haphazardly, that was a still life—a distillation of American culture on one shelf.” Baeder’s still life series takes on new meaning in his photographs. No longer a study of America, they are a close examination of the artist’s own life. Through the compositions he is revisiting his various collections—model cars, vintage books, assorted bottles and vases—and enjoying his exploration of the genre of still life. “You enjoy your ideas and you play with them,” he says. “It’s just the beginning, which is also a nice ending.”
photo: seÑor mcguire
John Baeder: The Magic of Illusion and Reality: Painting and Photography is on exhibit at The Arts Company October 6 - November 16.
Mom's Vase with 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood. I've owned the exact same 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood since 1981. While collecting Danbury Mint models I fantasized a model someday. The real car was voted as one of the best twenty-five designs of any automobile manufactured. Like manna, an announcement arrived in the mail; a miracle occurred. Astonishing, my interior is the exact same color as the model. Pure glee. The black, like mine, is readily available; the two-tone green works better in the photograph. Only one thousand were produced, making the model very rare and expensive, as is the real 1:1 car in that color combination. DC-3 aircraft as pictured on the can and model have always been a favorite, and my first ride.
Redbook. I don't like red cars at all. But red model cars’ reduction in scale has another effect. I wanted to do an all-red image, besides having such variance of apples lying around. (Thank you, Michael's.) The red 1929 Johnson-Smith catalog book just “happened”; another dimension was needed. Their logo was such a strange counterpoint to the lovely painting of the Redbook woman.
“
Capturing the essence and spirit of each individual element and then making a whole statement is what I strive to achieve with each image.
”
The Ways We Travel. The book was found, like many, as a surprise. The fun factor. When seeing the car in the cover's illustration, I knew right away the color combination of the 1930 Cadillac was a natural with the bowls and fruit color combinations. Some models are very limited editions and rare; this is a perfect example. Beats the stock market.
48 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
Ceremonial Bowl, 2012, Clay and wood
Spirithouse XXI, 2012, Clay and wood
After stints as visual arts, crafts, and media program director at the Tennessee Arts Commission and director of the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Weber took a studio assistant job with international clay legend Sylvia Hyman. Under Hyman, Weber crafted many trompe l'oeil pieces with her. “It was great doing new things with the material. We worked hard, produced many wonderful pieces, and had a lot of fun.” One of Weber’s lines is mass production functional stoneware decorated with restrained palette sgraffito (a beautifying revelation of the underlying earthen surface). The glaze brushwork has both tight and loose elements that lean slightly toward Asia. His other line is mixed media raku, very different in style and execution. In these more mysterious pieces Weber says, “I still carry my cultivated craftsmanship, but I marry it with spontaneity.” Evocative references to spiritual, religious, or iconic forms emerge as whimsical incarnations. The resulting looser, ambiguous shapes allude to Weber’s inspiration—primitive aesthetics and sensibilities. Under his highly expert hands, circular structures reference humanscaled dwellings and shelters. Augmented with cryptic entryways and temple gates, his shrines that suggest rituals gain intrigue when coded with sculptural elements of wood and fiber. Of this work Weber says, “They all allude to communication. My conduits, channels, and flags are media of exchange.”
Introspection, 2012, Clay and wood
“
Orb with Three Feet, 2012, Clay and wood
”
Weber continues to produce and teach, and he looks forward to more commissions and dreams of making larger works. He say=s, “Beyond making a living, clay has been a truly wonderful way to meet a lot of very interesting people. It gives me joy.” www.tweberpottery.com
Orb XI, 2012, Clay and wood NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 61
artist profile
Texture & Rhythm
Natalie Dunham W
hen Natalie Dunham left Franklin to enter BirminghamSouthern College she had no intention of becoming an artist or working in a gallery. She began undergrad as a business
major going through school on a soccer scholarship. After five separate ankle surgeries, her soccer career came to a halt. Most students not able to play would lose financial support, but the school was willing to let Dunham work to keep her scholarship. Working for the soccer team was too heartbreaking, but serendipitously another door opened, a job as the art gallery assistant. By Dunham’s junior year she had shifted completely from business to a BFA in painting. After Birmingham-
photo: jerry atnip
by Amanda Dillingham
Dunham’s colossal artwork shows how confidence, ingenuity and craft can create peace for an artist while making thought provoking sensory experiences. Southern, Dunham attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and received her MFA degree in sculpture. The theme of accumulation has been constant since graduate school, and she approaches the sculptures as if a threedimensional sketch, purposefully leaving the materials raw. The collection of material, such as pet screen, twine, strappings, and shims, assembled loosely on rods and brackets, allows the shapes to morph and shift freely. Most sculptures grow from the wall or the ceiling. At times large enough that one can even walk through them, her sculptural installations overwhelm by their sheer size, but, contradictorily, the natural materials provide moments of meditation, similar to a Japanese Garden. Dunham’s work is incredibly process oriented, and, like the contemplative emotions her sculptures inspire, the pieces function as a form of relaxation for Dunham. As she states, “When life is crazy the work is more controlled, and when life is calmer the work is looser.” In graduate school, artists are afforded the opportunity to work interrupted days with designated studio space. The real trials come after, when one must juggle a creative process with lack of equipment and a full-time job. As Dunham puts it, “figuring out the balance of life out of school.” As she moved back to Franklin, Tennessee, she looked for a job that would keep her involved in art and was hired as the gallery director at The Rymer Gallery.
In her current position, Dunham assists in installing and designing contemporary exhibits. Her minimal aesthetic is reflected through moving from larger group shows to more intimate one- or two-person exhibits. In June, Dunham partnered with her alma mater to bring four artists from Baltimore to Rymer, one even receiving representation. When visiting Baltimore, Dunham thought of herself as a Nashville art advocate, enthusiastically championing our growing art district and contemporary art scene. She enjoys working with the artists on honing down their shows to a more selective exhibition: just because an artist has twenty drawings doesn’t mean that they should all be exhibited. When asked if her job has influenced her artwork, Dunham responded that it definitely makes her think more about marketability. At the moment Dunham is shifting from her gallery director duties to concentrate on her own art making. Most recently one may have seen her meticulous sculptural installations exhibited at the Seed Space in Veneer, and in October she is part of Unaltered and Enduring, a two-person show with Luke Hillestad at The Rymer Gallery. Dunham’s colossal artwork shows how confidence, ingenuity, and craft can create peace for an artist while making thoughtprovoking sensory experiences. Her astute personality allowed Dunham to change directions while finding a new passion that is clearly evident in the strong quality of her art. Rymer Gallery show opens October 6–November 3. Seed Space show runs through October 26. www.nataliedunham.com
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 71
At Belmont’s Leu Gallery, Braddock will show a group of paintings based around the words “liberated while living,” which she first encountered as an alluring tattoo design done in Sanskrit lettering. When she learned the translation, she took it as an invitation to break her own artistic boundaries, making paintings that use the same text yet differ wildly from one another. Braddock, who has faced her share of hardship, embraced the process with abandon.
“Part of the fun of painting,” she says, “is that anything can happen.” The text pieces have proven the point. Mistakes are more immediately visible and require ever more ingenious solutions. Characteristically upbeat, Braddock adds, “If you knew what you were doing then why do it?” Braddock’s works are recognizable for their often-eye-popping colors, glittery metallic pigments, and richly painted surfaces, and she has the confidence to work in very large scale. Her artworks have been added to numerous public and corporate art collections, such as those of the Nashville International Airport, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and, most recently, to Janet and Jim Ayers’ Collection of Tennessee Art on view in FirstBank’s new Nashville offices.
I was dancin with my darlin, 60" x 60"
by Susan W. Knowles
A
bstract painter Jane Braddock is fascinated by the world of words. Choosing text as a design element for her
huge new paintings draws on her talent for color and design as well as her deep reverence for text. And her choice of excerpts from writers she has read and absorbed for many years offers potent commentary on the world in which we live.
Interspersed between long spells in the studio are purposeful breaks for inspiration: to hear Leonard Cohen perform almost anywhere, to attend the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago; Cape Town, South Africa; and Barcelona, Spain, and to absorb the sights, smells, and tastes of other cultures. Braddock
One of this city’s top tier of full-time working artists, Braddock is a prolific maker. She came to Nashville in 1980 from New York City, where she had been a designer and colorist in the textile industry. Now she works daily in her studio, often on a whole series at once, generating ideas that multiply and cross over. Two new exhibitions this fall feature different yet related groups of paintings developed over the past few years, being shown for the first time. At The Arts Company, Braddock will exhibit huge, text-based paintings composed around the shapes of letters that slowly come together to become phrases. Drawn from philosophy, poetry, and the occasional song lyric, the words seem all the more weighted and important because they are presented equally in the space of the composition, not read at normal speed. Joining the shape of the letters to the meaning of the phrases she has chosen has been hugely challenging. Creating an appropriate visual context for an idea is difficult enough, but she must also make sure that the text is ultimately legible, even if it is purposely obscured at first glance. Each painting begins with a full-sized sheet of tracing paper on which she plans the design to see if the words will work visually before committing them to canvas. opposite: Liberated while living, 45" x 60"
Praise song for walking forward in that light, 60" x 60"
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 75
None of it is real and yet all of it is true, 60" x 60"
is as fascinated by costumes and clothing, folk art, temples, religious icons, festivals, celebrations, and mythology as she is by nature walks and the presence of animals. She has studied astrology, which she values for its unifying qualities as a holistic worldview, for many years. And whether traveling or not, she is recording experiences, tucking away potent bits of what she has read and seen. On extended trips she has made daily collages from scraps of detritus—paper and other objects picked up along the way. These whimsical small creations vibrate with the energy of the street. Like all of Braddock’s artworks, they seem to come alive, giving the moments of her joyous, everyday journey permanent form. View Jane Braddock’s work, This Has Nothing to Do with Thinking, at The Arts Company, November 3 - December 22, and in Liberated While Living at the Leu Art Gallery, Belmont University November 1 - December 13. www.belmont.edu/art/leu_art_gallery www.theartscompany.com www.janebraddock.com
Whatever was lost in the looking comes back completely changed, 60" x 60"
art around
Diner, 2007, Oil on panel, 32.5" x 40"
Paul Kelley
Windswept, 2011, Oil on panel, 16" x 12"
by Deborah Walden
T
his month Nashville Arts Magazine takes you to Nova Scotia to experience the work of Canadian artist Paul Kelley. The oil painter
is a veteran of his craft, having worked as a professional artist for decades. Kelley’s sensuous, brightly colored canvases range in theme from languishing models stretched on lonesome beaches to meditations on the maritime life of sleepy coastal villages. “I’m more inclined toward the sensual, figurative work and landscapes, but there is always some deeper quality to the work. If everything were laying on the surface, you would look at it once. I invite people to look at a painting and spend time with it,” he says. “Throughout my career, I’ve become more and more enamored of color.” Although Kelley’s works look almost photographic, there is a theatrical element in his art. “I like to give a sense of theatre in my work,” Kelly claims, adding that this quality is one of the most definitive aspects of his style. The artist describes his approach as “highly technical realism.” He continues, “I suppose that I follow the high realists here in Canada, or I did in the past. I love surrealism, but I am definitely not a Dali surrealist. My work stays within the realm of the possible.”
A Day at the Beach, 2010, Oil on panel, 22" x 34"
Kelley uses a series of photographs to help get a sense of the direction of his paintings but always works from life to inform the final product. Many of his works incorporate a series of beautiful artist’s models, but he has also found inspiration closer to home. The blonde little boy often featured in his paintings is his young son. Kelley reveals that he has been an artist for his whole life: “It began almost in preschool.” His passion for painting and his enthusiasm for life are evident in his diverse body of work. About his art, he says, “It’s something I live, not something I do. Being an artist isn’t a job. It’s a lifestyle or a life. I hope that what I create is uniquely me.” www.paulkelley.ca
At Rest, 1980, Oil on panel, 8" x 10" NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 79
The Art of Framing by Daniel Tidwell | photography by Anthony Scarlati
W
hen thinking of a great painting, one tends to focus on the image, the brushwork, or the history and meaning behind it. The frame, an integral part of viewing the
painting, is often overlooked. Whether it’s an ornate gold-leaf frame around a Manet, a dark brooding carved frame around a Rembrandt, or a simple wood frame that’s barely visible around a Pollock, each plays a critical role in the presentation and preservation of the work. Framing as we know it today had its genesis in the Cassetta frame, essentially an extended molding derived from architectural elements, wrapped on all four sides of an image. The Cassetta gave
way to the Gallery Frame, which could be made to harmonize with elaborate interiors while still functioning as a neutral enclosure for a picture. Gallery frames of similar styles provided a cohesive thread for collectors to exhibit paintings from different eras and styles. Today’s collectors have a dizzying array of options for framing paintings and other objects of art. We’re all familiar with the basics of a frame—molding, glass, and mat board—but the key to artful framing is making all of those elements work together to complement the art. The majority of quality contemporary frames available are made of wood or metal. Gary Tisdale of Midtown Framing says that “the style and color of a frame is most often dictated by the style and subject matter of the art and should be matched to the artwork and not the room where it will be displayed.” For example, “a traditional landscape painting might be framed in a natural wood finish or even gold or silver tones. When framing modern art, simplicity is usually key. Sleek, clean lines and finishes are the norm.” One of the most important parts of the frame is the mat board, which separates the art from the glass, creating a border between art and frame. When selecting a mat a collector needs to take into account the acidity of the material, as mat boards with the lowest possible acidity will provide the highest degree of preservation. Cotton-based mat boards provide the highest degree of protection. Matt Fischer, owner of Picture This, says that the “matting should complement the piece of art . . . becoming part of the whole presentation, to help draw the viewer into the vision of the artwork without drawing attention to the framing.”
August Hampton, Bennett Galleries
Mounting board and glass are the final elements required to frame a work of art. The mounting board is the material that holds the matted art in the frame, and, like the mat, it’s important to select a board with the lowest acid content to provide the highest degree of protection for the art. There are a variety of glass grades to choose from ranging from basic to non-reflective and the highest-quality museum glass. Museum glass is an anti-reflective glass with conservation-grade UV NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 89
protection and is widely considered to be the best option available for art, photographs, and other important personal keepsakes. The wide variety of framing options available today can accommodate even the most unusual items. As Bill Bennett, owner of Bennett Galleries, says, “Anything can be framed. We recently built a shadow-box frame measuring 3 x 5 feet to house a record player and records. The challenge there was how to attach the record player, but we welcome the challenge.” William Smithson, co-owner of the Beveled Edge, recently finished unusual projects including “a fullsize wedding gown encased in a 4 x 8 foot frame, a shadow-boxed wedding bouquet, and a prized racing bike once crashed by the customer who recovered from his injuries and is once again an avid rider.” “We may not always be able to accommodate the customer's original framing concept,” says Susan Taylor, Smithson’s partner, but there are many ways to approach custom framing, and we will work with our client to come to a solution.” Matt Fischer recently framed Budweiser Clydesdale horseshoes for eleven honky-tonks on Lower Broadway for beer distributer Ajax Turner. What made this job unusual for Fischer is that he designed an entire shadow-box environment for each horseshoe, creating graphics and incorporating the logos of local businesses. Fischer says that Picture This is one of “the only frame shops in the area with design and print capabilities, giving clients
“
We’re all familiar with the basics of a frame— molding, glass, and mat board—but the key to artful framing is making all of those elements work together to complement the art.
”
the option to incorporate extra decorative and graphic elements into a piece— complementing the overall framing presentation.” Drama in framing can be the product of some unlikely unions of style and scale. “Sometimes a very ornate traditional frame is used to complement an extremely modern painting,” says Gary Tisdale. “It can be an interesting juxtaposition of styles.” Angel McHugh of Auld Alliance Gallery plays with scale to achieve a singular look for some pieces, using oversized mats or oversized frames to create a dramatic effect. Kevin Dransfield, owner of Belle Meade Framers, says that experience is key to successful framing because “we don’t know what’s going to come in that door— whether it be memorabilia or an original Picasso—and how we attach those works to the framing components is extremely important. For example, newspaper, parchment paper, or sheepskin all require different methods to be attached to the mat board or the backing board. We sometimes have to custom-make hinges or components to hold whatever we’re framing, whether it’s a rifle, a sword, or a flower. Attaching them in the right way is critical to their preservation.” Many collectors prefer to frame works in antique frames—fueling today’s huge demand at auction for period frames and also the need for restoration and maintenance of older frames. One of the few businesses to specialize in this type of work in Middle Tennessee is Reed’s Gold Leaf frame shop. For over twenty years, owners Micki and Mitchell Cavanaugh have been repairing, restoring, and gilding aging picture frames for a diverse group of clients that include the Frist Center, Cheekwood, Vanderbilt, Tennessee State Museum, and the Tennessee State Capitol. Whether it’s an old-master painting, a modern abstract work, or a beloved drawing by a child, an artful framing solution can enhance the beauty of the art while ensuring its preservation for future generations. Nashville has a multitude of choices in framing establishments—a boon for collectors looking to provide valued works with the best possible framing solutions. Visit www.nashvillearts.com for framing tips from local professionals and for a comprehensive list of framers in the Nashville area.
90 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
commentary
Art and Money Don’t Mix part three
Or, Where’s the Beef? by Somers Randolph
I
am a sculptor. All these years I thought I was a fine artist, and I was wrong. I really wasn't paying attention when the art department rewards were going to the theoretical pieces. I understood that the mirrored box contraption that resulted in one looking at oneself looking at oneself was clever, but I would not have believed for one instant that it and the thinking it represented would come to dominate the art world. In fact, its creator went on to curate at PS1 in New York and now runs a contemporary museum in Queens.
The head of the art department asked me one day why I would pursue carving when it was impossible to carve anything original. My thesis junior year on the importance of wood to the history of art and the development of civilization, complete with a three-hundred-slide presentation about how things were made, received an F. As a young sculptor I subscribed to and read Art News and Art in America, and you'll find my name on the donors' list of Sculpture Magazine back when it was a three-page, blackand-white newsletter. I gave up on the multisyllabic obfuscation of Artnews and Art in America decades ago.
As one with the intellectual weaponry to understand what those writers were saying (I have a degree in art history from Princeton), it frustrates me that they seem to be attempting to obscure their own criticisms. "This is our world and you don't and shouldn't understand it.” There's still not a plain speaker in the bunch. As a young artist I was trying to distinguish myself as a 'Visual Artist' and define the gap between my stone sculpture and the crafts of basket weaving and pottery and jewelry fabrication. Meanwhile, fine art and the contemporary visual art world were moving faster and farther from the domain of a stone carver than the careful, creative, and tactile reality of crafts ever would.
Jeff Koons, New Hoover Convertibles, Green, Red, Brown, New Shelton Wet/Dry 10 Gallon Displaced Doubledecker top: Damien Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
94 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
I, too, am a craftsman. It is the craft of carving stone that I have practiced and honed for nearly four decades. I made my first stone sculpture in the fall of 1972. While the hours of grinding, filing, and sanding pass, my mind is not idle. I often think of fantastical projects, whimsical journeys, or environmental experiences; they're just not what I do.
I admit to a Puritan ethic bias. Hard work and a dollars-perhour reality were infused in me by a Depression-era father. I grew up with the ethos of "stick to it" and "try, try again.” My best sculptures are the result of repeated efforts to achieve exactly the right shape, countless attempts with parts that are almost perfect but not quite there. Damien Hirst and Jeffrey Koons are two of the lions in the world of contemporary sculpture today. On opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, they each established their sculptural careers by putting objects into glass boxes. Koons placed old vacuum cleaners and basketballs into vitrines, and Hirst secured his fame by boxing up a great white shark in a glass container full of chemicals. It is clear that the "art" of Koons and Hirst lies primarily in their abilities to manipulate human perception and has much less to do with manipulating material.
“
I have great respect for the wizardry of those artists who never touch their own work save with an autograph.
”
Architects of imagery and experience, they design, supervise, and inspire and then market and advertise with incredible skill. However, the current fashion of melding music, light, film, and the viewer and calling it “art” is, to this workman's mind, like calling vaudeville a form of literature.
Somers Randolph, 2012, Italian alabaster, 4" x 10" x 5"
Over the last ten years, I have employed many different apprentices. Some of them are just out of high school; others are in college or college graduates, and some few are graduates of art schools. The college and art school kids are often well versed in the intellectual masturbation of art discussion. They are skilled in the argumentative, metaphorical two-step of alternate point of view criticism, and, without exception, they don't know how to use real tools. They are armed with deconstructive intellectualism, yet they can't make anything that will last. Their ability to think and argue and process information far outweighs their ability to make anything. I don't mean to imply that the crafting of an object should be the essential component of value. Certainly the meanings, associations, and metaphors lend depth and even pleasure to a work of art. It is, however, my contention that if an artwork cannot stand unaided, by itself, and portray the intentions of the artist, if it requires printed explanations or curatorial accompaniment in order to convey its meanings, then it is something other than visual art. There is a schism in the world of art between objects of art and a new art theatre designed to exist apart from and, more specifically, above the common man's understanding. The time is ripe for the truth of a young boy. The fabricated intellectual import of a dead shark in a tank of formaldehyde that sells for $12,000,000 is the modern version of Hans Christian Andersen's tale “The Emperor's New Clothes.” Somers Randolph is represented by LeQuire Gallery. www.lequiregallery.com/randolph.html www.somersrandolph.com/bioD.html
Somers Randolph, 2012, Utah alabaster, 8" x 3" x 15"
Somers Randolph, 2012, Italian alabaster, 5" x 7" x 6" NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 95
David Knudtson furniture designer/maker
www.knutfurniture.com
615.498.9036
D Stocked Wallpaper Home Consignment
D
english & company
118 Powell Place • Nashville, TN 37204 Mon. - Sat. • 10:00 - 5:00 • (615) 315-5589 englishandcompanytn@gmail.com Follow us on Facebook
96 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
profile
Anne Pope Reveals Her Favorite Color
Anne Pope, Executive Director, Tennessee Arts Commission
1. How are you settling into your new job?
I’ve been here just a little over two months, and the thing that I’m doing is trying to get out in the state and meet people in the arts. Finding out what’s here in the state. In some ways, reeducating myself about what’s in the state. Finding out how they’re finding the environment for art in Tennessee. What is it that we can do to help promote and move the arts forward? What I really want to do in my first ninety to one hundred days is get out in Tennessee and meet people in the various arts communities and get to know them. To find out what we can do to help each other. 2. Are you an artist yourself?
I sort of laugh and say I don’t have traditional arts talent. I don’t have anything that I’m good at, but somebody has to be in the audience. I guess I’m a professional audience member. You can always find me in the audience. 3. Do you have other creative outlets?
I love to listen to music. All kinds of music. My son and I are going to start guitar lessons together this fall. I also love film, and I love to read. 4. Do you have a favorite writer?
I love Southern writers, like Eudora Welty and Pat Conroy. Probably those two. I also enjoy Laura Hillenbrand. I’m in a book club, and it’s amazing to see how life just jumps off the page in her work. 5. What first attracted you to art?
My father is an artist. So I say I collect art, but really I collect his. Any piece that isn’t his, I have to explain why it’s up there. He’s very accomplished, so I love his art work. 6. Did growing up in a creative home help shape you into who you are today?
Absolutely. And it affects the way I see education. I think that you can see that children need to be motivated. Having a creative mind and imagination—it does all kinds of things. It not only motivates a child, it can also lead to student achievement. It can make a person more marketable today and can lead to a career. If you love what you do, you are going to be better at what you do. That creative process helps children grow and imagine and be interested. 7. Can you tell us about some of the educational programs offered through the Tennessee Arts Commission?
We just held the Create2012 conference. It was a sellout. Teachers from across the state come on their own time. It does boost student achievement. And I think Poetry Out Loud, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, is tremendous. 8. Do you think it’s important to bring the arts into our classrooms?
It’s more important than ever because of how people learn today with technology. One of the best ways to reach people is through the creative process. That is what is needed in the twenty-first century. I see it as key to lifelong learning.
photo: jerry atnip
9. What is your favorite color?
Cherokee red. I will never forget: red was always my favorite color, but I could never pinpoint the exact shade. But when I went to Fallingwater, the frames of the windows he painted Cherokee red because that was his favorite color. He thought that was a natural, that it was of the earth, that it brought the outside inside. It’s a very warm, comforting color to me. www.tn.gov/arts NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 97
Lawrence Argent Reflects on Nashville by Geoffrey Aldridge, Public Art Project Coordinator, Metro Nashville Arts Commission
A
photo: courtesy of artist
artist profile
utumn is about change and our awareness of nature and place.
Our newest public art installation has done just that, energized a longstanding community gem with modernity and joy.
Argent’s concept explores Shelby’s frenetic history as a park, farm, and earlytwentieth-century amusement and fun-house venue. He uses a quixotic mockingbird to articulate the bridge between past use and Shelby’s future as a central activation and cultural hub for vibrant and growing East Nashville.
photo: lawrence argent
For the Shelby Park project Argent unpacked Shelby’s rich history, which includes a street car, an amusement park, and follies (architectural gathering places). This search for the theme of place is what led him to the concepts for Reflection—the mirrored quality of the mockingbird parallels its natural “mimicking” qualities, while defining a new vista within the park. The bird has a trophylike quality and is perched on a piece of carved granite, reflecting the negative of the opposing wall. The opposing wall is carved and highly polished vortex with a swirling motion that terminates in a hole suggesting curiosity and passage.
The two pieces symbiotically encompass possibilities of looking, searching, and thinking about past and future. Argent notes, “Reflection is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events, or new information. There is neither a NashvilleArts.com
photo: courtesy of artist
Reflection, by Denver, Colorado, artist Lawrence Argent, will be dedicated on October 13 at 10 a.m. and is the latest project by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission’s Percent for Art Program. The dedication coincides with Shelby Park’s 100th anniversary and the completion of the first phase of a multi-year Parks Master Plan for the East Nashville treasure.
right nor a wrong way of reflective thinking. There are just questions to explore. “Like all of my public works, ‘site’ becomes the trigger by which ideas unfold," remarks Argent. “It means building a connection with a place and the people who live in it. I try to create a resonance, a sensorial bond between people and their environment.” This work will create a new wave of conversation about the park, its identity, and the people who embrace it. This “creative place-making” is, after all, the purpose of public art—to use image, artistry, and inspiration to tell stories, reflect realities, and create conversations that support community identity. For more information on upcoming projects, to view an interactive public art project map, or for information on Argent’s Reflection, please visit our website: www.artsnashville.org www.lawrenceargent.com Dedication: Saturday, October 13, 2012, 10 a.m., Shelby Park October 2O12 | 101
photography
Mack Lipsey
Cuba Calling by Sara Lee Burd
H
avana, Cuba, is not far from Miami in geographical distance—228 air miles, a 45-minute flight to be exact. But in time-travel distance, it is 60 years in the past, a place
lingering precariously in the ‘50s. It is also a place with a strong fascination for Nashville photographer Mack Lipsey. Armed with that fascination and his camera, Mack made the journey to Havana to document the people, the cityscapes, and the exotic ambience. “There are parts of old and central Havana that are crumbling and in desperate need of repair and infrastructure. I became intrigued with the architecture of these proud, decaying buildings that had obviously seen better times. There are not many people in my photographs, and that is intentional.
I wanted to capture the places where people live—the rusted wrought iron, the exposed electrical lines and water pipes, the clothes hanging out to dry on every rooftop and balcony. I also enjoyed the rich history of music, dance, and art in Cuba that has an energy that cannot be suppressed. I experienced it every day in bars and restaurants, out on the streets, and behind the crumbling, colorful walls.” Lipsey returned from Cuba with a captivating series of cityscape images that at first glance may look like mid-century-modern abstract paintings, but look closely and you can almost feel and hear the vibrant spirit that is Havana, Cuba. clipsey3@comcast.net
104 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com
NashvilleArts.com
October 2O12 | 105
photo: john guider
my favorite painting
Tom Collins Author, entrepreneur and wine lover
M
y wife and I have a pretty good art collection with emphasis on local artists, including Paul Harmon, Lee Hamblen, Paula Frizbe, Hank Hewgley, Pamela Padgett, and Gay Petach, but we have more works by Nashville native Tom Trebing than any other artist. Trebing is best known
locally as the president of Trebing Design, a boutique graphic design and advertising company. As the CEO of a technology company, I worked with him for over thirty years to build and promote my company’s image. Much of Trebing’s art is rooted in European poster and mid-twentieth-century graphic design. His creativity isn’t limited to canvas, however. Tom designed and illustrated the first children’s music activity books with an attached keyboard. After I sold my business and started writing mystery adventures, Trebing designed the covers for all four of my novels. Good art and wine have something in common. You can enjoy either as you take it in. But if you know the maker, the place it comes from, and its history, it becomes more. The Second Glance is like that, and it earns its title. At first glance it is colorful and graphic; with another look, it acquires character and shape www.markrollinsadventures.com
Tom Trebing, Second Glance, 1998, 40" x 30"
A r t i s t i nfo A Nashville native, Tom Trebing is a man of many talents. He got his first job in Nashville as proof boy in the advertising department at Cain-Sloan Co. in 1960. He moved to Indiana in 1962 and pursued a career in graphic design and illustration. He loves to draw and uses oil crayon and watercolor most often in his works. His painting style developed from graphic-style artists of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s. After enjoying his years as a "starving artist," he decided to leave Indiana to move back to his native Nashville. Back home Trebing started Trebing Design, Inc. During his career as graphic designer he focused primarily on painting and advertising. He has always focused on the value of creativity in early childhood development. He created software for teachers, illustrated children's books, and illustrated a popular interactive, musical activity book that incorporated a keyboard for children to learn and enjoy music and reading. In the ’90s Trebing returned to painting, drawing, and writing. While he is retired now, he still paints, writes, and encourages his "creative" family to work in the arts. He is comfortable with painting en plein air, graphic design, drawing . . . whatever he feels like doing. In his words, "I like everything. All kinds of music. All kinds of art. All kinds of writing. I'm just curious about everything—always have been." www.trebing.com
114 | October 2O12 NashvilleArts.com