Nashville Visual Arts Events, September 7-22

This is getting to be a pattern. There’s always something that comes up on the second weekend of the month that I didn’t know about in time for the email at the beginning of the month. This time it’s the new exhibit at Cumberland, with work by Carrie McGee and Whitney Nye, and the Watkins Faculty show.

As always, if you have an email list of your own, feel free to forward this.

If someone wants to get added directly to my list for the email version of this listing, send me an email at dcmaddox@comcast.net. To get taken off the list, email to that effect at the same address.


September 7

Watkins College, Faculty Show One of the way artists get spread around the country is through faculty jobs. Some of the best artists in a community like Nashville, which is not home to a major art market, will inevitably be the faculty members in the local college art departments. The revitalization of Watkins as an arts college has had a big impact simply by giving some good artists jobs here. The annual faculty show is a way to see what they are about and up to. The faculty listed for this show are Dan Brawner, Cheryl Gulley, Kristi Hargrove, Brady Haston, Lauren Kalman, Amanda McCadams, Rob McClurg, Siri Nadler, Robin Paris, Tori Purcell, Madeline Reed, Elizabeth Sanford and John Sullivan. The opening reception is Friday from 6-8.

Sewanee (University of the South, James Edward Carlos Gallery, Nabit Art Building), Bill Daniel, “Life Raft” A filmmaker and installation artist who documents and celebrates fringe, off-the-grid subcultures. This piece features a houseboat he made out of discarded materials, which has sails that he projects a video work onto. The video weaves together basically an argument about the collapse of civilization and posits an anarchistic self-reliance in response. The show also includes photo series of the “hippie house boat culture” in Sausalito and post-Katrina New Orleans. Water as hell, water as Eden. Sounds very much worth the drive to Sewanee. The opening reception is Friday from 5-7, artist’s talk at 4.

Renaissance Center, Dickson, Jaime Raybin, “Milk Shelf” The opening for this show by Nashvillian Jaime Raybin runs from 6-7:30 on Friday the 7th at the Renaissance Center, a straight shot out I40 in Dickson. Jaime has shown in a number of group shows, including with the Off the Wall group. Last week I said the paintings looks like they might be from Jaime’s senior show at Watkins, but it turns out I was completely wrong about that. It’s all new work. She says “the show is about a dilapidated hangout spot,” which will contrast with the nice tidy Ren Center space. This is the first in a series at the Renaissance Center that will feature recent graduates of area art programs. The Ren Center is also opening their annual regional art show, which usually includes several interesting artists you wouldn’t otherwise encounter.

September 8

Cumberland Gallery, Carrie McGee and Whitney Nye Carrie McGee’s work is a real treat, and her gallery is showing her new work this month. Her signature technically is to work with rust and pigment, often on translucent acrylic forms. Her work delivers pleasure in many ways, but if I can mention just one thing, it would be the colors she produces. They are both earthy and vivid, and you can enjoy the work simply for the quality of the colors. A quick look at the 2007 pieces on the Cumberland website leaves the impression that the new work might be slightly darker in tone, but wait until you see the exhibit to judge that. Cumberland is also showing work by a newer gallery artist having her first solo show there. She paints multi-layered abstractions with a compact kind of geometry to them. The reception is from 6-8 on Saturday.

Estel, Sean O’Meallie, “Object Circus” O’Meallie makes toy-like objects out of wood but finished with highly refined surfaces. There’s a lot of wit in the forms and titles. The show opens this week, but the gallery is having a reception for O’Meallie on the 8th.

Zeitgeist, John Folsom. Large scale photographs of landscapes like Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee and Banff, Alberta. He starts with a group of small images, pulls them into a single image digitally, and then treats it with oil paint and wax to give the texture of painting.

September 9

CRAFT: A Creative Community A group of local artists/artisans holds a monthly sale/fair in the parking lot of Lipstick Lounge, the next one is 11-5 on Sunday, September 9.

September 14

Sri Ganesha Temple, T. N. Seshagopalan No, this is not visual arts. It is a first rate Carnatic vocalist from India performing at Sri Ganesha Temple in Bellevue. I’m not sure I’ve experience any other music with the level of technical rigor, sonic qualities, and the spiritual intensity and engagement of the better Carnatic vocalist I’ve heard, thanks to the program at Sri Ganesha. I have not heard Mr. Seshagopalan, but based on the description it sounds like this will be one of the very good ones. He is an experienced, fully established musician. The concert starts at 7:00 on Friday the 14th.

September 15

Plowhaus, SNAP, “Pushpin” The Society of Nashville’s Artistic Photographers is a diverse group of local photographers who have banded together to exhibit work together, and they also meet regularly for critiques of each other’s work and discussions of photography. Generally supporting each other in developing their work. Their show at Plowhaus gives each of 20 photographers a dedicated piece of wall space to display unmounted photographs. The opening reception is from 7-10 on Saturday the 15th.

September 22

Neuhoff Center, Jorge Arrieta, “Standing on a Whale” This looks like an ambitious project, a film with animation and songs performed by local musicians like the Gypsy Hombres and KS Rhoads, and a series of paintings. I may be able to put together more information on this by the time the event gets closer, but like I said, it looks like something that should be worth paying attention to so I’d figured I’d give the list a heads up. There are two scheduled screenings of the film: 8:00 on Saturday the 22nd, and 8:00 on Saturday the 29th.