Back to the future … The Basement

The week is early, and the weekend past was quite glorious when all was said and done, but it didn’t take much time at all for me to get super excited about this coming Friday and weekend ahead.  And I don’t want to bypass the heart of this week or wish to throw away any time whatsoever, but if this Friday night was to happen tonight, I wouldn’t be disappointed one iota.  You may be asking, “Why are you so excited about Friday, Chuck?”  This is why.

Consider yourself formally invited to The Basement for the first big and can’t miss party of 2011.  Kaz Video is celebrating its 1 year anniversary by throwing a shindig like no other.  There will be music, wedding cakes, limos standing by, walking works of art dressed in paint, and stand up comedy to make you laugh for days after.  For a mere $5 at the door, this Friday, March 4th, from 8-11:30pm, The Basement will be the home of Charles Butler & Associates at 9, Telecommunicators at 10, and Deep Fried 5 at 11. For me, personally, it won’t get any better than seeing The Jones Brothers Experience throwing the gauntlets down on stage between and around the musical acts with their witty banter, captivating stories, and better than Zanie’s zany humor.  Did I forget to mention there will be FREE airbrush tattoos by Air Today Gone Tomorrow all evening?!  I’m just saying … get on board and run and tell somebody.  Don’t make any other plans for Friday.  TGIF hasn’t expected this much fun since Balki Bartokomous.

If you by some chance cannot make it to the above fiesta at The Basement on Friday, March 4th, then you should definitely make time to see the opening reception for “Girls Night Out” at the Customs House Museum.  From 5-8pm, the Museum is celebrating the “Ladies First” exhibit with the above reception that is open to the public and will be including an exhibit discussion at 6pm.  Some of the ladies with work featured in this exhibit is Sher Fick, Edie Maney, Miranda Herrick, among others.

As for the rest of the weekend, you may find yourself leaning towards dancing Saturday away with the Guilty Pleasures at Mercy Lounge, or getting centered on Sunday evening with the sounds of Colin Hay at 3rd and Lindsley, but let it be known that there is plenty of fresh new art to be had, bought, and seen around town this weekend as well.  In fact, 5th Avenue of the Arts is presenting its monthly First Saturday Art Crawl on March 5, from 6-9pm.  With more than 20 art venues participating, including The Arts Company, The Rymer Gallery, Tinney Contemporary, Tennessee Art League, Estel Gallery, Twist Gallery and Art at the Arcade, and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, there is never a dull moment for art lovers on the first Saturday of each month.

Two spots that I’d highly recommend this Saturday would be to check out MIR Gallery and its latest exhibition titled “Versus: A Group Art Exhibit” and The Coop Collective’s “The Fulcrum Lost its Feather: A Collaborative Work by Daniel Evans and Shu-Mei Chan.” Mir Gallery’s (44 Arcade Building) exhibit will be open from 6-9pm Saturday during the art crawl and will feature works from over 20 pop surrealists from right here in the South.  Right down the alley in Space 75 in The Arcade, The Coop Collective’s latest is a fantastic collaborative ceramic experiment between a husband and wife artistry duo inspired by the genius of machines and the flight of birds.  Both spots will be welcoming to all those who take the time to drop by.

That said; I need to run and get everything done now before Friday smacks me in the face at The Basement. I suggest you do the same.  Be well, safe, and avoid all those nasty storms out there.

much love,

chUck

Outside the box, inside the city

Every so often, say about the last weekend of every month to be specific, almost all of the galleries around town spend time tearing down to gear back up for the various first of the month art crawls.  This month, this is far from the case for the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.  The Frist has been on quite the roll the past few weekends and are striving to keep that buzz going strong into springtime.

With such stellar exhibitions as William Eggleston: Annointing the Overlooked (through May 1st) and Simen Johan: Until the Kingdom Comes (through May 29th) already filling up a lot of quality space within its walls, the Frist is primed and ready to paint the town’s artistic interests with the stunning Vishnu: Hinduism’s Blue-Skinned Savior.  Vishnu is an exhibition of more than 170 paintings, sculptures, and ritual objects made in India between the fourth and twentieth centuries that present an excellence assessment of Hindu art styles and Vishnu-worshipping traditions.  Vishnu itself is one of Hinduism’s three major deities.  Often depicted and easily spotted in his calming blue skin form, Vishnu’s character can be seen assuming many different forms as well that represent all of the various ways that people can interact with the divine.  It is very interesting and you want to see and learn more, no?

Well, last weekend the Frist had several welcoming events surrounding Vishnu’s exhibition opening involving dance, music and art.  The fun has only begun.  This Thursday, February 24, at 6:30pm, the Frist is having Dr. Robert J. Del Bonta give a lecture called “Vishnu during the European Enlightenment.”  First come, first served, and FREE admission in the Auditorium, you should already be getting excited to listen all about the fascinating history and worldly relations involving the East and the West with the world of Hindu.  Also, this coming Friday, February 25th, at 7pm, there is a very special ARTini at the Frist on William Eggleston: Anointing the Overlooked.  It is included with gallery admission while Members are FREE!

Besides visiting the Frist to check out Vishnu, William Eggleston, Simen Johan, Music in the Grand Lobby every Thursday and Friday night, and to buy excellent presents at the gift shop, you should also take the time to see what the cool kids are doing.  Specifically, you should check out Young Tennessee Artists: 2010 Statewide Advanced Placement Studio Art (showing through April 10th) which is filled over 40 drawings, paintings, photographs, and mixed-media works of 33 high school Advanced Placement Studio Art program students.  And don’t forget to check out the Frist’s Upper Level Education Corridor that is filled with the 2011 Wilson County Schools Superintendent’s Art Show and the 2011 Franklin Special School District Art Show featuring some of the finest artwork created by more than 150 young artists from kindergarten through 12thgrade from Wilson and Franklin County Schools.  These art shows ends on Sunday, February 27th.

So as you can read, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts really has it going on.  Before you run and tell that to everyone you know, near and far, be sure to also let others with creative kids know that the Frist Center’s Summer Art Camp registration opens this coming Monday, February 28thfor the general public.  Directly supervised by a plethora of experienced museum educators, the Summer Art Camp is designed to encourage artistic expression, art appreciation, understanding, and imaginations for kids from ages 5 to 13.  No previous art-making experience necessary to have an absolute time of your life!

And speaking of time, I must run … literally.

Be well and see you next month!

Much love,

chUck

Post-Valentinism

Whether your Saint Valentine’s Day was a very special collection of love in the middle of the best of friends, food, and fellowship, or just another Facebook-highlighted “Singles Awareness Day,” I promise it won’t be very hard for you to find the love that the Nashville art scene can provide for you this coming week ahead.  My advice for most of my friends is to simply listen to what the women are doing and saying.

Along those lines, it’s no coincidence that this Friday, February 18^th, from 6-9pm, Bennett Galleries will be having an opening reception for a quality collection of work from seven female artists titled “Women’s Work.” On display through mid-March, Women’s Work spotlights eight to ten new paintings by each of these locally and regionally based artists: Meredith Keith, Carylon Killebrew, Cathy Lancaster, Dorsey McHugh, Shannon Nyimicz, Charlotte Terrell, and Kris Prunitsch.  Women’s Work is a celebration of the feminine touch and creative perspective of painting.

For those that don’t typically see the full picture of their life’s surroundings and what it all means at that moment, I feel it’s important to open your eyes, take a step back and take in everything with a wide angle.  As luck would have it, Vanderbilt University’s Fine Arts Gallery at Cohen Memorial Hall is currently housing a beautiful photography exhibition called “Wide Angle: Photography and Its Influence on Contemporary Art.”  Wide Angle, which has been showing since January but ends February 27^th, examines the increasingly vital impact of photography on contemporary art production through the combination of conventional uses and creative techniques to realize other particular visions.  Some of the featured works include pieces by Paul d’Amato, Harmony Korine, Andy Warhol, and many others.

And to round out the full spectrum of love in this brief read, sometimes you have to go to the classics to enlighten the meaning behind the present.  Fortuitous for Nashville, we always have the Parthenon.  The Parthenon’s February Symposium is titled “Hell Hath No Fury: How the Looting of the Iraq Museum Changed the Way Archaeologists Think About Armed Conflict.” On Tuesday, February 22^nd, Dr. Corine Wegener will discuss how her experiences with archaeology while in Iraq and other locations developing cultural preservation amidst armed conflict could be extremely helpful and necessary to the current unrest and major changes in Egypt.  The lecture will take place at the Parthenon at 7pm with a reception following.  Admission is FREE, but reservations are required (615-862-8431).

I must leave you now for a moment so I can take my own advice and try to focus on the moment at hand to clearly see my entire picture of what I need to do today more than this.  I hope that whether you received tons of love from those you love or just the sweet delights from the recent sunshine and weather, that this read finds you happy and hopeful for art and everything life.  If we can learn anything from Arcade Fire’s recent Grammy success over the likes of other big name fame vultures nominated in the same category, sometimes good people doing good art actually do make a positive mark on the masses and win in the end.  With that, we all still have hope.

Enjoy your day,

chUck

 

Upside down and inside out

Sometimes that’s the way LOVE goes, comes, leaves, returns, and so this week, the week leading up to the biggest day set aside for LOVE besides your most recent anniversary, that is the way I shall reveal what other lovely people are doing around town.

First and foremost, I feel like it has been ages since my last shout out to my favorite place nearest to my hood and dearest to my heart. If you’re a long time listener (or reader), possible first time caller (or emailer as it may be), then you already know that I speak of Art & Invention Gallery. They truly do put the art in invention and the flip flop as well and top it off by spending quality time with you to get the precise gifts that your loved ones will always cherish. In fact, if they don’t have it already this week, they’ll help you make it!

Don’t believe me? Well, once again Art & invention is opening their doors and shop of sorts to help you create a Valentine’s masterpiece for the one(s) you love most. They’ll help you decorate a card or wooden heart, or invent your own special Valentine from their table of goodies and supplies. For me, you can’t beat paying $6 per card/$7-$10 per wooden heart and come up with a valued price for anything else you end up creating with such amazing people and artists. Walk-ins are welcome during open hours (Feb. 8th & 10th from 3pm-8pm, Feb. 11th noon-7pm, Feb. 12th noon-6pm, and Feb.13th noon-5pm). You must make reservations for groups of 5 or more, call ahead (615-226-2070) to book a private evening workshop, and know that if you supply the time, Art & Invention will supply the materials!

If the creative workshop idea above doesn’t get your feet moving, then maybe you would prefer to spend a little time this Thursday, Feb. 10th (my dad’s birthday if you want to celebrate in your own way), from 7-8:30pm at the Andrew Jackson Visitors Center at The Hermitage. In the midst of celebrating Black History Month, Thursday’s event that is FREE to the public is a celebration of culture and dance. Sista Style productions will present a retrospective of African-American dance.

But if it is more of the visual art that you crave and are in the mood for when planning your various special Valentine’s date(s) this weekend, I do have some more interesting events to tell you about. Keeping the theme I wrote about in “Go Red”, also this Thursday, Feb. 10th, from 6-9pm, I would like to remind you that there will be a “Go Red” Wine Tasting at Rumours Wine and aRT Bar that will contribute 50% of wine tasting proceeds to the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign. Not to forget to mention about the same location, on Saturday, Feb. 12th, Rumours 12th South is holding a reception in honor of artist Lori Anne Parker’s exhibition Atrial Articulations, which will be on view during “Art for the Heart Month” from January 31–February 28. Rumours will contribute 40% of all art sales to the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign. And on Monday, the big heart day, Feb. 14th, Rumours 12th South will hold its Art for the Heart Valentine’s Day wine dinner (reservations are highly recommended) where 20% of wine dinner proceeds will go towards the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign.

Backtracking from the actual Valentine’s day, on Sunday, Feb. 13th, from 6:30-9:30pm, Brandt Hardin is having an exhibit entitled “Private Matters” opening at Blackbird Tattoo and Gallery (2306 12th Avenue South just beside Rumours 12th South). This is an adult-themed show by the way so don’t say that I didn’t tell you to leave the kids at home with the babysitters.

Then, going sideways to things already going on you might have missed up to this point in time, L A Bachman has a new series of art called “Chit Chat” fresh from her studio showing at The Rymer Gallery. Chit Chat will run through Feb. 28th. Also going down in L A Bachman’s world is that she will have three paintings from “The Big Break-Up” showing at Belmont University for an Alumni exhibit in the Leu Arts building this week. The Belmont University exhibit, “Innovation: Art from Anywhere”, will be running from Feb. 14th-March 3rd with an opening reception Feb. 17th from 4-6pm.

And coming around full circle back to the beginning of this art update, let me remind you that if you haven’t found the perfect Valentine gift yet, get your head, heard, and feet moving on over to Art & Invention before you turn off your computer (and maybe just after you’ve sent this link to all of your friends that you know would love to hear about and experience all of the above LOVE)!

Whatever you decide to do … do it well and from the heart. Everyone deserves to be happy and to be loved. This time of year, just like any holiday we celebrate, can sometimes feel fake and mass produced, but I like to think of it as a friendly reminder of how we should treat ourselves and others every day. But maybe that’s just mE.

Enjoy your day and week ahead.

much love,

chUck

Love, love, love

It’s another day, another dollar, another cold front a coming and another great weekend of Nashville art to crawl and/or follow (close enough, right?).  You get the gist; it’s finally the proclaimed month of love and I’d personally love to tell you a few things that some lovely people around town would love for you to know about and love for yourselves.

First up to set the weekend mood and heat things up a bit, I’d suggest since Barry White is no longer alive for you to see perform in person that you stop by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts to enjoy the hearty vocals and deep sounds of Mister Hazelwood.  After having a successful CD Release Event back in November at the same locale, Joseph and his fellow friends are returning to the ideal setting of classical architecture and pitch perfect acoustics to grace the friendly staff and open-minded visitors with more great music.  An early show, FREE of charge, Friday, February 4^th, from 6-8pm will allow you to take in the music, possibly a few glasses of wine and/or other beverages and set up a lovely dinner and a show night out on the town with class.

To stir up a little more love on the first Friday on the first weekend of February, Tinney Contemporary and Fifth Avenue of the Arts have put together Collectors Art Night about the same time Mister Hazelwood is rocking Broadway’s business socks off.  Also happening February 4^th, but from 5:30-8pm, Tinney Contemporary, The Arts Company, and The Rymer Gallery are excited to invite 125 guests to its inaugural event that’s a special, first-look preview of their impressive new exhibitions.  The inaugural program, free but limited to 125 spaces (you must e-mail 5thAvenueOfTheArts@gmail.com or contact Tinney Contemporary to RSVP and become a VIP guest for the program ahead of time), will provide cocktails, free valet parking upon registration, three “art talks” with photographer Norman Lerner at The Arts Company at 6pm, sculptor Gordon Chandler at The Rymer Gallery at 6:45pm, and painter Brett De Palma at Tinny Contemporary at 7:15pm.  All three locations are excited about the program and want it known that the event (changing names and exhibitions of course) will be presented every other month on the day before the First Saturday Art Crawl.

And speaking of the First Saturday Art Crawl, I will not build any suspense by just letting the cat out of the bag and telling you that opening Saturday, in conjunction with the First Saturday Art Crawl, February 5^th, from 6-9pm, at 73 Arcade Building, Twist is proud to present Suspension: an art show by Jaime Raybin and Ryan Hogan. Suspension, a show that will continue at Twist through February 26^th, is filled with a spectacular collaboration that has been a year in the making.  Hogan’s sculptures that are partially obscured from the viewer within contained displays mixed with Raybin’s confrontational and abstract slide show might just remind you about the games we’ve all seen before or played in life and love.  A creative cat and mouse simulation of not seeing enough yet knowing too much all at the same time, your night and senses might never be the same.  Jump on in and see what I’m talking about for yourselves.

On a similar note, if you are up for doing a lot of crawling, walking, and anything but sitting down on Saturday, February 5, any time from 6-10pm, and you find yourself smack dab in the Arcade, I would suggest that you stroll through MIR Gallery and check out Wesley Kinsman Hall’s exhibition appropriately titled Inadequate Seating Art Show!  That’s all.  Enough said. 

Be well, love one another and safe travels on your way.  Come back now, ya hear!?

much love,

chUck