Visual Arts Events June 19-29

Got a look at the Frist shows today. Lots of big, big paintings. Modern Baroque. Also, a nice set of drawings—I especially liked the work from Carol Prusa.

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June 19

Tony Hernandez, Gordon Jewish Community Center I know this is getting out too late for the reception (7-9 on Thursday the 19^th), but it is an opportunity to let you know that Hernandez, from Tinney+Cannon, has this show at the JCC that runs through June 30. Hernandez takes images inspired by the artwork from the kindercamps in the Nazi concentration camps and isolates them on wood panels. It’s the same body of work he showed earlier at Tinney+Cannon, if you missed that. Or want to see it again.

June 20

In.Form.All. A group show (one night only I believe) featuring Arlene Bates, Betsy Clapsaddle, Charla Steele, Hans Mooy, Judy Klich, Merry Beth Myrick, Shonna Sexton and Stacie Berry. It will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 at 5725 Stoneway Trail.

Frist Center, Color as Field and Shades of Grey. As a DC guy I thought of the Color Field painters as a local phenomenon revolving around Morris Louis, Gene Davis and Sam Gilliam. Washington is a little too close to NY for it to sustain much of its own artistic styles, so you tend to latch onto anything that looks like distinct local product—like Go-Go. Well, that narrow parochial view doesn’t hold up, as this show demonstrates—my DC people are there, but it goes way beyond that and Helen Frankenthaler is really the central figure. This show provides what turns out to be a quick (due to the sheer size of the paintings) survey of this era in American painting (1950-75). In another clever bit of Frist counter-programming, the CAP gallery has black and white drawings by regional artists: Kell Black from APSU, Sue Mulcahy, Jane Allen Nodine (South Carolina) and Carol Prusa (South Florida). Also, a video by Jennifer Steinkamp. The Color as Field curator, Karen Wilken, is speaking at the Frist Center Friday at 6:30.

Renaissance Center: Victoria Boone, Erin Anfinson, Julie Lee, and Doug Stevenson. The Ren Center in Dickson is picking up the pace in getting Nashville artists in front of viewers in Dickson and the surrounding counties. Last month they had John Donovan and the Southern Graphics Council, and this time several people who have been featured in Nashville galleries recently: Victoria Boone had a show at the Parthenon (it sounds like this features some of the same material or a continuation of that body of work), Julie was at Twist, and Erin Anfinson is carried by TAG (but I think the last show I show of hers was at Ruby Green about a year ago, but I might have missed something). This show goes up June 19 or 20, but they are dividing the receptions—they’ll have the reception for Boone and Stevenson on the 20^th, the receptions for Anfinson and Lee on the 27^th.

June 21

Zeitgeist, Dialogue 3, Sculpture The second in Zeitgeist’s medium shows, sculpture up now. I’m enjoying John Donovan’s recent work, which I think may be a function of its significance sinking in on me. It’s always important to see Greg Pond’s latest work. I haven’t seen Michael Baggarly’s work in a while, so this will be good. Also: Jason Briggs, Mark Bynon, Mark Clarson, Buddy Jackson, Christopher McNulty, Jack Dingo Ryan (who’s leaving town, not sure when—but I believe I was the last person to hear about it), and Bethany Springer.

June 27

Renaissance Center: Erin Anfinson and Julie Lee opening reception. See above—they’re splitting up the receptions this month. June 28

CRAFT: A Creative Community Summer Extravaganza. This group of local artists/artisans had their regular monthly show/sale on June 1, but there’s also doing a second event on Saturday the 28^th at Memorial Lutheran Church, 1211 Riverside Drive in East Nashville from 10 to 5.

Cheekwood, A Century on Paper A show of selections from Cheekwood’s collection, starting with early 20^th century artists like Reginald Marsh, but it probably picks up in interest with later stuff by Rauschenberg, Ruscha.

June 29

Magpie, etc. A new gallery on 10^th Avenue South, trying to extend the activity of 12^th itself. The gallery is the project of Emily Harper and Rhiannon Guillet, and in addition to art will have accessories, clothes (designed by Guillet), and jewelry.

OK, this is late getting to the web, but for the sake of completeness and the things coming in the next few weeks (there’s some Frist Center opening on the 20^th that didn’t quite make it in, but will get posted). This week features the triumphant return to town of performance artist Quinn Dukes, and some interesting artists using needle work and fabric at Estel.

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.

June 7

Twist, Quinn Dukes Quinn graduated from Nashville last year and moved to NewYork. The core of her art is a dramatic, ritualistic (well all performance art is) performance art that had involved odd costumes and a love of playing with dirt. From her artist’s statement, it sounds like she’s been having fun contrasting the relative wildness of Tennessee with her new urban environs, where the natural world comes onto the stage of the built landscape as more of an intruder.

Estel, Common Thread: Cathy Breslaw, Vanessa Oppenhoff, Teri Moore, and work by Rodney Wood. The Feminist Art Movement of the 60s and 70s reclaimed traditional women’s craft techniques as an avenue for artist expression. Over the decades, the influence of this movement can be seen in the way needlework has become a common technique in gallery art, getting to be just another medium like drawing or painting. Still, the medium occupies ambiguous ground, sometimes looking like a form of drawing, other times verging on sculpture, and still with a foot in the craft world. This show features three women making art with fabric and thread. Just to pick out one, Oppenhoff’s work includes several series—one takes variants of the simple figures used in instructional illustrations to describe the notions of threat in today’s society. In the small gallery, new paintings by Rodney Wood. Some of the new paintings struck me as being more naturalistic but still capturing the idea of something mysterious going on—it seems like a good direction, if I’m seeing it right.

TAG, Nice to Meet You group show. A group show of new and returning artists: Terri Saul, Keith Greiman, Mary Addison Hackett, Greg Gossel, Maura Cluthe, Andrew Hem.

Arts Company, Brother Mel. A big 80^th birthday show for Brother Mel, celebrating 50 years of art-making and 10 years at the Arts Company. This Marianist monk makes art in all sorts of media, changing styles with the context and purpose of his art. He’s been one of the Arts Company’s consistently popular artists.

Rymer, Dominic Besner, Aniocles Gregoire, Leszek Wyczolkowski, Antoine Claes, Kristina Colucci Rymer is opening its new location on 5^th Avenue with a group show. It’s like one door down from Tinney+Cannon, which with Arts Company gives us three major galleries in a row.

Tinney+Cannon, Linda Mitchell Mixed media paintings, a lot of which feature animals in fanciful settings.

Plowhaus, Value Menu show, at Tennessee Art League. For a long time Plowhaus maintained nice space in East Nashville, but now the coop is homeless/itinerant. They’re doing their Value Menu show (everything under $49.99) on the second floor galleries of the Art League. The participants are Denny Adcock, Marlynda Augelli, Chuck Beard, John Barcus, Peggy Bonnington, Jennifer Bronstein, Chris Cheney, Jack Coggins, Carri Hofacker, John Holland, DJ Justice, Franne Lee, Stephen McClure, Carrie Mills, Susie Monick, Lois Moreno, Ayjey Odom, Tracy Ratliff, Julie Sola, Diane Stockard, Mary Sullivan, and David Wariner.

DPC Art Luck, The Art Works of the Contributor The Contributor is Nashville’s version of an idea in place in several cities to provide an opportunity for the homeless to earn some money and spread the word on their experience by producing a newspaper featuring articles and artwork mostly by members of the homeless community, sold by vendors from the homeless community. The Contributor got started earlier this year, and DPC is going to feature art work by some of the people involved with the paper and the homeless community in Nashville.

LeQuire Gallery, Learning Green Landscapes by Suta Lee, Arthur Barnes, Lori Putnam, Ashley Wiltshire. Barnes and Putnam do plein air work. Lee, a professor at Austin Peay, works in a couple of styles, but this show will include his very traditional watercolor landscapes.

Cumberland Gallery, Group show, Kit Reuther and new artists. Cumberland has their summer group show going, and they are also doing short-run features on some of their artists and cycling through some new artists. The new folks are Jeff Green, Denise Mayo Stewart-Sanabria, and Dane Carder. The feature from June 7-21 is Kit Reuther.

June 13

Untitled, Multiple Origami This quarter’s will be held at the University of Phoenix’ building out by the airport—you can see it on the right when you’re driving back into town from the Airport. I think you get to it by taking the Elm Hill Pike exit from Briley Parkway. Runs from 6-10.

June 14

Studio B Gallery, Kaaren Hirschowitz Engel. Kaaren’s latest paintings integrate Hebrew prayers from her childhood. I’m not sure if this is going to include some of her sculptural work—paintings rolled or cut up, like the globes hanging in the Arcade—or will focus more on on-the-wall paintings. The opening will be from 7-9 on the 14^th.

June 19

Renaissance Center: Victoria Boone, Erin Anfinson, Julie Lee, and Doug Stevenson. The Ren Center in Dickson is picking up the pace in getting Nashville artists in front of viewers in Dickson and the surrounding counties. Last month they had John Donovan and the Southern Graphics Council, and this time several people who have been featured in Nashville galleries recently: Victoria Boone had a show at the Parthenon, Julie was at Twist, and Erin Anfinson is carried by TAG (I think the last show I show of hers was at Ruby Green about a year ago, but I might have missed something). I don’t know for sure, but the reception might be on Friday the 20^th.

June 20

In.Form.All. A group show (one night only I believe) featuring Arlene Bates, Betsy Clapsaddle, Charla Steele, Hans Mooy, Judy Klich, Merry Beth Myrick, Shonna Sexton and Stacie Berry. It will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 at 5725 Stoneway Trail.

June 21

Zeitgeist, Dialogue 3, Sculpture The second in Zeitgeist’s medium-specific and media-bending shows, this one covers photography. Jason Briggs, Mark Bynon, Michael Baggarly, Mark Clarson, John Donovan, Buddy Jackson, Christopher McNulty, Greg Pond, Jack Dingo Ryan, Bethany Springer

June 28

CRAFT: A Creative Community Summer Extravaganza. This group of local artists/artisans had their regular monthly show/sale on June 1, but there’s also doing a second event on Saturday the 28^th at Memorial Lutheran Church, 1211 Riverside Drive in East Nashville from 10 to 5.

Cheekwood, A Century on Paper A show of selections from Cheekwood’s collection, starting with early 20^th century artists like Reginald Marsh, but probably picking up with later stuff by Rauschenberg, Ruscha.