There are quite a few interesting art shows coming in the next few weeks. Here is a look at two of them.
Crowning Glory at TSU
Hiram Van Gordon Gallery of the Tennessee State University Art Department presents Crowning Glory, which opened on February 20 and runs through March 30, 2023. Hair Hair Hair! Crowning Glory looks at Black hair through six women artists’ powerful and playful expressions of what adorns the head. A range of mediums; soft pastels to sculptures, prints to paintings, interpreting bonnets to braids. The show highlights the importance of hair community and individual expression.
This exhibition acknowledges the work being done with the CROWN Act, a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, that was blocked in the U.S. Senate last December. Co-Curated by Cynthia Gadsden, PhD, and Courtney Adair Johnson, Gallery Director at Tennessee State University. The featured artists are Jeannette Ehlers, Elise Kendrick, Jasmine Moseley, Elisheba Israel Mrozik, Althea Murphy-Price, and Tanekeya Word. The exhibition is supported by EADJ/Maria Magdalena Campos Pons.
A closing reception will be held in the gallery on Thursday, March 23, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. CDT. Regular gallery hours are Monday – Thursday, 9:30am – 2:30pm. The gallery is located on the TSU Main Campus, 1108 37th Ave North in Elliott Hall, Room 118. First, however, be sure to download a Parking Pass and print it out before you arrive. Go to: https://www.tnstate.edu/art/gallery.aspx
Illuminate Art Gala at Riverside Revival
Daybreak Arts (formerly Poverty and the Arts) is hosting its Illuminate Art Gala on Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 6:00 until 9:00 p.m. CDT at Riverside Revival, 1620 Riverside Drive, in East Nashville, both virtually and in-person. Daybreak Arts’ annual fundraising gala is a one-of-a-kind Nashville event providing a premiere platform for artists experiencing housing insecurity to showcase their work and earn income, as well as help the organization raise much needed funds to provide studio space, art supplies, and more so the artists can keep creating.
In-person attendees of the event will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and desserts by Town and Table Catering, beer, wine, and specialty cocktails sponsored by Lipman Brothers, unique silent auction items, live jazz music, a photo booth experience sponsored by Nashville Photobooth Co, live painting, and of course, artwork on display and for sale by 24 artists experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in their Collective. Virtual ticket-holders will be able to access their online silent auction, as well as view the exhibiting artwork during the event.
“When someone bought my art at the gala, I felt encouraged and validated. The artwork I do is a part of me and when you value me enough to pay for something I made, that’s a different kind of validation.”
— Daybreak Artist, Thaddaeus Tekell
Daybreak Arts Studio is located at 1207 Dickerson Pike, Nashville, TN 37207. The gallery is currently open to the public by appointment only. Please call (615) 669-2236 or email: creative@daybreakarts.org
Reserve your tickets now at: https://daybreakarts.org/gala
