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December 6 - January 10 Large-scale Collage / Paintings by Mandy Rogers Horton December 6 - December 23 18th Annual Holiday Arts Market ©Mandy Rogers Horton
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December 6 - December 27 The First 100 In celebration of the Fifth Avenue of the Arts 100th Downtown ArtCrawl, The Rymer Gallery will showcase a group exhibition from their set of artists. ©Emily Leonard Leona
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December 6 - January 17 STASIS: HEAVENLY BODIES New Work by Carla Ciuffo ©Carla Ciuffo
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EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES 644 West Iris Drive, Nashville, TN 37204 615-383-0278 ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Cindy Acuff, Keith Wright 615-383-0278 DISTRIBUTION Wouter Feldbusch, Michael McKelvey SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE 615-383-0278 BUSINESS OFFICE Theresa Schlaff, Adrienne Thompson 40 Burton Hills Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37215 EDITORIAL PAUL POLYCARPOU Editor and CEO SARA LEE BURD Executive Editor and Online Editor sara@nashvillearts.com REBECCA PIERCE Education Editor and Staff Writer rebecca@nashvillearts.com MADGE FRANKLIN Copy Editor CAROLINE STAMY Editorial Intern DESIGN TRACEY STARCK Design Director ADVERTISING
CONTRIBUTORS JENNIFER ANDERSON The Great Unknowns EMMY NELSON BAXTER Paint the Town MARSHALL CHAPMAN Beyond Words JENNIFER COLE State of the Arts LINDA DYER Antique and Fine Art Specialist SUSAN EDWARDS As I See It ANNE POPE Tennessee Roundup JIM REYLAND Theatre Correspondent JUSTIN STOKES Film Review
CINDY ACUFF cindy@nashvillearts.com
TONY YOUNGBLOOD Unplugged
KEITH WRIGHT keith@nashvillearts.com
RUSTY WOLFE Pieces & Parts
Nashville Arts Magazine is a monthly publication by St. Claire Media Group, LLC. This publication is free, one per reader. Removal of more than one magazine from any distribution point constitutes theft, and violators are subject to prosecution. Back issues are available at our office for free, or by mail for $5.00 a copy. Email: All email addresses consist of the employee’s first name followed by @nashvillearts. com; to reach contributing writers, email info@nashvillearts.com. Editorial Policy: Nashville Arts Magazine covers art, news, events, entertainment, and culture in Nashville and surrounding areas. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Subscriptions: Subscriptions are available at $45 per year for 12 issues. Please note: Due to the nature of third-class mail and postal regulations, issues could be delayed by as much as two or three weeks. There will be no refunds issued. Please allow four to six weeks for processing new subscriptions and address changes. Call 615.383.0278 to order by phone with your Visa or Mastercard number.
D2O14 ecember
on the cover:
Destiny Phillips, Winter, 2014 Prismacolor, 6” x 5” Article on page 100
FEATURES
COLUMNS
10 Spotlights
28 As I See It by Susan Edwards
26 Crawl Guide 40 Antiques & Garden Show Albert Hadley Prints at Auction
48
30 The Bookmark
46
34 Pieces & Parts by Rusty Wolfe
Bill Dale Tennessee Craft Spring Fair First Place Winner
36 Unplugged
Tomoko Kakeda and Chikara Yasui On a Cultural Excursion to Nashville
48
Mclaine Richardson
54
Carla Ciuffo
59
Red Grooms
by Tony Youngblood
38 Public Art by Van Gill Maravalli 50 NPT
The New Look at Margaret Ellis Jewelry
54
No Safety Net Required
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAHAM GERDEMAN
Hot Books and Cool Reads
33 Film Review by Justin Stokes
42 Kent Cathcart Silence • Stillness • Serenity 44
92 Theatre by Jim Reyland
80
94 Poet’s Corner Kamilah Aisha Moon
98 Art Smart
68 Charlotte Terrell Atmosphere and Landscape
104 Paint the Town by Emme Nelson Baxter
72 American Realism An Intimate Look
106 Critical i by Joe Nolan
76 Atelier 13 The Sonic Equation
107 Appraise It by Linda Dyer
78 Who’s That Sitting Next To You? Michael Shane Neal
108 Beyond Words by Marshall Chapman 110 My Favorite Painting
80 Stephen Watkins Staring Out & Staring In
44
72 98
84 Nashville 6 A.M. Robert McCurley
90 Backstage with Studio Tenn by Cat Acree
96 Art See
64 Susan Truex Wonder & Whimsy
82 Brent Hyams Q&A
59
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 7
PUBLISHER ' S NOTE
Art Creates a City
from the forest floor
Initially I travel backward in time seeing all these young people filling the hallways. When I enter the art rooms, the vibe is loose with creativity and tight with eagerness. Each student interview I conduct is as individual as the young person I am talking with. Some begin with a bit of shyness on both our parts, and some take on a life of their own. Never are they boring. For a couple of hours I experience genuine enthusiasm, and astonishing creativity. PHOTOGRAPH BY TAMARA REYNOLDS
Specialized furniture
E
very day, I see great art and watch with amazement the growth in the visual arts scene in Nashville. But there is a part of my job that trumps even that! As Education Editor, responsible for our monthly “Art Smart” column, I visit area schools and talk with students about their art for our “On The Horizon” feature. It stirs up a kaleidoscope of emotions and sensations—wonder, nostalgia, excitement, joy, and sometimes disbelief.
Destiny Phillips
to your home.
For December, photographer Tamara Reynolds and I visited the classroom of Advanced Placement Art Instructor Dona Berotti at Hillwood High School (see page 100). As usual, we had a blast photographing and i n t e r v i e w i n g f o u r s tar s tude nts: Kaiya McKissack, Destiny Phillips, C h a n d l e r B o m a r, a n d B r i a n n a McKissack-Martin, who are definitely on the horizon in the art scene.
This month, for the first time ever, our cover features the work of a student artist, Winter by Destiny Phillips. Destiny is incredibly passionate about drawing and is constantly pushing herself to improve her skills. We could not be more proud of her and her achievements. I am privileged to see just how many positive things are happening in arts education in Nashville, but what moves me the most is the wealth of talent and dedication I see in our schools. Art does create a city, but the future of our city will be orchestrated by today’s students. I love working at Nashville Arts Magazine.
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from London and New York to Nashville, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, with other stops along the way. In the meantime, she’s got the fine talents of Brittany Gargis to manage the shop.
Jessie grew up here, buying vintage from thrift shops, flea markets, and Goodwill with her mom. She learned to sew as a teen and always gravitated to older fabrics. “I think I really should have been born in about 1930,” she says wistfully. “But I learned about the history of clothing too, got a sense of shape, silhouette, the value of design.” Working in New York with Sunny Lam (Creative Director at Derek Lam), she refined her skills, sussing out even the most forgotten pieces and refurbishing them. “Sunny taught me not to brush things off that are damaged and taught me mad skills in mending. The lesson was never overlook anything,” she says. She underlines this by showing off the sleek olive-taupe coat she wears over a 1960s-cut tweed dress, one she rescued from oblivion and turned into a striking garment.
Showing off the flawlessly organized shop, Jessie and Brittany offer up pieces from the Edwardian era through the early 90s. Look for cashmere and abundantly textured men’s wear. A small but elegant collection of bags, jewelry, hats, and shoes also graces the store. If you don’t find exactly what you like, commissions can be arranged. Little Luna Vintage, located at 217B 6th Avenue North, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.littlelunavintage.com.
While she loved New York and says it “taught me a lot about who I am,” Jessie missed Tennessee and decided to return and start a business. “I love the way the city is evolving and changing, and I like to think I can create a business to grow with it.” Now married to an Englishman, she continues to travel, seeking out her own notion of really wonderful vintage pieces for her clients, 10 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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Phoebe at the Frist Local Author Book Signing • December 22 When Nashville Arts Magazine was launched five and a half years ago, Lindsey Victoria Thompson, a junior at Hume Fogg High School, impressed us so much with her writing skills that we had her write our On the Horizon column, showcasing the talents of area art students. This month she comes home from her studies in New York to autograph her first book, Phoebe at the Frist. By the time she graduated from high school, Lindsey had logged in over 1,000 hours of volunteer work in the Martin ArtQuest Gallery and Gift Shop at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. She says that it was during this time that she “developed a passion for creative expression” and “an appreciation for the way arts can bring people together.”
As part of her senior capstone project Lindsey wrote Phoebe at the Frist. The story is about a precocious and adventurous little girl’s developing interest in making art and how her first visit to the Frist Center left her bursting with inspiration. “Museum spaces can be perceived as rigid and uninviting to children, and I was lucky that I did not have that experience. I wanted my book to help dispel that notion,” Lindsey explained.
Before she moved to Ne w York to study writing and art history at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Lindsey recruited her grandfather, Walter G. Knestrick, to illustrate the book, and Lindsey credits him with seeing the book to completion. Sara Strese, a 2012 graduate of Watkins College of Art, Design and Film and now a senior designer at Applauze, designed the book. Phoebe at the Frist is available exclusively in the Gift Shop at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Author Lindsey Victoria Thompson will be on hand for book signing on Monday, December 22, from 1 until 3 p.m. All the proceeds from the book sales are being donated to the Frist. For more information, visit www.fristcenter.org.
Hannah Elizabeth Coleman, Lydia Matheny and Andreia King in front of Fisk wall
Essence of Goodness
The Movement Behind the North Nashville Mural Project
C
by Hannah Elizabeth Coleman | Photography by Vando Rogers
haritable actions alone don’t hold the essence of beneficence without the values intrinsic to the people behind those actions. A look at the evolution in the North Nashville area exemplifies these values.
colleagues Effie Emonefe, Lydia Matheny, Andreia King, Taylor Mitchell, and I embarked on a journey to impress life through hue onto the hearts of the locals. Effie experienced this as a way to let the community know they have not been forgotten.
Project leaders were mural designer Karen Swyers and painters Renu “People must have righteous principles in the first, and then they O’Connell, John Jurnigan of will not fail to perform virtuous Lee Chapel AME Church, and actions,” once said Mar tin Luther (father of the Lutheran Dr. Victor Simmons of Fisk. church and inspiration for the Kate Ransohoff, director of name of Dr. Martin Luther North Nashville Mural Project King Jr.). On Rosa L. Parks (funded by Sandra Simpson’s Boulevard at Rev. John Swyer’s nonprofit, Cradleboard) stated St. Paul’s Lutheran Church that “these walls now publicly and food bank, an engrossing, attest to . . . the power, humanity, full-building wrap-around mural and wondrousness of all who are was unveiled in October 2014. here.” This mural is the first but The warm-natured food bank will not be the last, as they plan volunteers are featured as well to continue touching lives with as the neighboring women brushstrokes of joyous freedom. known for generous gardening This evolution demonstrates that contributions. Their faces beam it isn’t the prevalent struggles with gratitude and pride in that define the direction of this serving one another. A homeless Food bank volunteer in front of Fisk wall and garden wall community, but the perseverance couple, with seemingly little and richness of humanity. Jamaal Sheats, art professor at Fisk means, clearly portrays the essence of serenity. Their love, hope, and University, describes the mural as “a visual documentation of the sense of peaceful contentment are enriching and inspiring. Another community as it changes, serving as a transformative beacon.” wall features nearby Fisk University, built directly after the Civil War, as the historic and future influence behind this mural. My Fisk For more information about the project, visit www.fisk.edu. 14 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
MAYSEY CRADDOCK
“stitching sand and sea” memphis & nashvil e
12 nov - 23 dec
516 Hagan . Nashville . 615.780.9990 4540 Poplar . Memphis . 901.767.3800 davidluskgallery.com
DLG DAVID LUSK GALLERY
TA K E A R T HOME ART, DESIGN & EVERYDAY OBJECTS
F
or this month only The Red Arrow Gallery will be transformed into a pop-up retail shop featuring everything from fine art to jewelry, pottery, and crafts. The salon-style show, TAKE ART HOME: Art, Design & Everyday Objects, features the work of more than 25 artists from Middle Tennessee and Joshua Tree, California, including Daniel Holland, Kate Krebs, Shawn Hall, Casey Promise, Diane Best, Susan Easton Burns, and Tobias Crabtree. The Red Arrow Gallery branched out from Joshua Tree to East Nashville’s Riverside Village area in March and has already become an integral part of the community. With its abundance of natural light, fresh white walls, and
The Red Arrow Gallery • December 4
Sarah Beth Paul and Katie Shaw
relaxed furnishings, The Red Arrow Gallery is inviting and comfortable. Founder and Curator Katie Shaw enthused, “All kinds of people drop in here, and we feel lucky that we have been so welcomed by the community.” On December 20, The Red Arrow Gallery and its neighbors in the Riverside Village area will open from 11 a.m.
Sleeping Man Burning Car
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Shawn Hall, Fall, 2013, Acrylic on clayboard, 30” x 30”
to 11 p.m. for a family-style holiday celebration. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GUIDER
Daniel Holland, Loose Cannon (detail), 2014, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 6’ x 7’
New from Barry Buxkamper
leeping Man Burning Car is “a metaphor for our being unaware of impending tragedy while going about our mundane, daily existence,” Barry Buxkamper explains. “Two years ago my wife died of a brain tumor, and I usually process events in my life through my painting. I was looking for something not too overt, and I came up with the idea of a sleeping man. I like the metaphor.” Even if you didn’t know about his personal life you get the meaning of the painting, and Buxkamper likes that aspect. As with much of his other work, Sleeping Man Burning Car was painted on unstretched canvas and features shapes that extend beyond the boundaries, but this one is different stylistically, because it is a very complex composition. “One of the setups was very complicated, and I had fun doing it, because it reminded me of my teaching days at MTSU, when I used to create very elaborate still-life setups for my students.” Sleeping Man Burning Car is on view at Cumberland Gallery. For more information, visit www.cumberlandgallery.com. Sleeping Man Burning Car, 2014, Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 48” x 35” 16 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Shaw, with Director of Communications S a r a h B e t h Pa u l , Preparator S e l b y Knoblock, and Advisor Rhonda Coleman devote their efforts to developing and launching the careers of emerging and under-recognized artists at varying stages in their careers. Their clients include both novice and established collectors, and they offer work at price points for any budget. TAKE ART HOME: Art, Design & Everyday Objects opens at The Red Arrow Gallery on December 4 and continues through Januar y 3. Holiday hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please visit www.theredarrowgallery.com.
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R ya n Wagn e r’s C on t r i bu tor S e r i e s The Clay Lady’s Galleries • December 11 to January 31
I
n his new series Faces: A Tribute, Mixed Media Paintings of The Contributor Newspaper Vendors, Ryan Wagner uses found objects as his canvases, The Contributor newspapers as backdrops, and oil and spray paint to bring his subjects to life.
According to Wagner the whole project happened organically. “I didn’t set out to do a series on The Contributor vendors. I was driving along one day, and I thought it would be interesting to paint one of these vendors. I finally got up the courage to ask someone. After the first one I wanted to do another, but I didn’t want to proactively go looking for them. I just wanted to let it happen. “The first few were the hardest, but once I had completed a couple and I could show what I had done, the people I asked got more engaged and interested. It was fascinating. I don’t think a lot of people understand the mission of The Contributor. I was really inspired.”
Faces: A Tribute, Mixed Media Paintings of The Contributor Newspaper Vendors opens with a reception on Thursday, December 11, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Clay Lady’s Studios Artist Co-op & Galleries. During the event guests may contribute $2 cash in honor of their favorite vendor portrait to raise funds for The Contributor. All profits from the sale of the paintings will also benefit The Contributor. The exhibit runs through January 31, 2015. The Stranger at the Bypass, 2014, Oil, acrylic, and newspaper on canvas, 20” x 16”
For more infor mation, please visit www.foundr y43.com or www.theclaylady.com.
Nashville’s Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate
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Blair School of Music • December 6
his fall, young poets, emcees, writers, and leaders ages 13 to 19 submitted applications in hopes of becoming the inaugural Nashville Youth Poet Laureate. Three finalists will perform at State of the Word slated for Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music on December 6. One youth will be named Youth Poet Laureate.
PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM JAMISON
appointment of a Youth Poet Laureate showcases our commitment to creativity and young people,” Mayor Dean said. “Our hope is that our Youth Poet Laureate will engage fellow young people and through spoken word continue to shine a spotlight on our city and its citizens.”
The 7th Annual State of the Word features performances by the region’s top college and high school poets, emcees, and spoken word artists. “It is a powerful night. There are amazing performances, and these young people have actually written these pieces. Some will make you laugh; some will make you cry, and some will inspire you,” says Benjamin Nina Donovan, Independence High School, and Brandon Lennox, Martin Luther King Smith, Southern Word’s Executive Director. Nashvil le joins a growing number of Academic Magnet, prepare for the National Beginning in January 2015, Nashville Arts Teen Slam Festival counties and cities in the National Youth Magazine’s Poet’s Corner column will feature Poet Laureate network, which was started in New York City in 2008 a Southern Word poet each month. by Southern Word affiliate Urban Word. Currently there are Youth Nashville’s Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate will be announced Poet Laureates in five cities nationally, with developing programs in during the 7th Annual State of the Word at Blair School of Music’s an additional twelve cities across the U.S. and internationally.
The Nashville Youth Poet Laureate program aims to identify young writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement, diversity and tolerance, and youth voice across Nashville. Applicants had to submit at least one poem addressing the themes of Human Relations, Diversity, and Positive Social Change.
“Nashville is known the world over as a creative city, and the
Ingram Hall on Saturday, December 6, at 7 p.m. For tickets and additional information, please visit www.southernword.org.
18 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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BARBERSHOPS OF AMERICA
Features Craighead Barbershop in Nashville
A
photographs of over 70 barbershops in all 50 states. Capturing gems of American histor y, Hammer showcases a diversity of shops, including Craighead Barbershop in Nashville.
dvertising photographer Rob Hammer, known for shooting professional athletes for companies such a s Ni k e , R e e b o k , Ad i d a s , and Foot Locker, has loved the sights and smells of old barbershops since he was a kid.
For fun, he started photographing old barbershops around Southern California three years ago. He soon realized that the barbershops he remembered from childhood were quickly disappearing, and his project took on new meaning. In search of truly authentic old Craighead Barbershop barbershops, Rob spent the next two and a half years traveling some 45,000 miles of back roads throughout the United States. The result is his new book BARBERSHOPS OF AMERICA, a 13” x 10” hard-cover coffee-table book filled with magnificent
“Nashville is a unique city with an authentic feel, but I was having a hard time finding a shop to match up with that. Then I ventured down Jefferson Street and found a whole neighborhood of barbershops that seemed to be locked in time, w i t h C r a i g h e a d ’s a s t h e grandfather of them all. A blueprint on what a barbershop should be,” remarked Hammer. For more information or to purchase BARBERSHOPS OF AMERICA, visit www.barbershopsofamerica.com.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN HILDER
FILMING STATION RECOGNIZED FOR ITS UNIQUE ARCHITECTURE by Catherine B. Randall
T
he Filming Station on 8th Avenue South is one of only seven commercial properties to receive this year’s Metropolitan Historical Commission Preservation Award. Once a Gulf Gas Station, in the 1930s, this property is now a production studio recognized for its innovative architectural features and a stunning example of what can be created with salvaged materials. Demetria Kalodimos and Verlon Thompson of Genuine Human Productions bought the property in 2009 and spent four years renovating the building. “We had a ragtag crew of people working on this: our genius hippie builder Bill Schleicher, his trusty side man Trent Hestermann, Verlon, and myself. Everything in our building is either found, recycled, or repurposed,” Kalodimos says. The result is a one-of-a-kind blend of the old, the new, and the reused. The original stucco building is connected to a new addition by a glass-enclosed lobby, and an open-air courtyard offers a unique alternative entertainment space.
(top) DK gas station, (center) Filming Station, (bottom) Filming Station courtyard
The addition was constructed with 20,000 bricks recovered from the demolition of a warehouse next door. “The molded plywood theatre seats in the screening room are from a local Masonic lodge. Old car parts and chrome serve as door pulls, light fixtures, and trim,” Kalodimos says. Even the name of the business is a play on repurposed words. “I was attracted to the building because I knew it had been a former gas station. My father had a station, so I guess you could say it’s in my blood,” Kalodimos explains. So, instead of “filling station,” it became a “filming station,” home to a video production company, and an ideal small venue for other creative types. For more information or to book the venue, visit www.thefilmingstation.com.
20 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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André L. Churchwell: Self-Expression in Art and Fashion
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The University Club of Nashville Through December 23
Dr. Churchwell is S enior Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He maintains appointments as a professor in the fields of Medicine (Cardiology), Radiology, and Biomedical Engineering and also has an ongoing practice at Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute. He’s a fashion aficionado and was featured in Nathaniel “Natty” Adams’s book I Am Dandy: the Return of the Elegant Gentleman published as part of an exhibition at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) concerning the history of men’s fashion. He writes poetry and prose and contributes to a fashion blog. Somehow he still finds time to make visual art.
he exhibit André L. Churchwell: Self-Expression in Art and Fashion offers a look into the character of a man who is highly accomplished, productive, fashionable, and, no doubt, a Nashville treasure. The show features approximately thirty pieces, including portraits, landscapes and architecture from his travels, super heroes, and a small section on fashion, which features the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute blazer he designed. According to Dr. Churchwell, he draws what he wants and doesn’t try to overthink his work. “I have found my art to be both a vehicle for self-expression as well as a means to lessen daily stress.” His father, Robert Churchwell, Sr. (Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary is named for him), was very interested in art, writing, and music. André says it had a profound effect on him. “He was quite adept at sketching, and, as a child, I was thrilled when he would draw my favorite cartoon
Hemingway with a Tail, 1975, Pencil, 12” x 12”
characters. From those initial experiences, I began drawing and studying artists of all genres—from comic book artists like the legendary Jack Kirby to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.”
André L. Churchwell: Self-Expression in Art and Fashion is on display through the end of the year at The University Club of Nashville, 2402 Garland Avenue. For more information, visit www.uclubnashville.org.
TOP PICKS
2014
W inter is ushering in new styles a n d t r e n d s. H e r e ar e a f e w o f Ke it h ' s favorites & new arrivals, which I'm s u r e will end up in some of Nashville's H O T T E S T H O M E S!
English Renaissance Style Console
‘Tis the Season
War wick Hotel Philadelphia, Circa 1926 $2,550
Vintage Anatomy Char t Dr. Heinz teNeues Circa 1961 $575
17th Century Stunning Wooden Baroque Panel Great as wall hanging or headboard $3,650
Vintage Studio Lights Mid-Twentieth Centur y Mole-Richardson $2,700 - Set of 3
~Raul Rodriguez Camacho, La Naranja, 1974, Oil on canvas, 19.5”x15.5”, $500~
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. N A S H V I L L E 6 1 5 . 3 5 0 . 6 6 5 5 W W W . G A R D E N P A R K . C O M
22 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Mid Century Danish Modern 2danes offers the popular 1960’s Danish Modern Design in an apartment sized sofa, only 72” long and a matching chair. Available in blue and grey fabric. LIMITED STOCK
CHAIR $519 SOFA $759 73 White Bridge Rd • 615-352-6085 • Mon-Sat 10–6 • Sun 1-5 • 2danes.com
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DECEMBER CRAWL GUIDE is hosting an opening reception for Moonlightin’, an exhibit featuring works by Hatch Show Print designers Celene Aubry, Laura Baisden, Jennifer Bronstein, Carl Carbonell, H e a t h e r M o u l d e r, A m b e r Richards, and Cory Wasnewsky.
Jo Ellen Thatcher – Our Thrift Store
The Franklin Art Scene takes place on Friday, December 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. with more than 30 galleries and working studios participating. Gallery 202 is featuring Diane Davich Craig. Jack Yacoubian Fine Jewelry & Art Gallery is presenting several artists who have shown in 2014 and live music by saxophonist Chazz Williams. Bob Parks Realty is hosting furniture maker and oil painter Hugh Elledge. Boutique MMM is showcasing paintings by artist and attorney Chuck Blackard, III. Our Thrift Store is exhibiting plein-air paintings by Jo Ellen Thatcher. The 100th First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown takes place on Saturday, December 6, from 6 until 9 p.m. The Arts Company is presenting large-scale collage work by Mandy Rogers Horton and its 18th annual Holiday Arts Market. The Rymer Gallery is showcasing a group exhibition by gallery artists. Tinney Contemporary is exhibiting Stasis: Heavenly Bodies New Work by Carla Ciuffo (see page 54). Tennessee Art League (TAL) is featuring a group show of 20 artists from Warehouse 521 in a show entitled Figures from Warehouse 521. In the historic Arcade, WAG is presenting a double show of drawings and sculpture: Relevant Distance by Luisiana Mera and The Capricious Bend by Jazzmyne Sims. COOP Gallery is showing Paperstorm, an interactive sculpture by Yutaka Kawahito. Corvidae Collective Gallery is exhibiting Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) featuring artists Zac Shiffer, Catherine Moore, Linsay Blondeau, Tammy Mae Moon, S cott Kirschner, and more. Luisiana Mera – WAG
Also downtown, Hatch Show Print’s Haley Gallery
Arts & Music @ Wedgewood/ Houston happens on Saturday, December 6, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Zeitgeist is presenting noise induced transmissions by Richard Feaster, ramble, repeat by Todd McDaniel, and solar impulse by Alex Blau. David Laura Baisden – Hatch Show Print Lusk Galler y is exhibiting strand by Maysey Craddock. Julia Martin Gallery is celebrating its one-year anniversary with the annual Julia Martin Solo Exhibition. The Packing Plant is showing I Is An Other, new work by Holden Head, BFA c a n d i d a t e f ro m Wa t k i n s College of Art, Design and Film. The 444 Humphreys Pop-Up is welcoming the holiday season with a closing Julia Martin – Julia Martin Gallery re c e p t i o n f o r To k e n , a n installation by Emily Sue Laird. Ground Floor Gallery is featuring impulse: playing house as a blank artist and will host an open studio from 3 to 6 p.m. On Thursday, December 18, at 7 p.m. UnBound Arts and Hail, Dark Aesthetics present A Dark Arts Masquerade Ball at Riverwood Mansion, a group art show featuring work by Johnny Lee Park, Michael ClenDening, Ash Sivils, Jeff Bertrand, Dustin Whinery, Jennifer Anderson and more. Musical performances feature Fable Cry and Lance Whalen.
Maysey Craddock – David Lusk Gallery
26 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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As I See It
Good Things Come in Small Packages
A
Johannes Vermeer, Girl with the Red Hat , c. 1665/1666, Oil on panel, 9 ⅛” x 7 ⅛”
Regardless of how Vermeer came to his virtuosity in achieving verisimilitude, his paintings freeze a moment in time. Moreover, his masterful handling of color and light imbues his portraits with symbolic meaning as well as corporal presence. Seventeenth-century artists were concerned with a version of the truth that was grounded in equal portions of spirituality and naturalism. Vermeer’s immaculate craftsmanship and the intriguing visual clues in Girl with the Red Hat make this small gem nothing less than optical poetry. PHOTO BY ANTHONY SCARLATI
The model for his earlier painting Girl with a Pearl Earring, 1660, inspired an eponymous book by Tracy Chevalier and later a movie. The model for Girl with the Red Hat is no less mysterious. Vermeer worked slowly, completing only about forty paintings in his lifetime. During the seventeenth centur y, extraordinar y advances in science and optics were made, lending credence to the speculation that Vermeer had access to a camera obscura, a precursor to photography and the camera. The photographic sharpness we assume when looking at a Vermeer painting from a distance breaks apart upon closer examination, just as photographs do, to reveal a softer focus created by an almost abstract painting technique.
COURTESY OF NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART
n exhibition titled Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Ve r m e e r, H a l s , a n d Their Contemporaries is on view at the North Carolina Museum of Art through January 4, 2015. Afterwards, the exhibition travels to the Birmingham Museum of Art. Consider a pilgrimage to one of these venues. The exhibition is the first to focus on small-format paintings made in Holland and Flanders in the seventeenth century. Small Treasures includes Vermeer’s serene and beautifully ordered painting Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1665/1666, from the collection of the National Galler y of Art, Washington. The painting, which is a mere 9 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches, embodies a gentle delicacy that is deceptively simple yet enigmatic. Seeing the painting in person, one catches nuances that no reproduction can deliver. It is a masterpiece of calculated touch. A fashionable young woman looks out at the viewer as if about to engage in conversation. A wash of light simultaneously highlights and backlights a three-quarter view of the sitter’s face and the vibrating delicacy of the fluttering texture on the brim of the red hat. The red hat is offset by the blue of her robe and the intense white of her cravat. Vermeer’s women have been described as alluring and remote.
Susan H. Edwards, PhD
Executive Director & CEO, Frist Center for the Visual Arts
28 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
ILEX
FOR C H R IS T M A S
Rose Rosa
Photography by Brett Warren shot in the Ilex studio
601 8th Ave South Nashville, TN 37203 615-736-5200 ilexforflowersnashville@gmail.com www.ilexforflowers.com
The Bookmark A Monthly Look at Hot Books and Cool Reads
For more information about these books, visit www.parnassusbooks.net.
Family Furnishings: Selected Stories
ALICE MUNRO
The 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature was presented to Munro with this speech: “Reading one of Alice Munro’s texts is like watching a cat walk across a laid dinner table. A brief short story can often cover decades, summarizing a life, as she moves deftly between different periods. No wonder Alice Munro is often able to say more in thirty pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in three hundred.” In this companion volume to Selected Stories (1968–1994), we are given a selection of 24 more of her most brilliant short stories, chosen from her collections published between 1995 and 2014. Every home library must include this book.
GIVE THE GIFT OF ART THIS HOLIDAY SEASON Have Nashville Arts Magazine delivered to your door each month for only $45 per year
Let Me Be Frank With You: A Frank Bascombe Book
RICHARD FORD
Frank Bascombe is a regular guy, a middle-aged American man whose reactions to work, relationships, and the lives and events going on around him feel familiar to all of us. Sometimes his observations are deeply profound; other times, they’re fumbling, profane, or downright hilarious. Bascombe is the protagonist of Richard Ford’s three terrific novels—The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land—and now a fourth, Let Me Be Frank with You. This time, Bascombe is making his way through life in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Meet the author on December 10. See www.parnassusbooks.net for event details.
Watch Me: A Memoir
Call 615.383.0278 or email subscriptions@nashvillearts.com
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many Gifts
ANJELICA HUSTON
Anjelica Huston was 29, still trying to carve out a career as an actress, when the director Tony Richardson said to her: “Poor little you. So much talent and so little to show for it. You’re never going to do anything with your life.” As Huston writes, “Tony had a singsong voice, like one of his own parrots, but there was no mistaking the edge. ‘Perhaps you’re right,’ I answered. Inside I was thinking, Watch me.” This autobiography picks up where Huston’s first memoir, A Story Lately Told, left off.
Vogue and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute: Parties, Exhibitions, People
HAMISH BOWLES
Here’s a coffee-table book you won’t be able to leave on your coffee table, because you’ll keep picking it up to wonder at the gorgeous photography and fascinating subject matter. The exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute—from 2005’s Chanel, to 2011’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, to 2013’s Punk—always dazzle the hundreds of thousands of visitors who line up to see them. In this book, Vogue’s Hamish Bowles pulls together photographs from the exhibitions and galas themselves, as well as the Vogue shoots they inspired. Chloe Malle contributes editorial talent; the Met’s director, Thomas P. Campbell, provides a foreword; and the one-and-only Anna Wintour pens the introduction. How’s that for star power?
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NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 31
YORK & Friends fine art Nashville • Memphis
ROBERT WILLIAMS
No Boundaries, mixed media on canvas, 48x60
BARBARA MURNAN
copper, sterling silver, beach glass
copper wine collar
sterling silver cat's eye
107 Harding Place • Tues-Sat 10-5 615.352.3316 • yorkandfriends@att.net • www.yorkandfriends.com Follow us on at Ron York Art
PHOTOGRAPH © MAT T NET THEIM
Film Review
The Babadook still, Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman
The Babadook Brings W inter Chills by Justin Stokes
“If it’s in a word, or if it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook.” Burdened by grief and loneliness, a mother’s selection for her son’s bedtime story invokes fright in her child. Swearing that the threat of the book’s disturbing Mister Babadook is real, the mother soon finds herself plagued by the presence of the top-hat-and-coat-wearing fiend as unrelenting terror comes from the shadows and into their home. Can the mother and son survive, or will they succumb to logic-defying evil? Enter The Babadook, the Australian horror sensation that has crept into the hearts of film fans looking for genuine terror. The success of the scary and singular The Babadook will be found through the welcome rejection of what viewers have come to expect. The film’s full release departs from holiday fare, giving a story more in line with the unforgiving decay of winter. Its cerebral approach seeks to scare through a disturbing atmosphere, taking its time instead of rushing to cheap scares, clichés, or meaningless bloodshed. The investment in two characters and the muted world in which they live drains the normalcy and safety from the lives on screen. Filmgoers will be treated to a return of “classic” horror offered by the monsters of black-and-white movies. The concept of Mister Babadook is a parallel to Count Orlok, but living in the realm of a dark fairy tale that pops out of the page and into your psyche. It’s familiar and novel in the same shallow breath. The ending itself is a riddle for viewers, as it requires not just looking to the screen but deep inside themselves to piece together its meaning. It’s a bold, dangerous move that may grow inside the viewers until it’s something that looks at storytelling with a new set of eyes.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTY SIMMONS
The Babadook will be screening at the Belcourt Theatre. For tickets and information, visit www.belcourt.org. Justin Stokes is the founder of the MTSU Film Guild, a student organization which functions as a production company for student filmmakers. He is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and social media manager.
Pieces & Parts Oil lamps sparkle on burgundy wine While words of old become the words of new Poetic gestures always seem to end in perfect rhyme While shadows frame the room with a piece of mind I was born too late I’m a hundred years behind I was born too late If I could only go back in time Born Too Late – Rusty Wolfe
T
his is a verse and chorus from a song I wrote and recorded almost forty years ago. How true it is still today and how well those words have served me. I continue to be romanced by a way of life that was before my time.
Often I find damaged pieces of something old that has enough of its form left to show that it was once glorious. To many people, these remnants are considered beyond repair. I enjoy the challenge of resurrecting them and dreaming about what they might become in this new, contemporary world. While shopping at a local antique mall, I found the remains of an old printer’s cabinet from a now-defunct Tullahoma newspaper. It once housed thousands of small pieces of movable type. It had only two of its original twelve drawers. The frame was severely damaged, and none of the slanted top was intact. I had always wanted a cabinet to hold my print-block collection, and I saw an opportunity to resurrect this one-hundred-year-old gem. I followed the lines of the original frame, adding decorative panels on the sides to replace the missing wood. I topped those panels with metal print type, creating small, framed pieces of history.
I salvaged the one good drawer with a hundred small compartments inside to preserve the true spirit of the original piece of furniture and used it as the top drawer to this new cabinet. The rest of the wood was used to construct deeper, more conventional drawers. I utilized some period Eastlake bin pulls from my collection to dress up the fronts.
The new cabinet is a very refined piece of contemporary furniture, although I chose to leave the primitive legs to showcase the cabinet’s original, rougher style. This one detail reveals its true worn and weathered past. Normally, you would see the entire cabinet scrapped and only the drawer salvaged because it can be used as wall-hung collection storage.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LAWRENCE BOOTHBY
For more about Rusty Wolfe and Finer Things Gallery, visit www.finerthingsgallerynashville.com.
34 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Rusty Wolfe is a painter, sculptor, furniture designer, and entrepreneur. His works are available at fine art galleries around the country and locally at Finer Things.
Rusty Wolfe
“Full Bouquet” mixed media on Plexiglass 74 x 50”
1898 Nolensville Rd 615.726.1207 thuRsday - satuRday 10a.m - 5 p.m. www.finerthingsgallerynashville.com
Unplugged
Art in Formation Stirrings from the Nashville Underground Words and photography by Tony Youngblood
Y
ou probably already know about the Belcourt Theatre, one of the finest art house cinemas in the country. Perhaps you also know about Third Man Records and their monthly avant-garde film series The Light and Sound Machine. But did you know about Nashville’s other independent movie house? For years, Bob Slendorn dreamed of opening a cinema like those of his youth: buildings not necessarily in the best upkeep, films not necessarily Oscar-worthy. The appeal was in the sheer amount of content: triple features, all-night screenings, horror, exploitation, and B-movies, and the crowd soaking it up alongside him.
Slendorn’s dream was realized when he opened Cult Fiction Underground in 2012 inside the East Nashville bar and curiosity shop Logue’s Black Raven Emporium. The room was a concrete box; the chairs were two rows of used theater seating, and the screening device was a mid-quality video projector, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. For nearly three years, C.F.U. screened grindhouse, underground, and independent films with titles like Devil Dog–The Hound of Hell, The Dorm That Dripped Blood, Frankenhooker, and Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare. Last month, S lendorn and cre w relocated Cult Fiction Underground into a brand new space down the road from Logue’s. Now they have a larger bar area, a bigger screen, and increased capacity with church pew seating. In addition to films, they host live music, poetry readings, comedy shows, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Walking Dead screening parties. There’s a visceral thrill in watching a forgotten relic in an intimate setting with a handful of kindred spirits. The Belcourt it ain’t, but it doesn’t aim to be. The appeal lies in being part of a collective experience, and there’s no place in Nashville like it. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN SCARPATI
Check show times at www.CultFictionUnderground.com. Tony Youngblood is the founder of the Circuit Benders’ Ball, a biennial celebration of free culture, art, music, and the creative spirit. He created the open-source, multi-artist, scalable “art tunnel” concept called M.A.P.s (ModularArtPods.com) and runs the experimental improv music blog and podcast www.TheatreIntangible.com.
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December 2014 | 37
Ben Caldwell Trunk Show
The Local Spotlight by Van Gill Maravalli Public Art Project Coordinator, Metro Nashville Arts Commission
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heck out just a few of the talented Nashvillians creating public art in their own neighborhoods this fall and winter. These projects in progress, art exhibits, and newly installed artworks are not to be missed!
PHOTOGRAPH BY STACEY IRVIN
December 12th & 13th 10:00 - 3:00
Public Art
Handlebar Moustache, Jenna Colt 715 Porter Road • Installed September 2014
As part of our city’s green and healthy living initiatives, Metro Arts commissions local and regional artists to design bicycle racks. The most recently installed bike rack Handlebar Moustache is a whimsical representation of Nashvillians’ love of facial hair and sense of humor. Jenna Colt says her design for the bike rack was inspired by “Heedful hirsute hipsters handily hitching hijackable handlebars hence hindering hypothetical hapless heists.” Our Town Nashville: Field Reports, Bryce McCloud Nashville Public Library Main Branch: Courtyard Gallery November 22, 2014 – April 12, 2015
For more than a year printmaker Bryce McCloud traveled to fifty locations around Nashville inviting people from all walks of life to participate in the Our Town public art project. Participants would create a self-portrait and then trade their portrait for a print of another participant’s portrait created at a previous location.
including
Ginkgo Leaf and new Tulip Poplar Leaf ornaments
4304 Charlotte Ave • Nashville, TN 615-298-4611 • www.lequiregallery.com
The Our Town Nashville: Field Reports exhibit will feature portraits and prints collected over the course of the project in addition to many of the custom-made tools used during the project. If you’ve ever wanted to get an up-close look at McCloud’s signature Our Town jumpsuit, now is your chance! The exhibit opened on November 22 in the Courtyard Gallery of the Nashville Public Library. Rise Above, Brenda Stein Bellevue Branch Library • Installation December 2014
The new Bellevue Branch Library will open in late January 2015 and include public artwork by wood turner and Bellevue resident Brenda Stein. Rise Above, Stein’s suspended wooden sculpture, is made of hackberry trees from the library site. It features nearly 90 birds soaring through the common area of the branch as well as a colorful mobile in the children’s area. Stein partnered with Made First, a local fabrication company, to execute her design. For more information about these and other public art projects visit publicart.nashville.gov.
38 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
NeLLie Jo
See the ColleCtion DeCember 5th
Radnor Lake
A L L
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COMMUNITY
EDUCATION
SPRING 2015
WATKINS
Photo by Nellie Jo Ranier
NashvilleArts.com
11/11/14 2:29 PM
watkins.edu/community-education 615.383.4848 community@watkins.edu
December 2014 | 39
2015 Antiques & Garden Show Rare Albert Hadley Prints to Be Auctioned A & G Preview Party • Auction January 29 by Emme Nelson Baxter
A
choice group of rare sketches by the late internationally renowned tastemaker Albert Hadley will be auctioned at the 2015 Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville next month at the Music City Center.
The Springfield, Tennessee, native won numerous international design accolades as a principal of Manhattan-based Parish-Hadley Associates. His seven decades of handiwork can be found in settings where restraint, flexibility, and contextual design are valued, from the White House to Park Avenue apartments to Palm Beach palaces. A-list clients included Kennedys, Astors, and Rockefellers. Architectural Digest once proclaimed that Hadley “taught America what style was all about.”
The silent auction of a dozen works is expected to occur during the A&G Show’s Preview Party on Thursday, January 29, 2015. One priceless lot: Hadley’s sketchbook from his time as a Parsons School of Design teacher in Italy and Paris. Specific sketches are currently being determined from the collection of interior designs and couture depictions—dresses, capes, and other garments. Hadley was keenly interested in fashion and had a longtime friendship and creative collaboration with the late Oscar de la Renta and his wife Annette—the 2015 show’s honorary chairmen.
A design mentor, Hadley imprinted his aesthetic DNA upon countless disciples, many of whom are now America’s finest interior designers. He died in 2012 at age 91.
Albert Hadley’s prints will be auctioned at the Antiques & Garden Show’s Preview Party on January 29, 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the Music City Center. Tickets to the Preview Party are $200 per person. Purchase tickets to the general admission show, January 30 to February 1, and Preview Party tickets at www.antiquesandgardenshow.com.
“Albert Hadley was the godfather of interiors,” says Julie Fleming, a Hadley family friend who is chairing A&G 2015 with Kae Gallagher. Hadley enjoyed a long relationship with the Nashville show. His leadership and vision brought national credibility and forward-thinking lecturers to the annual winter event, currently the largest of its kind in America with some 150 vendors and 12,000 visitors. He also cherished his only sibling, Nashvillian Betty Hadley, who envisioned the upcoming auction on behalf of Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum, an A&G Show beneficiary. The chairmen recently visited Betty Hadley in her home, where they pored over the sketches and admired the gracious rooms. “We felt so privileged to be able to physically look at his stunning thought process—as well as to be in a place he had designed and put so much love into,” Fleming said.
40 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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SILENCE STILLNESS SERENITY From Kathmandu to Green Hills, Tibetan Singing Bowls Come to Life in the Hands of Kent Cathcart by Michael Dukes Photography by Hunter Armistead
I
take two steps into Kent Cathcart’s Green Hills flat and stop, transfixed. Here, a stone’s throw from the traffic-swollen center of commerce I routinely navigate several times each week, lies a hidden oasis of tranquility. It’s as if the busy world outside has simply melted away. This meeting could be taking place a thousand miles from here. Or a thousand years. I’m greeted warmly by Cathcart and an amiable canine companion. Over a lifetime spanning nearly eighty years, the subject of this profile has assumed the roles of Trappist monk, musical event director, renegade drama teacher, father, and mystic. He has spent years in both New York and Los Angeles. Close friends include a long list of high-profile actors, writers, and spiritual luminaries. These days, life is decidedly more quiet: “I have lived in monasteries, and now I have created one here.” 42 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
“
Many of these bowls are 1,000, 1,200, even 1,600 years old,” Cathcart beams. “I say that I am a forest ranger, and they are the big trees. They have been around a lot longer than I.
”
Though I’ve come specifically to learn more about his collection of Tibetan bowls—rumored to be the largest in North America—there isn’t a single one in sight. The walls and tables are covered with paintings and photographs representing friends, family, and every major religious pathway. The place is filled with antiques and relics of all description. But where are the fabled bowls? It turns out they’re kept in a dedicated room. But first things first. Before I can see them, Cathcart and I must get to know one another. “People always ask me how I got involved in this,” Cathcart dives in. “In the mid 90s, one of my daughters lived in Northern California, on the San Juan Ridge in the High Sierras. I would visit her, and she lived in a lovely little cabin with propane and a water tank. All the people up there were living off the grid. Allen Ginsberg had a place. All kinds of people.
“When it arrived, I began to play with it, and something went wild within my heart. I was so moved by the sounds. That began the collection. And obviously, with any collector, you fall in love with what you’re collecting, or you wouldn’t do it.” And Cathcart fell hard. Before long, he’d forged connections with specialized experts who could provide a steady stream of precious bowls. When a new shipment of artifacts from Delhi or Kathmandu appeared in Los Angeles, Cathcart was among the first to know. He’d fly out to inspect the latest arrivals in person, selecting those that spoke to him most deeply. At last, we make our way into The Room. There must be seventy or more bowls—too many to count. They vary from a few inches in diameter to huge, deep specimens measuring at least eighteen inches across. Each rests on an ornate, red-silk pillow atop a wooden stand. “The monks made them to produce three different octaves at the same time. A good bowl is very profound. Some of these will resonate for two and a half to three minutes with just a light tap.” Cathcart guides me to a large leather chair, where I close my eyes. “The bowls will take you to silence, stillness, and serenity.”
“And in the midst of this clearing was a Zendo (Buddhist temple). I would go to meditate there, although I’m not a Buddhist. At one end was a beautiful altar. They had this large bowl. I would play it, and the vibration would just come through me. “A few months later, I was in Santa Fe for a religious conference. A friend of mine had a Tibetan singing bowl. I asked if he might be able to get me one. After months of waiting, finally the phone rang. And this voice on the other end of the phone said, ‘Kent, I have two or three singing bowls, and one of them is yours.’ I chose my first bowl over the phone.
Moving about the room, he softly strikes his musical treasures with an assortment of sticks and mallets. He coaxes combinations of thick overtones from others by gently rubbing their rims. The sounds are deep, complex, and powerful. They fill the room, taking what seems like forever to trail off into infinite space. It’s hard to imagine a visitor who wouldn’t be deeply moved by this experience, regardless of religious background or spiritual outlook. Have ten minutes passed since Cathcart tapped the first bowl to life? Half an hour? It dawns on me that time passage is no longer a relevant question. But then, Tibetan bowls will do that to you.
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 43
BILL DALE Local Potter’s Long-time Fascination with the Shape of the Egg Wins Him First Place at Tennessee Craft Spring Fair
20” x 17”
by Gracie Wise
B
ill Dale, a Nashville artist known for his large clay vessels, was named one of the “Best in Show” by the editors of Nashville Arts Magazine at the annual Tennessee Craft Fair in May. Dale’s vessels are visually appealing, both to the casual passerby and the critical observer, boasting earthy sawdust hues and intricately carved designs on the smooth clay exterior. Dale employs a hand-building method in the construction of his vessels, ensuring that each piece is really one of a kind. As he described it: “You can throw pieces on a wheel or you can build them up by hand like sculptures.” To accomplish this, Dale uses a method called “coiling,” in which he takes rope-like strands of clay and wraps them upwards to create the desired shape.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GUIDER
It is a long and laborious process; Dale admits that the construction alone can take up to twelve days. And he laughed when he told me that “pottery is not the way you make money.” Rather, he insisted that “it is a labor of love to work in such a slow, methodical way.” Dale’s work ranges from colored tiles to vase-like pieces, but he is primarily attracted to what he terms “the egg shape.” When explaining how he views the egg as the perfect form, the ideal shape, he quoted Alber t Camus,
12” x 12”
a twentieth-centur y writer who once said: “A person’s life purpose is nothing more than to rediscover, through the detours of art or love or passionate work, those one or two images in the presence of which his heart first opened.” For Dale, 6” x 2” this is the egg, the shape that represents “roundness, fullness, expansiveness.” Bill Dale’s involvement in the Tennessee Craft Fair goes back decades, to the early years right after he moved to Nashville in the 1970s. He recalls the community that the annual fair provided to him. It was the chance to meet other artists, to interact with those who had a similar desire to create beauty. After four of five years of participating in the fair, Dale stopped working with clay. At that point, he imagined he would never take it up again. But years later, he did, recognizing that “it was irresistible; it was too important.” For Dale, the opportunity to participate in the fair again is special. “I feel really lucky. I feel like I’ve come full circle. I’ve come back to the beginning.” Congratulations to Bill Dale, as well as Marilee Hall, for winning the Nashville Arts Magazine Best in Show at the 43rd annual Tennessee Craft Fair in May. To see more of Bill Dale’s ceramic sculptures and serving pieces, visit his website www.littlelaurelstudio.com.
44 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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December 2014 | 45 11/3/14 3:23 PM
Tomoko Kakeda, That is my/your Rhythm, 2014, Oil on canvas, 44” x 76”
Tomoko Kakeda and Chikara Yasui on a Cultural Excursion to Nashville by Sara Lee Burd
F
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY SCARL ATI
or the past six years, Tomoko Kakeda has been creating self-portraits that explore her relationship with her internal and external life, consciousness, and the physical body. Noting that her skin is her primary external form of communication, she explains the major paradox that informs her art—her appearance changes over time, but her mind and spirit still feel like the same person. Tomoko appreciates that death is part of life, and she uses her art as a way to prepare for her own death, to help her connect with the elements of nature and to consider the conflicts that arise as she and all humans pass through life’s stages. In Between World and Skin, she considers Chikara Yasui and Tomoko Kakeda whether she must be a mother to realize her natural potential as a woman. In That is my/your Rhythm, she presents herself in various yoga positions in a landscape made
of earth, flesh, and shrimp, all combined to represent her inner and outer self imbued with the world around her: “I’m like the shrimp. Which is really me, the shell or the body inside?” Tomoko and Chikara Yasui’s are visiting Nashville to inspire the next phase of their art. They are constantly working on their craft and seeking new ideas from the world around them. Tomoko is working on a series based on her relationship to the host family’s stories about the house where she’s staying, exploring the haunting feeling that the walls contain a history and now she is part of it. Nashville is Chikara’s first exposure to authentic USA culture. He speaks little English but is absorbing the landscape both geographic and social that he’s encountering for the first time. He notes that being in Nashville has given him a new,
46 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
deeper understanding of American culture and brought about a child-like nostalgia for his home country. It’s not that he misses home, but he now has a new lens to see the world, a comparison that he did not know existed before now.
Chikara is a self-taught artist but first felt he wanted to make his life about art when he was in high school. His work is mostly conceptual and often collaborative. Works such as Transformation of Target: Action 2 were made as part of Project NOW! an art book published to record artists’ works on the subject of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the nuclear exposure at the Fukushima nuclear plants after the 2011 earthquakes that rocked Japan. The white books arranged along a large stone with bonsai-like care are Chikara’s way of expressing the sense of what could have been and what remains. He is calling attention to the empty, leftover pieces of a place that was once filled with life. Chikara and Tomoko collaborated in a performance/installation in which they recorded the yearly day of mourning, August 6, for those lost in the atomic bombs in Hiroshima. They placed inkwells before long swaths of fabric to capture the footsteps, like woodblock prints of those making the pilgrimage into the city. The project recorded 1,000 people passing through the city to mourn and pray for peace. The linens produced through the performance and hung with aesthetic grace represent the beauty of community gathering despite the stark origins. Tomoko and Chikara must return to their home city of Hiroshima in December but plan to continue making work inspired by their experiences here. They are appreciative of the welcoming arts
Tomoko Kakeda, Between World and Skin, 2013, Oil on panel, 10” x 9”
community they have found in Nashville and are eager to continue making art that communicates the broader perspectives they’ve gained on themselves and the world. For more information about the artists visit their websites www.bit.ly/1xfVu1H and www.bit.ly/1ET55vL.
Chikara Yasui, Transformation of Target: Action 2, 2013, Fabric installation, dimensions variable
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 47
Mclaine Richardson and Master Metalsmith Anjy Smith
MCLAINE RICHARDSON The New Look at Margaret Ellis Jewelry Amanda Collar - Bronze, 12” circumference, adjustable 2” tall
by Karen Parr-Moody | Photography by Brett Warren
B
envenuto Cellini, the patron saint of goldsmithing, is represented by a bronze bust—his face stern, his hair wild—overlooking the river Arno in Florence, Italy. He seemingly dares a new generation of metalsmiths to take up the craftsman’s mantle. Mclaine Richardson accepted his dare. During her senior year of college she spent five months under Cellini’s watchful eye, studying at Lorenzo de’ Medici School in Florence. There the native Nashvillian learned to make jewelry with metalsmithing techniques that have changed little over centuries.
influence her future, for in 2013 Richardson took over a legacy brand when she bought Margaret Ellis Jewelry, the Nashville-based business founded in 1983 by Margaret Ellis. Striking a balance between the line’s heritage and the market’s demand for newness—as many Italian craftsmen have done for centuries—became Richardson’s new task.
At the time she could not know it, but such craftsmanship would 48 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
“I embody a more modern take on things, but we still have traditional customers,” Richardson says on a recent day from the firm’s Cummins Station studio. A classic beauty with glossy brown hair, Richardson wears around her neck a piece that is a Margaret Hexagon Stud Earrings, Bronze, sterling silver, and freshwater pearls, .5” x .5” x 1”
Eiffel Evo Necklace - Sterling Silver, Bronze, and Freshwater Pearls, 19” long
Then there are the necklaces in collar silhouettes, variations of a style that appeared on Valentine’s runway. Made of bronze and sterling pieces that could have been shorn from a gladiator’s breastplate, they are some of the thoroughly modern styles from the Opposites Attract collection.
Edward Tomlin, Master Metalsmith
Ellis staple: a necklace with a knife motif, one of the edgier pieces to come out of the studio. Richardson’s earrings are enhanced with ear jackets—each lobe bears one large freshwater pearl in grey and one in white. These are among her new designs from the Fall/Winter collection called Opposites Attract. “It’s based on the idea of contrasting the black-and-white pearls and black spinel,” she says. “Black spinel can be very hard and rough, and pearls can be smooth. I was trying to bring together the feminine aspects and the edgy aspects.”
One such necklace attracted a longtime customer’s eye. The stylish octogenarian had to have it. Richardson says, “She loved it because of the idea behind it—and it would hide her wrinkles.” With such styles, Richardson keeps the balance between tradition and modernity wrinkle free. Mclaine Richardson’s jewelry is available locally at Margaret Ellis and Nina Kuzina Gallery. For more information please visit www.margaretellisjewelry.com and www.ninakuzina.com.
Over the years Margaret Ellis Jewelry has been fabricated in sterling silver, bronze, 18-karat gold, and 22-karat gold; it is often festooned with various gemstones. Favored by fashion aficionados and those on the cusp of fashion, it appears in high-end boutiques and galleries worldwide.
Like Florence’s patron saint of goldsmithing, who was also a scholar and a soldier, Richardson represents Renaissance eclecticism. She gained a love of art throughout her thirteen years at University School of Nashville, then garnered business and art majors from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Her aesthetic is as eclectic as her studies.
“I love the sculptural elements throughout Florence,” she says. “But I actually get more inspiration from London and the northern countries throughout Europe—Denmark and Sweden. I like clean lines and more geometric shapes. That really speaks to me.” This modern influence was seen in the collaborative capsule collection that Richardson worked on with Nashville’s Amanda Valentine, a designer who appeared on the TV series Project Runway. Informed by Etruscan jewelry, this edgy collection included an ear cuff inspired by the fibulas that held togas in place. Six unique styles from the collection appeared on Valentine’s runway during Spring 2015 New York Fashion Week.
NashvilleArts.com
PHOTO BY FAIRLIGHT HUBBARD AND AMY PHILLIPS, EYE MANAGEMENT
Richardson joined Margaret Ellis in 2009 as a production metalsmith and speedily embraced design work. Before long, Ellis had a vision: Richardson should take over her jewelry line when she retired.
December 2014 | 49
Arts Worth Watching During December, NPT Offers Lots of Sights, Sounds, Tastes and Traditions through never-before-seen footage and interviews with his immediate family and Tony Bennett. Narrated by Stanley Tucci, American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered reveals a man far more complex than his public persona on Tuesday, December 2, at 7 p.m. and again on Friday, December 26, at 8 p.m.
The Grammy-nominated bluegrass group Dailey & Vincent is one of the top Bluegrass bands in America. Since 2007, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent have established themselves as fresh voices in their genre. On Wednesday, December 17, at 7 p.m. enjoy the strong instrumentals and beautiful harmonies of this award-winning pair in Dailey & Vincent – ALIVE!
Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Zac Brown, Mavis Staples, and John Legend perform in A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen. Friday, December 5, at 7 p.m.
December is filled with music on NPT. “The Boss” kicks things off with A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen. Recorded at 2013’s MusiCares® Person of the Year benefit, this special, airing Friday, December 5, at 7 p.m., features an all-star lineup performing Springsteen’s biggest hits, including “Because the Night,” “Born in the USA,” “Born to Run,” “Glory Days,” and “Thunder Road.”
Lift your spirit with host Bruce Feiler on unprecedented Sacred Journeys to the world’s most meaningful landscapes and rigorous religious pilgrimages. Journey to sacred sites cherished by billions and visited annually by hundreds of millions of pilgrims. Each episode follows a modern-day pilgrim on a private spiritual journey. New episodes air Tuesdays, December 16, 23, and 30, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. And what would the holidays be without plenty of delicious food? Join Chef Vivian Howard for a taste of the holidays as she serves up the best of her Southern cooking heritage and the Chanukah traditions her husband, Ben, grew up with. From a simple
Dailey & Vincent – ALIVE! airs on Wednesday, December 17, at 7 p.m.
corned ham to an upscale oyster dressing and an elegant red velvet cake, sample one of the most charming and delicious holiday celebrations of the season with A Chef ’s Life: Holiday Special on Thursday, December 25, at 9 p.m.
Say goodbye to 2014 in style and ring in the New Year with jazz great Dianne Reeves and Broadway leading man Norm Lewis in New York Philharmonic New Year’s Eve: A Gershwin Celebration. A rich selection of George Gershwin classics will be performed LIVE from Lincoln Center on Wednesday, December 31, at 7 p.m., including his Cuban Overture and Catfish Row, his own suite of music from Porgy and Bess. Why not make a New Year’s resolution to financially support great programming on NPT? Just go to wnpt.org and click the “donate now” button. TV worth watching is worth supporting.
Viewers can once again thrill to the soaring voice of beautiful young singing sensation Jackie Evancho. Jackie Evancho: Awakening – Live in Concert includes classical pieces, uplifting sacred music, Broadway favorites, and pop songs, including “Ave Maria,” “Rains of Castamere” from Game of Thrones, U2’s “With or Without You,” and “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera. Tune in on Tuesday, December 9, at 8:30 p.m. to enjoy this 14-year-old’s beautiful soprano voice and amazing range.
Nobody sings “ W hite Christmas” quite like Bing Crosby. Explore the life and legend of this iconic entertainer
Sacred Journeys airs Tuesdays, December 16, 23, and 30, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
50 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Weekend Schedule Saturday 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30
am Martha Speaks Angelina Ballerina Curious George Curious George Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Sesame Street Dinosaur Train Sewing with Nancy Sew It All Garden Smart Growing a Greener World Simply Ming Cook’s Country noon America’s Test Kitchen pm Victory Garden Edible Feast Sara’s Weeknight Meals Martha Bakes Fons & Porter’s Love of Quilting Best of Joy of Painting Woodsmith Shop American Woodshop Rough Cut with Tommy Mac This Old House Ask This Old House Hometime PBS NewsHour Weekend pm Tennessee’s Wild Side
THIS MONTH
December 2014
Nashville Public Television
Sunday 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 6:00 6:30
am Sid the Science Kid Peg + Cat Curious George Curious George Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Word World Sesame Street Dinosaur Train Tennessee’s Wild Side Volunteer Gardener Tennessee Crossroads A Word on Words Nature noon To the Contrary pm The McLaughlin Group Moyers & Company Washington Week with Gwen Ifill Globe Trekker California’s Gold Changing Seas America’s Heartland Rick Steves’ Europe Antiques Roadshow PBS NewsHour Weekend pm Charlie Rose: The Week
JACKIE EVANCHO
Awakening – Live in Concert Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson hosts this new special featuring the astoundingly beautiful voice of 14-year-old Jackie Evancho, who returns with a collection of songs from her new CD, Awakening. Tuesday, December 9 8:30pm
Daytime Schedule 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00
am Classical Stretch Body Electric Wild Kratts Wild Kratts Curious George Curious George Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Sesame Street Dinosaur Train Super Why! Peg + Cat Sid the Science Kid noon Caillou pm Thomas & Friends Sesame Street Shorts The Cat in the Hat Clifford the Big Red Dog Curious George Arthur Arthur Wild Kratts Odd Squad Martha Speaks WordGirl pm PBS NewsHour
Nashville Public Television
A Chef’s Life Holiday Special Doing what she knows best, Chef Vivian Howard hosts her own vision of the season’s celebrations. It’s the delicious stuff of memories... with a little bit of a twist. Tuesday, December 16 9:00 pm
Call the Midwife Holiday Special Rehearsals for a Sunday School Christmas concert are underway while the nurses and nuns of Nonnatus House bring in the new year, wondering what 1960 will bring. Thursday, December 25 7:30 pm
wnpt.org
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7:00 Antiques Roadshow Junk in the Trunk 4, Pt 2. 8:00 Great Performances Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! 9:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Return of the Warrior. 11:00 Being Poirot Reflections on the iconic series by actor David Suchet.
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7:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 3. 8:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 4. 9:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 5. 10:00 Bluegrass Underground Michael Martin Murphey. 10:30 Bluegrass Underground Chip Taylor. 11:00 Tavis Smiley 11:30 Scully/The World Show
7:00 Antiques Roadshow Junk in the Trunk 3. 8:00 My Music: Rock Rewind 1965-1967 9:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered Moments from seasons 1-4 and a peek at season 5. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Who’s That Bloke? 11:00 A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen From the 2013 MusiCare’s Man of the Year.
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7:00 Antiques Roadshow Junk in the Trunk 4, Pt 1. 8:30 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary Performances by America’s favorite folk musicians. 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Downhill Racer. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered Moments from seasons 1-4 and a tantalizing preview of season 5.
Monday
7:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 1. Enjoy rebroadcasts of Downton Abbey every Sunday night in December. 9:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 2. 10:00 Dr. Wayne Dyer: I Can See Clearly Now Personal stories and philosophical illustrations to help explain our life’s purpose.
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NOVA First Man on the Moon Wednesday, Dec 3 8:00 pm
Sunday
Primetime Evening Schedule
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7:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Lourdes. Injured vets search for healing. 8:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Shikoku. 9:00 Chef’s Life Holiday Special Deck the Halls Y’all. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Come In Sunray Major. 11:00 Dr. Fuhrman’s End Dieting Forever!
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7:00 Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas Holiday favorites from Dublin’s Helix Theatre. 8:30 Jackie Evancho: Awakening – Live In Concert Songs from her new CD, Awakening. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Happy Anniversary. 11:00 Wheat Belly Total Health With author Dr. William Davis.
7:00 Bing Crosby Rediscovered: American Masters Never-before-seen foottage and interviews. 9:00 Renée Fleming – Christmas In New York An unforgettable holiday music experience. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Welsh Ferret. 11:00 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary Folk musicians.
Tuesday
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17 7:00 Dailey & Vincent – Alive! Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent perform their unique style of bluegrass music on stage. 8:30 Bee Gees One Night Only 1997 Las Vegas concert. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine The Charity Ball. 11:00 Austin City Limits Rodrigo Y Gabriela.
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7:00 A Farm Winter Wit and wisdom from author Jerry Apps. 8:30 Classic Hollywood: Musicals Featuring some of the most iconic images ever recorded on film. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Higher in the World. 11:00 My Music: Rock Rewind 1965-1967 Archival performances of hits from the midSixties.
7:00 Nature: Best of Birds Celebrate Nature’s “allstar bird collection.” 8:00 NOVA First Man on the Moon. The personal story of Neil Armstrong. 9:30 Victor Borge’s Timeless Comedy! A new show of his funniest and most memorable skits. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Comeback Jack Harry. 11:00 Antiques Roadshow
Wednesday
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18 7:00 Tennessee Crossroads 7:30 Volunteer Gardener 8:00 Chef’s Life 8:30 Food Forward 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Walking Stiff Can. 11:00 The First Silent Night
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7:00 Being Poirot David Suchet reflects on 25 years as one of TV’s most iconic characters. 9:00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered Moments from seasons 1-4 and a preview of season 5.
7:00 My Music: Best of 50s Pop Top pop hits of the Fifties with Patti Page, The Crew Cuts and more. 9:00 Agatha Christie’s Poirot The Labours of Hercules. Poirot journeys to the Swiss Alps to lay a trap for an infamous art thief. 10:30 Last of Summer Wine 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Being Poirot
Thursday
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19 7:00 Christmas at Belmont Hosted by internationally renowned mezzo soprano Denyce Graves in Nashville. 8:00 Great Performances Encores! Great Performances at the Met. Unforgettable operatic arias. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Captain Zero. 11:00 Moyers & Company 11:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered
12 7:00 My Music: Big Band Years The biggest songs that got us through World War II. 9:00 Easy Yoga for Arthritis with Peggy Cappy 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Three Men and a Mangle. 11:30 Classic Hollywood: Musicals Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain and more. 11:00 Moyers & Company
7:00 A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen From the 2013 MusiCare’s Man of the Year benefit with performances of The Boss’ biggest hits. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Oh Shut Up. 11:00 Moyers & Company 11:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered
Friday
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7:00 Lawrence Welk Show Christmas. Celebrate Christmas with Lawrence, his Musical Family and their families. 8:00 Keeping Appearances 1991 Christmas Special. 8:30 Keeping Appearances 1993 Christmas Special. 9:30 NPT Favorites
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7:00 Victor Borge’s Timeless Comedy! Hosted by worldfamous violinist Itzhak Perlman. 8:30 Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas Timeless holiday favorites, filmed at Dublin’s Helix Theatre. 10:00 NPT Favorites
7:00 Tennessee Ernie Ford: Amazing Grace A new music special of his best performances. 8:30 My Music: Rock Rewind 1965-1967 Adam West hosts. 10:00 A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen From the 2013 MusiCare’s Man of the Year benefit featuring live performances with the E Street Band and many others.
Saturday
Nashville Public Television
wnpt.org
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7:00 NPT Favorites 8:00 Downton Abbey Season 5, Part 1. 9:15 The Manners of Downton Abbey A Masterpiece Special. 10:30 Craftsman’s Legacy The Basket Weaver. 11:00 Tavis Smiley 11:30 Scully/The World Show
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7:00 NPT Favorites 8:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 8. 10:00 Vicious Holiday Special. Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi star. 10:30 Craftsman’s Legacy The Boat Maker. 11:00 Tavis Smiley 11:30 Scully/The World Show
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7:00 Tales from the Royal Bedchamber Host Lucy Worsley uncovers our obsession with royals’ secrets. 8:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 6. 9:00 Downton Abbey Season 4, Part 7. 10:30 Craftsman’s Legacy The Book Maker. The making of fine art books. 11:00 Tavis Smiley 11:30 Scully/The World Show
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Classic Hollywood Musicals Wednesday, Dec 10 8:30 pm
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7:00 Live from Lincoln Center Gershwin Celebration at the New York Philharmonic with Dianne Reeves. 9:00 Michael Feinstein New Year’s Eve at the Rainbow Room Celebrity performances. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Quick,Quick,Slow. 11:00 Austin City Limits Radiohead.
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7:00 Nature The Himalayas. 8:00 NOVA Building The Great Cathedrals. 9:00 NOVA Great Cathedral Mystery. How was the Duomo in Florence built? 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine The Empire That Foggy Nearly Built. 11:00 Austin City Limits Tom Waits.
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Nashville Public Television
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7:00 Lawrence Welk Show Roses. 8:00 Keeping Appearances The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket. 9:00 NPT Favorites 11:00 Globe Trekker Globe Trekker Special: Great Natural Wonders.
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7:00 Lawrence Welk Show New Year’s. “Auld Lang Syne” and more. 8:00 Keeping Appearances 1995 Christmas Special. 8:30 Keeping Appearances 1994 Christmas Special. 11:30 Globe Trekker Globe Trekker Special: World War II. European sites that played a major role in World War II, from Auschwitz to the Normandy beaches.
American Masters Bing Crosby Rediscovered Friday, Dec 26 8:00 pm
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7:00 NPT Favorites 8:00 Billy Joel The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize. In performance at the White House. 9:00 Carole King The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine 11:00 Moyers & Company 11:30 TN Civil War 150: Wessyngton Plantation
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7:00 Return to the Wild – The Chris McCandless Story 8:00 Bing Crosby Rediscovered: American Masters His life and legend. 9:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Roll On. 11:00 Moyers & Company 11:30 Next Door Neighbors: New Beginnings
Return to the Wild: The Chris McCandless Story Friday, Dec 26 7:00 pm
7:00 Tennessee Crossroads 7:30 Volunteer Gardener 8:00 Great Performances Live from Vienna. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Cash Flow. 11:00 Road to Fame Broadway musical “Fame” performed by Chinese students.
JANUARY
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7:00 Tennessee Crossroads 7:30 Call The Midwife Holiday Special 9:00 Chef’s Life Holiday Special Deck the Halls Y’all! New twists on holiday recipes. 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Marice Chevalier Impression. 11:00 The National Christmas Tree Lighting 2014
Visit wnpt.org for complete 24-hour schedules for NPT and NPT2
Downton Abbey Season 4 Sundays in December 7:00 pm
7:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Kumbh Mela. 8:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Osun-Osogbo. 9:00 Frontline From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Pt.2). The epic story of the rise of Christianity. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Katmai: Alaska’s Wild Peninsula
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7:00 Antiques Roadshow House Treasures. 8:00 Antiques Roadshow Phoenix, AZ - Hour 2. 9:00 Independent Lens Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. How Arnel Pineda became lead singer of rock band Journey. 10:30 Last of Summer Wine A Landlady for Smiler. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Aging Matters: Caregiving
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7:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Jerusalem. 8:00 Sacred Journeys with Bruce Feiler Hajj. The city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. 9:00 Frontline From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Pt.1). The epic story of the rise of Christianity. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Downton Abbey Rediscovered
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7:00 Antiques Roadshow The Boomer Years. 8:00 Antiques Roadshow Phoenix, AZ - Hour 1. 9:00 Independent Lens The Trials of Muhammad Ali. A look at his years as a wartime dissenter. 10:30 Last of Summer Wine Das (Welly) Boot. 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 TN Civil War 150: Desperate Days
We Are Skybound, Are You Coming?, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 4’ x 8’
Carla Ciuffo no safety net required by Cat Acree
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hoto artist Carla Ciuffo cannot resist the beckoning call of a little danger. Things that are beautiful are not always to be trusted—but we just can’t help ourselves. “I think of carnivals . . . that seedy, wonderful kind of dare that a carnival has,” says Ciuffo. “It kind of dares you to come in.”
Lights Will Guide You Home, 2014, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 5’ x 4’
The Elders, 2014, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 5’ x 5’
We’ve seen danger in her work before, as in her series Pandora’s Jar, which features children breaking the seal and spilling the contents of forbidden jars. Her Stasis series, which is now accompanied by its photonegative twin Stasis Black, falls somewhere between soft and threatening. “There’s a sweetness about the series but also something slightly ominous or almost disconcerting,” says the artist. “You’re not quite sure. You want to enter into it, but you’re not quite sure if you’ll be safe, like Alice in Through the Looking-Glass.”
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If you look closely at the composite photographs in Stasis, you’ll notice tiny human bodies drifting like caraway seeds tossed in the wind. These black-and-white images feel like they should be full of movement, but as these minuscule humans float within an enormous
Lily and the Line, 2014, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 3’ x 3’
These black-and-white images feel like they should be full of movement, but as these minuscule humans float amid an enormous garden, it feels like something is about to happen, but hasn’t yet.
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Sea of Love, 2014, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 5’ x 5’
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garden, it feels like something is about to happen but hasn’t yet. Perhaps they’re diving headlong into the void, or perhaps they’re ascending. Are they heavenly bodies, or are they damned? It’s not clear, as this in-between moment absolves them of judgment. And with the human subjects free from gravity (literally and figuratively), the dandelions and wintry trees can bear as much emotional weight as the fragile human bodies. “There’s something about a dandelion that’s so transient and lasts a short time,” says Ciuffo. “They’re so beautiful, and yet they’re weeds—yet they’re so magical.” The same goes for trees, which exist in a constant state of cyclical transition and here are caught halfway through the process of shedding their leaves. Ciuffo’s unexpected and otherworldly imager y finds harmony between two disparate times in her life, from her graphic arts career in New York City and from her passion for photographing light while living in Sedona, Arizona. She has been creating photographic art for nine years, since picking up her first cheap Olympus camera after the death of her mother. She moved to Nashville with her wife in 2009 and has been represented by Tinney Contemporary for almost three years. “There’s a beauty in this place, and it comes from the heart,” says Ciuffo. “It’s a tough place, too. It’s not an easy place. With New York, people come in, they are attracted to new things very quickly. With Tennessee, it’s a wait-and-see. I had to adjust to a different kind of expectation when it comes to getting to know people.” Ciuffo’s photo art stands in a category all its own, and proudly. Says Ciuffo, “The people that have infused me with incredible enthusiasm are . . . contemporary photographers who have just pushed the limits. Photography is [an] art form that’s so fluid. It morphs, and that’s the beauty of it. Photography should provoke, as all art should provoke. It should push the boundaries. It should be whatever it wants to be. I would never expect [any more or less] from any art form.”
Rejoice, 2014, Archival print mounted to acrylic, 5’ x 4’
Carla Ciuffo’s exhibit, Stasis: Heavenly B o d i e s N e w Wo r k s b y C a r l a C i u f f o , o p e n s a t T i n n ey C o n t e m p o r a r y o n December 6 with a reception at 6 p.m. It will remain on view through January 15. For more information please visit www.tinneycontemporary.com.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN JACKSON
For Ciuffo’s part, these images beckon: Come one, come all.
Carla Ciuffo NashvilleArts.com
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Tennessee State Museum December 13, 2014 - June 7, 2015 Free Admission
The Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee
A new body of work from the internationally acclaimed artist will also be on view.
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2160 Bandywood dr nashville, Tn 37215 615-298-1404 w w w . wa r d - p o T T s . c o m
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find us on faceBook
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Located at Fifth Avenue & Deaderick Street Downtown Nashville tnmuseum.org 615 • 741• 2692 Open Daily (Closed Mondays)
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Skirmish at the Split Rail Fence, 2014, Oil on canvas, 50” x 60“
When J ohnny C omes M arching H ome Red Grooms: The Blue and the Grey Opens at Tennessee State Museum
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December 13 through June 7, 2015
by Robert Hicks | Photography by Jerry Atnip
aybe it was William Faulkner who best explained Red Grooms’s passion for the American Civil War when he wrote: “It’s all now you see. Yesterday won’t be over until tomorrow and tomorrow began ten thousand years ago. For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it’s still not yet two o’clock on that July afternoon in
1863 . . . it hasn’t happened yet, it hasn’t even begun yet, it not only hasn’t begun yet but there is still time for it not to begin against that position and those circumstances . . . yet it’s going to begin, we all know that, we have come too far with too much at stake and that moment doesn’t need even a fourteen-year-old boy to think This time. Maybe this time with all this much to lose and all this much to gain . . . ” writing of Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg in Intruder in the Dust in 1948.
NashvilleArts.com
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Of course, Faulkner could not have been speaking of Red, in particular, for Red was eleven years old that year, not fourteen. Yet, he has somehow captured the passion that Red had for the Civil War, as a boy. A passion that Faulkner explained was, at least in those days, almost universal among young, white boys in the South. With passion and imagination in tow, Red Grooms and his peers were somehow transported by history to the battlefields of the past. You see it being told in a painting he did at twelve called Civil War as the Lincoln of the Lincoln Memorial sits amid the scenes of the chaos of war. For most of those fourteen year olds that Faulkner spoke of, the American Civil War would eventually be put away along with a kickball and sleds, scout uniforms and bicycles. Passions would fade in time, and with each passing year it would be harder to conjure up how it had felt to charge at Gettysburg or see Albert Sidney Johnston hit at Shiloh. Fortunately for us, Red Grooms never completely left his passion for the Civil War on a playing field or in a closet filled with the past. Like the boys Faulkner spoke so elegantly of, Red grew up in a South where “the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.”
Red grew up in a South where “the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.” Painting Civil War scenes as a boy, Red was able to keep that link to history alive. Yet, in time, he did move on north, to New York, where he continued to study art and eventually built a world-class career. His work has always been filled with ‘life’—whether depicting the myriad personalities who have captured his interest or some chaotic tableau of urban existence. In his near fifty years as an artist, Red has never lost that sense of the ironic that comes with youth and, in his case, the heady days of post-war America. Humor about life, itself, has never faded from his work. For even now, so many years later, there remains a clear ‘youthfulness’ to his creations. It is appropriate that Red has now returned to a past he never really left as he passionately depicts the scenes and personalities of the American Civil War in this body of paintings and constructions. Like his great contemporary urban scenes, much of his Civil War work seems frantic in its creation. Yet, in truth, like all the rest of Red’s work over the years, there is a real sense of the deliberation of a trained, seasoned artist at work to these scenes and portraits, both in his choice of whom they depict and in their very creation. Battle of Shiloh, 2014, Acrylic on canvas, 72” x 96”
NashvilleArts.com
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The Federal Garrison at Fort Negley (detail), 2014, Acrylic and ink on wood, 6” x 12”
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ed says the Civil War series, which is about a portion of an even larger body of work he is creating, was not born out of a visit to a battlefield, but out of a visit to a shop on Bloom Street in New York around 1998. While making his way through the shop, Red came upon some old frames. As he and his wife, Lysiane, were in the process of building a home and studio up on the Cumberland Plateau at the time, his new work in these old frames seemed somehow rooted to his past, to Tennessee. Painting Civil War scenes to fill these old frames began to have what he describes as a “Tennessee-like mythical” quality. As the studio was being built, Red found himself picking up scraps of wood to use in the construction of the work and eventually building many of the frames himself.
General Kirby Smith, 2014, Acrylic on wood, 11” x 8”
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each character has been carefully placed into the scene. Every bit of the chaos has been planned.
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(Right) The Pivot Gun of the Wissachikon and Crew, 2002, Oil on wood, 18” x 33” 62 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
memoir to come out of the war.” In using these eyewitness accounts, Red has constructed epic battle scenes at the heart of the show.
General Grant Checks His Watch, 2010, Acrylic on tree trunk, 15” x 14” x 6”
His fascination with old photographs, going back to childhood, would prove to be the source of so many of the portraits within the show. As the Civil War was one of the very first wars to be documented by photography, Red had hundreds of images to choose from. My choice among his portraits might be his U.S. Grant image on a slice of a log. There is w e a r i n e s s t o G r a n t ’s demeanor, and truth is, there are many photographs of Grant simply looking tired and worn by war.
My favorite is his Battle of Shiloh. Standing before it, we’re reminded of those great battle frescos found in Renaissance palazzos. And like those Italian frescos, you soon realize that each character has been carefully placed into the scene. Every bit of the chaos has been planned. In the end, maybe that is what Red Grooms has always done best, whether portraying New York at rush hour or a battlefield in Tennessee; it’s about planning out the chaos of our lives and our history, for “It’s all now you see. Yesterday won’t be over until tomorrow. . . . ”
Filling in the missing gaps for Red were firsthand accounts of the war, like Sam Watson’s Co. Aytch, a book that Margaret Mitchell once described as the “most affectionate personal
Civil War by a 12 Year Old Boy, 1949, Colored pencil on paper, 29” x 23”
Red Grooms
NashvilleArts.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY ATNIP
Red Grooms: The Blue and the Grey will be on exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum December 13 through June 7, 2015. For more information please visit www.tnmuseum.org.
December 2014 | 63
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Windwing, 2012, Oil on canvas, 36” x 24”
Wonder & Whimsy The Abstract World of Susan Truex
by Catherine B. Randall
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hat makes S usan Blair Tr ue x ’s paint ings stand apart from other artists is her distinct manipulations with oil on the canvas and her unique figurative narratives. Truex works in several mediums, including pastel, charcoal, graphite, and acrylic. It is her expertise with watercolor, however, that transforms her oil work, giving her subjects an ethereal, dreamlike quality. “I approached the majority of paintings with a specific manipulation of the oil paint, which allows me to start with very thin applications—much like a watercolor wash,” Truex says.
Peter Pan happened this way. After viewing the golden latticework, she knew her subject. “I did a pour and it looked like a divided tree branch where a little boy would sit. I wanted to create a modern Peter Pan, older than the storybook, a young man with a kind of arrogance you can only have when you don’t understand what you don’t know yet.”
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I do the background first then I decide what lives there. The art dictates this, not the other way around.
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NashvilleArts.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTOPHER HAMRICK
She dilutes the paint with mineral sprits and drips and pours the mixture onto the canvas. This creates a network of threads as she turns the canvas vertically and horizontally and allows the paint to run the surface freely. Sometimes she sets blobs of paint to bloom, to blend until fuzzy-edged. After the background satisfies her, she sits with the results before selecting her subject. “I do the background first, then I decide what lives there,” Truex says. The art dictates to her, not the other way around.
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Arrival of Black Swans, Oil on canvas, 40” x 30”
The final process is the glaze she applies in multiple layers. The semi-transparent colors produce a glass-like luminosity and depth. This depth invites the viewer to cross that threshold of the fourth wall and enter the scene. “When you do these pours you can choose to integrate the subject or let it step forward using the illusion the pattern creates,” Truex says. The painting of an almost whimsical cat is a fine example of the integration of the pour into the subject, or is it vice versa? The amber and brown filaments form the body of the animal, while
the jungle-like pattern on the dusky back and the sunlit chest appears deliberately and painstakingly placed, not the uncontrolled method she describes. The texture below marbles out the ground, and the cobwebbed scaffolding above becomes perfect tree trunks for umber leaves. The shocks of turquoise show off the abstract and expressionistic style that is unique to Truex’s art.
In addition to her uncommon technique, Truex often conveys a story in her work. Color floods the page in bursts of red, yellows, greens, and meandering ribbons; hidden silhouettes of the creatures and characters she imagines take form. Several of her paintings have
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this same quality of the imaginative with the realistic. Tree trunks look like long giraffe necks, rabbits wait for moons, piglets laugh, and even the landscapes and poppies have personality. Frost on Moon Hill is an upward fusion of the tracings of the pour that forms the underground, which in turn gives birth to the frosted white grass and grey birch-wood trees in a canopy of moon shower. The effect is that of a netherworld. She prefers abstract expressionism because she likes the blur of realism, abstract meaning, and story. “These things invite the viewer in,” Truex says, to interpret for themselves the significance and intention of the work. Truex works with a mirror behind her in her studio when she paints and consults the reflected image. “I turn around and look at it from
Mancat, 2014, Oil on canvas, 28” x 22”
The Mobius, 2014, Oil on canvas, 36” x 24”
a distance, which gives a fifteen- to twenty-foot visual variation. This gives the work a Gestalt approach, to see the composition and the value—particularly with the complex things like the pours—see where it’s heavy and light,” Truex says. It is the uncontrollable nature of the pours and blooms that prevents her from being “rigid” and keeps her open to the images the work dictates.
She has her favorite subjects: “I love women, children, and animals because I understand them.” Bunnies wait under a moon; lambs, dogs, and crows interact in relationship to female forms; trees stand sentinel for a turning point, and sunflowers bloom and weep purple. Her work is a beautiful intermingling of medium techniques and story, which calls viewers into the piece. Her art lingers in the mind long after the encounter, haunting like a sweet memory. For more information about Susan Truex visit www.truexstudio.com, or visit Gallery 202 in Franklin, Tennessee www.gallery202art.com.
Peter Pan, 2013, Oil on canvas, 36” x 28”
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PHOTOGRAPH BY ROB LINDSAY
The Places Between
CHARLOTTE TERRELL
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by Megan Kelly
A tmosphere
and
hen I first meet Charlotte Terrell, she’s busy at work leaning over a painting, applying meticulous layers of linseed-oil glazing to the birch panel before her. A thoughtful and generous host, Terrell quickly welcomes me, but I come to understand that catching the artist working is common with Terrell, who says she paints “at least five days a week. I get up, I exercise, and then I paint.” It’s a daily ritual of structure that makes sense as I spend time in her studio, where each item has its own place and hierarchy. “When I first began painting, a mentor told me that deciding to focus on painting was going to be work enough. I shouldn’t let my tools,
L andscape
my space, or anything stand in my way.” The result is a bright, tidy, organized space, one that lets the work speak before us and have dialogue with the others in progress around it. As Terrell explains, “Having a familiarity with my tools, my space, frees me to be open to image, to expand the painting.” The same careful attention, balanced with the immediacy of working, is required for Terrell’s pieces, which start with generous layers of colored plaster spread with trowels. Like the Dutch and Italian masterworks she favors, the process allows Terrell to compose a base structure in shades and tints, a method of generating an underpainting that pulls from the historical painting tradition of grisaille. Using monochromatic approaches to developing a
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palette of soft, subtle grays and gentle warmth, Terrell lays down sturdy layers of plaster that visually feel velvety and supple. In this act of constraint, Terrell’s skill flourishes: she finds the act of joyful limitation in hue opens the composition of a piece. “I enjoy existing in the space where I can take a bit of this and blend with that, creating these magnificent grays that are responsive and individual to the piece.” Joyfully mixing as we speak, Terrell pulls her favorite hues to the surface, displaying an awareness of created, hand-mixed color that allows her to pursue an intuitive mode of working, complementing her sensitivity to atmosphere.
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efore finding painting, Terrell worked in New York as a landscape architect, working on projects such as the restoration of Central Park. The work of reimagining physical spaces continues to be a major influence in her own work. The landscapes she portrays draw from memories of spaces and imagined atmospheres, from her own projects as a landscape architect to early memories of lakes and waterways. Moving into painting with fingers, cheesecloth, and badger-hair brushes—“tools that were already a part of my vocabulary” from a career of decorative and restoration painting—Terrell heightens the details in subtle ways, acknowledging an “acceptance of the sweetness of melancholy, of introspection and reflection” and relishing the ambiguity of the blur. “I love when things exist in this ‘between place’,” Terrell says, pointing to favored places on partially finished panels. “It’s the space between clarity and question, old versus new, fog or land, the place where you embrace that you don’t know.” It’s a romanticism
Lonesome Place (detail), Oil on canvas, 36” x 36”
Without Strife, Oil on canvas, 30” x 42”
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 69
to landscape that feels at home in a Jane Austen novel or Edith Wharton setting, creating sudden surges in tree trunks and brush that swim up, recognizable, from the painting’s misty shores, giving the viewer tiny places to inhabit.
“permission to be present here.” It’s no surprise that the resulting paintings feel both grounded and ephemeral, coaxing glistening color and fluidity from the plaster surface thanks to Terrell’s process of “feeding” the plaster and oil with glazes of linseed and Liquin. Terrell is completely present and absorbed when creating the ground, and, as a result, the space itself reflects that presence, calling for the viewer to find home within.
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udience forms a fundamental joy for Terrell in painting, and she loves knowing how people respond to the work. When creating the landscape, “I am seeking the ‘Universally Familiar’,” Terrell says, “so I love hearing how the audience takes a cedar tree or Ideal Grace, Oil on canvas, 30” x 40” a shoreline and writes their own narrative for it. I see Mississippi, while they see Italy. We each bring our memories to where we are when we look at the work.” It’s a purposeful moment of reflection that Terrell loves to encourage in audiences—to hear the work “through the language a viewer brings to it”—as much of her own act of working is based on the philosophy of giving herself
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F o r t h e f u l l ex p e r i e n c e o f Terrell’s luscious glazing layers a n d s u b t l e s h i f t s i n c o l o r, view her work during her solo exhibition at Bennett Galleries and Company in Knoxville, on display until January 2015. Her work is also carried by Bennett Galleries in Nashville, Pryor Fine Art in Atlanta, Quidley and Company in Nantucket and Boston, and Atelier Gallery in Charleston. Examples of Terrell’s current body of exploration can be seen at www.charlotteterrell.com.
I love when things exist in this ‘between place’. It’s the space between clarity and question, old versus new, fog or land, the place where you embrace what you don’t know.
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My Joy Secure, Oil on canvas, 36” x 48” 70 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
representing
C harlot te terrell
Song of Praise, 48� x 60�
2104 Crestmoor Road in Green Hills Nashville, TN 37215 Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30 to 5:30 Sat 9:30 to 5:00 Phone: 615-297-3201 www.bennettgalleriesnashville.com
NashvilleArts.com
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American Realism An Intimate Look Haynes Galleries • through December 20
A Holiday Show
of
Petite Art
by Gracie Wise
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t is often the smallest, most intimate works that are the most remembered, and Haynes Galleries is reminding art enthusiasts of that with an impressive collection of miniatures just in time for the holidays.
The exhibition, entitled A Treasure Trove of Real Art, displays art by over twenty renowned artists, focusing on works of smaller dimensions. The result is a compilation of poignant pieces with unrivaled attention to detail and technique. The art is arranged in a salon style with pieces in close proximity to one another, offering an intimate experience for the viewer. For gallery owner Gary Haynes, the show extends a reminder “that a picture doesn’t have to be big to be memorable. The smallest pieces are sometimes the ones that stay with you the longest, like a treasured jewel or memento.” Haynes Galleries is well known for the quality of the work it features, bringing in pieces by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, Carl Sublett, and Zoey Frank in recent shows. The gallery primarily focuses on American Realist art from
Carla Crawford, Mary Ann, Oil on linen, 10” x 8”
the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries and has become a resource for collectors and admirers alike since its opening in 2010. The pieces displayed in the holiday show A Treasure Trove of Real Art continue the standard of superb quality that Haynes Galleries is
Peter Poskas, Draft Horses, Bethlehem Fair, Oil on panel, 12” x 19” 72 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Cindy Procious, Moon Pie, Oil on panel, 16” x 20”
recognized for. From the group of artists that will be featured comes an assortment of backgrounds, styles, and subjects. As Gary Haynes says, the works represent “a cross section of still life to landscape to Impressionism.”
Artist Stephen Bauman, for example, represents an unlikely juxtaposition of influences, gathering inspiration from his classical training in Florence as well as the technique of modern graffiti. For him, the “linear gesture and rhythmic shapes” that characterize graffiti
The smallest pieces are sometimes the ones that stay with you the longest, like a treasured jewel or memento. offer the perfect lens with which to view the shape of the human body. These traditions come together in his piece, Nelle, in which Bauman details the human form with exceptional precision and grace. The show will also feature artist Marc Dalessio, whose blend of French Academic painting technique and Californian Impressionism
Marc Dalessio, Street Scene with Flags, Oil on panel, 12” x 8”
results in the broad, reverent strokes of Street Scene with Flags. Alongside Dalessio’s landscape rests one of Carla Crawford’s oil paintings, a work that stems from her reflections on “small scenes of intimacy” as she puts it—“quiet moments of contemplation, times of rest, half-eaten food, or the face of a friend lost in thought.” Ellen Cooper’s work also focuses on the human face, a subject which she claims springs from her fascination with people and their story, how a physical form or expression can reveal life experiences and personality. Her art offers viewers a chance to connect with that story: “My hope for the viewer is that they might slow down, stop for a moment, turn off the world and let go, lose themselves in the image, travel over the form of the subject through painted marks, and find something embedded there that is worth the journey.” The reminder to appreciate the small things is persuasive in light of the exquisite intentionality demonstrated in these petite yet masterful pieces. From the impressionistic landscapes of Emile Gruppe to E.P. Lewandowski’s colored-pencil canvases, A Treasure Trove of Real Art creates a space for pausing, for reflection, for the admiration of beauty and small moments amidst the holiday season.
Michael Theise, The Fruits of Whose Labor, Oil on panel, 11” x 14”
A Treasure Trove of Real Art will be on display at Haynes Galleries, located on the Music Row roundabout in downtown Nashville, until December 20. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment. The exhibition is free and open to the public. www.haynesgalleries.com NashvilleArts.com
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A PORTRAIT SHOULD BE MORE THAN A LIKENESS. HAYNES GALLERIES OFFERS A DISTINGUISHED ROSTER OF ARTISTS FOR COMMISSIONED PORTRAITS.
SETH HAVERKAMP, B.1980. HER GIRAFFE. OIL ON PANEL. 36 x 30 INCHES. INQUIRIES: GARYHAYNES@HAYNESGALLERIES.COM OR PHONE 615.430.8147 OR 615.312.7000. HAYNESGALLERIES.COM GALLERIES: ON THE MUSIC ROW ROUNDABOUT IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE AND SEASONALLY IN THOMASTON, MAINE
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BLAIR CONCERT SERIES 2014-2015
WINTER JAZZ SHOWCASE Thursday. December 4 8:00 p.m., Ingram Hall THE BLAIR BIG BAND RYAN MIDDAGH, DIRECTOR Warm up the winter nights with come cool, hot jazz as the Blair Big Band and Nashville Jazz Orchestra join musical forces.
&
NASHVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA JIM WILLIAMSON, DIRECTOR
TICKETS: $20 adults; $15 seniors (65+) and Vanderbilt faculty and staff; free for students with ID. Tickets available at the door.
Presented with gratitude to Melissa and Scot Hollmann and to an anonymous Blair School graduate for their generous support
Details about the Fall 2014 concert series may be found at blair.vanderbilt.edu All concerts at the Blair School of Music are free and open to the public unless specifically stated otherwise. For complete details about all the upcoming events at Blair, visit our website at blair.vanderbilt.edu
FRIDAY, NOV 14 AT 7:30 • SUNDAY, NOV 16 AT 2:00 BLAIR SCHOOL OF MUSIC, INGRAM HALL
2400 Blakemore Ave. Nashville, TN 37212
BlairSchool_1214Q.indd 1
admission is free
11/10/14 4:10 PM
w h e re a r t m e et s t h e e m o t i o n of s o u n d
h a l s i g n a t u re o u ra g a n t u r n ta bl e
atelier 13
geneve - nashville
(615) 881 0427
Gre en Hills
www.atelier13-usa.com
a s e l e c t i o n of t h e wo r l d ' s fin e s t s o u n d re p ro d u c t i o n co m p o n e n t s
The Sonic Equation Atelier 13 Pushes the Boundaries of High Fidelity
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by Michael Dukes | Photograph by John Scarpati
n 1974, $3,000 was a lot of money. But by the time Cornell University student Konstantin Gregg-Saad managed to squirrel away that much, he knew exactly how to spend it. This was the 70s, after all. Naturally, he bought his first stereo system—a really nice one. The mysterious circuitry filling those boxes of wood and metal brought recordings to life in a way Gregg-Saad had never imagined. The emotional connection with the music was breathtaking. “I was hooked. Soon I started building gear from kits,” he recalls. “Then I progressed into building my own gear or modifying everything I could get my hands on. I learned that changing even the smallest component can have a profound influence on the sound. It was, and still is, a wonderful hobby.”
About ten years out of college, he saw an opportunity to connect even more deeply with the gear he obsessed over. Soon many of audio’s most elite manufacturers had found themselves an enthusiastic Swiss distributor. “I still had my corporate job, so I hired a couple of audio geeks to run the audio business for me. My banker wife graciously did the books. This went on for ten or twelve years, till I got a promotion that required a move from Geneva to London. At that point, I figured I couldn’t keep doing this other thing on the side. It was time to move on.” Fast-forward to 2011. A high-flying business career now comfortably behind him, the Belgian-Swiss tinkerer and his wife decided to leave Europe for an unlikely retirement destination—his wife’s home state of Tennessee. (left) Avantgarde Duo Grosso Loudspeaker
“We came to Nashville, looked around, and said, let’s try this. After thirty-five years of living in Switzerland and London, here we were in Music City. To keep busy, I started coaching and mentoring start-ups and advising smaller firms on strategy. But I still needed something more to do. It was actually my wife who suggested I get back into the high-end audio world, because she knew how much I loved it. It is also true that when I retired after years of being away from home on business, she was not used to having me around 24/7/365.
When I suggest that a music industry hub like Nashville must be an ideal location for a concept like Atelier 13’s, Gregg-Saad smiles and shakes his head. “The reality is that one doesn’t follow the other,” he explains. “One group makes the music, and the other one listens to it.
“The truly hard-core music lovers embrace all genres of music—those I’ve met anyway. They also tend to love art. Dance. All forms of creative expression. Many happen to be intellectuals. They are thinkers. They are feelers. All of it is stimulation, whether to the ears or to the eyes, and ultimately to the soul.” And that explains why so much of the gear filling the place looks like art.
“My return to audio invol ved advising and assisting manufacturers develop and position products for the US market. Here, and as with my involvement with coaching and mentoring start-ups and advising on strategy, my contribution is strictly pro bono, or what is locally known as paying it forward. This was the easy part. My second audio project, Atelier 13, was another matter.
“Every audio system is a sonic equation, and the parts that make up the chain have to be carefully put together if the system is to sing. This is true whether one’s investment is $4,000 or $500,000. Most music lovers have never experienced what such singing systems sound like and the sheer pleasure they can bring to life. At ‘Atelier’, the French word for workshop, we’re all about solving sonic equations and bringing this greater musical dimension into people’s lives.
I had no idea what Nashville’s audio scene would be like or how it would respond to the Atelier 13 concept. It was a grand experiment.
“The idea was to make this not a commercial space, but more of a cultural audio place—actually my space—where “One of the most painful aspects of I could have people over, share my audio bringing a piece of audio gear into your experience, and make new friends. A place to Pathos Classic One MK III Amplifier living room was that they always tended to be ugly. It wasn’t till very recently that industrial design hang out, where the emphasis most definitely is not on the sale. The became a requirement. Today, a phone needs to look decent. commercial side is separate and is done online via our website. After A computer has to look nice. Even the coffee machines look all, I didn’t come into this with the mindset that I needed to make a increasingly fantastic! living from it. I was free to focus on, and share, what I loved most about audio—the music.
His solution? Locate the venue in a dedicated residence on a quiet cul-de-sac, where he could be “at home away from home. I was wanting a man cave for myself anyway, and, after looking at forty houses, I found this one. It has the right walls, the right shape of rooms, the right number of rooms. And it isn’t far from where I live.”
“I think audio gear has to combine form and function. To the extent that you can actually give a functional thing a form that is pleasing, more and more this is happening. Manufacturers are finally beginning to understand that there is this other dimension.” Increasingly, so are the music lovers.
To learn more please visit www.atelier13-usa.com.
“
Every audio system is a sonic equation, and the parts that make up the chain have to be carefully put together, if the system is to sing.
”
Pathos Endorphin CD Player
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 77
Who’s That Sitting Next To You? A letter to Nashville Arts Magazine from Michael Shane Neal
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ecently a remarkable man, of worldwide fame, slipped in and out of our great city with barely a notice . . . all by design.
He is my mentor, my friend, my “art dad,” and the most talented artist I have ever known. New York’s legendary artist and acclaimed portrait painter Everett Raymond Kinstler, along with his wife, Peggy, spent a few days in Green Hills. Talking art, hanging out in my studio, reconnecting with a few friends, and all the while enjoying our warm Southern hospitality. We met twenty-three years ago, a young Nashville artist just beginning his career and a New York artist at the height of his own. Why he took an interest in me, I can’t honestly say, but the fact that he did says much about his love of art and young people and his desire to see the craft of painting grow and thrive. At 88, he is a living master, still hard at work with a resume that now spans over seven decades. The portraits now number over 2,000. Including other paintings and drawings created since his early years as an illustrator, his artwork can hardly be counted.
Movies #1, Glamour, 2010, 36” x 26”
Kinstler is the only painter to have portrayed on canvas seven American presidents, actors such as Katharine Hepburn, James Cagney, and John Wayne, athletes Byron Nelson, Tommy Lasorda, authors Tennessee Williams, Tom Wolfe, entertainers Tony Bennett and Carol Burnett, to name only a few. Many of our greatest leaders in business, government, and finance have also posed for him. We enjoyed the visit immensely. As always, his keen eye took in a lot of the city and its culture during his stay. While we sat at a local restaurant I couldn’t help but be reminded more than ever before . . . you truly never know who is in the booth just behind you anywhere in Nashville! Sincerely, Michael Shane Neal
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEGGY KINSTLER
For more information about Michael Shane Neal, please visit www.michaelshaneneal.com. For more about Everett Raymond Kinstler, visit www.everettraymondkinstler.com.
The Entertainer, 2014, 24” x 20”
Raymond Kinstler with Michael Shane Neal
78 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY SCARL ATI
Staring Out & Staring In
by Jesse Mathison
PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAHAM GERDEMAN
A
couple of years ago I shared a studio with a few other artists in the Chestnut Square Building. Entering through the front entrance I was always met with the sight of large portraits done in charcoal, which sat outside the studio of Stephen Watkins. Inside, his space was always full of these large figures, and rarely did I ever see any that were less than four feet tall. We would often walk into one another’s studio and talk about what we were currently working on or a piece recently completed. On the occasion of this interview, we sat on my back porch and talked of Basquiat, consistency, and trusting your own artistic impulse.
Mother’s Sorrow, Sinnerman...Freedom Found?, Wigman, and Lil’ Jack at Outside the Studio at the Viridian
80 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
“I go to the studio earlier in the day,” begins the artist. “I’ll put on music, maybe start to dance. I don’t mind sipping on bourbon, and I try to get into that zone. Well, maybe the bourbon comes first, and then the dancing. Sometimes I’ll play a documentary as well. I don’t really like talking about the creative process, ’cause you know, in some ways that’s your moment, and you don’t . . . maybe some of the stuff that you do is something most people don’t get. But I try to tap into every sense. I’ll walk into the studio, start burning incense, put on Miles Davis. “Blue in Green” is a song I often start with, and there’s just something about that opening. But yeah, I’ll put some ice in a cup, pour a little bourbon over it, and you can hear the ice crackling, and overall that’s kind of how I begin.”
Norton, 2007, Graphite on wood, 60” x 48”
Lastly we talked about the current direction of the artist’s work. “Lately I’ve been using color, trying to break away from what I’ve been doing. People say charcoal is bold, but to me, right now, it’s just safe. I’m not saying I’ve peaked, but I don’t want to plateau, you know? I’ve recently been working with pastel and oils, in addition to charcoal, so it will be interesting to see where it leads me.” You can see the artist’s work at the 100 Taylor Street Arts Collective, where there will be open studio nights on the first Tuesday of every month. For more about Watkins, visit www.stephenwatkinsart.com and www.rockettonerecords.com. Benji, 2008, Graphite on wood, 96” x 48” x 3”
We next talked about intuition and failure, and the passion, if not the reasons, behind the creative impulse. “When you’re working you have to be conscious of your work; you don’t want it to make a turn you don’t want it to make. You need to be observant, and sometimes know when to not touch something. I guess that’s partly intuition and also experience. But you also have to trust yourself enough to take chances. So I feel like if there’s anything you might be afraid to do wrong, you should do that and head in that direction. As for what’s behind the work, I think if a piece is honest or true or whatever, then it will have substance and energy. It’s like when I look at something by Basquiat, I just think of how productive he was, how much energy was behind his work. It makes me want to be even more productive.”
Lil’ Jack, 2013, Charcoal on torched wood, 48” x 96” x 2” NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 81
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN GUIDER
B r e n t H ya m s Historian, Chief Operating Officer of TPAC and War Memorial Auditorium After years of experience in the entertainment industry in Atlanta and New York, Brent Hyams set his sights on Nashville and quickly established himself at Gaylord Entertainment Center and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. As COO of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and War Memorial Auditorium he navigates Nashville’s increasingly nuanced performing arts scene. A lover of history, Brent looks back at our city’s rich foundations as an entertainment city to consider the path forward. He strives to connect all of us with the most relevant, exciting experiences possible in Nashville. You enjoy his efforts each time you step through the door of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center or War Memorial Auditorium. Read on to learn more about the man making the plan! For more visit www.tpac.org. 82 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Q&A
Nashville Arts Magazine (NAM): What is your most treasured possession? BH: My grandmother started a family scroll. She told me it was
my job to continue the scroll, so I’m doing it.
NAM: What characteristics do you most like about yourself? Brent Hyams (BH): I try to
be genuine, authentic all the time.
NAM: What’s your wish for the future? BH: That more people would buy tickets to these great shows
we’re presenting.
NAM: Do you like the way Nashville is growing right now? BH: With any population growth there will be growing
pains, but we’re handling it pretty well. There’s a slight personality shift from year to year, but it’s still Nashville; it’s still Music City.
NAM: What’s it like being you these days? BH: Stressful, lots of it. I feel like we’re [TPAC and War Memorial Auditorium] the underdog all the time, but I’m not giving up. NAM: What talent would you most like to have? BH: I’d like to play the piano. I took lessons when I was young, but I can’t play anything now.
Jersey Boys
NAM: Why Nashville? BH: After living in New York I wanted to be back in the South, which is where I’m from. This is such a great town, and it keeps getting better.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JEREMY DANIEL
NAM: What visual artists do you like?
NAM: Who would you most like to meet? BH : Hands down Ella
Fitzgerald. It’s too late, but I wish I could’ve met her, T.S. Elliot, and Maya Angelou.
NAM: Who has influenced you along the way?
NAM: Which event at TPAC stopped you in your tracks? BH: Jersey Boys. I couldn’t stop seeing it. I was upset when it left town.
BH: The bosses that I’ve had
since I’ve been in town—Kathleen O’Brien, Pam Matthews, Ellen Pryor, Steve Buchanan, and Cookie Callahan.
most. He’s an extraordinary artist who lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee. I’m happy to have some original pieces of his in our home.
NAM: How do you relax? BH : Gentleman Jack and
Ella Fitzgerald!
NAM: What performer would you go out and buy tickets for?
B H : That ’s a hard one. I like Jason Mraz, Pink, Ray LaMontagne, Adele, Adam Levine . . .
NAM: What music do you listen to?
NAM: What’s your greatest extravagance?
BH: Ella Fitzgerald, but I like something from most genres of
BH: I like good bourbon.
NAM: What about movies?
BH: I like to study human behavior, some sort of therapist
music.
BH: I’m looking forward to seeing The Identical. A lot of it was
filmed here.
NAM: What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this?
work, maybe.
NAM: Any heroes?
NAM: Is there a song you can’t live without? BH: Hmmm? I heard one this morning that always stops me
in my tracks . . . Summertime. There’s something magical about that song.
BH: I like Jim House the
BH: Steve Turner. I’d like to be him when I grow up. NAM: Anything you’d like to change about yourself? BH: Slightly thicker hair would be nice.
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 83
Nashville
6 a.m.
Words and photography by Robert McCurley
F
or three months in late 1994 I traveled every week from Atlanta to Nashville for a work-related project. I lodged at The Hermitage Hotel (before it was remodeled) and worked across the street in the Tennessee Tower. Each morning at 6 a.m. I began the day jogging back and forth between Union and Broadway, working my way down to the Cumberland River. Now, exactly twenty years later, it’s 6 a.m. and I’m out on the same streets again, trying to show not just what Music City looks like in this pre-dawn hour, but what it feels like as well. It occurs to me that the cityscape has changed dramatically, but the people haven’t. They’re still doing the same things they did in 1994: some amble about with no agenda whatsoever; others are walking to work, exercising, making deliveries, cleaning the streets and windows, getting things ready for another day. But interestingly enough, between 6 and 7 o’clock, a common thread connects and separates us simultaneously. In that hour, we seem to live our lives alone. If it were twelve hours later, couples and groups would fill the sidewalks, talking and laughing, maybe looking forward to sharing a meal or a cold beer. Yet, in the opening hour before daybreak, we go about our business void of companionship.
This observation seems to paint a scene of lonely existence. But being alone doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re lonely. For many, the early morning hour is special, a chance to savor a little pre-dawn solitude before the demands of life monopolize both time and energy. A time to enjoy the seclusion of simply being in one’s own space, letting mind and imagination wander where they
will without influence or interference for a few peaceful moments. Twenty years ago, no one joined me for a morning jog. Today, no one keeps me company as I make photographs. I’m alone . . . and relishing every minute of it. For more about Robert McCurley visit www.robertmccurley.com.
86 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 87
C
by Erica Ciccarone
arly Simon is coming to Nashville, but s h e w o n’t b e a t Bridgestone Arena or the Ryman. She’ll be at Noah Liff Opera Center watching the comeback of her 1993 opera, Romulus Hunt. If you didn’t know Simon ever wrote an opera, it just goes to show that “You’re So Vain” is just one facet of this multi-dimensional artist.
Twenty years ago, the Metropolitan Opera Guild and Kennedy Center commissioned S imon to w r ite a contemporary family opera that would interest young people in the form and thus add more security to its future. The songwriter found herself writing recitatives much the same way she wrote songs normally, penning the lyrics first and writing the notes above the words. Admitting that she’s “not the kind of musician who can write out formal musical text,” she had help from Teese Gohl, Jeff Halpern, and long-time collaborator Jacob Brackman to form it into a score that could be read by serious musicians.
Carly Simon’s
Romulus Hunt
comes Straight From Her Heart to Nashville Noah Liff Opera Center • December 5 through 7
The story’s hero is Romulus Hunt, a twelve-year-old boy whose parents have just split up. His straight-laced, uptown mom, Joanna, and his artsy, downtown dad, Eddie, have differing ideas about parenting, and Romulus is caught in the middle with no one but an imaginary Jamaican best friend to guide him. The two scheme to get Joanna and Eddie back together, and as is usually the case, the parents learn more about life and love than their precocious child does.
The story is dear to Simon’s heart, for it is drawn from experience. Simon says that when she and husband James Taylor divorced in 1983, their children were three and six. “It was incredibly difficult, much more difficult than anyone gives it credit for,” she says, and, empathetic to her children’s emotional turmoil and resilience, Romulus was born. It’s a situation with which many children will feel connected, and Simon hopes it can spark conversations between parents and kids about these issues. “We’re getting a divorce, but I’m taking you to the opera,” she joked. “To turn young people on to different forms of music is very important. I grew up with musical theatre in my household—Kiss Me Kate, South Pacific, George Gershwin. We also had opera in the house.” Her father played classical
88 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
COURTESY OF THE NASHVILLE OPERA
www.juelsalon.com
piano; her mother sang opera, and two of her uncles were jazz musicians. “It’s no surprise that my oldest sister grew up to be an opera singer, and Lucy and I became the Simon Sisters.” In 1993, Romulus Hunt didn’t fare well critically, and the New York Times reported legal issues between Simon and the Guild over the length of the opera and one of its songs. Here in Nashville, while the staging required some re-imagination to suit the black-box theater, Nashville Opera is performing it true to Simon’s original vision. As is the case with crossover productions, the pop-infused score may have put off traditional opera critics if they viewed it through a classical lens instead of a contemporary one.
So how does a twenty-year-old opera that met lukewarm critical reception get revitalized in Nashville? John Hoomes, artistic director of Nashville Opera and opera scholar, saw something in it and pursued Simon. Reed Hummell, senior director of sales and marketing at Nashville Opera, says that the intimate atmosphere of the Liff Center (it seats 262) allows more room to explore artistically significant but lesser-known or nonstandard works. The Liff Center and Hoomes endeavor to provide a greater width and depth of the opera experience, which includes productions that are off the grid.
Juel Salon - Franklin 320 Liberty Pike, #130 Franklin, TN 37064 615.794.2211 Hair • Skin • Body • Makeup
“It’s a significant work that needs to be shown, by an artistic legend,” Hummell says. “People look at Simon as a pop star, but she’s so much more than that.” Simon, who has visited Nashville only once, is in touch with performers, making some of the small changes she observed the first time around. “If I had my druthers, I would do a month’s showcase and workshop it with a lot of musicians to try out so many different things. I’m so pleased that Mr. Hoomes is turned on by it.” She’ll be in Nashville working with the cast in the days leading up to the December 5, 6, and 7 performances. See Romulus Hunt at the Liff Center December 5 to 7. For performance times and additional information please visit www.nashvilleopera.org.
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PHOTOGRAPH BY ANTHONY MATUL A
Backstage with Studio Tenn It’s A Wonderful Life
Jeff Loring of Stitch-It & Co. and actor Brent Maddox as George Bailey
by Cat Acree
T
he snow, the warm family home, the redemptive spirit—there’s something about It’s A Wonderful Life that’s as romantic as a trip to the theatre itself. This December, Studio Tenn brings the story of George Bailey and his beloved Bedford Falls to the Factory stage with their adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic American Christmas tale.
We all know George Bailey : He’s a good old boy who reminds u s o f t h e p o w e r o f community, that we’re all in this together. He’s also not the man you’d think would have a beautiful tailored suit. But according to Jeff Loring—owner of Stitch-It & Co. and the designer of George’s suits for the Studio Tenn production—that’s not the case.
A leader in Nashville bespoke tailoring for more than thirty years, Loring has always been inspired by stories told to him by his grandfather and father-in-law about that classic rite of passage into manhood, when their fathers took them into town to be fitted for a suit of clothes. “We’re losing some of those traditions,” Loring says. “That’s what I want to bring back. To me that’s what makes the spice of life.”
The fabrics used in the 1930s and 40s were rich, often handmade, and dependent on the seasons, so George’s suits have been cut in quality winter wools, in shades of brown with pinstripes. Loring has added his own vision with an updated, more contemporary fit. If anyone is worthy of a beautiful suit, it’s George Bailey. “In the end, it all comes back to him,” says Loring. “And that’s my philosophy on life . . . you’re going to get back a lot more than you give.” For more about Studio Tenn’s It’s A Wonderful Life, please visit www.studiotenn.com.
S
titch-It & Co. where style and fit is a work of art.
THIS HOLIDAY GIVE THE MAN IN YOUR LIFE A SPECIAL GIFT MADE ESPECIALLY FOR HIM. Loring & Co. bespoke, Where fit and design are a work of art visit our website at stitchitandco.com and our blog at theartofthefit.com custom designed gift certificates available
4101 Hillsboro Cir | Nashville, TN 37215 | (615) 292-3008
Theatre
’TIS THE SEASON SO HERE ARE A FEW GOOD BETS TO ENTERTAIN DURING THE HOLIDAYS! by Jim Reyland
I
n between the shopping and family, the wrapping and the snacking, we hope you’ll take time to enjoy some of Nashville’s special brand of holiday merriment. And while there are dozens of theatre and music options available this season, here are a few we feel can’t miss.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical
Trace Adkins: The Christmas Show
Fifty years later, the longest-r unning and highest-rated television special comes to life, on stage, with Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer: R The Musical at the G O OT ©K Tennessee Performing PH AREN D ALMON Arts Center’s Polk Theater for a limited, one-week engagement, December 16–21. Tickets at www.tpac.org, by phone at 615-782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office.
Timeless music, special guests, and a unique brand of showmanship that can only be Trace Adkins: The Christmas Show. “These shows aren’t just a straight-up concert; they’re bigger and more exciting with the twelve-piece ensemble, the storytelling, and some of the most beautiful arrangements I’ve ever heard.” Trace Adkins: The Christmas Show features music from Trace’s Christmas CD The King’s Gift, December M 11–12 at TPAC’S Polk Theater. A DI K IC Tickets and special VIP packages R BY APH P H OTO G R are available at www.traceadkins.com.
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Handel’s Messiah, December 18, 19, and 20. A Nashville holiday tradition! Celebrate the season with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and Chorus as they perform, in the gorgeous acoustical splendor of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, one of the most inspir ing works of music ever written. Handel’s masterpiece is full of passion, drama, and passages of stunning beauty— the perfect way to usher in the Christmas h o l i d a y. T i c k e t s a t B www.nashvillesymphony.org. PH RA
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The Renaissance Players in Dickson, Tennessee, bring to life one of the most beloved and timeless films of all time, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. The show includes seventeen Irving Berlin classics like “Count Your Blessings,” “Sisters,” “Blue Skies,” “Happy G TO O Holiday,” and the title PH song, “White Christmas.” Performances December 5–6 and 12–13 at The Renaissance Center at Freed-Hardeman University/Dickson. For tickets, call 615-740-5600 or go to www.renplayers.com.
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Amy Grant and Vince Gill, Christmas
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol RK CABUS
Mark Cabus and his one-man show Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at First Unitarian Universal Church, 1808 Woodmont Boulevard, 7 p . m . , We d n e s d a y, U O December 10. Mark plays C all of Dickens’ beloved characters in a tour de force that will rock your Christmas socks. The performance is FREE. In lieu of admission, a love offering is taken at the end of the performance, and a portion of the proceeds will go to Agape Animal Rescue and the Sarah Cannon Research Institute. RT
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December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, and 18, Amy Grant and Vince Gill, Christmas brings their own special brand of Christmas to the Ryman Auditorium. “Christmas audiences are special,” explains Grant. “They tend to involve the whole family, and their emotions are a wonderful mix of anticipation and reverence. It’s a thrilling experience for both of us. These holiday tours have become our favorites,” Gill agrees. Tickets at www.ryman.com.
Nashville’s Nutcracker
A Christmas Story Nashville Rep’s production of A Christmas Stor y h a s become a Nashville tradition. Humorist Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker in his unflappable campaign to get Santa (or anyone else) to give him a “legendary I BR o f ficial Red Ryder BY H AP carbine-action 200-shot R OG P H OT range-model air rifle.” The consistent response: “You’ll shoot your eye out.” November 29 through December 21 at TPAC’S Andrew Johnson Theater. T ickets at 615-782-4040 or www.nashvillerep.org. TA
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Nashville Ballet returns with one of Nashville’s favorite annual holiday traditions, Nashville’s Nutcracker, December 6–23 at Jackson Hall, TPAC. The tale begins at the 1897 Centennial Exposition in Nashville, taking the audience on a fantastic adventure through a series of magical worlds to encounter the Snow Queen and King, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, and many more enchanted characters. Tickets available at www.nashvilleballet.com or by calling 615-782-4040.
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Jim Reyland’s STAND starring Barry Scott and Chip Arnold, voted Best New Play by the Scene in 2013, returns to TPAC September 24–27, 2015, to kick off a national tour sponsored by HCA. www.writersstage.com
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NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 93
Poet’s Corner
The First Time I Saw My Mother Without Her Prosthesis after Hafizah Geter
Like the smooth face of the cliff she was just thrown from, the left side of her chest was flat and blank, save for two tiny raised scythes. Not a half-carved turkey, thankless, but a woman. It almost seemed as if her breast could be drawn back on again, as if the scalpel was merely erasing cancer, as if the right one hanging like a luminous brown tear wasn’t the lonely twin. As if this new lightness didn’t threaten to render her a widow of his touch, de-mother her somehow. Is this a crystal ball moment— the fanged, wily shadow never outrun or outwitted?
Do you want to see, baby? I couldn’t say no—her love never flinched, neither would I. ― Kamilah Aisha Moon Kamilah Aisha Moon will read a selection of her poetry at the Poet’s Corner on December 18 at 7 p.m at Scarritt-Bennett. The event is free and open to the public. For more information please visit www.scarrittbennett.org. 94 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
TH R O U G H J A N U A RY 4 , 2 0 1 5 Kandinsky: A Retrospective is organized by the Centre Pompidou, Paris and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Platinum Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Hospitality Sponsor
A NN E A N D J OE R U SSE L L
DO W NTO W N NASHVI LLE 919 BRO ADWAY
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This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
THE FRIST CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY
Wassily K and insky. Ac htyrka–Front Entrance to t he Dac ha, (d etail) 1917. O il on canvas. C o l l e c t i o n C e n t re Po m pi do u , M usée nat ional d ’art mod er ne / C entre d e creat ion ind ustriel le, Paris, Beq uest of M rs. N i n a K an d i n sky i n 1 9 8 1 , AM 81-65-41. Photog rap h © C entre Pomp id ou, M NAM -C C I / Service d e la d oc umentat io n ph o t o gr aph i qu e du MN AM / D i st . R M N-G P © 2014 Art ists R ig hts Society (AR S), New York / ADAG P, Paris
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 95
Phil and Lisa Savage at Shuff's Music & Piano Showroom
Tracy Spann, Rhonda White, Jose Gil at Jack Yacoubian Fine Jewelry and Art Gallery
Greg Freeze and Debby Yow at Gallery 202
Phillip Seay and Michael Mathews at Bob Parks Realty
Esther Gorny and Constance C. Jones at Bob Parks Realty
Rachel Eason and Michael Griffin at Gallery 202
Insight at Cumberland Gallery
Ryan Pruitt, Ellen Pryor, Chuck Creasy, Jim Sherraden, Brett Weaver, Paul Polycarpou at The Arts Company
Janna and Keith Landry at Bob Parks Realty
96 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Main Street
PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN JACKSON
SEE ART SEE ART SEE
PHOTOGRAPH BY CAS SIDY CONWAY
Judi Hardy, Jack Spencer, Joe Hardy, Insight at Cumberland Gallery Sally and Lauren Covington at Jack Yacoubian Fine Jewelry and Art Gallery
Heather Yin, David Landzberg at Jack Yacoubian Fine Jewelry and Art Gallery
Patricia Lee Jones, Beth Neilsen Chapman, Bob Sherman at The Arts Company
Laura Westbrook, Sandy Zeigler, Candie Westbrook at Bob Parks Realty
SEE ART SEE ART SEE
Mary & Walter Schatz, Insight at Cumberland Gallery
Gallery 202
Christie Zell and K. Renee Marsee at Gallery 202
Sketch Bourque, Linda McLaughlin, George McLaughlin at Boutique MMM
Model from photograph by finalist Ruth Chapa, Insight at Cumberland Gallery NashvilleArts.com
David Faustino Sandoval, Darnell Victor Jones, Sara Lee Burd, Marcela Gomez at The Arts Company December 2014 | 97
ART
SMART A MONTHLY GUIDE TO ART EDUCATION
ART EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AT CHEEKWOOD
by Jane MacLeod, President & CEO
A
n ar t museum, fifty-five-acre botanical garden, and one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era Estate in the nation, Cheekwood is realizing its future as “Nashville’s own national treasure.” With over 300,000 visitors in 2013, it is one of the top visitor destinations in Nashville. But perhaps lesser known is the meaningful arts education role Cheekwood plays in the lives of our community’s families and children, particularly as our world becomes increasingly busy, fast-paced, and technology-saturated. From school tours to outreach, Cheekwood is proud to live one of its most important institutional values—education that ‘stimulates the mind and nurtures the spirit.’ With collaborations in place with thirty-one local institutions, Cheekwood is honored to be nationally recognized, but community focused.
By the end of 2014, Cheekwood will have reached over 60,000 children and adults through our educational programming, including over 9,000 school children and
teachers in Middle Tennessee who were able to visit free of charge. As part of our School Tour Program, students are given a free family pass to return to Cheekwood at a later time, providing students with a way to share the knowledge they gained with their families and extending our reach to families that may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit. While it is important to bring our community to Cheekwood, it is equally important to bring Cheekwood to our community. Reaching thousands of students each year, Cheekwood’s Craft Outreach program sends artists to schools in Middle Tennessee for a one-day residency, where students interact with
artists through demonstrations and conversations about fine craft and careers in the arts.
The meaningful role that institutions such as Cheekwood play in arts education, however, is best explained by the children, parents, teachers, and visitors that experience them. It is heartening whenever I hear how someone’s experience at Cheekwood has indeed ‘stimulated the mind and nurtured the spirit,’ as this elementary school art teacher from Spring Hill expressed: “The students and teachers were over the moon excited about meeting real live artists and watching them work. I loved how each of them tied science and social studies to their presentations! Thank you so much for coming out to our school. It may have just been a day to you, but it stays with them forever. You have inspired and invigorated them!” Cheekwood is proud to be fulfilling its mission to serve our community and, in particular, its students in such a meaningful and impactful way.
For more information, please visit www.cheekwood.org/education.aspx.
98 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
NASHVILLE’S NUTCRACKER
PHOTOGRAPH BY HEATHER THORNE
Sharing the Magic of Christmas
by DeeGee Lester
C
hildren bring so much of the joy of Christmas. But imagine the heart-pumping excitement of a twelve-year-old that has the opportunity to share the magic of the season with thousands as the delightful central character, Clara, in Nashville Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker.
“getting the expressions just right” to convey the personality to the audience. Regardless of the role he is given each year, Lloyd says, “I feel like every part is just as important and just as fun! It’s amazing to dance and have everyone reacting to what you are doing.”
“The challenge, honestly,” says Carrie Anne in the words of a seasoned performer, “is to stop worrying, to fall in love with the story, and work with the story. It’s amazing to perform something so Nashville—the heart of the city.” Among the many young dancers joining Carrie Anne and the Nashville Ballet troupe onstage is another Nutcracker veteran, 12-year-old Lloyd Ivester, a 6th-grade student at Ensworth. In the 2014 production, Lloyd plays the guard’s oldest son. In the past, Lloyd has played numerous parts, including the role of Fritz, Clara’s pesky, troublemaker brother, and says the challenge for that role was
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIANNE LEACH
Carrie Anne Cohen, a 7th-grade student at Harding Academy, admits being “a little nervous” dancing a role so familiar to audiences and one that requires her to be onstage throughout most of the performance. But growing up in ballet (since age 4) and a Nutcracker veteran (in various roles) since age 8, Carrie Anne enjoys the tremendous support and preparation from members of the dance troupe as well as Nashville Ballet’s Allison Zamorski, Eric Harris (Uncle Drosselmeyer), and artistic director Paul Vasterling, whose unique staging sets events in the Nashville of 1897.
An avid athlete (hockey, swimming, baseball), Lloyd views dance as another demanding sport, requiring body and muscle control. “You have to get everything just right—your posture, everything.” Together, these and other young dancers who will dazzle us this holiday season can easily echo Carrie Anne’s comment: “I love it, and I am so honored to have the opportunity to convey and share the magic of Christmas with the audience.” Nashville’s Nutcracker runs December 6 through 23 at TPAC. For show times and tickets, visit www.nashvilleballet.org.
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 99
ON THE HORIZON Hillwood High School AP Art Students
I
by Rebecca Pierce • Photography by Tamara Reynolds
nstructor Dona Berotti, Team Leader of the Art, Design & Communications Academy at Hillwood, achieved an MFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she also majored in large-scale metal casting. Still a practicing artist, Berotti works in myriad mediums and began to blow glass two years ago.
Berotti has been teaching for almost twenty years, and her approach allows students plenty of space for interpretation and exploration, so that their creative voices ring true. Her students are enthusiastic, motivated, and engaged. Each expressed gratitude for Mrs. Berotti’s encouragement and inspiration.
KAIYA McKISSACK Kaiya’s initial interest in art was sparked at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. While her mother took art classes, she and her brother experimented with various mediums in the Martin ArtQuest Gallery.
Early on, she used primarily charcoal and graphite, and she says, “I like gray and how you can get really dark spots and really light places and without using lines you can make a picture.” Inspired by Tim Burton’s and Andy Warhol’s use of color and perspective, Kaiya has started incorporating their styles into her acrylic work.
Though she laughs easily, Kaiya is very serious about her art and the response it evokes from viewers. “I just want people to open their minds. I think that most people who don’t draw or participate in art are really closed off, and I feel like they are dark inside. Art allows you to let go of those feelings and express yourself. I want people to look at my art and feel something.”
DESTINY PHILLIPS “I’ ll always draw because that’s the one thing I love to do. I’ve always loved it, and I think I always will love it,” says Destiny Phillips. Aside from playing bass in rock band class, it’s what she does from early morning into the evening. She doesn’t remember when she started drawing, but her elementary teachers always knew which assignments were hers because they were highly decorated with illustrations.
By the time she started high school, she was getting so much positive feedback that she began to believe her career path should involve art. Right now she is seriously pushing herself to improve her drawing skills and step out of her comfort zone. Destiny also enjoys studying Greek Mythology and seeing Greek sculpture, and she grew as an artist while attending the Artist-in-Residence program at the Parthenon. “I love the sculptures of the gods, looking at them and seeing that even after hundreds of years the craftsmanship is still beautiful.”
As for college, Kaiya is considering California Institute of the Arts, Memphis College of Art, and Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. In addition to studio art, she intends to study art history.
U l t i m a t e l y, K a i y a would like to teach art on the college level while maintaining her own artistic pursuits. That is one of the reasons her AP Art Instructor Dona Berotti is such an inspiration to her. “I like art teachers who continue doing art, instead of just teaching it.” Altered Sel f - Portrait, 2 014 , Acr ylic on canvas, 20” x 16”
Winter, 2014, Prismacolor, 6” x 5”
Beyond high school, Destiny sees great benefits in studying at the college level, but she’d also like to exhibit her work and try her hand as a tattoo artist. Wherever she goes, she will surely be drawing.
“When I get an idea in my head I feel like I need to draw it, and if I don’t, it will be on my mind all day, making my head fuzzy. So I draw, and then I feel better. I’ve been like that since I was a child. I don’t know why.”
100 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
BRIANNA MCKISSACK-MARTIN Brianna has had a vision for her career since she was a youngster, and her study of art is playing a vital role in her plans. She explains, “I plan to go to college for apparel design and business management, so I can start my own clothing line and open my own store.” She also hopes to use her graphic design skills to create an advertising branch of her business. “That way I can get teens and young adults to work with me so they can gain experience while they are still in school.”
To perfect her craft, Brianna always tr ies to dr aw the whole body, so she can incorporate the designs she has created. “I used to draw a lot of designs in the 7th and 8th grades. Since we didn’t have a specific art class, the teacher would let me do my own thing. I would design my own clothes and try to sew them.”
If she could get across one message with her art and fashion, Brianna says, “I would want to express individualism. I like the idea that everyone has something about them that stands out and makes them unique.”
In addition to art, Brianna enjoys science, soccer, photography, and writing. Often she writes stories about the people she draws, and sometimes she writes stories that inspire her to illustrate the characters she’s created. Parsons, Savannah College of Art & Design, and FIDM Institute of Design and Merchandising are among the colleges Brianna is considering.
Gameplay, 2013, Watercolor and ink, 12” x 10”
CHANDLER BOMAR When Chandler Bomar talks about art and life’s possibilities, he gets so enthusiastic and excited that he can hardly get his words out quickly enough. He considers drawing the human face his forte, and though he can do formal portraits, he loves extreme portraiture. “I love extreme emotions. Drawing them is just awesome because I don’t get bored. You see someone angry and you want to make that person look angry when you portray them. You want to make it more intense, hard pen, dark.” Chandler’s primary inspiration has been his mom, who is an art teacher at Hunters Lane High School. “She has definitely pushed me to do things that I would not have done and to better myself. I also love going to museums, and I try to see everything new at the Frist Center. Salvador Dalí is my favorite artist.”
Graphic design, studio art, illustration, and architecture are just some of the career options Chandler thinks about. First he’d like to attend the Florence Academy of Art in Italy. Also on his bucket list is international travel. “I want to go everywhere. I want to see all the beauty that the world has to offer.”
Old Man, 2013, Graphite on paper, 12” x 9”
“Art is a really big part of my life, and I would love to continue with it for as long as I can. It’s not something I can just put down, put in the closet and just forget about. No matter what I do, art will be incorporated into it—definitely. That’s a fact!” NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 101
PERISCOPE ARTIST ENTREPRENEUR TRAINING The Arts & Business Council’s Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training is an intensive program that prepares working artists to manage the business aspects of their creative endeavors. Hosted at the Entrepreneur Center (EC), Periscope offers artists access to professional development, entrepreneurial resources, and mentors. Limited to twenty-five artists, Periscope includes practitioners of all artistic genres from Nashville and its surrounding counties. This month, Nashville Arts Magazine introduces five more members of this year’s Periscope class. For more information on Periscope, visit www.abcnashville.org.
Ted Drozdowski is a roots music innovator, in the authentic tradition of great American music that developed in the Delta and hill country of Mississippi. Though his approach is based in the 1920s and 30s, his sound is vital and contemporary. Ted is not only a guitar player, singer, bandleader, songwriter, and producer; he also is a music journalist and blues educator/historian. Ted wanted to streamline his efforts and concentrate on doing what he loves. “I enjoy creating music and performing the most, and that’s what I want to do,” he explained. “Periscope affirmed my direction.” In addition to performing, Ted is working on a new album, which he plans to release in June 2015. For more information, visit www.scissormen.com.
PHOTOGR APH BY PE TE R S LOAN E
TED DROZDOWSKI
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANGELA PHOTOGRAPHY
CARLY PEARCE
Country singer/songwriter Carly Pearce fronted her first bluegrass band at the age of eleven, and at sixteen she began performing regularly at Dollywood. Since moving to Nashville in early 2009, Carly has become a frequent performer at the Bluebird Cafe, Listening Room Café, and Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant. Currently she is singing backup with Lucy Hale’s band and working on original music that is a fusion of contemporary country and bluegrass. She applied to Periscope because she has always been creative but not very business oriented. “With Periscope I learned about building a brand, and what that means when you are the brand. And I learned to look at my brand from a business point of view.” For more information, visit www.carlypearce.com.
She thought Periscope would help her refine her vision and teach her to market herself. Through course work and with the help of her mentor she decided to focus on marbling on fabric. The process combines color, movement, and manipulation and results in intricate, organic designs. It also allows her much room for experimentation. Olive is showing her marbled fabric in during the 2014 Holiday Studio Tour, December 6 and 7, Sewanee, Tennessee. For more information, visit www.lollysworks.com.
PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG FOREHAND
OLIVE DURANT Potter, marbler, folk artisan, and painter, Olive Durant has been teaching art for more than thirty-three years, and it comes naturally, but as an artist she has been searching. “I like the flexibility to be able to experiment, which you can’t really do when you are teaching skills in classes,” she says.
JOHN FISHER
After working in pastels for ten years, John wanted to transition into oil painting and work on a much larger scale. “Larger paintings exert more gravity on the viewer. It pulls you in from a distance to look closer at the details. As an artist, larger-scale paintings tend to draw me in. When painting sky, clouds, and atmosphere I get a feeling of being airborne and weightless,” Fisher says. As he was making the change, his wife discovered Periscope. “In the Periscope program artists use the language of product entrepreneurs. Does my work have a competitive advantage? How does my work solve a problem for potential customers? This led to new ideas about getting commissioned work.” For more information, visit www.johnfisherfineart.com.
After college, Steven Knapp knew he wanted not just a career, but a life that would allow him to be creative. Combining his visual talents with his extensive knowledge of technology, Steven established knapptimecreative, a multimedia production and design company specializing in photographic, video, and graphic design projects. His client roster includes Roper Apparel, Junior League of Nashville, Stetson, Country Music Association, Big Machine Records, the American Advertising Federation Nashville, March of Dimes Tennessee, and William Morris Entertainment. Steven wanted to be involved in Periscope so he could build upon what he has accomplished and share his model with other artists. Periscope helped him put names on things that he was already instinctively doing and gave him opportunities for collaboration. For more information, visit www.knapptimecreative.com. 102 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
PHOTOGRAPH BY BRINN BL ACK
STEVEN KNAPP
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December 2014 | 103
PHOTOGRAPH BY TIFFANI BING
Paint
the
Town
W I T H EM M E Emme is a ninth-generation Nashvillian and an owner of Boulevard Communications LLC
Photography by Tiffani Bing Trina Ewald, Mark Ewald, Jason Bergeron and Corinne Bergeron
beat the band were Nancy Coleman and Andy Valentine, Maggie Frank, James Marler, Michelle Buijsman, Karen and Scott McKean, Judith Hodges and Jan Van Eys, Judy Williams, Helen Brown, Bonnie and Bill Myers, Barbara Bechtel and James Wiseman.
Illustration of the new La Bohème set
nashville opera There’s nothing like pre-gaming . . . especially at the Nashville Opera.
When you’re anticipating an evening with some combination of ardor, infidelity, wit, violence, madness, and perhaps even death, you’ll want to be game ready before you settle into your seat. You’ll want to get pumped up with your pals. To talk stats about the tenors. To discuss trades of designed sets. To whisper about scandals involving the supernumeraries. To nosh a bit and raise a glass or two.
Pre-gaming for the Snappy Young Things started at about 7 p.m. at TPAC’s Jackson Hall Balcony Lobby. There, the Opera’s Forte group of young professionals began filtering in for their o w n p r e - p e r f o r m a n c e Jen Porter Ross and Cherlyn Marshall party. Their reception included cocktails, light nibbles from Bacon & Caviar, and plenty of chitchatting until it was time to scamper to their seats for the curtain. Spotted out were Corinne and Jason Bergeron, Trina and Mark Ewald, Nick Nguyen, Jen Porter Ross, Cherlyn Marshall, Nathan Sweeton, Barbara Murphy, Rose Eichenlaub, and Virginia and Chris Smith.
Like prepping for a big ball game, you’ll want to get a little zhushed up. You’ll certainly fit right in at TPAC’s Jackson Hall wearing “casual chic” and toting tiny binoculars. Just put the kibosh on face painting and headdress wearing.
Trust me, opera aficionados can pre-game with the best of them. They just prefer to leave their cars with the valet. Many did just that October 11 at Nashville Opera’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème. Starting at 5:30 p.m., the Opera Guild was opening champagne bottles and serving cocktails at its semiannual Premiere Dinner. The event was held at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis’s penthouse offices in City Center. Note: One perk of the $85-per-person cocktail dinner is the Betty and Ed Thackston complimentary valet parking downstairs in the City Center Garage—which is just across the street from TPAC.
The Premiere Dinner offered the perfect opportunity to get the lowdown on the performance from Nashville Opera Chief John Hoomes and COO Noah Spiegel, both of whom made appearances at the party. Of course the menu was French, with Salade Niçoise, roasted Cornish game hen, sweet potato and Gruyere gratin, veggies, and raspberry crème brûlée. Enjoying vino, vittles, and a view to
Morel Harvey and Debora Glennon
Michelle Buijsman, Noah Spiegel, Trinity Bass, John Hoomes
104 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
What seems to be working here is a reasonable tariff for the event—$200 per person—and the ability to put together a firstrate lineup of authors to hold court at each dinner table. Throw in fine dining from Kristen Winston plus Nancy Van Camp emceeing, Brooks Corzine, Frannie Corzine, David Fox and you’ve got a winning concept.
authors in the round
Carl Awh, Laura Tidwell, Bret Anthony Johnston, Grace Awh
Speaking of seats, there’s nothing like a waiting list. Word got out quickl y that Authors in the Round was sold out with a whopping 425 guests and 43 authors at War Memorial. Kudos to Chairmen Lee Pratt and Neil Krugman. Co-founders of the seven-year-old benefit—Jean Bottorff and son Todd Bottorff—must have been pleased as punch by the turnout. And we all know that Pratt and Authors in the Round Chairmen Krugman are going to be the Neil Krugman and Beth Courtney most sought-after party chairs for years to come!
This year’s event was dedicated to the life and legacy of John Seigenthaler, founding master of ceremonies for the event. The night raised $90,000 for the Southern Festival of Books and Humanities Tennessee. Joining authors including Pat Conroy, Rick Bragg, James Clyburn, Joshua Ferris, Christina Baker Kline, and Gabrielle Zevin were guests Holly Conner, Dolores Seigenthaler, Jean and Denny Bottorff, Martha and Jim Cooper, Beth and Richard Courtney, Amos Gott, Herb Williams, Carrington and David Fox, Lydia Howarth, Dianne Deal, Chase Cole, and Joelle and Brent Phillps.
Carrington Fox, Freya Sachs, Miriam Mims, Katie McDougall, Karen Hayes
Caroline Williams, Charles M. Blow, David Ewing, Alice Randall
Authors in the Round occurs on the Friday of the Southern Festival of Books weekend at the historic War Memorial Auditorium. After cocktails under the stars, guests venture inside for dinner. Each table is paired with an author, and each guest receives a copy of the author’s book. Afterward, everyone reconvenes in the courtyard for champagne and more conversation Amos Gott, Sinclair Kelly, Vince Dreffs with the writers.
The fabulous Tori Wimberly rounded up the troops to attend the Horticultural Society of Middle Tennessee’s Fall Harvest Dinner at Cheekwood. Guests were dressed “autumn chic” for alfresco cocktails and supper in the Wills Perennial Garden overlooking the Mustard Meadow.
PHOTOGRAPH BY VERA NICHOL AS - GERVAIS
hsmt dinner
Proceeds provide underwriting for Suzy Heer and Daniel Gervais the spectacular fall chrysanthemum display throughout the gardens during Cheekwood Harvest. Chairman Wimberly and her hubby John Wimberly were joined by HSMT Board President Melanie Baker with husband David Baker, Jane and Don MacLeod, Sylvia and Doug Bradbury, Barbara and Greg Burns, Carolyn and David Hill, Trisi and Ken Larish, Laura and Charlie Niewold, and Gloria and Paul Sternberg.
NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 105
Critical i
ramble, repeat at Zeitgeist through December 21
by Joe Nolan
F
more-is-more productivity can be found in the paintings he displays on top of a large flat file at the gallery—there simply wasn’t enough wall space available for McDaniel to hang all of his work alongside also-visit-worthy exhibitions by painters Alex Blau and Richard Feaster.
ormer Nashvillian Todd McDaniel’s ramble, repeat opened at Zeitgeist on November 1. It’s an expansive display of the painter’s recent abstract works on rag board, recalling McDaniel’s familiar, architectural studies while expanding their scope to include more realist elements as well as nods to modernist masters like Robert Motherwell.
In a painting like B Movie McDaniel uses a grid of blue, gray, and black lines to evoke the shadowy aesthetics of noir cinema, while the titular steering device in Bad Rudder may earn its pejorative moniker not from lack of utility, but from its sloppy, imperfect rendering.
The show can be contextualized between two contemporaneous, local exhibitions: the Frist Center’s career-spanning show of works by Wassily Kandinsky—a painting pioneer whose non-objective breakthroughs are a cornerstone of abstract art—and Mary Addison Hackett’s Crazy Eyes, which celebrated a closing reception next door to Zeitgeist at David Lusk on the same night that McDaniel’s show opened.
I love McDaniel’s titles. These aren’t simply silly puns; they’re poetic statements that interact with his subjects, revealing layers of meaning. Vertical Dusk offers up a sideways sunset, and Ski Accident is dominated by two Ski Accident, 2014, Oil on rag board, 22” x 18” parallel, scarlet stripes running the length of the painting. The truth is, McDaniel’s work is full of accidents. But While Hackett’s self-referential paintings of her studio space look that’s no accident. nothing like McDaniel’s abstracts, both are process artists, and the implicit perpetuity in McDaniel’s title is a not-so-subtle summing Todd McDaniel’s ramble, repeat is on view at Zeitgeist through up of the artist’s prolific, unprecious art making. Proof of McDaniel’s December 21. For more information visit www.zeitgeist-art.com. 1 932–2012 1932–2012 ®
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106 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
Appraise It
ROYAL DOULTON ENGLAND, 20TH CENTURY
T
he Figur ine, D ustable Cur io, Porcelain Novelty, Knickknack: we all reside with one or two or . . .
Since its 1815 founding in London’s Lambeth district, the Doulton Company (Royal Doulton f rom 1901 when King Edward VII awarded the factory a Royal Warrant) has produced a wide variety of ceramics, from salt-glazed sewer pipes to Cocker Spaniel with Pheasant
tableware to a seemingly endless number of collectible figurines. The Doulton marks are many and varied, but most follow the same theme. Dating Royal Doulton products requires careful consideration. This is a collectible that the saying “the devil is in the details” truly applies to, as a short production run or limited color scheme can change a value considerably. By example, the “HN” mark heralds the time when Royal Doulton’s figurine production took off, in 1913, under the direction of modeler Charles Noke. It was his belief that Royal Doulton figurines could be as popular in the twentieth century as the Staffordshire figures had been in the nineteenth century (think matched pairs of King Charles spaniels flanking a fireplace mantel). Starting with 1912’s HN1 “Darling”, a small child dressed for bed, each figure was given an “HN” number. This numbering system continues today, and more than 4,000 HN numbers have been assigned to date. There are nuances to the numbering system to consider: in some instances HN numbers indicate colorways and not subject matter.
PHOTO BY JERRY ATNIP
The “HN” mark is just one of many Doulton marks—there are many in their production alphabet—and then there are the myriad backstamps (typically pictorial), date codes, and artists’ monograms to consider.
“Lucky” Black Cat: This mischievous-looking cat is a great example of the “devil is in the details” reference. If he was numbered 818 or 819, that would identify him as being made between 1923 –32. That dating would change his value to over five times the “K12” amount—particularly if found in white or tabby.
It is always wise to understand that when collectibles are manufactured in large numbers, values are typically suppressed. Col lectors with hopes that their collections will appreciate in value would be wise to consider at least three factors that influence the values of vintage Royal Doulton figurines. Typically the figurines that command the highest prices on today’s market would be those produced pre World War II (age), may have been of a subject matter that was not received well in its day (demand), and any figurine that was produced for a short time with variables in color (limited). As for the subject of condition, in the case of these collectibles condition is extremely important. Chips, cracks, and breaks render them simply shelf décor.
Linda Dyer serves as an appraiser, broker, and consultant in the field of antiques and fine art. She has appeared on the PBS production Antiques Roadshow since season one, which aired in 1997, as an appraiser of Tribal Arts. If you would like Linda to appraise one of your antiques, please send a clear, detailed image to info@nashvillearts.com. Or send photo to Antiques, Nashville Arts Magazine, 644 West Iris Dr., Nashville, TN 37204. NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 107
Beyond Words
Historic Downtown Franklin
Mama Tribute . . .
PHOTOGRAPH BY DEBBIE SMARTT
Friday, December 5, 6-9 p.m.
Nearly 30 galleries and working studios in a 15-block area, featuring artists at work, live music, wine and more! There’s no cost to attend
I
have been writing this column for over four years. I took the assignment because the editor told me I could write about anything I wanted. (I imagine I have taken him to task on occasion.) Often, when facing a deadline with no topic in mind, I would write about my mother. She was my go-to, fail-safe subject whenever I needed inspiration. I say ‘was’ because on October 22, my beautiful, formidable mother died in Spartanburg, South Carolina, after a brief illness. She had just turned ninety-two. PHOTO: ANTHONY SCARLATI
& The Factory
by Marshall Chapman
A year ago, Mother could, on a bet, stand on her head at a Spartanburg cocktail party, dressed to the nines in an outfit that included a girdle and high heels. But toward the end of this past summer, she contracted a bad infection that had her bedridden and barely able to move. After five weeks at a rehab hospital, after it had become apparent that no progress had been made, she was moved to the Regional Hospice Mama at age 22 Home. Her body had simply given out. But her mind remained sharp until the very end. When the head doctor at the rehab hospital realized he would be the one giving Mother “The Talk,” that is to say, inform her that they were moving her to the hospice home, he admitted he felt a little trepidation, since my mother was a force to be reckoned with. Talks of that nature are often difficult, but Mama made it easy. “So when are you planning to move me?” she asked. “This Wednesday,” replied the doctor. “I can’t do it then,” Mama said. “I have a tennis lesson.”
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Her memorial service was at the First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg. The sanctuary was packed, which is remarkable considering Mama outlived all Mama less than a year ago, age 91 but two of her friends. My two sisters spoke, the four granddaughters read scripture, and I sang. But before I launched into my song “Happy Childhood,” I looked out at the nearly nine hundred who had gathered and said, “You know the great thing about our mothers is this: We wouldn’t be who we are without them. And right now, I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world.” www.tallgirl.com
108 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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NashvilleArts.com
December 2014 | 109
My Favorite Painting
H arry J acobson
I
Entrepreneur and art lover
I was immediately attracted to Prairie Shadows—the colors, the remarkable simple horizon, and the peaceful posture of the buffalo are what attracted me to the painting. Interestingly, this first purchase did not begin a collection of Western art. However, the significance of this painting is that its purchase started a habit in me—a habit that is responsible for virtually all the paintings and sculpture in my collection. Ever since 1983, every time my entrepreneurial ventures have a successful financial outcome, I go shopping for art. It is almost like tithing at church—it’s also good for the soul.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY ATNIP
t is difficult to pick just one painting that is your favorite. For me, the decision is based not just on the image on the canvas or on who the artist is, but on what was happening in my life at the time I purchased the piece. Shortly after Jan and I were married and moved to Dallas, Texas, I started my first health care company, largely to supplement my modest income as a junior faculty member at Southwestern Medical School. Fortunately that initial entrepreneurial venture was successful, and, for the first time (1983), I had significant disposable income and decided to celebrate. Why, I honestly don’t know, but I went to a gallery in North Dallas that had a showing of Western art by John Axton.
ARTIST BIO | JOHN AXTON A contemporary artist born in 1947, John Axton draws inspiration from the landscape and imagery of the American Southwest. He grew up in Illinois and studied art at Southern Illinois University but developed his signature minimalist style while traveling throughout New Mexico in 1979. His haunting, abstract compositions have minimal backgrounds and subjects reduced to their barest resemblances, which are designed to engage the viewer’s imagination. Axton has participated in numerous group museum shows around the United States, including the Denver Art Museum, the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His work belongs to permanent collections of the Pratt Museum in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is represented by Ventana Fine Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For more about John Axton please visit www.ventanafineart.com/john-axton. John Axton, Prairie Shadows, Oil on canvas 110 | December 2014 NashvilleArts.com
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