Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Nashville Visual Arts Events May 2009

Sam Dunson had a show last year at the Vanderbilt Divinity School with work that put a focus to the wilder style he’s taken on lately. I hope some of those pieces will be in this show (I’d like to see them again), and anything more recent will take us that much further. I saw a straight up Guernica quote poking its head into the frame of a piece in the press release.

Everyone in town should know Patrick DeGuira as one of the city’s most significant sculptors, and many know that he’s been a mainstay of the exhibits staff at Cheekwood. He’s recently been laid from there and has started a framing and art prep/installation/packing business. So if you want to have someone who knows what they’re doing handle some art for you, Patrick’s got his shingle out at www.finnsframing.com

Also, Beth Gilmore’s rescheduled exhibit at Belmont Mansion happens May 10.

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, send me an email at dcmaddox@comcast.net. To get taken off the list, email to that effect at the same address.

May 1

Cummins Station art student show To coincide with graduations at the local colleges, Jodi Hays (no doubt with help from others) has organized a show of work by MTSU, TSU, Sewanee, and Watkins students. The reception runs 4-7.

May 2

Mir, Christian Dye. The title of this show is Bleak: Searching for Beauty in an Otherwise Tragic World and the press release say the work uses materials that “are susceptible to time and the effects of pollution.” That could describe any number of things, so we’ll see what it is when we see it.

Twist, Beep Beep Gallery artists. Twist is exchanging artists with the like-minded Atlanta gallery Beep Beep. That Atlanta artists are Ann-Marie Manker and Jason Butcher. And in Twist 58, there will be work by Duncan McDaniel, John Whitten, and Erin Plew. Erin’s senior show paintings at Watkins are terrific.

Estel, Mr. Hooper and Samuel Dunson. See the intro re: Sam. His work is paired with Mr. Hooper.

Cumberland, Johan Hagaman and Dan Gualdoni. Hagaman deos sculptures of whimsical, surreal figures. Gualdoni paints natural scenes in ephemeral states dominated by fog, mist, and clouds.

Rymer, Janis Pozzi-Johnson. Simple abstract paintings built up from dense layers of paint.

The Arts Company, David Benson and David Swanagin. Narrative paintings by Benson and landscapes by Swanagin, both with Southern themes and scenes.

Sera Davis: Graffiti artists and urban designers. To celebrate the first anniversary of her space in the Arcade, Sera worked with Quincy Crutchfield to put together a show by Nashville graffiti artists and clothing designers. It’s great that Sera’s getting these folks in front of everyone at the Arcade.

Terrazzo, Zeitgeist artists. This monthly event keeps expanding, now including units on the 11th and 5th floor, with a whole bunch of Zeitgeist’s artists like John Donovan, Caroline Allison and Richard Feaster.

Tinney Contemporary, Greg Decker and Eduardo Terranova. A series of paintings from Decker called the Golden Paintings. Terranova is an architect and an artist, originally from Colombia, who is doing abstract pieces concerned with the experience of people disappearing due to the violence in that country. The gallery will also host a performance by singer-songwriter Denitia Odigie during the crawl.

May 4

Mercy Lounge, Forest Bride. We’re playing as part of 8 off 8th.

May 7

Frist Center, Manzil Ezell lecture. Part of a series co-sponsored by Zeitgeist and the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects meant to look at art and architecture through the frame of other disciplines.

May 9

Gallery F., Amelia Winger-Bearskin and Carlin Wing. This is the second part of the collaboration by these artists about the Hermitage, Andrew Jackson, and his household. The first installment concerned Lyncoya, a Creek boy the Jacksons adopted. The artists conveyed a sense of memory and history as traces across the land, put across through a combination of documentary material and outright beautiful and poetic video and graphic material.

Studio East Nashville, Myles Maillie. An illustrator, designer, and painter showing new work. 1520 Woodland Street. Also on view Sunday afternoon, May10.

May 10

Belmont Mansion, Beth Gilmore. After a few delays, Beth is ready to go with her show at the Belmont Mansion. Beth works at the museum, giving tours and occasionally channeling Adelicia Acklen, and has talked them into letting her install art in an unrestored room of the mansion. Beth uses images from the historical collections of the house in her art all the time, and now she brings the images back home. Her whole approach is based on appropriating and absorbing images, and looking for a remix that allows a sense of historical presence/present to express itself. This show will let a couple of ways of telling history reside together. The show will be run from 5-9 on the 10th.

May 14

Vanderbilt University Club, Olga Alexeeva. The idea for this exhibit is to start with black and white paintings and progress into full color from one end of the exhibit to the other. Reception from 5-8

3rd and Lindsley, Dave Perkins CD release. This music listing is one of my exceptions for friends things. Dave is releasing an album of new material—he’s probably best known as a producer for groups like Over the Rhine, but not surprisingly he’s an expert musician with real fluency and sweetness of sound.

May 29

Frist Center, Museums in the 21st Century. Drawings, models, plans and photos of 26 museum projects in development since 2000. No, they were not all designed by Frank Gehry. But it looks like the monstrosity proposed for the Corcoran Museum makes an appearance.

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