Visual arts | sculpture | photography | Architecture | Music
October 2009
Charles Keiger Irene Ritter Robin Hood Michael Shane Neal In the Realm A Revelation Legendary The Master's of Possibility in Stone Photographer Touch
Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 1 2 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 3 You Know Us...
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TM October 2009 Spotlight...... 8 Yoga, Artclectic, Hey Florence!, Anton Weiss, Meriwether Lewis As the Art Director, it is a rare opportunity to bring words Home Design...... 12 to the page; it is a testament to the commitment Nashville Arts Robbie Calvo: Old World Artisan Magazine has made to creating a new, more inclusive sense of the Music...... 14 creative community. Michael Rhodes: Deep Down Cool Bringing the thousands of elements together to guide the reader Painting...... 18 through the content, I attempt to make the experience as effort- Charles Keiger: In The Realm of Possibility less as sitting on a train watching the scenery pass through a Architecture...... 24 window. It is my job to take the reader on that journey, making Living in Art sure that the view is clear, stopping at all the stops and pointing Neighborhood Art...... 30 out the landmarks as we move through the pages. The Germantown Connection Theater...... 34 Ironically, for a creative person whose title includes the word Barry Scott: A Man For All Seasons “art,” it is my hope that what I do goes largely unnoticed. I am Sculpture ...... 38 the man behind the curtain. I am the conductor who makes your adventure through the scenery smooth and enjoyable. It’s just Irene Ritter: A Revelation in Stone what I like to do. Photography...... 48 Robin Hood: Legendary Photographer This month we are happy to announce our new website! At Painting...... 58 Nashvilleartsmagazine.com you will find all the great content Michael Shane Neal: The Master’s Touch you see in the printed magazine, plus more great art, infor- Appraise It...... 68 Poetry...... 72 mation, and articles about our creative community at large. I Theater...... 74 encourage you to visit our site, to comment, and to get involved Anything Goes...... 76 in the Nashville arts. Happenings...... 80 Openings and Receptions...... 84 Puzzler...... 92 Now back to the engine room...I mean, drawing board. My Favorite Painting...... 98 Jeff Stamper Nashville Arts Magazine team: Art Director Kat Amano, Jerry Atnip, Rebecca Bauer, Beano, Larry Boothby, Lizza Connor Bowen, Ted Clayton, Matt Coale, Melissa Cross, Daysi, on the cover: Charles Keiger's The Blackberries Linda Dyer, Cathy Faust, Madge Franklin, Greta Gaines, Joe Glazer, Valerie Hart, Daniel Hightower, Tim Hiber, Charlie Martin, Paul Polycarpou, Rita Puryear, Randy Read, Jim Reyland, Kami Rice, Anthony Scarlati, Sam Scarpine, Jeff Stamper, Katie Sulkowski, Kevin Tetz, Adrienne Thompson, Lindsey V. Thompson, Dave Turner, Lisa Venegas, Deborah Walden, Rob Williams, William Williams Published by St. Claire Media Group Contact Us at the Editorial Offices 644 West Iris Dr., 37204 Phone 615 383-0278 nashvilleartsmagazine.com © 2009 St. Claire Media Group. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction in part or in whole without written permission from the Publisher. Send any requests to reprint material to [email protected]. Subscription Customer Service 615 383-0278 [email protected] Letters We encourage readers to share their stories and reactions to Nashville Arts Magazine by sending emails to [email protected] or letters to the address above. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. Advertising Inquiries For ad sales and media kit, visit Nashvilleartsmagazine.com or email [email protected].
6 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 7 Spotlight n o
Yoga Gives! s ald
Raquel Bueno is a board member of the Sexual Assault Center, and n y do she also happens to be a yoga instructor. Earlier this summer, she r a combined her skills and passion to create a unique format for helping m oto: h victims of sexual assault. P Hey Florence! September 10–12 Bueno started small with a few classes on Sundays in area parks. Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Office of Cultural Enrichment Since then, she has launched Yoga Gives! which continues with and Nurse Wellness Committee presented the debut of the musical Hey twice-monthly classes in area parks with plans for becoming much Florence! September 10–12 at the Langford Auditorium of Vanderbilt bigger. Classes are free to participants, but donations are requested, University. Produced by Donna Glassford and written, composed and which go directly to support the programs of the Sexual Assault directed by Australian playwright Craig Christie, the musical is a celebra- Center (SAC). tion of the art of nursing. At times poignant and other times hilarious, the play explores the realities of what the typical day of a nurse entails. The next outdoor class is October 18 at Sevier Park 10:30 a.m. Some are called to this field while others are drawn there by chance. Beginning November 1, the class will move indoors, meeting every Regardless, it takes an extraordinary type of person to be a nurse—and a Sunday from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. at Sanctuary Yoga in Green Hills. For special musical to give insight into these incredible individuals. all schedule times, contact Raquel Bueno at [email protected]; phone: 310-849-9761. This musical, which will be licensed to other hospitals, starred actual The Dermess Staff nurses from Vanderbilt Medical Center, and this is what really makes above: Featured Artist Pinkney Herbert the play work. The compassion and stoicism of the individuals called Artclectic to this vocation are never in question, and yet there is much playfulness University School of Nashville presents its 13th annual artclectic Art and humor that shows just how nurses keep themselves sane and moti- Show, October 22–25, at 2000 Edgehill Avenue. One of the city’s vated—either despite, or because of, their jobs. If there is any doubt as most prominent art events, artclectic returns with an expanded format to whether the play successfully captures the skill and warmth of the featuring more than 50 artists from the Southeast, a two-day special resolute and spirited people who choose to take on this often-underap- events program for kids, evening events, and several opportunities to preciated career, then you need only watch and listen to the audience: meet artists, attend demonstrations, and participate in discussions with standing ovation after standing ovation, shouts of laughter, and even a the artists. Jerry Dale McFadden is the juror for this year’s show. few misty eyes. You don’t have to be a nurse to enjoy Hey Florence! Gallery and Workin G Studio at the Ba S e o f h i G h l a n d S
The community-wide party opens at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 23. Anton Weiss Abstract Admission is $10 per person. Every year, the party draws city leaders, Painting Demonstration arts patrons, collectors and art lovers. A free, hands-on workshop for Sunday, October 11, 2 p.m.–5 children and parents will take place on Saturday and Sunday in the p.m., everyone is invited to Tibbott Center. Kids of all ages can engage their creative energies join artist Anton Weiss for to make art out of objects that might otherwise go in the landfill. A a painting demonstration reception for the featured artist Pinkney Herbert in USN’s Tibbott held at the outdoor theater Center Gallery takes place on Friday, October 2, from 5 p.m. –7 p.m. behind Leiper’s Creek Gallery This evening event is free and open to the public. Herbert’s work will in Leiper’s Fork. Weiss’ be on display through artclectic. demo is a rare and wonder- ful opportunity to view a
Admission is free and open to the public, from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. on Saturday master abstractionist will- i lat r a
and 11 a.m.–3 p.m. on Sunday. Whole Foods is sponsoring all of the food ing to share his many years c Olivia Daane Reische, “Angel Food”, Mixed Media on Canvas, 2009, 36 x 60 inches. y S n
for the four-day event. For more information: www.artclectic.org. of experience. Anton Weiss o h t Olivia Daane Reische . TORi MiTas caMpisi . MaTT neuMan will enlighten and entertain An anDRew wilz . alicia MaTesanz De las heRas . DOROThea BenT oto:
audiences as he takes on a h
P caRRie TRippe . chlOe sells . KaT paRKin . JaneT nelsOn large canvas, also available anDRea FaRBeR hippie Gypsy hOT cOuTuRe . DeliGhT van DaMe for purchase. Admission is free and open to the public. Seating avail- Dasa BausOva . KaRl wOlFGanG able, light snacks and beverages provided. For more information visit i
lat www.leiperscreekgallery.com or call Lisa Fox, gallery owner, at 115 BOOMERANG ROAD, SUITE 5201E, ASPEN, CO 81611 | 970.544.0411 | WWW.LIVASPENART.COM r a c 615-519-1545. y S n o h t
8 | October 2009 | An Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 9 oto: h P First National Memorial Service for Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition fresh cut pasta On October 7, 2009, national press, locals and tourists will descend • on Hohenwald, Tennessee, to commemorate the 200th anniversary homemade ravioli of Meriwether Lewis’ death and, for the first time in history, to honor • homemade sauces this true American hero with a national memorial service. • olive oils & vinegars The commemorative event begins at 2:30 p.m. at the Meriwether Lewis grave and monument at milepost 385.9 on the Natchez Trace • Parkway and just off Tennessee Hwy. 20 in Hohenwald. The cere-
salumi ow rr mony will tell Lewis’ story as a real man who personally sacrificed for fo
• n
la his country. Eulogies written in the style at the time of his death in
breads & cheeses ch Yeoman’s In The Fork a L 1809 will be given. Descendants of both Lewis and Clark, govern- y of the way s ment officials, tribal chiefs, representatives from Monticello, and te r
Nashville’s own pasta shop ou historical reenactors will assemble to honor his achievements. The pasta & Italian grocery c
oto event will not settle the question of how he died, but it is hoped that h P should be. 1314 5th Ave No. it will complete unfinished matters left since his premature death at left to right: Rob Wilds, Thurston Moore, Christiane Engel, age 35 and give the national hero’s life the recognition it is due. 615-291-9922Dr. Nicholas Comninellis, Naomi Tutu www.Lazzaroli.com Although Lewis was governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory at fresh cut pasta • handmade ravioli • homemade sauces Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach performed at the time of his death, he was not afforded the honor of a funeral, olive oils & vinegars • salumi • breads & cheeses the Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Hall, August 29, 2009. and for most of the nineteenth century his grave was described as abandoned and overgrown. A group of Tennesseans encouraged Nashville’s own pasta shop & Italian grocery While viewing a herd of hippopotamuses crossing a river, this revela- President Coolidge to designate the grave the fifth national monu- 1314 5th Ave No. • 615-291-9922 • www.Lazzaroli.com tion came to Albert Schweitzer’s mind: reverence for all life. ment in the South in 1925; in 1961, President Kennedy made it part of the Natchez Trace Parkway. Today, the site draws visitors Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach, presented by the from around the world, and the Park Service has announced plans to Tennessee Players, Inc., showcased three speakers, Dr. Nicholas begin construction of a four-million-dollar visitors center. Comninellis (Schweitzer), Naomi Tutu, and Rob Wilds (actors “The small town bookshop with uptown books” Come check out our fi ne wines for under $20.00 playing roles of Schweitzer’s life), and six organ pieces performed by Gail Archer. The play was written and produced by Thurston Rare Book & Document Gallery Moore, president of Tennessee Players, Inc., also a lifetime friend of the Schweitzer family. Schweitzer’s hero was Bach, and he played the www.yeomansinthefork.com music of Bach throughout his life.
Albert Schweitzer won the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize; he lived and worked as a medical missionary in Africa for the majority of his life. He and his wife founded a hospital, Lambaréné in 1913, during WWI and a time when few people had the ability or support to do humanitarian work. Even his own daughter questioned why he gave up so much to come live in Africa. He replied that it was Africa that gave him his philosophy.
Naomi Tutu first became involved with the production in 2004. Tutu’s life work in human rights includes a breadth of experience; she is also the daughter of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife, Nomalizo. On Schweitzer’s legacy she shared, “There’s a continuing relevance of Schweitzer’s core message ‘reverence for all life.’ What a difference it would make in the world if we started each PHONE 615-983-6460 • FAX 615-515-9060 day that way.” 4216 Old Hillsboro Rd. • Franklin, TN 37064 i lat r
For more information about the play, visit www.tennesseeplayers. a c (Leipers' Fork Historic District) y S
org. For information about the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship visit n o h 2109 Abbott Martin Road | Nashville, TN 37215 | 615.297.5220 | getfi [email protected] www.schweitzerfellowship.org. t - RARE BOOKS & DOCUMENTS BOUGHT & SOLD - An oto: h
P OPENING OCTOBER 3, 2009 10 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 11 WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY 10-5 • SUNDAY 1-5 Home Design
Robbie Calvo “My art is an old-world art, and Old World Artisan by Lisa Venegas | photography by Reed Brown I think in an old-world way like There is simply no mistaking the work of Robbie Calvo. If you’ve been to the grand villas and castles of Europe, you will recognize the the artisans of times past.” sensibility and ambience of his style immediately. Chandeliers, rich, opulent draperies, stenciled patterns on walls and ceilings, and warm copper and bronze recreate a grander, richer time. With Robbie, you I asked Robbie the process for transforming a room into an excep- have an award-winning artisan, skilled in traditional methods prac- tional space. “Most of the time the architecture inspires me—a ticed for centuries in Europe’s most distinctive homes. Gilding using domed ceiling or a Georgian window or a mantelpiece—some- real metals, frescos using plaster and time-tested pigments, copper thing in the room will dictate how you are going to approach a that is hammered and riveted, floors that are hand stressed, and design. Sometimes the client will have, say, a beautiful antique rug incredible marbling work that somehow not only reflects the real with a medallion in the design, and you incorporate the medallion thing but takes it one step further into the realm of art. or scrollwork and the color scheme into the room. You also work to bring out the house to match the personality of the client. If you are commissioning Robbie as a designer, then you are asking for a decorative experience that transports you to another time and “My art is an old-world art, and I think in an old-world way like place. His design concepts work wonderfully in traditionally sized the artisans of times past. Growing up in England I was fasci- homes, but his ideas are fully formed on a grander scale. That is nated by heraldry and the majesty of royalty. I was surrounded when the scope of the work can truly transcend a room to other by incredible architecture, and it just became a part of who I continents and centuries. am. I had a three-year apprenticeship and college for decorative painting, which included gilding, sign writing, wood graining, Let’s take a recent project: a completely gutted modern bathroom marbling, painting, mural work, all of the old-world arts of is transformed into an elegant sixteenth-century Italian bathroom decorative painting. When I came to the states, I came to realize with hand-painted vanities, copper sinks, beautiful painted frescos that the knowledge that I’d gained and the experience or back- on the walls, tumbled-stone floors, a tub surrounded by draper- ground that I had set me aside from the other people here who ies, and a walk-in Euro shower with a harlequin-patterned tile. In were doing similar things. So instead of faux finishing, I prefer another project, a foyer with a vaulted and domed ceiling is painted to be called a decorative painter. I’m replicating the real thing, with copper tones and a custom-designed, intricate fleur-de-lis, and and that’s the difference. It’s truly an art, an old-world art.” a plaster treatment with intricate marbling decorates the walls. Robbie explains that every element of the process takes dedica- tion. He hand mixes plaster, adding in color in stages, and applies it by hand to add texture. Once the plaster is finished, multiple Before After layers of molding are added, each with different colors or finishes. Perhaps wallpaper is added that is itself painted. Stencils are added in intricate patterns. Wood is stained and sanded to a fine finish. And above all, the composition of the room is enhanced through the right furnishings and decorative touches. A typical project could take six weeks, or three months of daily labor, depending on its scale.
It’s not always necessary to spend a fortune to make a room opulent, but it does take time and effort. Robbie believes the clients who are happiest with their redesigned houses are those who are able to express honestly what they want, are open to exploring what will really work for a room, and are willing to commit to the vision of a designer. With Robbie, there is no compromising the quality of the work. It is meant to give the clients what their hearts honestly desire.
12 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 13 Music
Shawn Colvin’s Sunny Came Home, and Darius Rucker’s recent It Won’t Be Like This For Long all feature Rhodes’ tasteful bass lines.
Rhodes arrived in Nashville in the late 70s after stints in Memphis and Austin where he learned quickly that musicians could “play themselves to death in bars,” he says. His lucky break came when a friend of a friend hired him as part of the house band tracking demos at Tree Publishing. Suddenly surrounded by writers who were penning the country classics, writ- ers like Harlan Howard, Bobby Braddock and Curly Putnam, the self-taught bassist received an ivy- league education in collaboration. Recalls Rhodes: “It was a great crash course in the art of playing the song, and [figuring out] what was needed for a song.”
The 80s ushered in a “coming of age” for bassist Rhodes, particularly when legendary Traffic frontman, Steve Winwood, invited Rhodes Michael Rhodes to be a part of his solo Roll With Deep Down Cool It world tour. “Steve was a hero of mine growing up,” says Rhodes, by Lizza Connor Bowen | Photography by Anthony Scarlati who accompanied Winwood night The lanky, unassuming, slick-headed bassist-cum-interna- after night on era-defining jams tional fashion model (he has graced Parisian runways, Vogue and like Higher Love and Back in the GQ magazines) would be the last person to boast of his six Academy “There’s no substitute High Life. Prior to the Winwood of Country Music Awards. And though he’s laid the low end on tour, Rhodes says it was just an over 60 gold and platinum records, he forgot to mention it in our for the synergy of “incremental awareness” that he was interview. He has accompanied such genre-spanning legends as beginning to make his way in the Dolly Parton, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, Larry Carlton, and the musicians in a room music business. Dixie Chicks, among others, as well as carried membership cards in many a local band, including cult-favorite 80s outfit The Nerve. at the same time. The His session work flourished in the 90s as country music boomed with Despite his reputation as one of Nashville’s first call players, the Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. humble Rhodes is a prime example of the “graciousness” which magic happens when “It was pretty much all studio work,” he assigns to his peers in the talent pool. “I’m really just a blue- Rhodes says. “Lots of people got collar worker,” says Rhodes, on his skill-for-hire. But mastery of one person plays signed; lots of labels formed, so his musical gift has earned Rhodes a spot on Music Row’s A-team there was more work.” session players. Both in the recording studio and live on stage, something and the Rhodes is a creative force that artists have been employing over Which brings us to the pres- the past 40 years. Hits like Lee Ann Womack’s I Hope You Dance, other answers.” ent, where masters like Rhodes, who’ve contributed to the body of
14 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 15 popular music in and outside of Nashville for so many years, are seeking alternative, albeit “no less interesting and rewarding” routes, says Rhodes. . “There’s a hole in the ship,” says Rhodes. “Despite all warnings, the ship thought it could successfully navigate through this iceberg field, and it couldn’t. We can’t rely on the old business model. It’s time for new, entrepreneurial endeavors. It’s all hands on deck now.”
All hands on deck, for Rhodes, means finding ways to “stay relevant.” Mentoring young talent is the first step. “It’s the future,” Rhodes says, and, given his experience, there’s a deep well from which to draw. “I’m looking for artists I can guide or get the help they need. There are some amazing young writers and singers coming to town who have a lot to say.”
In addition to imparting wisdom he has collected over the years, Rhodes is building a home studio in his Green Hills pad. “It’s the way most session players are going,” he says. Given the shrinking recording budgets, home recording— and sending files digitally—allows Rhodes to be engaged in projects of interest even if the monetary payoff isn’t what it used to be. Says Rhodes: “First and foremost, I’m a musician. If it requires a financial adjustment on certain levels, I’m willing to do that.”
Lucky for Nashvillians, Rhodes is keeping the magic alive with a full plate of live gigs on local stages. “Music is meant to be listened to, and it’s not music until it’s heard,” Rhodes says. Currently Rhodes is a member of six different bands that, on average, can be heard in Nashville once a week.
He admits that he thrives within the community of a band, which “keeps [him] honest” and guards against falling into familiar patterns in the studio. The Players features in-demand session musicians like Paul Franklin on steel and Brent Mason on guitar. Other outfits Rhodes is part of include hit songwriter Gary Nicholson’s The Fortunate Sons, the jazz-infused Oz Noy Trio, the Pat McLaughlin Band, The Delta Playboys, and The Purifires, with Bonnie Raitt’s guitarist George Marinelli.
When asked about his own successes, Rhodes points to the inspiring influence of his peers: “The rising tide raises all ships,” he says. “There’s a willingness to help a fellow artist rather than hold them back. That was true in the past and is true today.”
He doesn’t have a precise road map for the future, but he says he lives by this motto: “Must Be Present To Win.” So he always shows up. How cool is that?
16 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine . Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 17 Painting
Charles Keiger In The Realm of Possibility
by Katie Sulkowski
Charles Keiger paints colorful, folksy narratives with elements of the surreal. Keiger’s lighthearted scenes exist in a world somewhere outside this universe—perhaps in a dream, literal but more stylized. “I like to live and paint inside my head. My vision toward my art is inward.” He’s excited about what’s on his easel right now, figures he calls “silly” but “confident in their demeanor.” Concluding, “I may be a clown, but I’m comfortable with who I am.”
His highly attractive style marries the Renaissance tradition and painting technique with that of the early surrealists, poking the psyche with its humor and often-haunting symbolism. Most of his works feature one central figure in a rural setting. From there, an archetype or character reveals itself, and a familiar scene of Americana unfolds. If he does paint a city, it’s always way off in the background. r ge
Raised in the Carolinas, Keiger is inspired by Southern imagery i e k
s
and shows all over the Southern region. His next exhibition will le r a be a part of the “Art of Books” exhibit, a salute to the Southern h y of C
Festival of Books, that opens October 3 through 31 at The Arts s te th r
Company on 5 Avenue in Nashville. Gallery owner, Anne ou c Brown, says, “He’s got such a narrative quality to his work, I oto: h thought this was a great way to think about the art of books. P There’s implied narrative in everything he does—but you have to put the pieces together.” As a category of art, he places himself most in line with the “low brow” movement.
After losing both his parents this past year, he notices he’s done several floating figures above water. “It’s true, I feel a bit ungrounded,” he shares. Similar tensions are repeated in other paintings where speed plays in stark contrast to static figures, or an old-world costume is placed against a futurist landscape. Keiger paints everyday objects in different contexts to provoke a new meaning. While out jogging one day, he saw a pink flamingo in a yard. Of himself he asked, “What can I do to that image to make people see it differently?”
left: Potomac Sonata, 16x14, oil on panel, 2007
18 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 19 far left:
The Guest, 20x18, 2006, oil on wood
middle: Mid-Morning Lesson, 20x18, 2006, oil on wood
near left: Song for a Perfect Day, 24x30, oil on wood
left bottom: A Distant Fairytale, 20x18, oil on wood, 2006
bottom middle: The Dream, 22x20, oil on panel
bottom right: Traveler From The Past, 20x18, 2006, oil on panel
“There’s implied narrative in everything he does—but you have to put the pieces together.”
His work challenges, entertains, and takes you someplace else. He reminds us that we’re all living in our own little world and gives us clues to seeing it differently, seeing the world inside out. Many standing in front of his work are heard saying, “I’m so interested; I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.” To that Keiger makes a prophetic statement, “Sometimes you don’t know the meaning of a painting until much later.” A mix of oddities and charm, objects come to life, giving off the feeling that in Keiger’s world, anything is possible.
20 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 21 Northgate Nashville Art09:Northgate Nashville Art09 8/19/09 9:50 PM Page 1
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belle_NashvArts_fullpg.indd 1 9/15/09 8:16:34 PM Architecture
Living in Art by William Williams | Photography by Matt Coale
Many Nashvillians live in a home with one or two distinctive exterior design touches, a quirky room filled with an eye-catching collection of art, or an attractive interior flourish represented by, say, a bold sculpture piece, a vintage musical instrument, or a dramatic aquarium. Few, however, dwell immersed in spaces defined by architectural genius and/or visual magnificence. For these Nashvillians, home is not unlike a cutting-edge museum of contemporary art or the studio of an eccentric painter—or both. Indeed, these folks reside in special places, spaces filled with design and art elements that define lifestyle and style of life. In short, these Nashville residents truly “live in art.”
Such living may not be appealing to most people. Truth be told, most Nashvillians likely would be, well, uncomfortable if they were hypothetically to move into this type dwelling. Even a above: The Bow House walk-through of such homes—with their avant-garde art, spiral staircases, stark color schemes, Clean-lined and industrial, these high-tech above right: Interior Brimm Home and “lack of normal everyday stuff”—could unnerve Nashvillians unfamiliar with cutting-edge design and décor. Yet, the fact that these bold, even experimental, homes are of interest to most residences loom like eyesores to some and folks only as “unusual neighborhood landmarks” or “architectural curiosities” is perhaps the defining characteristic of each. These homes are cool, in part, because most people would not the positive future of a more design-daring relate to them. Yet while few of us are suited to “live in art,” for those who are, there is no other and cosmopolitan Nashville to others. way to live.
24 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 25 801 Russell Street, Historic Edgefield
year built: The property is believed to have been constructed some time between 1969 and the early 1970s, though Metro records are unclear.
square feet: 1,860
style: industrial/modern/contemporary
residents: Julie and Ben Sistrunk
If they chose to do so, Julie and Ben Sistrunk could spend as much time lounging on their home’s roof — yes, it’s an amazing outdoor living space — as they do inside.
The rooftop deck, accessible via a spiral staircase, spans the entirety of the house, the interior of which offers patina concrete floors, concrete spandeck ceilings, exposed cinderblock walls, sliding track doors, Venetian walls, metallic paint, a giant, walk-in shower and bathroom (boasting a faux fireplace), and some of the 1106 Woodland Street, Of note, the first-floor rooms are used primarily for Krichel’s Pilates coolest art found in any Nashville home. Dominating the front yard are three Five Points business. A catwalk (very cool) spans a lush courtyard/garden and massive pieces of outdoor sculpture, the type work that might mortify reserved year built: 2000 connects the main building to a back structure accommodating types whose art tastes lean toward the dignified and historic. square feet: 3,600 Brimm’s studio. style: contemporary Of note, previous owner Will Hendricks bought the property in the 1990s and residents: Bill Brimm and Andrew Krichels Initially, Brimm and Krichels fielded criticism from neighbors. “I did a fine job, Ben Sistrunk says, of improving its appearance and functionality think some saw it as an invasion, a modern structure that could and transitioning it from commercial to residential usage. At quick glance, the exterior of this strikingly contemporary home not work in a historic neighborhood,” Brimm says. Nowadays, most in East Nashville’s Five Points could be confused as, well, a recent neighbors dig this metal and brick mini-masterpiece, its sharp lines Then in 2003, the Sistrunks bought the home from Hendricks and began the extension of the adjacent U. S. Post Office building. Soon after their and industrial vibe offering a dramatic contrast to the area’s hand- process of radically transforming it so as to, as Sistrunk says, “truly live in art.” 2000 move-in, owners Bill Brimm and Andrew Krichels were dining some bungalows and Victorians. “I think overall most people love Sistrunk says the couple spent “a considerable sum to overhaul the home,” with with friends on the second floor (the home’s main space and with the place,” Brimm says. “They get it.” the interior highlight perhaps being a kitchen that is situated within the main a kitchen, no less) when a nicely dressed couple appeared. “They living space’s center yet spans from the east wall to the west. thought that our place was a restaurant,” says Brimm, a stained-glass maker/furniture builder/photographer. “We informed them that it The Sistrunks own Urban Living Design, a design-build company that reinvents was a private residence, but they could join us if they liked. Their existing homes (including this gem). Julie’s sister Leslie is the wife of renowned faces turned red; they made their apologies and quickly left.” glass artist Dale Chihuly. No doubt, the Sistrunks know their art and architecture.
A stroll through the Brimm-Krichels residence, designed by “While we truly enjoy ‘living in art,’ it’s not for everyone,” Ben says. “I believe Nashville-based Politico, reveals nothing ordinary or traditional. For most of our neighbors enjoyed the transformation of our property but not all example, a metal locker (the type found in schools and YMCAs) is liked it—nor would they want to live in it. And yes, I would dare say some used for storage. A bedside night table is partly constructed from a people don’t think our ‘cute little art gallery’ belongs in an historic neighbor- suitcase. Two mummy-like figures (the work of local artist Adrienne hood. But isn’t this what art is all about? It invites opinion, critique and open Outlaw) hang from a ceiling. Radical stuff. interpretation.” As does the Sistrunk home.
26 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 27 4211 Idaho Avenue, 3811 Harding Place, “The house is full of very large spaces, and many of the smaller pieces Sylvan Park “Most of the neighbors really like our house,” says Gannon, a sculp- Forest Hills were more difficult to work into the house because of scale,” Kim year built: oldest part, circa 1930; newest addition, 2000 tor. “We have a lot of gawkers on the weekend. There are a few year built: 2001 Fletcher says. “But we have tried to incorporate them everywhere square feet: 2,000 dissenters that find our design aesthetic disturbing.” square feet: 4,500 possible.” In the home are works from Anton Weiss, Will Berry, style: experimental purism style: modern Nancy Cheairs, Paul Harmon, Jason Saunders, Michael Shane Neal, residents: Lanie Gannon and Rob Ogilvie Gannon said Sylvan Park residents who pressed for an historic residents: Kim and Richard Fletcher Kelly Gaidos and Ed Rode, among others. Local art is emphasized. overlay a few years ago pointed to the house as an example of what Upon first viewing this insane-looking residence, one is tempted the historic overlay, had it passed, would have prevented. But the Open, airy and no need for color. So is the home of Kim and Richard Adding to the flavor are various classic, modern furniture to blurt, “What the ----?” Those who embrace the bungalow, four- Gannon-Ogilvie home—the original part of which was built as a Fletcher, who have elevated the art of living without excess to a radi- pieces, including Knoll womb chairs, a side table by Saarinen, square or Victorian might even be offended. garage—has survived criticism and now stands as a symbol of sorts cal level. Other than a small library filled with books, the couple’s a Florence Knoll credenza, a Mies van der Rohe daybed, and for the bohemian culture found among some Sylvan Park residents. 4,500-square-foot abode is furnished in a Spartan-like manner. Bruno dining chairs. “We have mixed these pieces with several “Our house is made with the most humble, dignified and least Clutter? Nowhere to be found (well, except in the bedrooms of the Indonesian antiques and comfortable upholstered furniture, expensive materials: plywood and paint,” says Lanie Gannon, an Fletcher boys, Andrew and Nick). some of which we will upgrade once the teenagers are gone,” artist who owns the property with husband and furniture maker Rob Fletcher says with a smile. Ogilvie. Various geometric-shaped windows, an expressive (putting In terms of color, white dominates. The home’s exterior, clad in it mildly) paint job, and two front doors define the exterior. A giant Hardie siding, is white (except for the black asphalt-shingled roof barbell sculpture anchors the house’s front. and a dramatic red door). Inside, every wall is white. With soar- When asked why it is important for some homes to be visu- ing ceilings, light ash flooring, and amazing pendant lighting, the Inside, art and mid-century-modern furniture highlight the small ally and functionally distinctive compared to neighboring effect is nothing short of stunning. Designed by Washington, D.C.- rooms. A circular wall encloses the “master bedroom,” its confines houses, Gannon notes, “I am not sure I can answer this ques- based Hugh Newell Jacobsen, the home features no baseboards, no closely situated with the main living space. Almost every room, tion, because it involves too many gray areas dealing with issues crown molding, no unnecessary architectural embellishments. This hallway and outdoor space is distinctively shaped and defined; most related to society, economics, politics, environmental concerns is clean-lined, contemporary living at its most beautiful and breath- walls and doors are positioned in an unconventional manner. and personal taste.” taking, with the Fletchers’ art collection—including some massive pieces—the crowning element.
Opinions of the home vary wildly. Some think the structure resem- bles, for example, an Amish church. Others likely find the place jarring for the conservative Forest Hills. But Kim Fletcher says the house has “fostered an interest in modern” in Nashville. “We have now met and talked to many fans of modern,” she says, “some of whom have now done their own modern homes.” Thus adding to Nashville’s “living in art” culture.
28 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 29 Neighborhood Art
The Germantown n xo Di
n Today, as a “mixed-use” and diverse neighborhood, Germantown’s
Connection: ea D revitalization now includes modern architecture and developments oto: h A Neighborhood Creative Spirit P that complement the historic homes and traditional buildings. The by Melissa Cross Twenty years later, there are still many who haven’t been ultimate goal of residents and planners is to create a “walkable and For many Nashvillians, their first reason to venture into the to Germantown or have only experienced the select sights of sustainable urban neighborhood,” a new take on an old concept that
Germantown neighborhood was the lure of innovative cuisine Oktoberfest, held every year since 1980. But today even a quick includes shops, restaurants, businesses and offices as well as residen- e k a
from the Mad Platter Restaurant. When Marcia and Craig Jervis tour of the area between the river and Eighth Avenue North reveals tial and recreational spaces. mm opened the restaurant in 1989, the neighborhood revitalization a neighborhood that has been physically transformed and yet ott Ha was just getting started, and although the shining dome of the has held onto its strong urban character. Look a little deeper and One such development is at Fourth and Madison where Tennessee c oto: S h
Capitol was just down the street, the worn and neglected streets one also finds a unique and tight-knit community that embodies Titan Michael Roos and his wife, Kat, have begun a two-year project P of Germantown felt like worlds away from the tidy boulevards and creativity and encourages imagination. on the site of the old A & S Electric building. Referred to by some as “the best-kept secret in Nashville,” the trimmed lawns of most Nashville neighborhoods. Nashville Jazz Workshop includes “The Jazz Cave,” a state-of- the-art studio used for master classes and performances by local and world-class musicians, and a reception-area gallery that features the works of local visual artists. Founded and directed by Lori Mechem, a respected jazz pianist and composer, and husband Roger Spencer, a bassist, both of whom have had extensive music careers, NJW relies greatly on the support and creative inspiration of their Germantown neighbors.
before after Photos: Dean Dixon n xo
The first wave of urban pioneers in Germantown staked their Di
n ea
territory in the 1970s, committed to preserving the historic and D
diverse architecture, from simple row houses built for immigrant oto: h workers to elegant examples of Victorian, Italianate, Eastlake, P and Queen Anne styles. Known as Nashville’s first “residential Another historic neighborhood-conscious project includes the subdivision,” Germantown was placed on the National Register Neuhoff Redevelopment, located on the river end of Germantown. of Historic Places in 1979. The site has become a focal point for the arts and a center for envi- ronmental studies with the installation of a Green Roof Prototype. The original Neuhoff meatpacking plant now houses the Nashville Jazz Workshop, the Actors Bridge Ensemble Theater, the Nashville “The house Cultural Arts Project, the Neuhoff Art Gallery, and John Prine’s found me; it recording studio. Another great secret of the hood is Lazzaroli was love at Pasta, offering hand-made pasta and authentic Italian fare. Philadelphia transplant Tom Lazzaro first sight.” and his family began selling fresh-made pasta out of a van at the Farmer’s Market until they found Although Germantown has attracted typical urbanites such as the perfect space for their pasta kitchen and artists, architects, writers and photographers over the years, some Italian market on Fifth Avenue. people have experienced what could be defined as a “calling” to the neighborhood. In 1995 an unemployed and in-debt Michael King The 2009 Germantown Street Festival is
took a wrong turn onto Sixth Avenue and happened upon a beauti- i October 10 and incorporates the unique flavor lat r a
ful 1880 Italianate Victorian home in need of a major renovation. c of the original Oktoberfest with the diversity y S n o n “The house found me— it was love at first sight,” Michael says. It and creativity of the Historic Germantown h t xo An Di called to him to restore it and open a restaurant, and 23,000 biscuits neighborhood: n ea oto: D a month later, Monell’s Restaurants are among Nashville’s best- h www.HistoricGermantown.org. P oto:
h loved Southern family-style restaurants. P
30 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 31 LOVE DECEIT MADNESS REDEMPTION Jean D. Dortch Inspired Designs STUDIO AND PLEIN AIR PAINTINGS
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Giselle Theater
Barry Scott in Macbeth “I’m one of the godfathers of local theater, I guess...by virtue of still being here.” r y Butle rr
Macbeth oto: Ha h P
and Macbeth to independent films and television series and even of Reyland’s new play, Article 4, starring two of Jim Varney’s Ernest comedies. Scott has also carved out a another Nashville acting lion, Mark Cabus. Barry Scott national identity as a foremost performer of the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., which he began doing as early as the age “I’m one of the godfathers of local theater, A Man For All Seasons of 12 and has been touring regularly since he grew to manhood. I guess,” says Scott, with a wry smile. “By by Martin Brady virtue of not dying...and still being here.” Scott is also a writer of some note, with half a dozen produced scripts to his credit, often celebrating black pride, including By day, Scott holds the position of “I have more directing credits under Harlem Voices and A Joyful Noise. But the directing thing is happen- manager of the Cox/Lewis Theatre ing these days, and that’s just a logical extension of his energy, his at TSU’s Performing Arts Center. He my belt the past five years than acting involvement, his experience and his always-developing talent. is also the producing artistic director for the American Negro Playwright credits,” says Barry Scott. For two summers running, Scott has directed gifted Tennessee State Theatre, which he founded nearly 20 University students, first in a galvanizing urban/hip-hop adaptation years ago. ANPT has been a foremost That’s saying something, given that Scott is arguably Nashville’s of Romeo and Juliet, and, more recently, in The Complete Works of purveyor of great contemporary black finest actor and clearly Music City’s highest-profiled theatri- William Shakespeare (Abridged). Both of those shows exhibited dramas, in particular those of August cal performer nationally. Those stentorian promotions you hear Scott’s commitment to pushing younger performers toward growth Wilson, and the company has historically coming out of the television during ESPN’s NBA broadcasts are by accepting unfamiliar new challenges. He also recently directed, brought in important African American just one of Scott’s numerous gigs as an in-demand voiceover artist, and co-starred in, Samm-Art Williams’ The Dance on Widows’ Row theater artists for directing assignments, and otherwise you can go back 25 years to catalog his important at playwright/entrepreneur Jim Reyland’s Writer’s Stage venue, including Robert Guillaume, John career as foremost local thespian, with roles ranging from Othello where he’ll return in November to direct a workshop production Henry Redwood and Woodie King.
34 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 35
Unbeknownst to many, Scott had a potentially life-changing opportunity auditioning in he says, “and I have to pay for that The Piano Lesson Los Angeles for Norman Lear’s Good Times. “It went well,” says Scott, “but I didn’t wind up in personal relationships. My three with the role. It was quite an education for me as a young boy from Nashville, living in kids love me unconditionally, but Hollywood in the 1970s and discovering how the games are played. So, if you were not my marriage failed. Fortunately, Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby, opportunities were actually few. I was always auditioning for my ex- and I are good partners the ‘cool black dude,’ ‘the jive black dude,’ ‘the convict black dude,’ ‘the pimp black dude.’ in parenting.” Which, in fact, You had to be a buffoon. Plus, I wasn’t mature enough to understand and digest all of that.” Scott considers his greatest role.
After 18 months on the West Coast, Scott returned to Music City. “I was willing to sacrifice,” he But it’s researching Dr. King’s legacy says, “but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice what I thought was my integrity. There were a lot of oppor- and delivering his speeches that have tunities to forward my career if I ran in certain circles, did certain things, but I discovered quickly always afforded Scott purpose and a that there are people who are willing to compromise their integrity for money in the professional sense of well-being. “I can do King world, whether it’s politics, business or entertainment. So I went back to school, and graduated.” speeches for hours on end,” he says proudly. “They are in my conscious- Scott tried grad school, but it didn’t take. That’s sort of ironic since, virtual self-made man that he is, he’s ness. Doing that has made me the now in demand as a motivational speaker on leadership and diversity at universities and corporations. kind of person I am. It’s all about the healing.” Despite the early flirtation with Hollywood, it was a good stretch of years before he gained his
local legendary status. Scott’s high-profile local performances in Othello, 1994, and Macbeth, Photos: Harry Butler
1998, at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, he attributes directly to the vision of then-artistic Othello director Mac Pirkle. “Othello was confirmation,” says Scott. “Macbeth was significant because it was not an all-black cast.” Other roles that have mattered big-time include the leads in Wilson’s Fences and the one-man show Looking Over the President’s Shoulder for ANPT, and also Wilson’s The Piano Lesson at the Rep, which was that company’s first-ever all-black cast.
As for the Nashville theater scene and the future, Scott is sanguine. “It’s underfunded, as are most theaters in America, but we’re relatively a friendly community. I have received so much help and support. I see evidence of tolerance, inclusiveness, goodwill and collaboration. I don’t necessarily think we have a national reputa- tion, but I think that will change. How many black theaters anywhere are doing as much as we’re doing?”
Specifically, Scott refer- ences the rise in recent years of ambitious grassroots African American commu- nity theater groups. “It’s nonstop,” he says. “I don’t see any end in sight. And maybe the black theater movement in Nashville is making theater more acces- sible to people who typically “ I don’t necessarily think we have a felt like that was not for them. We’re onto something here.” national reputation, but I think that will
Comfortably in his fifties, change. How many black theaters anywhere Scott’s busier than ever. i r lat
“I’ve got so much going on,” r
a are doing as much as we’re doing?” c y Butle y S rr n o h t : Ha s An
oto 36 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 37 h P oto: h P Sculpture To sculpt shapeless stone into objects of beauty…. To create riddles and i lat
r jokes with a c y S n o h t the viewers An : s oto h P of her work. Irene Ritter A Revelation in Stone by Bernadette Rymes When asked about his sculpting technique, Michelangelo famously quipped, “I saw the angel in the marble and I set him free.” This insight into the sculptor’s task defines the work of the stone carver. The painter or draughtsman projects imaginative flights onto a blank canvas or paper. A stone carver must see the potential of her finished project in the raw—find form inert in some- thing formless.
Nashville sculptor Irene Ritter has always been the kind of person to look beneath the surface. Her abil- ity to find unique possibilities in seemingly bleak circumstances characterized her work long before she picked up a chisel and hammer. Irene employed these skills as a problem solver when she first came to Nashville as editor of Nashville Magazine and later when she began her career as deputy mayor of the Music City. Most importantly, Irene began to examine her own life and recognize that she had unrealized creativity and potential. Embarking on what she calls her “third life” in her fifties, Irene became a stone carver. A grandmother r r of five, she is excited and enthusiastic about a career that afevo afevo L L ll ll i is still in its nascency. i : B s oto: B oto h h P left: Proud as a Peacock P
right: Image Maker 38 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 39 far right: Details of various works Irene graciously invited Nashville Arts Magazine to her Green Hills cottage on three different occasions. These visits allowed us to see the artist flourish in different social settings and open up on a private, quiet summer morning. These glimpses into her life allowed us to recognize Irene Ritter as more than an artist; they demonstrated that she is a catalyst for the arts, an avid supporter of her peers and her community.
The setting for these encounters is the place where Irene lives and works. A petite cottage set in an idyllic patch of trees and flowers, the sculptor’s home is a ready exam- ple of her insight and vision as an artist and a human being.
Irene says that when she first laid eyes on her home, “It was the wallflower of the world, but I could see what it was going to be.” Like Michelangelo and his legendary angel, Irene set to work on revealing the potential for this humble locale. With no experience in architecture or landscape design, she modified the house plans, designed her pool, planned gardens, and arrived at a space that inspires her to this day.
The daughter of a M.A.S.H. surgeon, Irene grew up on a farm in Missouri while her r afevo L
father was deployed in WWII. One of four siblings, she describes herself as a ll i “Pippi Longstocking” throughout
left: Persephone oto: B h her childhood, spending long days P below: S’il Vous Plait exploring the farm or traveling with her sister Martha and cousins above left: Egghead i lat
r on the rodeo circuit. Irene claims top right: Rachmaninoff a c
y S she had the “best childhood ever,” above right: On The Rocks n o h t and she does not seem to have lost any below: Hidden Agenda An of the adventure, confidence, or curios- oto: h P ity that it inspired.
“I liked to scribble, liked to draw. I had a visceral need to be around art.”
Irene’s personality is sparkling. Her laugh is mischievous. There is always a twinkle in her eyes. She speaks frankly, smiles often. Pippi Longstocking is still among us.
Her career and work are defined by her ability to see potential in unlikely sources and her knack for finding humor in the unexpected. To sculpt shapeless stone into objects of beauty, she possesses a transformative insight in her imagination. To create riddles and jokes with the viewers of her work, Irene peers through social
masks, sees through some of the ironies of life. She goes one step further then envi- r afevo L r sioning figures in stone—she finds something warm, humorous, and altogether human ll i : B
in cold rock. s afevo L ll i oto
h P oto: B h P In the 1960s, Irene began college as an art major. She had always A social butterfly by nature, Irene shared her work with her friends. been artistic. “I liked to scribble, liked to draw. I had a visceral need They urged her to exhibit, but she hesitated. “This was the first to be around art.” Unfortunately, after a short time at university, career phase that was about me.” It was difficult to show and sell Irene’s academic advisor urged her to leave her study of the such personal work. “I finally got over the fact that I didn’t discipline. She had A’s in other subjects and was barely scrap- want to sell anything,” she relates. At her first opening, ing by in her art classes. Young and impressionable, she Irene sold nearly every piece and still holds a gallery record followed his advice. As a teenager, she put away for that achievement. her paintbrushes and pencils. She did not pick them up again for nearly 40 years. In her late fifties, a time when most people consider retirement, Irene Ritter had launched Irene moved to Nashville from Cincinnati an exciting new career. “I basically carve to become editor of Nashville Magazine. She to make myself happy. If I didn’t love it, I decided to make visual art a focus of the publi- wouldn’t do it,” she says with a smile. Her love cation. Amazed at the numerous factions that shows in her work. The pensive, internal Rock she observed in Nashville’s art world, Irene Bottom perches on a stand near her front door. began exploring avenues to bring local artists It is worn smooth and slightly discolored from together. Even before she became a contrib- the number of people who walk inside and uting artist herself, Irene’s work impacted instinctively reach out to touch it. the Nashville arts community. Works such as Hidden Agenda and Image After leaving the magazine and acting as Maker reveal her insight into human charac- deputy mayor of Nashville, Irene began to ter and her sense of humor about art. Hidden feel the call of art once more. She announced Agenda features a sexualized female nude wear- r that for her fifty-fifth birthday, she wanted ing a unicorn’s mask of innocence. Image Maker afevo L ll to be a stone carver. Classes at Arrowmont i consists of a hollow mold that could be used to
followed, and soon Irene discovered oto: B create cookie-cutter-style businessmen on h that she had an innate talent for P demand. In sculptures such as War and reductive stone carving. It became Peace Irene explores powerful iconic her new love. imagery that achieves mythic status.
r ayda L afevo L y r ll i a G oto: B oto: h h P P “I basically carve to make myself happy. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it.” i lat r a c
above left: Crowning Glory y S n o h above right: Aurora Sings The Dawn t An : opposite page top: Self Made Man s ayda L oto y h opposite bottom: Rock Bottom r a G two P m oto: h
42 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine P Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 43 otto b i lat r a c y S n o h t An oto: h P
FRAMING FINE ART TO FUN ART AND ANYTHING IN BETWEEN
Her works possess a formal and spiritual unity. They are essential, geometric, mysterious, and superficially smooth and delicate. The eye of the viewer, like that of the artist, must peer through many layers to see their meaning.
A description of Irene Ritter that focused on her work alone would be incomplete, for part of her gift as an artist is her gift with people. She promotes the arts and celebrates the work of her peers. EdiE ManEy Leaning Against the Sun 36”x 36” Irene recently hosted an event to honor the hard work of Vanderbilt nurses. Inspired by artist Henry Isaac’s desire to honor the memory of his late wife, Vanderbilt treats a handful of nurses to a day of plein-air painting classes with Isaacs in an outdoor setting. Having been transformed into a beautiful outdoor retreat, Irene’s gardens were filled with nurses quietly enjoying oil painting on a rare peace- ful morning. Irene delighted in this opportunity to share art and recognize the hard work of others. POSTER SPECIAL
The following day, she and her daughter Tory Fitzgibbon hosted an STARTING AT $49 outdoor art show around her pool and in her home for Nashville artist Greg Decker. Lacking competitive spirit, she promoted Decker and other artists whose work decorates her home.
AULD ALLIANCE A scintillating personality and a spirit of giving make Irene Ritter a woman who stands out in a crowd. Laughing, chatting, dancing, GALLERY she radiates the same warmth and personality that she pours into her work. Speaking of sculpture, she exclaims, “I feel like it’s what Westgate Center I was always meant to do. I feel incredulous that I have this talent 6019 Highway 100 at this time in my life, and I’m not tired of it. I get goose pimples talking about it.” 352-5522 THE GALLERY AT GREEN HILLS THE HILL CENTER OF BELLE MEADE 2210 Crestmoor Road, Just behind F. Scotts 4322 Harding Pike Suite 105, next to Publix www.auldalliancegallery.net M-F 10am-6pm. Sat 10am-5pm M-F 10am-6pm. Sat 10am-5pm 44 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009463-2514 | 45 298-5149 Moonshine Hill sept. ad:Mooshine Hill ad 9/22/09 2:17 PM Page 1
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Returning from the war, Hood began a career in photojournalism. He won a Pulitzer Prize while working for the Chattanooga Free Press. Hood attempts to bring the theatrical light of his favorite artists, like Caravaggio and La Tour to his work by using one-source natural lighting. He continues to find new opportunities to capture his unique vision of the world. Robin Hood is president of Grandin Hood Publishers.
right: The mother and daughter gathering tomatoes in the mist-enshrouded garden of John Rice Irwin were originally 48 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 49 photographed for a Cracker Barrel television commercial. opposite page: Traditional dancer of the centuries- old Gion Festival in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan.
left: Fishing at midnight— Summit Lake, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, for the Alaska Tourism advertising campaign.
below: While in Hawaii photographing an ad campaign for Del Monte, we asked these ladies to arrive at their high-elevation pineapple fields at 5 a.m. the following day so that we might photograph them illuminated by the first light of day breaking over the Pacific Ocean.
50 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 51 I stood in knee-deep snow and below 20 temperatures for two hours waiting to capture this passing sleigh for the cover of The Greenbrier Magazine. The snow-covered fields are actually the slumbering fairways of the famous Old White Golf Course, and my camera position is on the signature No. 1 Tee.
above: W. L. Richardson, member of the famed Fairfield Four gospel group, graciously played this old, worn piano on the Peabody University campus for a photo session, which would become the cover of The Tennesseans: A People Revisited. The book would receive the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal as Best Coffee-table Book in America the year of its publication.
left: Legendary musician and folk interpreter Carlock Stooksbury in the smokehouse of John Rice Irwin, for the cover of the Tennessee Farm Bureau book Tennessee Country.
below: These wranglers are illuminated by golden, end-of-day rails of sunlight playing through dust stirred by the herd of yearling horses they had just corralled.
52 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine left: With a definite vision of Marcel Duchamp in mind, I mounted a 50-foot American flag on a nearby barn for an abstract reflection framingL eiper’s Fork resident Bruce Hunt—good friend, ad man, horse wrangler, dog trainer, and teller of tall tales.
right: The Raven Dancer of the Tlingit Native American tribe was photographed on an island outside Juneau, Alaska, for the Alaska Tourism advertising campaign.
below: Blues singer “Blind Mississippi” Morris photo- graphed in the hotel room regularly occupied by Ray Charles at Ernestine & Hazel’s, a pre-integration bar and hotel popular with African American musicians, across the street from the Memphis train station.
bottom right: This roadside scene is on the High Road to Taos route and near the adobe chapel of Rancho de Taos made famous by Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams in northern New Mexico.
54 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 55 TM rts a
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56 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 57
Budsliquors9.16.09.indd 1 9/16/09 1:55 PM Painting
Michael Shane Neal The Master’s Touch by Deborah Walden | photography by Jerry Atnip
Visitors to Michael Shane Neal’s Nashville studio pass through a pristine wooden gate and enter directly into a more delicate world. Drooping heads of pink roses shiver off raindrops as the fence door closes. A stone path leads through perfectly trimmed hedges to the artist’s two-story backyard workplace. There is an immediate sense of a boundary between this English garden path and the ordinary rows of houses beyond its edges. A quiet seems to hush a carefully tended world stolen from another time.
As if to further the illusion that one has stepped into the Gilded Age, Neal himself flings open his studio door sporting a pink oxford shirt, suspenders, spec- tator shoes, and a perfectly knotted bow tie. “Hello there!” he shouts in a friendly, excited voice. His danc- ing eyes, rapidly gesturing hands, and persistent efforts to make his visitors comfortable immediately convey the warmth and spirit that define his life and work.
Neal smiles constantly, laughs often, appears thor- oughly alive and interested in every moment. In spite of the fact that he is a father of two, there is something of the carefree schoolboy in his demeanor. One might not guess from his self-deprecating jokes, humble demeanor, and candid expression that he is a painter of international renown.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was so impressed with his portrait of her that she personally called at his Nashville home during her last trip to town. His work hangs in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. He casually recounts receiving a phone call from the late Ted Kennedy to invite him to a birthday cele- bration for Senator Robert C. Byrd. His sitters include Senator Bill Frist, Arlen Specter, and esteemed actors from the Players Club in New York.
58 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine right: Morning ReflectionsNashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 59 Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was so impressed with his portrait of her that she personally called at his Nashville home. below: Barry Cohen Family
right: Bogart
hane Neal is as fine a portrait artist as “S there is in the United States today. He has the ‘Master’s Touch’, and is a delightful man.” –Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Adjusting his round-rimmed glasses, Neal begins by speaking about his parents. “I think I get hard work and dedication from my dad. I get my sheer enjoyment of people from my mom. My mother craves experiences, and I love adventure.”
When he was a child, Neal’s mother would say, “You can’t get anything by Shane,” in order to explain his observant nature. He elucidates, “Characteristics of people have interested me since I was a kid. I used to mimic people all the time—almost like an actor.”
This fascination with people shapes Neal’s work. “The part I enjoy the most is getting to go behind the scenes and get to know somebody…. I am not a psychologist,
60 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 61 but I do a lot of psychology in my work. You are always trying to peel back the onion.”
Neal’s painting is unique because of two determin- ing factors: his obsessive desire to present a living, spirited version of his sitters and his pure celebration of paint on canvas. His work is defined by a style which he labels “brushy realism,” stemming directly from the schools of John Singer Sargent, Sorolla, and Anders Zorn. His heavy, gestural brushstrokes infuse his style with a sense of poetry. Richly colored and sculpted in thick impastos, Neal’s technique has hen I was elected to been the central focus of his study for years. “W a leadership office in the U.S. Senate, my responsi- The painter’s early career was decidedly inauspicious bilities included overseeing the when compared to his current style. Fascinated legacy of the U.S. Capitol by with Bob Alexander painting programs on public participating in the process that television, he decided that he wanted to learn selects those very few artists how to paint. At age 15, Neal saved his first three selected to permanently adorn paychecks from H. G. Hill where he made $3.35 an the walls of that magnificent hour bagging groceries. He and his mother drove to structure. Shane Neal is one of Michael’s at Hickory Hollow Mall and purchased a those few. His genius in captur- presentation easel that the young artist mistook for ing the spirit, the emotion, a painter’s easel. His first dramatic brushstroke as a and the feeling of his subjects painter sent the easel crashing to the ground. Never led me to ask him to paint my a quitter, Neal taped its legs to the floor to hold it official portrait, my three boys, steady and continued working. my father and soon Karyn. top center Dad's Canoe “The process is fun. From top right: Repose Neal kept at it through college at David Lipscomb interviews to assess what is middle left: Dirk Kempthorne Sketch in spite of the fact that the school had a small art important to the subject, to above right: Suzanne DeNeufville department. A beloved teacher, Dawn Whitelaw, the on-site study of the Capitol left: The Honorable Shirley Fulton fatefully suggested that he take a look at the work of rooms, to the enjoyable time portrait painter Everett Raymond Kinstler. Neal still spent with my boys and Karyn oppopsite page: describes the moment in dramatic and meaningful in his Nashville studio, we loved Four stages in the development of overtones. He found a couple of books of Kinstler’s working with Shane and having the portrait of Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr. work at Lipscomb’s library. Enthralled and trans- him capture the values and fixed by the painter’s work, he did not even leave the images on canvas. He loves building. He sat on the floor between two shelves history; he loves America; poring over the pages cover to cover. Kinstler’s he loves people—his work work in portraiture had an immediate effect on the becomes a gift to us and the young Neal. “When I got up I knew that was what generations to follow.” I wanted to do.” –Senator Bill Frist Through a series of chance connections Neal began corresponding with his idol after college. One of Neal’s acquaintances phoned Kinstler in New York to let him know about a young Nashville artist who was inspired by his career. Neal recounts, “I couldn’t even sleep that night because I knew Raymond Kinstler had heard my name once.” The first time that he personally phoned Kinstler, Neal recalls, “I was so nervous I wrote down everything I was going to say. I called twice and hung
62 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 63 up both times.” He still speaks with rapt enthusiasm and genuine love for his role model.
Neal’s intimidation was perhaps justified. Kinstler has painted six presidents along with hundreds of luminaries from politics, the stage, and the silver screen. His training pedigree can be traced directly back to the master John Singer Sargent.
Eventually, Neal and Kinstler traded letters for personal visits and struck up a lasting friendship and professional relationship. Kinstler has taught Neal in the style of Sargent and Sorolla for years, and they have developed a master/pupil relation- ship that reminds one of the workshop models that shaped the history of art before the modern era. Kinstler was kind enough to speak to Nashville Arts Magazine on Neal’s behalf. He calls his student a “sensitive” artist, saying, “I have watched with enormous pride his accomplishments as a painter… He’s got his eye on the past. He believes in and follows a tradition and keeps enlarging himself.” Kinstler appreciates Neal’s open and kind personal- ity, saying, “He’s got a wonderful attitude. I can’t think of anything negative to say about him. He is a fine human being and a wonderful talent.”
Neal’s technical method as a painter and psycho- logical approach as a student of human nature affili- ate his work with more historically rooted styles. “Interpretive painting has been lost in portraiture. So many people are accustomed to photographs. In the past, you went to a portrait artist because you liked the way they saw people.”
Neal states that dependence on working from photo- graphs has turned many contemporary portrait paint- ers into “copyists.” He prefers to work from life, using photographs only as a “tool.” He studies each of his sitters, interviews friends, reads books, notes—any evidence that he can find relating to their inter- nal person. “I try to make each of my paintings as individual as the person I am painting,” he says. He combines his intense love of gestural painting style with his magnetic inclination towards other people: “I love paint. I love trying to find somebody out of those colors on my palette.”
top left: Luis Rinaldini
top center: Phyllis Fridrich
middle left: Kinstler
left: Sara Boyd
opposite page
top left: Gary Haynes
top right: Paul Curtis 64 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 65 bottom: At a Glance left: Mrs. Godfrey and daughter
right: Unity
below: Rising Tide Extraordinary Homes and Settings Neal believes that his paintings are complete when viewers can get a sense of the unique person whom he portrays and simultaneously sense his own emotional language as a painter. “My interest is to get $ 3,150,000 $ 2,975,000 to the heart of something—I love that stuff! This is what I am trying to keep alive in my own work, which is disappearing. What makes it unique is the feeling of that person. There should be a feeling of the artist and a feeling of the person being painted.”
Talking to Shane Neal, the first thing that one notices beyond his innate charm and warmth is his love of stories. Neal is a consum- mate storyteller. One gets the impression that he cannot stop himself from telling them. They collide one against the other, progressing in train-like fashion. One yarn leads to another, which reminds him of another one. Neal claims that if he were not an artist, he would be Belle Meade • 1103 Belle Meade Belle Meade • 505 Westview a historian. He loves to investigate what makes people tick and to try to draw a narrative thread from all the contradictory and sundry $ 2,950,000 $ 2,399,000 aspects of a person’s behavior.
“I love to tell stories verbally, but I’m a storyteller in paint, too.” When meeting a sitter he asks himself, “What was the spark in their eye? What was the lack of spark in their eye?”
This fastidious study of the internal mechanisms of his sitters breathes life into Neal’s images. When approaching portrait art, a painter needs something more than a mere likeness of his sitter. He might capture every detail of their physical aspect and miss the very thing that makes them who they are. One might think in analogy of mounted butterflies. In reality, a butterfly is nothing more than the dead object secured by a pin. Yet no one thinks of mounted Belle Meade • 215 Lynnwood Blvd Brentwood • 1112 Franklin Road specimens when they think of “butterflies.” The fluttering, flitting “I love paint. I movement of the object is part of its identity in our minds. $ 2,150,000 $ 1,250,000 love trying to find Neal’s lively brushstroke and careful study of his sitters convey a spir- ited and essential simulacrum of their person. It is his need to tell somebody out of those their stories, impersonate their voices, dance inside the boundaries of his canvases with paint that produces a powerful and moving portrait colors on my palette.” art. He has no movie camera or comic strip format to provide a linear narrative of a person’s life or tell a sequential narrative of how they came to be who they are. But by focusing on the delicate, evanescent flash of their personalities he tells whole stories of a person’s life in a single, silent painting.
Neal’s easy, outgoing personality allows his sitters to let him into their worlds, and viewers see in the sitter’s countenance a candid and vulner- Northumberland • 1 Northumberland Historic Richland • 3803 Richland able response to the artist himself. With powerful, simple brushstrokes Neal translates personality to paint. A gentle person, he expresses poetry and feeling with an expressive technical vocabulary. An observant student of human nature, he locates the myriad ticks and the rare essen- Steve Fridrich Fridrich & Clark Realty tial traits that flicker in the eyes, movements, and souls of his sitters. His 615-327-4800 3825 Bedford Ave, Suite 102 Nashville, TN 37215 paintings are the result of a conversational exchange between sitter and 615-321-4420 painter—stories played out in the medium of paint. www.SteveFridrich.com
66 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 67 Antiques Tramp Art Frame Tramp art, a style of woodcarving, is misleadingly named. Although some itinerant people practiced this decorative skill, it is more a Appraise It sedentary folk art tradition handed down from father to son. by Linda Dyer | Photography by Jerry Atnip It is said many people believe that nothing good ever comes from taxes, but a now-obscure tax act may have contrib- Black, Starr & Frost Travel Clock uted to the development of this American art form. This antique, chased and engraved decorated silver clock is identi- Among the provisions of the Tax Act of 1865 fied as Black, Starr & Frost on its sterling case and on the branded was one that required cigars to be packaged clock face of the Swiss-made movement. The clock movement marks in non-reusable wooden boxes. These cedar, date the movement to 1895–1905, as does the overall Edwardian mahogany or pine cigar boxes, along with their Art Nouveau-style decoration of this diminutive travel clock. plywood shipping crates, became the raw materi- als of this form of woodworking called tramp art. One of America’s oldest fine jewelers, the New York City-based Black, Starr & Frost was formed in 1874 as purveyors of fine These boxes, frames, clock cases, wardrobes, desks, silver objects and jewelry. Like Tiffany & Company, some of china cupboards, chests and many other useful their inventory was imported from Europe, some produced yet fanciful forms are defined by their construc- in-house. They catered to the social elite and the most prominent tion, layers of primarily discarded wood whittled families of the time, including the Carnegies and Vanderbilts. into layers of geometric shapes having the outside edges of each layer notched or chip carved. Despite never being credited as being innovators in the realm of jewelry design, Black, Starr & Frost was as favored as Tiffany & Company. In While the art form flourished in the United States 1876, Black, Starr & Frost was invited to exhibit at the Centennial from the 1870s up to the 1940s, tracing its origins and Exposition in Philadelphia along with the renowned firms Tiffany & the people who created it was not easy. After folk art Company, Whiting, and Gorham. In 1939, the firm was one of five began to be collected as an art form in the early twen- American jewelers invited to exhibit at New York’s World’s Fair. In 1929, tieth century, collectors were charmed by the romantic it merged with Gorham to become Black, Starr & Frost–Gorham Inc. notion that these whimsical creations were the vision and craft of the wandering, self-taught, itinerant artists In the years since, the firm continued to merge with others. Though “tramps/hoboes,” trading their art for a room or a meal. its flagship store in New York is now closed, the firm still has a loca- tion in Costa Mesa, California, primarily as a purveyor of fine jewelry. Because of these impassioned collectors, the history of tramp art continues to be unraveled. More fact than fantasy is being revealed. Considering this lovely clock is representative of the period that was With its beginnings in poorhouses and jails, many makers are being Popeye Dime Bank, circa. 1929 the heyday of Black, Starr & Frost, you may wish to check the social identified as having had jobs and families, and although the term A lithographed tin “POPEYE DIME REGISTER BANK, COPR. registers of the time for the engraved initials “EEB.” Without signifi- tramp suggests a nomadic and non-sedentary tradition, tramp art KING FEAT. SYND.1929” itself retailed for a dime in the mid cant provenance, this lovely object would have a modest retail value is appearing to be more related to home-based crafts like scrimshaw 1930s. Such large inventories of these Popeye banks were manu- of $200 to $300. and quilting than to a factured and sold that they remain common today. Manufactured craft of the open road. by the Behrend & Rothchild Company of New York City, the bank automatically locks with the deposit of the first dime and opens at Though it was five dollars. Art Nouveau once believed that A style period exemplified by flowing design elements consist- Linda Dyer serves as an appraiser, broker, and Germany was the In the 1930s, a King Features syndicate license to use Popeye’s image ing of fluid lines, sinuous curves and foliate and floral themes, consultant in the field of antiques and fine source of this art form, on a product often meant profits for many struggling manufactur- with its stress on the expressive qualities of form, line, and color. art. She has appeared on the PBS production research is now plac- ers in the cash-tight Depression, and if the product was successful popular from the late Victorian period through the Edwardian Antiques Roadshow since season one, which ing tramp art’s origin manufacturing continued for years. period, about 1880 to 1905, it was an international movement of aired in 1997, as an appraiser of Tribal Arts. in the United States. architecture and decorative arts. Noted designers of the movement If you would like Linda toappraise one of This extremely nice, With the following evaluation one could almost imagine the iconic include Charles Rennie Mackintosh, René Lalique, Louis Comfort your antiques, please send a clear, detailed old tramp-art frame, “I Yam what I Yam” Popeye muttering his trademark asides under his Tiffany, Alphonse Mucha and Antoni Gaudi. image to antiques@nashvilleartsmagazine. with good form, layer- breath. A “Popeye Dime” bank, in fine condition without scratches com. Or send photographs to Antiques, ing, and old paint or dents would have a modest value of $30 to $40 on an Internet Folk Art Nashville Arts Magazine, 644 West Iris Dr., would retail for $500 marketplace. Nevertheless, this bank would be a great addition to a i lat Works and objects in a variety of mediums created by self- r Nashville, TN 37204. to $700. character toy collection. a c taught artists and craftsmen. y S n o h 68 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine t Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 69 An oto: h P KIRK Native American Bracelet, circa 1930 Long before the arrival of Europeans, Native American people used a SEUFERT variety of materials found in nature (stone, shell, hide, sinew, wood, bone, etc.) to create culturally significant adornments. In the mid 1800s Mexican metalsmiths in the Southwest introduced silver and the techniques to work with it to the Native American population. The resulting silver and turquoise jewelry has become identified with the American Southwest specifically and with Native American art in SOMETHING general. Over the years, Native American jewelry has gone through periods of change and surges of popularity. Between the 1880s and DIFFERENT the 1920s, tourists came through the Southwest by train and by auto- mobile; this convergence of visitors played a vital role in the develop- customized ment of the Native American art market. Tourists wanted souvenirs, and the silver adornments—plain or set with turquoise or shell or jet commissions or coral—quickly became a symbol of American Indian culture. Technicolor 24x36
Faded Grid 24x36 Scratching Post 24x30
Anglo-owned trading posts throughout the Southwest played an important role in the development of the art and the market. Trader C. G. Wallace, for over a half century, lived and worked among the natives on the Zuni reservation in northwestern New Mexico. He is credited with being responsible for the fineness of Zuni adornments. Wallace’s career began in 1918, and he spent it respectfully mentor- ing the village of Zuni while still allowing these native artisans their Stripes of Old 26x32 Metalic Falls 24x36 complete individuality, both creatively and in the marketplace.
This circa-1930, six-row silver bracelet set with square-cut natural turquoise stones is the work of one such Zuni artisan, possibly Juanita Wilbeethe. Like 98 percent of the finest historically impor- tant examples of work by the Native American silversmiths of the American Southwest, the Zuni, Hopi and Navajo, this piece bears no maker’s marks, just a trading-post price code. In a retail setting, this beauty would be priced for $1600 to $1800.
Word of Caution: Today’s historically high value of gold and silver is sending great Mind Shaft 30x30 Left Outside 24x36 works of art such as the piece above to the melt pots. Please be aware that a desirable example of antique or period jewelry can still be www.kirkseufert.com | 615.957.4209 worth many times the value of the scrap metal it contains. [email protected] | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 71 Poetry Community Party FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 6–10PM $10 at the door. Wine and beer, light fare courtesy of Whole Foods— Hope best cheap date of the year! In Memory of the St. Jude Children Open to the public by Joy Ngoma SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 FREE ADMISSION, 11AM –7PM Hope is when I awake, There’s something for everyone, so come and make a day of it! Meet all my body in pain, and the artists and discover art to purchase I know that my heart is still beating. with prices starting at only $20 • Have lunch courtesy of Whole Foods Giving Grill for only $5 Hope is when I feel so sad, • Create art at the Scrap Exchange unable to get out of bed, and have a deep feeling for FREE that the next day the sun will shine again, and • Paint pottery in our ceramics studio with Brushfi re for only $5 I shall put on a smile on my face. • Watch artist Andrew Vastagh silk screen bags Hope is when the doctors tell me, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 University School of Nashville Art Show 2009 my illness has escalated, and FREE ADMISSION, 11AM –3PM I touch my sick body and tell it, it is healed. • FREE Scrap Exchange from 11AM–2PM
Hope is when people tell me For additional information: www.artclectic.org • 615-277-7460 the doctors have no hope I will survive Proceeds support the artclectic Endowment Fund Kelly Motley I then touch my heart and feel it beating. for Innovative Teaching, a fund established to Communications and cultivate and promote excellence in teaching at USN. Public Relations Our Designs, Inc. Hope is when I wish I could play with other kids my age, and I can feel my spirit talking to my mind, I know Hope is me. Hope is every fighting vein in my blood Hope is when I fight for survival and Hope that they will find a cure.
Hope brings me sunshine Hope is my best friend Hope is the angel that holds my hand When I have nightmares Hope is my heart that beats every second of every minute.
So the next time you tell me there is no Hope touch my heart, you will feel Hope. Hold my cold blue and sickly hands Hope shall embrace you too. Hug my little deteriorating body, then you shall realize, there is Hope.
I am Hope Hope is me… Hope is my heart that is still beating Hope is me.
Joy Ngoma is a student at TSU and majors in TV/Radio Broadcasting and Africana Studies. She has a great interest in documentary films and works with issues that address social injustice. She writes and produces for TV shows. The granddaughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, she lives with her mother, Naomi Tutu, and two siblings, Mungi and Mpilo, in Nashville and visits South72 |A frica October once 2009a year | for Nashville holiday. Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 73 Theater below left: Ted Welch and Evelyn Blythe In high school, Maggie Reyland
below right: Jamie Farmer, Chris Goodrich and Mark Cabus in ARTICLE 4 spent many hours performing
bottom: Cast and crew table read ARTICLE 4 on the St. Cecilia stage. She ask? A workshop is an opportunity to see a new play in a staged envi- is now a senior English and ronment and continue to shape it. The actors are off-book, and there Theater major at the University are sets, lighting, and costumes. So which show made the final cut? of Missouri. Upon graduation in December she hopes to move The Love of the Theater November 4–14, 2009, Writer’s Stage will present Article 4: featuring to Washington, D.C., to pursue a It’s All in the Family an all-star cast including Evelyn Blythe, Mark Cabus, Jamie Farmer, career in Arts Administration. New play Chris Goodrich, Ted Welch, and Greg Wilson, directed by Barry by Maggie Reyland | Photography by Dan Kellerby Scott. In the play, reclusive millionaire Jonathan Forty wants to give I’ve always felt lucky that at a very young age, my parents instilled workshops don’t away his fortune, and Faith Lockhart is willing to pay the price for in me a love for theater that I would carry with me throughout my life. that gift. From the playwright’s perspective, this show contains “a thrilled to bring Article 4: to life with such a wonderful director and I’m here today because my parents met during a 1983 production of happen often in healthy amount of the seven deadly sins, but amongst the chaos lies cast. This will be the fourth play I’ve had the good fortune to workshop, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. From that fateful day until now, virtue and forgiveness. Lives are spinning out of control, and while and I learn a great deal about writing for the theater with each one.” my life has been filled with dazzling stage productions that I have either Nashville. If you’ve some will crash, others are saved in a most unexpected way.” enjoyed from the theater or as a cast member onstage. My parents The workshop runs November 4–14 at Writer’s Stage, 1008 Charlotte have kept their love of theater alive since day one, and now I have the never experienced “Most of the workshopping really takes place before the audience Avenue. If you’d like to support this workshop production by purchas- chance to see my own father’s works performed right here in Nashville. gets there,” says director Barry Scott. “We’ll have three intense weeks ing a ticket or any of the other creative sponsorship opportunities avail- one, it’s a great of adding and subtracting and figuring out how to tell Jim’s story able on the Writer’s Stage website, please visit www.writersstage.com. My father, Jim Reyland, who put his acting ambitions aside many in the most effective way on stage. It’s humbling for all of us but years ago in order to focus on his writing, has become one of especially for the writer.” Some of my first memories as a little girl included spending Friday Nashville’s most prolific playwrights. For more than a decade, he opportunity to nights attending dazzling stage productions filled with song and has passionately pursued the life of a playwright—an endeavor that My dad, too, is looking forward to the adventure. “New play work- dance. Someday, I’ll give my children the same gift. I love theater; has taught him plenty about fortitude and resilience. Never more see the creative shops don’t happen often in Nashville. If you’ve never experienced it’s all in the family. And thanks to Steve Armistead and the Crosland determined, my dad now drew on his own experiences as a dramatist process at work. one, it’s a great opportunity to see the creative process at work. I’m Company for the kind donation that made Writer’s Stage possible.
to found Writer’s Stage, a new, nonprofit theater company whose main goal is to serve as an advocacy organization for Tennessee-based playwrights. Writer’s Stage is about the playwright. Dad knows the downside of the lonely playwright’s life, having pounded his head against the literary theatrical gatekeepers and having received his share of polite, if only occasionally helpful, rejection letters. It occurred to him that there must be other writers in Tennessee who are in the same boat—looking for that developmental vehi- cle that allows them to get their pieces read, workshopped, and maybe eventually produced. That’s the lifeblood of a playwright. If you can’t hear your play out loud, then it’s just a stack of papers.
In April of 2009, Writer’s Stage produced readings of two of my dad’s new plays, the promising Further Than We’ve Ever Been and Article 4:. The idea was to determine which play was ready to be taken to the all-important workshop level. What is a workshop, you might
left: Jamie Farmer and Mark Cabus star in ARTICLE 4
74 | October 2009 | Nashvilleabove: Director Arts Magazine Barry Scott and Playwright Jim Reyland Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 75 Anything Goes
ANNE BLAIR BROWN
What are you going to be when you grow up? A rock star snowboard goddess and world-class fly-fisherman. Favo!te Places October 23–December 18 Greta Gaines Who has most inspired you? What characteristic do you most like about yourself? My parents, no question about it. But I tip my hat to all the song- I’m funny. Quick to laugh and slow to cry. writers who sing and write from the soul. You know who you are. ARTIST RECEPTION And what do you like least? Who is your favorite artist? Sunday, October 25th I wish I didn’t care so much about what people thought of me. Cesária Évora, a Portuguese folk singer. An amazing voice. 3:00–5:00PM
What was the last book you read? Who is your favorite painter? Power Trip by Amanda Little. If you don’t think we’re irrevocably My mother, Patricia Gaines. hooked on petroleum you should read this book (due out 10/09). Marnie Sheridan Gallery What are you most proud of? The Harpeth Hall School Who would you most like to meet? My kids, Cassidy and Ryder. Also, that I was the first woman to 3801 Hobbs Road, Nashville I’ve met most of the people I am intrigued with. Malcolm X would compete against men in extreme snowboarding. be high on my list, later in his life though, after he’d been to Mecca! Why Nashville? for show information call (615) 297-9543 You can still be a working artist here. Roadside 36x24
What do you like most about the city? Anne Blair Brown Studio It’s clean, friendly, and I love fattening soul food. by appointment • (615) 298-9699 • [email protected]
What do you like least? I seriously love everything about this town.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Maybe I’d have a cute turned-up nose?
Are you happy with where you’re heading? I’m on a road that’s a little scary right now. But I like to be scared; it helps me get the job done.
What’s your mantra? Go big or go home.
What’s it like being you these days? It’s a mix of hilarious situations, colorful characters, and interest- ing projects.
THE ULTIMATE ITALIAN ART i What talent would you most like to have? OF CREATING JEWELS lat r Cheval Collection - robertocoin.com a
c I would like to be a better visual artist. My art looks like a fifth- y S n
o grader’s but not in a cool, Picasso sort of way. h t An
oto: What is your most treasured possession? h P My black fringe cashmere poncho. I take it everywhere.
Greta Gaines has been a lauded indie artist since the mid 90s What is your greatest regret? and has released four albums. She has also hosted her own TV That I didn’t become a stand-up comedienne. shows for Oxygen and ESPN. In 1992 she became the world’s first Women’s Extreme Snowboarding champion. She also competed In Green Hills since 1978 You have five minutes left to live; what are you going to do? recently in the first Women’s Pro Bass Fishing tournament at Start kissing everyone around me goodbye! seven months pregnant while covering the event for ESPN 2. 76 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 77 www.gretagaines.com Nashville’s loNgest ruNNiNg performiNg arts series
guido’s eAr JAMIE featuring Aaron Brown January 28 Blair School of Music all of your favorite designers A perfect intro- duction to violin music of the early MARNI, Vera Wang, Tory Burch, baroque 2009 / 2010 Lanvin, Calvin Klein, Stuart Weitzman, Theory, Lela Rose, Donna Karan, PRADA, Piazza Sempione, MMissoni, gruPo CulturAl Loro Piana, MILLY, H Stern, Fro eggAe AustrAliA’s A r February 25 Slane & Slane Jewelry... strAnge Langford Auditorium Fruit An epic world music Swoon! event direct from Rio September 16—Centennial Park de Janeiro – a musical September 17—VU Alumni Lawn movement recognized Australia’s internationally the world over as a social 4317 Harding Road acclaimed festival company with revolution four high-flying daredevils 615-292-4188 www.jamie-nashville.com rityAgrAm AnCe Kidd Pivot n d Lost Action ensemBle September 24 • Ingram Hall March 25 • Ingram Hall Canada’s unrestrained and The best in Indian inventive dance company with a dance straight from the seven member team possessing a Nrityagram dance village keen sense of invention blending movement from the ancient classic form with modern concepts l.A. theAtre WorKs War of the Worlds and The Lost World trey mCintyre October 8 ProjeCt Langford Auditorium April 7 • Ingram Hall Two literary masterpieces of Fresh and forward thinking science fiction and adventure by contemporary ballet America’s premiere radio theatre delivers vocabulary that’s company innovative in the world of American art dAniel BernArd roumAin (dBr) Darwin’s Meditation for the People of Lincoln October 17 • Ingram Hall Haitian-American artist — an innovative composer, performer, violinist, and band leader
www.vanderbilt.edu/greatperformances
Photos: Jonas Lundqvist • Trey McIntyre Project Bottom: David Murray • Australia’s Strange Fruit
78 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 79 NashvilleArtsMag GP09 1-2V.indd 1 8/21/09 3:43:13 PM
Jim Knestrick was the designer, and Tully Wilson of Tully’s Happenings Bistro in Hartsville created the menu. I have to go straight to the dessert (what a surprise!). The main course was good but that dessert! A pair of silver chocolate slippers filled with a lime sauce with a white chocolate medallion promoting the Wicked theme was just too over-the-top for me—loved every bite! Mayor Dean, assisted by Connie Linsler Valentine, dons a protective The evening was truly an evening in Emerald City; it would even have plastic poncho as he readies to Around Town made Auntie Em proud! Patrons arriving on their brooms were Bob Deal paint at Arts Build Community by Ted Clayton and Jason Bradshaw with Peggy Andrews, Tim Horsley and Stephanie It never ceases to amaze me how charity fund- Milhorn, Robert and Steve West (no relation to the wicked witch), Dr. Bob Heatherly raisers keep coming up with new ideas. Myles and Mrs. Norman Scarborough, Sylvia and Al Ganier (Al looking quite at Arts Build Community Maillie and the Arts and Business Council wicked in red tie and vest), Kathleen O’Brien, Joyce Vice and Paul Kuhn, of Greater Nashville brought together the Carlana and Aubrey Harwell, and Brenda and Ron Corbin. Best Dress Whitney Ferre creative and commercial spheres of Nashville goes to Peggy Fragopoulos for her little green and black cocktail number. at Arts Build Community for a special event, “Arts Build Community,” Plein Air Group at Edgehill Village at the Sommet Center. Showcasing Myles’ Rodin at Bella Luce was a breathtaking event, both the art and the unique style of “stack box painting,” local gallery home. Dragon Fine Arts, in association with Twenty 21 business and civic leaders joined mayor Collections/Gallery Rodin, and Jimmy and Rhonda Franks spon- Karl Dean to add paint and color to card- sored the event, which benefited New Hope, a new private school in Trent Summar board boxes. OK, there was a reason for Williamson County serving children in an economically, racially, and at Arts Build this madness. During the evening the completed boxes were culturally diverse environment. Seventy-two limited-edition, posthu- Community assembled to create a monumental box sculpture 40’ x 18’. This mous original bronzes by Auguste Rodin, a world- renowned sculptor Ron Samuels Plein Air Group at Edgehill Village and Ronnie was totally amazing! The sculpture was then photographed to be of the twentieth century, filled the home. Each bronze is cast from orig- Steine at used as a large billboard inside the center to show Nashvillians the inal, authenticated molds and plasters, resulting in the formulations Gary & Mary Hainley, Jim Ed & Becky Arts Build Brown at belle restaurant grand opening Community inherent creativity in the city’s organizations and communities. and patina finishing used by Rodin. The sculptures included many that at the Belle Meade Mansion we are familiar with: The Thinker, The Kiss, Eve, Burgher Andreus de Patrons bought “paint brush” tickets and were given plastic cover-ups Andres, and the Bust of Jean d’Aire. for the opportunity to paint and keep a box. This is for sure a Myles Betsy McInnes & Maillie idea. Jeff Bradford and the Bradford Group saw to details Additional works of art by 24 acclaimed sculptors and creative artists Monica Mackie at belle restaurant promoting this event—great job, Jeff. In between having cocktails were included in this exhibition and were for sale. My favorite sculpture grand opening and hors d’oeuvres by Levy Restaurant, we were painting in the lines was by Bruce Peebles, a white walnut and fiberglass face looking into Jake & Miller on the boxes. Myles did take my brush away saying, “Clayton, you a self-portrait mask. John Davis, a local artist, won my vote for his Co-Chairs Robin Glover and Reneé Greathouse Tallent Chevalier at Fest de Ville at TPAC at belle restaurant cannot stay in the lines. Do not paint out of the box!” (Now I know Bleu Mood Solitaire oil on panel. Other artists included Gustavo Torres, grand opening how a jack-in-the-box must feel.) Sebastian Picker, Joseph Guay, and Jean Larson. Gilbert Merritt, Martha Ingram and Aubrey Harwell at Fest de Ville at TPAC Fellow artists joining me were Carol Penterman, Ronnie Steine, Laurie When I think an event cannot get any better, I am greatly mistaken. Eskind, Seab Tuck, Paul Vasterling, Harry Chapman, Vickie Horn, This is the case with the Nashville Jazz Workshop. The ninth annual Ron Samuels, Rick Hart, Larry Papel, Mercedes Jones, and Taylor event was held at the Limelight. The Jazz Workshop is a vital force Thornton. (I dare to guess that most of these people had never had in the music community, where students have direct experience a paintbrush in their hands.) Best Dress went to the chair, Laura performing with faculty. By the way, this is one of only two such Heatherly, who took a plastic drop cloth and fashioned it into a delight- community schools in the country. ful skirt—watch out Project Runway! Sylvia and Al Ganier at Jason Bradshaw, Peggy Andrews and You can always go to the Jazz Cave where top professionals gather and Fest de Ville at TPAC Bob Deal at Fest de Ville at TPAC The Symphony’s big-screen outdoor concert Everything green—no, not Al Gore nor Kermit the Frog—it’s play (not Batman and Robin). Donna McElroy, an ex-Nashvillian TPAC’s 10th Annual Fest de Ville Gala. This event benefits TPAC’s who now teaches at Berkeley School in Boston, gave an outstand- Randy Read, of Nashville Arts Magazine, e-mailed me to say that the was a dear family friend but a teacher, trustee, commissioner, educational programming. It’s all inspired by Wicked, the Broadway ing performance, as did her fellow artists Beegie Adair, Jeff Hall, new belle Restaurant at the Belle Meade Plantation is great—wonder- benefactress, and a role model to all at Watkins. She established blockbuster which is the opening show for the 2009-2010 season. Chris Brown and Duffy Jackson. Those tapping to the beat were ful food and packed for their grand opening. Randy also mentioned the Cecy Reed Scholarship in Interior Design and at her death Co-chairs Renee Chevalier and Robin Glover saw to every wicked James Murray, Eileen and Fred Wollam, Mike Randall and Kathrine the International Plein Air Painters took on Edgehill Village recently left $500,000 to the College’s endowment, a permanent legacy. At detail, down to having flying monkeys. (This was a Nashville first, Guillot, Dr. Vince Morelli, Jean and Bob Dudley Smith, Chuck (for us longtime Nashvillians, that is the former White Way Cleaners). the May Founder’s Day Celebration, Cecy was honored for all her but I know I have seen those monkeys at other events as guests). Dunn, Kira Florita, John Toney, Bernadette and Chris Hugan, Twenty-five artists set up easels to paint their favorite views. years of service. Broadway star Mike Eldred sang Nat King Cole’s Green-tinted eyeglasses were given to patrons with the table Maryanne and Steven Nyquist, John and Trish Lindler, and Harry Unforgettable in her memory. I thank Mr. Reed, children Jim IV, number, and it was fun watching the guests trying on their green Williams. Once again, as last year, I will say this event is a Nashville In closing I would like to mention the new Cecy Reed Student Casey, Mac, Celeste and John for sharing this wonderful woman glasses. It reminded me of a new party theme: “Three Blind Mice.” Hidden Treasure—do not miss. Be cool, man! Center at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. Cecy not only with Nashville and the arts. Unforgettable.
80 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 81 82 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 83 Openings & Receptions from Nashville area restaurants. Then head into the Zoo’s new Jungle Dinner on the Bridge Terrace Pavilion for a seated dinner, presented by Nashville Zoo’s Oct. 1 own catering service Taste of the Wild and featuring four untamed Shelby Street Bridge courses that promise to take you on a culinary safari. The third annual benefit for Greenways for Nashville, co-hosted publisher’s note: All openings and receptions are supplied by with the Metro Arts Commission, takes place on the Shelby Street Celebration of Cultures Now Playing Nashville. Please contact them with your event Bridge overlooking the river, the illuminated Ghost of the East Bank Oct. 3 information. Also, this is only a sampling of local events. Machineworks and the nighttime Nashville skyline. Centennial Park WE OFFER FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE No entries are guaranteed. This annual festival exists to celebrate and embrace cultural diversity With Dinner Reservations To: For a more complete list of Nashville area events please see Franklin Wine Festival 2009 through respecting, understanding and appreciating the cultures www.nowplayingnashville.com. Oct. 2 of the Greater Nashville population. The festival has reached more TPAC, Factory at Franklin than 30 cultures through dance, music, visual arts, children’s area, The fifth annual Franklin Wine Festival, a celebration of wine and global villages and exotic food samplings. Symphony, cuisine, features over 300 wines for tasting and culinary offerings from many of Middle Tennessee’s finest restaurants. It benefits the Shakespeare Allowed! A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ryman Concerts, children of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Oct. 3 Nashville’s Main Public Library Sommet Center Events, OCTOBER 2009 Full Moon Pickin’ Party The Nashville Shakespeare Festival hosts its monthly gathering at Oct. 2 the Nashville Public Library (Main Library) on the first Saturday & Downtown Hotels. Rippavilla’s Cosmic Corn Maze Warner Parks Equestrian Center of each month to read one of William Shakespeare’s works. This Sept. 10 – Nov. 1 The Full Moon Pickin’ Party highlights Middle Tennessee’s finest month features A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A ordable Casual Fine Dining Rippavilla Plantation bluegrass music under the light of a full moon. Pickers perform in Between West End & Broadway at 19th Avenue Explore the universe at Rippavilla Plantation’s corn maze solar circles under the trees while three bands are featured on stage for Steel Magnolias 615-320-7176 system. Learn to recognize the stars Native Americans used to guide your listening pleasure. Oct. 3 – 24 midtowncafe.com their nightly explorations … it might help you navigate your way Andrew Johnson Theater no online shuttle reservations out of the maze. Grand Ole Opry Goes Pink featuring Carrie Underwood, Terri One of the most quotable works of the past 20 years, Steel Magnolias Clark, and more is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana, where Oct. 2 all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. The Grand Ole Opry House outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice The Grand Ole Opry is joining the fight against breast cancer by to the curmudgeonly Ouiser (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad Enchanting Home and Gifts... “going pink” during two Opry performances on Friday, October 2. mood for 40 years”), the eccentric yet sensible Miss Clairee, and Carrie Underwood will take the stage to “flip the switch,” turning the respected and admired M’Lynn and her daughter Shelby, the the Opry’s signature barn pink in support of the groups Women prettiest girl in town. Filled with hilarious repartee and humorouslyHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Come get your “just Rock for the Cure and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The shows revealing verbal collisions, the play moves toward tragedy. As the off the beach” look will also include performances from Underwood, Terri Clark, and ladies come face to face with mortality, they draw on the underly- with our other artists to be announced, as well as special activities recognizing ing strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the breast cancer survivors and the continuing fight against the disease. special quality that makes them truly touching, funny and marvel- ously amiable company in good times and bad. Sunless Georgia O’Keefe & Her Times: American Modernism from the Lane Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Next Big Nashville Music Festival and Conference Tanning by Norvell Oct. 2 – Jan. 31 Oct. 7 – 11 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Frist Center for the Visual Arts Various Live Music Venues In the 1950s, William H. Lane (1914–1995), the owner of a small The fourth annual Next Big Nashville will showcase the best of the Reserve your Massachusetts manufacturing plant, began assembling an extraordi- thriving Nashville music scene and artistic community. The event experience today: nary collection of American modern art. With major paintings by will feature more than 100 bands performing in several Nashville 615.321.1363 Georgia O’Keeffe, Arthur G. Dove, Stuart Davis, Charles Sheeler venues, as well as workshops, VIP events, and after-parties. www.eyecandysalon.net
and other artists, the exhibition shows the collector’s passion for art HaiR STyliNg + ColoR SPeCialiSTS + exTeNSioNS + WaxiNg that reflects the diversity and dynamism of American modernism. Great Performances at Vanderbilt: L.A. Theatre Works present War of the Worlds and The Lost World Animal Affair 2009: A Taste of the Wild Oct. 8 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Oct. 3 Langford Auditorium Nashville Zoo at Grassmere Join America’s premiere radio theatre company for a double bill of 1201 Villa Place, Suite 103 Nashville, TN 37212 www.BellaAeris.com Animal ambassadors welcome you for a stroll into Entry Village and chills and thrills with two literature masterpieces of science fiction 615.279.1877 Gibbon Islands for festive cocktails and a sampling of exotic flavors and adventure.
84 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 85 LiveOntheGreen Outdoor Concert Series: Citizen Cope, Ricky TPAC’s Family Field Trip: Jason and the Argonauts Young, Next Big Nashville Oct. 10 Oct. 8 TPAC Public Square Plaza Jason and the Argonauts is an inventive, imaginative play from This free, outdoor concert series highlights local artists, as well as Visible Fictions of Scotland in which two actors – using only national touring acts with roots in Music City. Enjoy a live perfor- a trunk, a wooden pushcart and the help of their action figure mance by Citizen Cope, Ricky Young, Next Big Nashville and Playing friends – bring the story of Jason and his incredible journey to life by Air. The LiveOntheGreen Business of the Week is Fifth and Main. in grand proportions.
Tosca Loveless Café’s 5th Annual Biscuits and Bluegrass Fall Festival Oct. 8 – 10 Oct. 10 Andrew Jackson Hall Loveless Café Floria Tosca, a beautiful opera singer, finds herself thrust into a For the past four years, thousands have flooded the Loveless prop- dizzying world of political intrigue, murder and desire. Tosca by erty to enjoy this FREE event. Enjoy children’s activities including Giacomo Puccini. face painting, pumpkin decorating, apple bobbing, jump castles, pony rides and even a petting zoo. There will be arts and crafts Al Jarreau demonstrations for adults and kids including: weaving, pottery, Oct. 9 wood turning, painting and jewelry making. In addition to biscuit Schermerhorn Symphony Center samples for everyone, there are a number of biscuit themed With his stunning, supple voice, Al Jarreau is the rare performer contests to get a little messy, like biscuit throwing and biscuit to earn GRAMMY® awards in jazz, R&B and pop. Jarreau will eating. Don’t miss the live all-star bluegrass pickin’ circle and a be performing with the Nashville Symphony and Matt Catingub, cash bar and be sure to bring your instrument so you can join the conductor. impromptu pickin’ parties.
Belle Meade Plantation Fall Fest 2009 Dierks Bentley: Miles & Music for Kids Oct. 9 Oct. 11 Belle Meade Plantation Riverfront Park This old-fashioned family event has been a tradition at historic Belle Hosted by Dierks Bentley, the fourth annual “Miles & Music for Meade Plantation for years and features fine antiques, art, crafts, live Kids” features a celebrity motorcycle ride and concert to benefit the NO music, food, and children’s activities. Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. 2009 Southern Festival of Books 2009 Musicians Hall of Fame Awards Show Oct. 9 – 11 Oct. 12 FIGHT War Memorial Plaza Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum The annual Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is the one and only Word features more than 200 authors from around the nation and in every museum in the world that honors the talented musicians who actually genre for presentations, readings, panel discussions and book signings. played on the greatest recordings of all time. This year, the esteemed IS TO and influential musicians being inducted into the Musicians Hall of Grand Ole Opry 84th Birthday Celebration Fame are: Chet Atkins, Billy Cox, Dick Dale, Charlie Daniels, Victor Oct. 9 – 11 Feldman, Fred Foster, Paul Riser and Toto. Special guests scheduled BE WON Grand Ole Opry House to appear include Rascal Flatts, Steve Wariner, Gary Puckett and Al See the show that made country music famous. Come celebrate the Jardine of The Beach Boys! Grand Ole Opry’s 84th birthday with star-packed shows and birth- ALONE. day excitement in the Opry Plaza. ARTDOCS "Urban Arts Bazaar" Behind the work we do are people fighting the real-life Oct. 15 challenges of cancer. The e+Foundation is committed to delivering 2009 Frist Center Gala Fifth Avenue Arcade hope through cancer research, education and financial need Oct. 10 Artists Receiving Treatment Doctors Offering Crucial Services is a through charitable donations. Frist Center for the Visual Arts new 501c3 charitable organization in Nashville offering no-cost medi- Visit online to help us win the fight for those The sixth annual Frist Center Gala will celebrate the opening of cal services for artists without health insurance. ARTDOCS will hold whose lives are touched by cancer. Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Times: American Modernism from the Lane their first annual benefit entitled "Urban Arts Bizarre" 6 p.m. -9 p.m. Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The black tie event Featuring live entertainment and a silent auction that benefits the artists. benefits the ongoing educational and outreach programming offered For more information contact [email protected] or phone 2205 bandywood dr • nashville tn 37215. www.margischair.com by the Frist Center to the entire community. The 2009 Frist Gala 615-292-2095. www.eplusfoundation.org 615.463.3322 Auction will feature luxurious products, services, and travel packages.
86 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 87
15th Annual Inspirational Country Music Week Award Show Modern and Timeless Oct. 15 St. Charles Cabinets Trinity Music City USA Auditorium October 9,10 and 16 and 17, 7:30 p.m. The annual Inspirational Country Music Awards are dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent among artists who perform Christian and Inspirational Country music. Inspirational music is inspired by Faith, Family, and Country™.
19th Century Trades Festival Oct. 15 - 16 Travelers Rest Plantation and Museum Step back in time to see how free and enslaved artisans worked and lived. Join over 30 period craftsmen and musicians for inter- active demonstrations including bee keeping, blacksmithing, brick making, broom making, candle dipping, fire pit cooking, Sophisticated beauty never goes out of style. Now it’s available again at Kitchen & Bath Concepts. Stop in today and see spinning, weaving, soap making, flint knapping, quilting, wood why the enduring design of St. Charles cabinetry has been a turning, tatting, and many more. Dip a candle, grind corn, create mainstay in Nashville’s finest homes for decades. a doll, write with quill pens, play old fashion games, and maybe even sit next to the fire pit for a bite to eat! It’s interactive fun for the entire family! Tony Herrera’s 209 10th Avenue South, Suite 213 • Nashville,Tennessee 37203 Belmont Community Celebration of Art T: 615.256.3007 • F: 615.251.3001 • www.kitchen-bathconcepts.com Oct. 16 Tickets available at Memory Junction Antique Company 931-796-4519. The Strand Events Line 931-295-3076. Christ the King School After an extremely successful inaugural year, Christ the King School is hosting their second annual art show. The Belmont Community Celebration of Art Show and Sale will run from Friday, October 16, through Sunday, October 18. Jacqueline Saporiti, this year’s featured artist, will be participating along with 45 local and regional artists. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the school. “Christ the King Church and School have been part of the Belmont community since 1937,” said Christ the King School principal Dr. Christine Gebhardt. “We view our show as an opportunity to share local and regional artisans’ work with our community, and we certainly hope to attract our neighbors and visitors like we experi- enced at last year’s show.” The art show will run Friday 6 p.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., and Sunday 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. For additional information and a complete list of artists, please visit our web site at www.ctkevents.org.
Kings of Leon Oct. 16 Sommet Center Hot off the heels of their sold-out European tour and performance on the MTV “Movie Awards,” Grammy award-winning group Kings Of Leon return home to Nashville for their first headlining performance at the Sommet Center.
88 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 89 Ghouls at Grassmere I Run for the Party’s Halloween Festival and 5K Fun Run Little House on the Prairie – The Musical Oct. 16 – 30 Oct. 17 Oct. 27 – Nov. 1 Nashville Zoo at Grassmere Music Row Roundabout Andrew Jackson Hall Taking place throughout the Zoo grounds, Ghouls at Grassmere Eye of newt and toe of frog, everyone loves this costumed jog, for in Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most popular features treat stations for children, animal shows, activities and this night of frightening fun, there are many prizes to be won. Join I and beloved celebrations of early Americana since the appearance of games and the Zoo’s Haunted Hayride. Show off your costume in a Run for the Party for its fifth annual Halloween 5K Fun Run / Walk Laura Ingalls Wilder’s popular classic book series 70 years ago. Now children’s costume parade held each night! + Party, benefiting the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee and the the inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in an uplifting National Cancer Day Awareness Foundation. new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura for 10 years in the Noises Off much loved television series, continues her legacy as Ma. Oct. 16 – Nov. 1 Music and Molasses Festival Looby Theatre Oct. 17 – 18 Hawaii – 50 at 50 Noises Off is a comedy by British playwright Michael Frayn that Tennessee Agricultural Museum Oct. 29 – 31 plays on the concept of a play within a play. The audience follows The annual Music and Molasses Festival, a country celebration of Schermerhorn Symphony Center the production of a dreadful sex comedy with the cast making their the harvest season, will be held the third weekend in October. This America’s 50th state celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2009, and way through a rehearsal, a Wednesday matinee show and an evening event, with two music stages, draws several thousand people to the this colorful stage extravaganza will honor the occasion with a performance near the end of the run. agricultural museum each year. Molasses making the old-time way sweeping survey of Hawaii’s rich cultural heritage - everything is one of the many special demonstrations that can be enjoyed with from Don Ho to Hawaii Five-0 to the distinctive sounds of ukulele Great Performances at Vanderbilt: Daniel Bernard Roumain cooking and tasting at the sorghum mill. Bluegrass music, story- and slack-key guitar. Oct. 17 tellers, country cloggers, a grist mill, traditional crafts for sale, food Blair School of Music including homemade cakes and pies, free buggy rides, log cabin Roger Daltrey Experience Haitian-American artist Daniel Bernard Roumain activities for children with a trail hike, pony rides, animals to touch Oct. 30 (DBR) who has carved a reputation for himself as a passionately and much more makes this a weekend of family fun. Ryman Auditorium innovative composer, performer, violinist, and band leader. Roger Daltrey has one of rock’s most legendary voices, but he doesn’t Curious George Live! take it for granted. That’s why the set of solo dates he’ll be playing – Oct. 23 – 25 beginning Oct. 10 in Vancouver – has been dubbed the Use It or Lose Andrew Jackson Hall It Tour. In this delightful musical, Curious George, the insatiably curious monkey, ends up on a mission to help Chef Pisghetti’s meatballs win Pumpkinfest a world-famous competition. This adventure takes him to Rome and Oct. 31 From London’s The Golden Meatball Contest. With every swing and flip, George Downtown Franklin takes the audience through a fun-filled story in which he learns more Historic Downtown Franklin’s Pumpkinfest fills Main Street with all West End to Ours! about Rome - and meatballs - than he’d ever imagined! things fall-related … pumpkins, Halloween costumes, activities for (your new spot for wine & spirits) children, a full schedule of entertainment, a chili cook-off, hayrides, Giselle trick-or-treating, and fall craft booths. Oct. 23 – 25 James K. Polk Theater TPAC’s Family Field Trip: The Very Hungry Caterpillar The tragic story of Giselle has been one of the most popular ballets Oct. 31 for over 150 years. This ballet is the ultimate story of love and TPAC forgiveness, danced in the graceful and technically proficient manner The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Eric Carle Favourites from Nashville Ballet is known for. the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia uses innovative black light stag- ing as the backdrop for this live puppet adaptation of Eric Carle’s El Dia de los Muertos delightful children’s books – Little Cloud, The Mixed-up Chameleon Oct. 24 and the beloved title story, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art TPAC will offer post-show trick-or-treating in the lobby immedi- The popular Latin American family celebration will include live ately following the performance! performances, a Mexican marketplace, and interactive art activities for everyone. The day-long celebration is a premier community event for Nashville’s Hispanic population as well as for families throughout the area. Hill Center, Belle Meade 4322 Harding Road • (615) 386-0133 www.thewinechap.com
90 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 91 Puzzler
Nashville Arts Magazine October 2009 Crossword PuzzleJunction.com
Across 58 Shakespeare comedy 63 Cleaning tools 1 Biz degrees 65 More defective Artrivia 5 Grouch by Dave Turner 66 Greek letter 10 Canyon effect 67 Massage target In December 1961, Georges Braque became the first living artist to When sculptor Auguste 14 Aquatic plant 68 Muse of poetry have his works exhibited in the Louvre. He died less than two years Rodin exhibited his first 15 Capital west of 69 Cut short later. Braque, along with Pablo Picasso, is credited with developing important work, The Bronze Haiphong 70 Stiff hair Cubism. The Louvre opened August 10, 1793. Period, in 1878 it was so 16 Three-toed bird 71 Varnish ingredient realistic that people thought 17 Genuine 72 Coop group Oil painting as an artistic medium is generally credited to the he had sacrificed a live model 18 Mob scenes fifteenth century. The oil paint tube was invented in 1841. Winsor inside the cast. He died of 19 Listening devices Down & Newton, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of artist’s oil frostbite in 1917 when the 20 Jules Verne character paints, claims Titanium White as their most popular colour. French government refused 23 Decompose 1 The Green Pastures him financial aid for a flat, yet 24 Swarms playwright Connelly 25 Formerly, once 2 Sheep sound they kept his statues warmly 27 Morse E 3 Slack-jawed Where Are You Now? housed in museums. 28 Aunt Pittypat was 4 Like some peanuts Photography by Bob Schatz one of her characters 5 Curtain author Nashville is full of architectural surprises if you know where to look. Below are six architectural details that can be found around town. 32 Skye cap 6 Parade spoiler See if you know where they are. 35 The Dinner Party 7 Soon, to a bard playwright 8 Musical mark 37 Buenos ___ 9 Play by Edward 38 Hydroxyl compound Knoblock, movie 40 Have dinner at home starring Ronald 42 Money maker Colman Copyright ©2009 PuzzleJunction.com 43 Crouch 10 “Maid of Athens, 29 Monogram part 36 Crèche trio 55 60’s protest 45 Vexed ___ we part”: Byron (Abbr.) 39 Places; sites 56 Historic times 47 Distress letters 11 The Saint author 30 Letterman rival, 41 Orwell’s pig in 57 Delicate fabric 48 Dragon’s Teeth 12 Novel character once Animal Farm 59 Days of ___ author 13 Brewer’s kiln 31 Landing crafts 44 Entreaty 60 Domesday Book 50 Pricing word 21 Half of an old radio (Abbr.) 46 Actress Hatcher money 52 Legal claim duo 32 Hardy heroine 49 Response 61 Czech Republic 53 Tough tests 22 Sea predator 33 Opposed 51 Debonair river port city 56 Philip Roth’s ___, 26 Mason’s wedge 34 Lemare’s song, 54 W. Afr. republic, 62 Knocks lightly the Fanatic 28 Outboard, for one ___ and Roses Sierra ___ 64 Poseidon’s domain 1 2 3 4
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eems, 25 25 eems, T 24 ot, R 23 Nemo, aptain C 20 ars, E 19 iots, R 18 eal, R 17 hea, R 16 anoi, H 15 lga, A 14 cho, E 10 rank, C 5 Mbas, 1 : across athedral, C hurch C hrist C 3 Building, Office tate S evier S John 2 hurch, C Methodist treet S ulip T 1 nswers: A 92 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 93 jenney petrikin
94 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 95 1233 Nichol Lane, Nashville, TN 37205 • www.jpdesigns.com • 615.498.7802 SunTrust CLASSICAL SERIES
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October 26 Silent Comedy Classics Featuring Organist Tom Trenney November 13 Lunchtime Organ Recital December 10 Home for the Holidays December 17-19 Handel’s Messiah February 3 Ballet Folklorico de Mexico February 13 & 14 Valentine’s Special with Jim Brickman March 12 Lunchtime Organ Recital March 26 Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis April 25 Organ Showcase with David Higgs May 9 Fourth Annual Community Hymn Sing May 15 Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel May 30 Voices of Spring
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96 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts MagazineBuy tickets TODAY! Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 97 615.687.6400 or NashvilleSymphony.org My Favorite Painting
David Burliuk’s My Wife at the Beach by Terri Hightower, mother, business owner, art lover
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Our Burliuk is small, but it fills all the space of the entry hall. He painted this while on a visit to the American eastern shoreline with his beloved wife, probably in the early 1940s. It was a time of fear and repression within Russia, so I like to think of Mr. and Mrs. “B” romping and running around like kids on the beach. He totally globs on the shades a celebration of true style. of turquoise and jewel-tone paint, so you feel the pebbles and water. I know he was painting Freedom and Love and Adoration for his wife—it makes me imagine.
By the late 1920s, almost a decade after the Bolsheviks came into power, the Futurist movement in Russia had already died away. Its poets and painters either were dead or they fled to other countries or adhered to the more conventional requirements and trends. David Burliuk (1882-1967) was a Russian-American author and a painter of international notoriety even during his own day. He grew up the son of a wealthy peasant and received an art education in Munich and Paris. He came of age as an artist during radical political and social change and the avant-garde movement in art. Young Burliuk adopted the goals and aims of the Futurist movement when he met two of his greatest influences and life-long friends, the Gift cards available from our mall concierge. Futurist poet Volodymyr Mayakovsky and painter Vasili Kandinsky. Burliuk authored manifestos and essays and lectured 98 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine Nashville Arts Magazine | October 2009 | 99 widely on the goals of Futurism, becoming a chief exponent of modern art in Russia. THE MALL AT GREEN HILLS • HILLSBORO AND ABBOTT MARTIN ROADS, NASHVILLE • THEMALLATGREENHILLS.COM 100 | October 2009 | Nashville Arts Magazine