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The Arts Company
Presents
“Wood, Canvas and Clay”
Conventional Mediums, Unconventional Art
Introducing four new artists to The Arts Company:
Randy Shull, Maria-Louise Coil, Sarah Emerson and Krista Grecco
Exhibit curator: Brian Downey
Opening Artist Reception
During FirstArtSaturday
December 6, 6-9 pm
Exhibit continues through January 8
“Wood, Canvas and Clay” is scheduled to open at The Arts Company December 6, 6-9 pm, during the monthly FirstArtSaturday exhibit, and introduces four new artists to Nashville—Randy Shull, furniture-maker and painter; Maria-Louise Coil, mixed media artist; Sarah Emerson, painter; and Krista Grecco, sculptor. The exhibit continues through January 8, during regular gallery hours at 215 Fifth Avenue, North, 10-5 pm, Tuesday-Saturday. The gallery will be closed for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. For additional information call 254-2040 or visit www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit
“Wood, Canvas and Clay” is an exciting new show that will introduce four artists to the gallery and to Nashville. The exhibit will include furniture and paintings on wood by Asheville artist Randy Shull, as well as small mixed-media images of Nashville signs on box panels by Atlanta artist, Maria-Louise Coil. Canvas is brought to life with the vibrant colors and stunning animal imagery by another Atlanta artist, Sarah Emerson. And last but not least, figurative clay sculptures with a twist by Krista Grecco, also from Atlanta, will be on display during the exhibit.
About the Artists / Artwork
Randy Shull
Randy Shull is an artist who works fluidly among a variety of mediums, including furniture design, architecture, painting, and landscape design. He is highly acclaimed for his rich and sensual use of color and space. Awarded a North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in 1994, an NEA Southern Arts Federation grant in 1995, and a master residency at OregonSchool of Arts & Crafts in Portland, Shull has also had four solo shows in New York in the past decade. His work is included in a number of important museum collections including The Brooklyn Museum; The High Museum in Atlanta; The Renwick Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C.; The Mint Museum of Craft & Design in Charlotte; Racine Museum of Art; The Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and Museum of Art and Design in New York. Shull stays involved in his local community by serving on the board of the AshevilleArt Museum. He has studios in Asheville, NC and Merida, Mexico.
The garden he created at his Asheville home was featured in an article in the June 2006 issue of Metropolitan Home. In 2008 and 2009 Randy’s work will be the subject of a twenty-year retrospective that opens on January 24th at the GreggMuseum of Art & Design at NC State, and travels to the San FranciscoMuseum of Craft & Design as well as The Bellview Art Museum and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
Maria-Louise Coil
After attending the University of Georgia where she received a BFA in photography as well as a BFA in graphic design, Maria-Louise Coil moved to New York where she freelanced as a graphic designer and photographer. Coil worked as an illustrator for Calvin Klein and created the photography for the front and back cover of the book included in REM’s 2001 limited edition release Reveal. The album was nominated for a Grammy for “best recording package.”
In 2003 Coil returned to Atlanta where she began to focus on her artwork. These works are primarily southern in theme and tend to focus on road-side images and signs. Over the past year she has begun to show her work at Atlanta art festivals including Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Virginia Highlands Art Festival, Decatur Arts Festival, Grant Park Summer Shade Festival, and Atlanta Arts Festival.
Coil’s sign series focuses on the signs of the south, both rural and urban. Interested in the ordinary and the simple as objects being worthy of attention, her aim is to capture such imagery in a muted pallet on textured surfaces--right now focusing on southern iconography (primarily signage).
Coil also began teaching art three years ago which has become a continuous source of inspiration and energy.
Sarah Emerson
Sarah Emerson graduated from the Atlanta College of Art in 1997 and went on to complete her Master's Degree at GoldsmithsCollege in London, England. Over the last ten years she has exhibited her paintings in galleries throughout the United States and Europe, including at White Columns, New York, Cosmic Gallery, Paris, and Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT. Emerson recently moved back to Atlanta, Georgia but over the years she has lived in Boston, London, and New York.
In her paintings, Emerson uses the violence and romantic sadness of the natural landscape to provoke a sense of fragility and melancholic instability beneath the surface of the image. She likes to use a variety of images that are beautiful and sad with natural elements that can also be seen to parallel the worst parts of our human animalistic behaviors. Nostalgic and symbolic, Emerson tries to embrace sincerity and ambiguity in times that are hardened by the disintegration of real emotional and literal landscapes. Ferocity and suspense of action are recurrent narratives, suggesting an eerie tension between the subjects amid the collapse of a flattened, abstract background.
Krista Grecco
Krista Grecco’s sculpture has always been about recreating what already exists. In a similar way that topiary, toys and stuffed animals recreate what already exists, her forms and surfaces are edited, exaggerated or simplified to show her point of view. Form is Grecco’s passion and the main focus of her work. Nostalgia is also important but without form, concept is flat. Flesh, folds, fabric and fur lend life to her work.
The women Grecco creates are not anonymous although they believe in keeping secrets and want to appear mysterious. The animals try to act human but just can’t ignore their natural instincts; secrets and mystery elude them. Grecco’s latest series is especially personal, busts based closely but loosely on the women who have shared their love, companionship and knowledge with her. Slowly their secrets unravel in flesh, folds, fabric and fur.
Grecco received her B.F.A. honors from AlfredUniversity and her M.F.A. with a fellowship from The Ohio State University. She joined the faculty of the School of Art and Design at GeorgiaStateUniversity in 2007 as a Visiting Instructor. Her other teaching experience includes Kennesaw State University, Denison University, Cleveland Institute of Art, University of Georgia and many others.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArtSaturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website,
www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Anne Brown, Owner & Director
215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North
Nashville, TN37219
615-254-2040
www.theartscompany.com
The Arts Company
Presents
The 12th Annual Holiday Arts Market
Celebrating the 12th birthday of The Arts Company
Chock Full of Affordable Artincluding Pop-up books, artist cards,
and art books
Presenting new artists in an eclectic exhibit, “Wood, Canvas, and Clay,”
And continuing two exhibits:
Ansel Adams / Bob Kolbrener exhibition
“90 Years in the American West,”
vintage and modern black and white photographs
and
April Street’s “The Wave in My Eyes,”
8th Annual Exhibit of New Paintings
Holiday Open House and Birthday Celebration
During FirstArtSaturday December 6, 6-9 pm
The Arts Company continues its original mission established in 1996 of presenting fresh, original, and contemporary artwork to Nashvillians and visitors alike. The 12th Annual Holiday Arts Market, scheduled during FirstArtSaturday, December 6, 6-9 pm, celebrates the first twelve years of The Arts Company on 5th Avenue of the Arts in downtown Nashville. The gallery will launch the holiday season with a Holiday Open House offering one new eclectic exhibition, one legendary photography exhibition, and a wide variety of affordable artwork including special artist gift cards commissioned for the occasion. The Holiday Arts Market will continue through December 24 during regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm, at 215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North, 254-2040 or www.theartscompany.com for more information.
About the 12th Annual Holiday Arts Market and Gallery Birthday Celebration
During the holidays, The Arts Company is known for being chock full of original art, special commissions and art-related merchandise designed to offer fresh and affordable alternatives to those seeking original gifts at reasonable prices. This year’s market features special artist holiday cards, pop-up books for children and adults, collectors’ art books, small paintings and sculpture, legendary photography and miscellaneous discounts on selections from the Company archives and merchandise being discontinued. Guests at the open house will receive a special artist thank you gift with every purchase.
Classic holiday cards by museum artists will be complemented by Arts Company frameable artist cards, including John Baeder, Jorge Arrieta, Jonathan Richter, Pam Moxley, and others.
About the December Exhibitions
Two exhibits will continue through December 19:
1) The inaugural exhibit of the national traveling exhibition, “90 Years in the American West,” featuring vintage and modern photographs by Ansel Adams and Bob Kolbrener. (For more information, www.theartscompany.com/press)
2) “The Wave of My Eyes,” a new painting series by popular gallery artist April Street.
A new exhibition curated by gallery associate Brian Downey opens during FirstArtSaturday, December 6 and continues through January 8. The exhibit introduces four new artists to Nashville. (For more information, www.theartscompany.com/pres)
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in December 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists and participates with other nearby galleries to promote Art on 5th Avenue of the Arts during FirstArtSaturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, the Company presents a signature series—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Anne Brown, Owner & Director
215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North
Nashville, TN37219
615-254-2040
www.theartscompany.com
The Arts Company
Presents
April Street’s 8th Annual Exhibition
of New Paintings
“The Wave of My Eyes”
Opening with a reception for the artist
FirstArtSaturday, November 1, 2008, 6-9 pm
The exhibit will be featured at Artrageous, November 8
Exhibit will continue through December 19, 2008
The Arts Company proudly presents the 8th Annual Exhibition of New Paintings by April Street, opening with a reception for the artist during FirstArtSaturday, November 1, 2008, 6-9 pm at 215 Fifth Avenue, North. The exhibit will be featured at the annual Artrageous event, and will continue through December 19, during regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm. For information, 254-2040 or www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit
Since her first exhibition at The Arts Company in 2000, April Street has been one of the gallery’s most successful and prolific artists. Her work has always been a perfect fit for the gallery’s concept of presenting fresh, original, contemporary artwork. Street’s relentless work ethic drives her to produce a completely original exhibition of work each year, sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract, and often a combination of the two.
About the Artist and Artwork / April Street
The 2008 installation of April Street’s painting exhibition leans toward abstract, in themes that will be familiar, yet brand new to those who are familiar with her work. Her new paintings are lyrical and poetic, linked together in a combination of perspectives. The movement, shapes, and colors in the canvases suggest imaginative landscapes involving water, flowers, and plants. Within each canvas and among the canvases are suggestions of stories or narratives being formed.
“Typically, Street works in large scale. This year’s body of work is more medium scale. The work exudes energy, excitement and elegance in Street’s inimitable style,” according to Anne Brown of The Arts Company, continuing that “April’s work is always about evoking beauty through complex patterns and designs that turn out to be lively and soothing at the same time.”
April Street lives and works in Los Angeles CA and Bristol TN. She has exhibited her paintings and sculptures in High Energy Constructs Gallery in Chinatown, Los Angeles, Ruth Bachofner Gallery in Santa Monica, CA, The Arts Company Nashville, TN, ChicagoIL and Austin TX. As well, Street’s collaborative video work, "Imaging Appalachia, Virtual View," received a NEA Project Grant. Street's work has been
featured and reviewed in prominent publications recently such as: The L A Weekly, art ltd. West Coast Art and Design, Artillery Magazine, New York /Los Angeles, New Art Examiner/Chicago, A! Magazine, and a feature cover article in Nashville Arts Magazine in 2007. Street's work will be featured in NY Arts Magazine's January issue.
Street has curated national exhibitions including the Virginia Museum Affiliate, WilliamKingArtCenter’s “The Human Habit” benefiting breast cancer research. She is also the developer of Southwest Virginia's first permanent sculpture garden and outdoor sculpture competition, "Blurring the Lines." April Street's educational background includes: The Art Institute of Chicago, East Tennessee State University (BFA), and bronze casting and art history in Italy.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArtSaturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, the Company produces the monthly signature series—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Presents
“90 Years in the American West”
Photographs by Ansel Adams
and Bob Kolbrener
Nashville Exhibit is First Stop on National Tour
Opening Artist Reception
During FirstArtSaturday
November 1, 6-9 pm
The Arts Company will launch a national touring exhibition of vintage and modern photographs by Ansel Adams and by Bob Kolbrener, who worked with Mr. Adams in the 1960s. This exhibition is set to open during a special artist reception during FirstArtSaturday, November 1, 6-9 pm. Bob Kolbrener will attend the reception, accompanied by Barry Podgorsky, who represented Mr. Kolbrener in his gallery, SoHo Triad Fine Art , in NYC. The exhibit will continue through December 19 during regular gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm. at 215 Fifth Avenue, North, 254-2040. www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit
This traveling exhibition, 90 YEARS IN THE AMERICAN WEST, includes select vintage and modern prints by Adams from the 30’s and 40’s. Bob Kolbrener’s prints, like Adams’, are gelatin silver and are also made by the artist. The exhibition compares and contrasts the works of two visionary masters, their love and respect for Yosemite and surrounding areas. The Arts Company will inaugurate this traveling exhibition of over 25 vintage and contemporary prints, all for sale. Mr. Kolbrener will be in attendance at the opening reception. Individual Adams and Kolbrener prints will be sold from the exhibition inventory, and viewers and press are encouraged to review the show at www.theartscompany.com. Press images for reproduction are available upon request. Mr. Kolbrener will be available to be interviewed by phone and in person prior to the exhibit.
This exhibit of Adams and Kolbrener photography is notable in a couple of ways—namely, this is the first time the Ansel Adams Gallery has allowed Adams’ photographs to be offered on consignment to other galleries. This concession is due primarily to the long-time professional and personal friendship Bob Kolbrener had with Adams himself and has continued with the Adams family. Secondly, The Arts Company exhibition kicks off a national touring exhibition over the next year that will include other galleries that represent Kolbrener’s photographs, including the Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta and the Michele Mosko Fine Art Gallery in Denver. The tour will end where it began in the Ansel Adams Gallery in YosemiteNational Park next fall.
About the Artists / Ansel Adams
Like many of the legendary photographers of mid-century America, Ansel Adams’s passion for photography began with a Kodak Brownie camera given to him by his parents. That influence, combined with his childhood love of nature that, in his words, was “colored and modulated by the great earth gesture” of the Yosemite Sierra, led to his lifelong involvement with the Sierra Club, a critical element in Adams’ growing and continuing success as a photographer. While Adams is remembered as an environmentalist who championed the landscapes of the west, he is remembered equally as one of the key 20th-century artistic pioneers whose work helped establish photography as a legitimate art form.
Adams’ photographs were not intended as “realistic” documents of nature. In fact, the “zone system” of controlling exposure and development of an image made it possible for photographers to visualize an image in advance, matching that visualization through specific technical systems. He literally “wrote the book”—his ten volume series on the making of photographs--on his system for realizing an artistic vision through technical means. Using his zone system and the techniques of “burning” and “dodging” to alter the photograph, Adams gave photographic artists the ability to create images rather than just record subject matter.
Adams was sought out as a photographic consultant as well as an aesthetic pioneer and artist. His lifelong close friends and collaborators were among the key figures of art photography in the mid-20th century, including Edward Weston, Paul Strand, and Alfred Stieglitz. Stieglitz gave Adams a one-man show at his famed An American Place gallery in NYC in 1936. Adams’ commitment to photography as a fine art led him to a lifelong friendship and partnership with Nancy and Beaumont Newhall. He assisted them in establishing the first museum department of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
About the Artists / Bob Kolbrener
'I hope that my work will encourage self expression in others and stimulate the search for beauty and creative excitement in the great world around us' - Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams’ images of YosemiteNational Park and the Great American West taken from 1916 forward have literally inspired photographers to follow in his footsteps. One of the most notable is Bob Kolbrener, whose visit to the Ansel Adams Gallery in 1968 was a turning point for him. Over the next ten (10) years the young photographer advanced from a student in 1969, to becoming a teacher with Ansel Adams at his Yosemite workshops.
Today, Bob Kolbrener is known as the photographer of the American West, and his work, like Adams, stands out above others. This disciplined artist spends over three (3) months each year in the Great American West focusing his camera on the changing landscape, and the balance of his time printing beautiful works as limited edition gelatin silver prints. Kolbrener writes about his specialized photographs: “I have always responded to the grand, ephemeral gestures of Nature. When there is a lightning, fog or winter storm, I am alive with emotion. Through the teachings and inspiration of Ansel Adams I have been able to direct this energy to the making of exciting photographs.”
Kolbrener is quick to point out that there is no use of computers or multiple imagery, and no print or negative enhancement such as bleaching or intensification in his photographs. He wants it understood that all of his photographs “are made in the Great American West using 2 ¼” and 8” x 10” cameras. I print up to 40” x 50” the ‘old fashioned way,’ using fiber based paper, tray processing and selenium toner. My goal is to produce prints which truly celebrate those most exciting photographic moments!”
The Art of Books / Adams and Kolbrener
The November edition of The Art of Books—a monthly showcase of vintage and contemporary books related to the arts—features a selection of Ansel Adams’ books, as well as a special edition of Bob Kobrener’s book of his photographs.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, the Company produces the monthly signature series—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Presents
April Street’s 8th Annual Exhibition
of New Paintings
“The Wave of My Eyes”
Opening with a reception for the artist
FirstArtSaturday, November 1, 2008, 6-9 pm
The exhibit will be featured at Artrageous, November 8
Exhibit will continue through December 19, 2008
The Arts Company proudly presents the 8th Annual Exhibition of New Paintings by April Street, opening with a reception for the artist during FirstArtSaturday, November 1, 2008, 6-9 pm at 215 Fifth Avenue, North. The exhibit will be featured at the annual Artrageous event, and will continue through December 19, during regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm. For information, 254-2040 or www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit
Since her first exhibition at The Arts Company in 2000, April Street has been one of the gallery’s most successful and prolific artists. Her work has always been a perfect fit for the gallery’s concept of presenting fresh, original, contemporary artwork. Street’s relentless work ethic drives her to produce a completely original exhibition of work each year, sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract, and often a combination of the two.
About the Artist and Artwork / April Street
The 2008 installation of April Street’s painting exhibition leans toward abstract, in themes that will be familiar, yet brand new to those who are familiar with her work. Her new paintings are lyrical and poetic, linked together in a combination of perspectives. The movement, shapes, and colors in the canvases suggest imaginative landscapes involving water, flowers, and plants. Within each canvas and among the canvases are suggestions of stories or narratives being formed.
“Typically, Street works in large scale. This year’s body of work is more medium scale. The work exudes energy, excitement and elegance in Street’s inimitable style,” according to Anne Brown of The Arts Company, continuing that “April’s work is always about evoking beauty through complex patterns and designs that turn out to be lively and soothing at the same time.”
April Street lives and works in Los Angeles CA and Bristol TN. She has exhibited her paintings and sculptures in High Energy Constructs Gallery in Chinatown, Los Angeles, Ruth Bachofner Gallery in Santa Monica, CA, The Arts Company Nashville, TN, ChicagoIL and Austin TX. As well, Street’s collaborative video work, "Imaging Appalachia, Virtual View," received a NEA Project Grant. Street's work has been
featured and reviewed in prominent publications recently such as: The L A Weekly, art ltd. West Coast Art and Design, Artillery Magazine, New York /Los Angeles, New Art Examiner/Chicago, A! Magazine, and a feature cover article in Nashville Arts Magazine in 2007. Street's work will be featured in NY Arts Magazine's January issue.
Street has curated national exhibitions including the Virginia Museum Affiliate, WilliamKingArtCenter’s “The Human Habit” benefiting breast cancer research. She is also the developer of Southwest Virginia's first permanent sculpture garden and outdoor sculpture competition, "Blurring the Lines." April Street's educational background includes: The Art Institute of Chicago, East Tennessee State University (BFA), and bronze casting and art history in Italy.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArtSaturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, the Company produces the monthly signature series—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Hosts
“A Conversation with Neil Baldwin:
The Future and Recent Past of Books”
5-6:30, Saturday, October 11, 2008
Conversation begins at 5:30 / Book-signing at 6:00
Part of The Art of Books series
At The Arts Company
215 Fifth Avenue, North
The Arts Company salutes the Southern Festival of Books with a special edition of the gallery’s ongoing series, The Art of Books, featuring “A Conversation with Neil Baldwin: The Future and Recent Past of Books.” Neil Baldwin is a highly-regarded biographer, critically-acclaimed author and Founding Executive Director for the National Book Foundation, sponsor of the prestigious National Book Awards.
In September, 2006, Baldwin joined the faculty of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at MontclairStateUniversity in New Jersey, where he serves as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of History. He is also co-director of the NYU Biography Seminar, serves on the program committee for the 2008 annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians, and is a member of the Writers Guild of America (East), the National Arts Club literary committee, and PEN American Center.
Dr. Baldwin will be signing books following his remarks, including: Man Ray: American Artist; To All Gentleness: William Carlos Williams, Doctor Poet; Edison: Inventing the Century; and American Revelation: Ten Ideas That Shaped Our Country from the Puritans to the Cold War.
Baldwin is uniquely qualified to speak to the state of books in our culture—the current status as well as the future of books in a digital age. A monograph of his remarks will be published by The Arts Company, and signed copies will be available to those attending soon after the event. The Art of Books series at The Arts Company is a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Arts Company
Presents
“The Art of Politics 2008”
Illustrations and Sculpture by Robert Grossman
Celebrating Town Hall Presidential Debate 08
Hosted by Belmont University
Exhibit guest curator: Metro Councilman Ronnie Steine
Featuring limited edition signed debate 08 artist posters
By Robert Grossman and Jorge Arrieta
commemorating this historic debate
Opening Artist Reception
During FirstArtSaturday
October 4, 6-9 pm
Exhibit continues through October 25
“The Art of Politics 2008” is scheduled to open at The Arts Company October 4, 6-9:00 pm, during the monthly FirstArtSaturday exhibit, headlined by the recent iconic artwork of legendary New York illustrator/sculptor Robert Grossman, whose political and satirical works appear frequently in the The New York Times, New York Observer, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and other major mainstream publications. Celebrating the town hall presidential debate at Belmont University, this exhibit will feature recently created satirical illustrations and sculptures of the old and new contenders facing off in the current presidential election. The iconic images will include Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and the debut of Sarah Palin. Continuing through October 25, during regular gallery hours at 215 Fifth Avenue, North, 10-5:00 pm, Tuesday-Saturday. For additional information: 254-2040 or www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit / The Art of Politics
“The Art of Politics” brings together the legendary NY-based political satirist, Robert Grossman, with the curatorial skills of local art collector and Metro Councilman Ronnie Steine, an avid collector of art related to politics. The exhibit also includes original political artwork and signed limited edition hand-screened posters by Nashville-based Jorge Arrieta; and a series of “GET OUT THE VOTE” paintings by Dallas-based Jonathon Kimbrell, featuring comic book icons.
Special Commissions / Artists to Attend Reception
The Town Hall Presidential Debate to be hosted by Belmont University in October lends a historic dimension to “The Arts of Politics” exhibit. With that in mind, The Arts Company has commissioned Robert Grossman to produce a historic limited edition signed poster commemorating the occasion of the Nashville presidential debate. The Arts Company has also commissioned Jorge Arrieta to produce four different limited edition posters and one t-shirt for the occasion. These special commissions will be unveiled as part of the artists reception on October 4 at The Arts Company. Both Grossman and Arrieta and guest curator Ronnie Steine will attend the reception.
About the Artists / Artwork
Robert Grossman
In the past few months, Robert Grossman has developed a series of political cartoons called “O-Man Land” for The Nation and the NY Observer, pointing to the cultural wars prevalent in the current national presidential campaign. Steven Heller, long-time illustration editor for the NY Times Book Review, noted recently, “In his 40-plus year career as a cartoonist, illustrator, sculptor and animator Robert Grossman has created numerous political comic strips for mainstream and alternative magazines. These strips acerbically address issues of the day, most often before they are on the popular culture radar screen.” A few of the originals of these strips will be included in this exhibit, as well as other political illustrations that focus on the cultural wars in this year’s contentious campaign.
Robert Grossman has produced cover illustrations for more than 500 issues of national magazines such as Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, and The New Republic. Today his work can be seen regularly in The Nation, The New York Times, Fortune, and The New York Observer. During the 1980s, he produced a number of animated television commercials. Mr. Grossman is an Academy Award nominee in the category of Short Animated Film. As a native of New York City, Mr. Grossman’s attended public schools in Brooklyn and art classes at The Museum of Modern Art. He graduated from Yale, and after a brief stint as an assistant to New Yorker art director James Geraghty, he launched his career as a freelance illustrator and cartoonist. In addition to his Nashville-based photographer daughter Leila, Mr. Grossman has three other children: a painter, an actor, and a writer.
Jorge Arrieta
Jorge Arrieta is a Nashville-based artist who works with different mediums, including film. He recently debuted his show, Standing on a Whale, a 55-piece art and 28-minute film exhibition at the historic Neuhoff in Nashville. The film has gone on to become one of the official selections of seven film festivals, plus winning “Best Experimental” at the Festivus Film Festival in Denver, the Tupelo Film Festival in Mississippi and the Reel HeArt International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. Arrieta completed his bachelor of fine arts in design communications at Belmont University in 1999. He is a Nashville-based freelance web and graphic designer who works mainly with local musicians. He is currently working on an innovative and controversial new film and art project—a social commentary—to be released in a few months.
Jonathon Kimbrell
Jonathon Kimbrell has turned his penchant for comic book heroes into a platform for getting out the vote in the current historic presidential campaign. Kimbrell has contributed new paintings to this exhibit as a timely extension of an earlier exhibit this year at The Arts Company.
The Arts Company presents
Three Generations of Nashville Photographers:
Ed Clark, Bob Schatz, And introducing Greg Miller
During FirstArtSaturday Opening Reception, September 6, 6-9 pm
The Arts Company September exhibition will feature “Three Generations of Nashville Photographers: Ed Clark, Bob Schatz, and Introducing Greg Miller,” scheduled to open to the public during the popular FirstArtSaturday event, September 6, 6-9 pm. The exhibit will feature some of the remaining signed photographs from Ed Clark’s personal collection; new photographs by Bob Schatz from his Southern writers series; and introducing Greg Miller, Nashville native and current recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in photography. The exhibit will continue through September 20 at The Arts Company, 215 Fifth Avenue, North, during regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm. For information, call 254-2040 or check online at www.theartscompany.com.
About the Exhibit
Occasionally, the stars align to create an exhibit that is personal to artists and to their hometown. The September exhibit at The Arts Company is such an exhibit. There is much to learn from each of these photographers. Together, it’s a rare opportunity to see part of the history of Nashville and Nashville artists unfold. Ed Clark began his photography career with The Tennessean in the 1930s. He is considered as one of Nashville’s godfathers of excellence in photography. Bob Schatz began his career in photography in the 1970s. His success as a commercial and fine art photographer, particularly his iconic photographs of Nashville, have been well-documented in magazines, books, and exhibits where his work has appeared for some three decades. Schatz met and photographed Ed Clark when Ed Clark returned to Nashville in the late 1980s. Greg Miller was Schatz’s assistant during Miller’s last two years in high school in Nashville. He began his career as a commercial photographer when he left Nashville in the late 1980s for college in New York. Since the mid-1990s, his work has appeared in major publications, which led to the Guggenheim Award he has received this year for his fine art photography. He is in Nashville this summer working on his Guggenheim project. The exhibit will continue through September 20, with a FirstArtSaturday reception scheduled for Saturday, September 6, 6-9 pm.
About the Artist
Ed Clark (1912-2000), a Nashville native who was a Tennessean photographer in the 1930s and became one of the legendary LIFE Magazine photographers in the heyday of classic photojournalists, will need no introduction to many Nashvillians. Selected signed photographs from his personal collection will be featured in this exhibit, with special emphasis on Tennessee subjects. Ed Clark was literally a master of defining moments. One of the features of this exhibit is 14 large contact sheets of photographs he took before, during, and after performances at the Opry at the Ryman, July 20, 1946. This one-day series is a masterpiece of photojournalism by one of the masters of photojournalism.
Bob Schatz, also a Nashville native and a leading commercial and fine art photographer, will be presenting a select group of his recent photographs of Southern writers’ homes—including William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Flannery O’Connor, and Carl Sandburg. These photographs explore intimate spaces of southern writers, spaces Schatz was drawn to because they resurrected memories of his own southern upbringing in Nashville. He began the series in 2007 when he was completing work for his book on Asheville, North Carolina. He started with the homes of Thomas Wolfe and Carl Sandburg, and has expanded to other southern writers homes since then. These photographs were made with a hand-held camera and with available light. From his perspective, the camera captures and romanticizes the light, and the magic is how it is put on paper. In taking the photograph and preparing the image for printing, Schatz is in charge of the entire process. He presented some of these photographs in a series called “Inspirational Spaces” at the Metro Public Library in 2007.
Greg Miller will be introduced in an inaugural exhibit for his hometown with images from his current photographic series of Nashville, as well as his ongoing series of Ash Wednesday. Once Miller switched to a large format 8 x 10 view camera on a tripod in 1997, his photographic world changed. The large camera forced him to come in close to his subjects and interact with them. He began to tell stories—literally, to create fictions about the people he encountered. He often directs complete strangers, members of the general public as if they were actors in a film or play. No matter the subject of his photographs, they all refer ultimately to his recurring themes of melancholia, isolation and solitude—but retaining elements of humor and tenderness.
The Art of Books
The Art of Books presentation accompanying the September photography exhibit will feature classic and current photography books of special interest to the work of the photographers in the exhibit. A LIFE publication that includes some of Ed Clark’s iconic images, signed by Ed Clark, will be given as a gift for the first five purchases of his photographs. Books selected by Greg Miller as the work of his photographic mentors will be available. Several published books of Bob Schatz photographs will be signed and available as well.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for contemporary and vintage books related to the arts.
The Arts Company occasionally revives the Salon Saturday tradition at the gallery, presenting special occasions for conversations between artists and guests. Such events are presented in cooperation with other nearby galleries participating in Art on Fifth Avenue. Such an occasion is scheduled for Saturday, August 23, 6-9 pm.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Presents
The 12th Annual Avant-Garage Sale
Featuring
Unique and Original Art,
Furniture, Books and More from
The Arts Company Gallery Archives
Special Offer:
The Arts Company will pay the sales tax
for all sales in the gallery from August 2-15
The Arts Company continues one of its most popular annual traditions—the 12th Annual Avant-Garage Sale, featuring original artwork, furniture, books and more from gallery archives and other collections. Opening during FirstArtSaturday, August 2, 6-9 p.m., the sale runs for two weeks only—through August 15, with a new feature added this year. For all items purchased in the gallery from August 2-15, The Arts Company will pay the sales tax. The garage sale, along with other continuing exhibits and new artwork, continues through August 15 during regular gallery hours, 10-5 pm Tuesday through Saturday, at 215 Fifth Avenue, North.
About the 12th Annual Avant-Garage Sale
This special annual exhibit is all about finding art-related treasures from gallery archives and other collections. This year adds a special dimension for a particular reason. The Arts Company will pay the sales tax for every sale, whether part of the sale or from the regular art and book inventories. The idea is to relieve some of the economic stress we are all feeling at this time. It’s all about giving our customers and friends, new and old, a break and a thank you for twelve years of running an art business in the middle of downtown Nashville.
Come join us and take your pick. We’ll have cool refreshments and the coolest art, books, furniture, props, design, posters—you name it. Even the most avid connoisseurs will be surprised by some of the items in this year’s collection.
About the Tax Break for All Gallery Sales from August 2-August 15
Even the newest art inventories in the gallery will be included in the festivities. The Arts Company will pay the tax on every item purchased in the gallery from August 2-August 15—from books to paintings to sculpture to vintage furniture and photography.
Continuing Exhibits in the Galleries Include:
“50 Years of Fresh Art”—the annual Brother Mel exhibition celebrating his 80th birthday, his 60 years as a Marianist monk, his 50 years as an artist, and his 10th annual exhibition at The Arts Company..
“Fresh Picks”—paintings by Michele Allen, Louis Recchia, and Jonathon Kimbrell; and photography by Pam Moxley,
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be an arts cornerstone in downtown Nashville and a prime destination for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts.
The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery featuring an extensive inventory of artwork and books and upstairs galleries designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
Anne Brown, Owner & Director
215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North
Nashville, TN 37219
615-254-2040
The Arts Company
Presents
The 12th Annual Avant-Garage Sale
Featuring
Unique and Original Art,
Furniture, Books and More from
The Arts Company Gallery Archives
Special Offer:
The Arts Company
will pay the sales tax
for all sales in the gallery
from August 2-15
All exhibits will continue through August 15
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
The Arts Company
continues
“Brother Mel: 50 Years of Fresh Art,”
celebrating 50 years of making art
continuing through August 15
and
“Fresh Picks”
previewing new artwork
and artists every week through August 15
All exhibits will continue through August 15
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
at
THE ARTS COMPANY
215 Fifth Avenue, North 615-254-2040
The Arts Company celebrates the July 4th weekend opening during FirstArtSaturday, July 5, 6-9 pm, by continuing “Brother Mel Meyer: 50 Years of Fresh Art,” the 10th annual showcase of the artwork of Brother Mel on the occasion of the artist’s 80th birthday; and with new artwork added throughout the summer months—plus “Fresh Picks,” a gallery showcase featuring new artwork and new artists every week in July, introducing new gallery artists—Louis Recchia, Pam Moxley, and Michele Allen, as well as Jonathan Kimbrell. The exhibits will continue through August 15 during regular gallery hours, 10-9 pm, Tuesday-Saturday, at 215 Fifth Avenue, North. For information, call 615-254-2040.
About the July “Fresh Picks” Exhibit Summer at The Arts Company is always about affordable art, cold lemonade, Brother Mel’s annual showcase of new artwork, fresh new art from gallery artists, and introducing new artists to the gallery. The backdrop for this July is the continuing exhibit of Brother Mel’s “50 Years of Fresh Art.” In addition, this year’s headliners range from plein air landscape paintings to comic superstars to polished oil paintings that give a contemporary touch to modern masters to bringing stylized French landscapes to life with vivid colors. Fresh work from all artists will be added each week in July. All together, this is a selection of summer fresh artwork suitable for every palate, and affordable for novices and collectors alike.
About the Continuing Brother Mel Exhibit The scope of this year’s 10th annual exhibit of Brother Mel’s artwork warrants more time and space than the normal monthly exhibit periods. Therefore, his exhibit is scheduled for the summer months at The Arts Company and other downtown locations, including the Pinnacle Financial Center, the Sommet Center, KVBPR, and the Nashville City Center. Each location features different elements of Brother Mel’s artwork—from paintings, watercolors, large and small steel sculpture, hand made paper, and more.
About the Artists & Artwork
Introducing New Gallery Artists: Artists being introduced to the summer “Fresh Picks” showcase of new artwork include: Michele Allen, a French native and now a Tennessee resident, remembers buildings and flowers of the French landscape in bold modern stylized blocks of color; Louis Recchia, a Denver-based artist, bringing a contemporary style to modern masters, as well as some canvases that are pop art in his distinctive style; and Pam Moxley, an Atlanta-based artist presenting a new approach to photography, combining film with an array of new techniques. In addition, super heroes from the comics urging Americans to vote are the latest pop art paintings to be presented by gallery artist Jonathon Kimbrell, a Dallas-based artist;
Brother Mel: 50 Years of Fresh Art continues….
Brother Mel is an artist who always surprises with inventive artwork, from gutsy to elegant to whimsical…and always with intuitive insight and flawless craftsmanship. He is an unusually prolific artist who works in his studio six days a week, 52 weeks a year. He has outfitted chapels, buildings, parks, homes and backyards—from frescoes to three-story steel sculptures to large-scale abstract paintings to contemporary stained glass. This year’s 10th annual exhibition at The Arts Company reflects on his 50 years of producing fresh art, featuring sculpture, glass, paintings on canvas and paper, handmade paper, sculptural bowls, furniture, and his signature contemporary religious icons.
The Art of Books / Ju1y 2008
The July edition of The Art of Books, the newest signature monthly program at The Arts Company, will focus on the Americana series of books illustrated by Sam Fink, including the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and the Declaration of Independence. The books are a special order signed by Mr. Fink, including a limited edition boxed set of his illustrations of the Constitution. In addition, there are signed copies of his illustrated version of Exodus.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on FirstArtSaturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
The Arts Company
presents
“Brother Mel: 50 Years of Fresh Art,”
celebrating 50 years of making art
and his 80th birthday
Meet Brother Mel at his 80th birthday party
at The Arts Company
during FirstArtSaturday
June 7, 6-9pm
Brother Mel exhibits will be presented in other locations downtown
and will continue through August 15
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
The Arts Company will present “Brother Mel: 50 Years of Fresh Art,” an exhibit celebrating Brother Mel’s 80th birthday, his 60 years as a Marianist monk and his 50 years as a working artist, opening during FirstArtSaturday, June 7, 6-9 pm. This marks the 10th annual exhibition of Brother Mel’s artwork at The Arts Company, and will launch a year-long series of retrospective exhibits, beginning in Nashville and continuing in St. Louis and beyond. Each exhibit is designed to showcase Brother Mel’s full range of work—from frescoes to glass to large and small steel sculpture to abstract paintings and more. Brother Mel will attend the exhibit opening at The Arts Company as part of his 80th birthday celebration during the FirstArtSaturday reception, continuing in the Company location through August 15 during regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm at 215 Fifth Avenue, North. For information, www.theartscompany.com, or call 615-254-2040.
About the June-August 2008 Brother Mel Exhibit
The scope of this year’s 10th annual exhibit of Brother Mel’s artwork, including a digital preview of a book in progress on the life and artwork of Brother Mel, warrants more time and space than the normal monthly exhibit periods. Therefore, the exhibit is scheduled for three months at The Arts Company and other downtown locations, including the Pinnacle Financial Center, the Sommet Center, KVBPR, and the Nashville City Center. Each location will feature different elements of Brother Mel’s artwork.
About the Artwork
Brother Mel is an artist who always surprises with inventive artwork, from gutsy to elegant to whimsical…and always with intuitive insight and flawless craftsmanship. He is an unusually prolific artist who works in his studio six days a week, 52 weeks a year. He has outfitted chapels, buildings, parks, homes and backyards—from frescoes to three-story steel sculptures to large-scale abstract paintings to contemporary stained glass. Over the years, he has had commissions from corporations, hotels, hospitals, buildings, parks, and other public spaces, as well as individuals. The Nashville exhibits will feature sculpture, frescoes, glass, paintings on canvas and paper, handmade paper, sculptural bowls, furniture, and his signature contemporary religious icons.
About the Artist / Brother Mel Myer, s.m.
 Brother Mel the artist stems from the fact that he was first Brother Mel the monk. They are one and the same. He became a member of the Marianist order, a Catholic community of brothers, just out of high school in 1942. He attended the University of Dayton for his bachelor’s degree and later to Notre Dame for a master’s degree in art, which included also a year of traveling 14,000 miles on a moped to visit cathedrals, shrines and museums throughout Europe, and study with 20th century masters of frescoes, stained glass and sculpture. After teaching English and art in some of the Marianist schools, he was given the opportunity to develop a studio to work full time as an artist. He was given no constraints, no particular demands, other than to fulfill his spiritual vows as he saw fit as a working artist. This was a groundbreaking idea in the 1960s of what vocational choices might be appropriate for a monk. Much of his work shows no specific signs as being religious art. However, when asked, Brother Mel will always reply, “All of my work is religious.” Truly, the monk and the artist are one and the same. What you see is what you get—the art speaks for itself.
Brother Mel set out full steam 50 years ago working 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year as an artist. That, combined with decades of annual painting and sketching trips world-wide and visits to museums, resulted in a prolific outpouring of artwork that continues unabated to the present time on the occasion of his 80th birthday. His work, if anything, has become over time more inventive and fresh, both in ideas and in the materials he works with.
The Art of Books / June 2008
A digital preview of a book in progress about the life and artwork of Brother Mel will be featured as the highlight for the June edition of The Art of Book series at The Arts Company. The book is being developed to document and showcase the wide range and substance of the artwork produced by this singular artist. In addition, there will be books by artists selected by Brother Mel as his artistic mentors—from Jean Charlot and Ivan Mestrovich to Alexander Calder, Van Gogh, David Smith, Frank Gehry and Daniel Liebskind.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on First Saturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
FirstArtSaturday / June 2008
at
The Arts Company
presents
“Brother Mel: 50 Years of Fresh Art,”
celebrating 50 years of making art
and his 80th birthday
Brother Mel exhibits will be presented in other locations downtown
And will continue through August 15
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
Exhibition Opening Reception and 80th Birthday Party for Brother Mel
June 7, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 am until 9 pm
Exhibit continues through August 15
during regular gallery hours: 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday
The Arts Company
presents
“1st Day in Purgatory,”
a collaborative exhibit,
paintings by Jonathan Richter
writing by Doug McKelvey
also continuing two exhibits
“Still Life for the 21st Century,”
Oil on canvas by Aaron Morgan Brown
and
“On the Road with Rod Daniel,”
Black and white photography by Rod Daniel
plus
The Art of Books, the new monthly signature series,
Featuring “1st Day in Purgatory” by Richter & McKelvey
Meet Jonathan Richter, Doug McKelvey, and Rod Daniel during the FirstArtSaturday opening reception, May 3, 6-9 pm
Exhibits continue through May23
The Arts Company exhibition for FirstArtSaturday on May 3 features both painting and writing—a collaboration between painter and animator Jonathan Richter and writer/songwriter Doug McKelvey, in an exhibit titled “1st Day in Purgatory.” An opening reception to meet the artists and have them sign their exhibit-related book is scheduled for May 3, 6-9 pm during the popular First Saturday event. The exhibit will continue through May 23 during regular gallery hours, 10-5pm Tuesday-Saturday, at 215 Fifth Avenue, North, www.theartscompany.com, or call 254-2040 for information.
The tie-in with the Company’s newest signature monthly series, The Art of Books, featuring vintage and contemporary art books, is particularly appropriate for the May exhibit. Along with the original paintings and captions, an art book version of the entire “1st Day in Purgatory” show will be available for purchase.
Two additional exhibits—paintings by Aaron Brown, “Still Life for the 21st Century,” and photography by Rod Daniel, “On the Road with Rod Daniel” will continue through May 23, during regular gallery hours. Additional information about the continuing Aaron Brown and Rod Daniel exhibits and the artists can be found at www.theartscompany.com/press.
About the May 2008 Collaborative Exhibit
The May exhibition at The Arts Company is about artistic imagination. Richter is known as Nashville’s own Toulouse-Lautrec. He plies his craft in public places, using a limited palette and mechanistically consuming one beer per finished portrait. Douglas McKelvey wrestles with each of the resulting paintings to distill their essence into a line or two of poetic prose. The featured book in the Company’s The Art of Book series will be the Richter-McKelvey art book of the images in the exhibit.
About the Artwork
Jonathan Richter and Doug McKelvey have been working for months to produce a collaborative project that consists of a series of 50+ new small paintings, each with a line or two of poetic prose attached as part of an imaginative narrative of 50 subjects in the first moments or days after their deaths. Richter contends that his portraits have no meaning whatsoever beyond being studies; but Douglas insists they do have meaning. Once his words are attached to each piece both artists contend that “between randomness and order…people find surprising connections with the portraits.”
About the Artists / Jonathan Richter & Douglas Kaine McKelve
 Jonathan Richter, painter and animator, debuted his work at The Arts Company in November 2005. To capture the spontaneity of the moment and the images of the people interacting, he experiments with color, form and concept. His paintings, like those of Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas and Glackens, are created in bustling peopled places rather than in sterile studios. Considering himself to be a public space painter, Jonathan was trained in fine art, illustration and animation at Otis Parsons in Los Angeles. Jonathan followed his painterly path to Nashville where he discovered the city’s most populous places—the sidewalks, the watering holes, the juke joints and diners—an abundant inspiration for his spontaneous portraitures.
The remote descendent of Scottish horse-thieving ancestors, Douglas Kaine McKelvey has already bested the dubious achievements of his predecessors by penning four published books, crafting lyrics for more than 140 songs recorded by a variety of artists, and engaging in numerous other professional writing type endeavors. Douglas is currently an artist-in-residence with Orbit Media Group, and a lyricist with Simpleville Music. His favorite dance move is "The Aluminum Biscuit" and his favorite facial expression is the "cool, detached stare."
The Art of Books for March 2008
The featured book for The Arts Company May edition of The Art of Books series will be the art book version of the Richter-McKelvey exhibit of “1st Day in Purgatory.” In addition, books of other artists identified as mentors by this month’s exhibiting artists, from Toulouse-Lautrec to poetry to illustration, will be included.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on First Saturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
FirstArtSaturday / May 3, 2008
at
The Arts Company
Presenting
“1st Day in Purgatory,”
A Collaborative Exhibit.
Paintings by Jonathan Richter
Writing by Douglas McKelvey
And Continuing
Paintings by Aaron Brown
And
Photography by Rod Daniel
+
“The Art of Books,”
A monthly signature series of new and vintage art books
Book signing by Richter and McKelvey
Exhibition Opening Reception for Artists
Jonathan Richter, Douglas McKelvey, and Rod Daniel
May 3, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 am until 9 pm
Exhibit continues through May 23
The Arts Company
FirstArtSaturday
Presents
“Still Life for the 21st Century”
oil on canvas by
Aaron Morgan Brown
&
“On the Road with Rod Daniel”
Black & White Photography by Rod Daniel
Meet Rod Daniel
April 5, 2008, 6-9 pm
During FirstArtSaturday
Also previewing the Nashville Film Festival
and continuing
The Art of Books, the new monthly signature series
Featuring new and vintage art books
Exhibits continue through May 23
During regular gallery hours, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
The Arts Company will introduce two new artists to Nashville—Aaron Morgan Brown, “Still Life for the 21st Century,” oil on canvas, and Rod Daniel, “On the Road with Rod Daniel,” black and white photography—during the FirstArtSaturday reception April 5, 6-9 pm at 215 Fifth Avenue, North. The two exhibits will continue through May 23 during regular gallery hours, 10-5 pm Tuesday-Saturday. The Company’s new signature series, The Art of Books, will feature books of art and photography of artistic mentors identified by the two featured artists, as well as other exceptional art books. In addition, The Arts Company is hosting a preview of the Nashville Film Festival.
About the April 2008 Exhibition
These two exhibits match perfectly one of the primary goals of The Arts Company—that is, to introduce exciting and successful new artistic talent to Nashville audiences as often as possible. Each of these artists has a lengthy portfolio of accomplishments and acclaim in their fields. The medium of choice for Aaron Morgan Brown has always been oil on canvas. For Rod Daniel, the medium of choice has long been black and white photography. From these two very different mediums, these two artists—each with contemporary mindsets and with a broad knowledge of the changes history and circumstance bring to our culture—offer rich new visual insights into the new world of the 21st century. The Art of Books will reflect the interests of both artists by featuring new and vintage books of artwork and ideas identified by each artist as influencing their artistic development. The Company will also host a Nashville Film Festival preview during the FirstArtSaturday reception, 6-9 pm, April 5.
About the Artists and Artwork
 Aaron Morgan Brown / “Still Life for the 21st Century”
A series of figurative paintings, oil on canvas
The artwork: The elements in Aaron Brown’s paintings are always individually recognizable. On first look, it is easy to believe that these paintings make sense, that you can see what they’re about. There are real people in real places doing real things. But very quickly the viewer sees that they are not narratives, nor are they traditional still lifes or landscapes. In a very real sense, he brings figurative action, movement and object placement to a standstill—creating a contemporary still life of various actions in progress, there to be looked at again and again. Aaron’s advice is that it is “helpful to think of my work as a crossroads, a meeting place for elements that are traveling in different directions, at different speeds.” According to him, “the result is a painting.” Whether the painting is “a dance of seven veils, or a car wreck depends on the viewer, and the nature of the elements.” As the painter, Aaron says the elements he includes in each painting are “brought together by chance, circumstance, or design.”
According to Aaron, “Generally, there is an air of mystery or expectation in my work. I want to suggest, rather than illustrate, a world where all things are connected and informed by an invisible cosmic presence…I believe that a sense of mystery is something that can be enjoyed for its own sake, rather than something that needs to be decoded or solved in order to be meaningful.” As a result, the paintings are full of contemporary topical objects, placements, and suggestions with which contemporary viewers are familiar, but he organizes and presents the information with classical painterly skill.
The artist: Aaron Morgan Brown, a Kansas native, has a wide ranging background in the arts, including painting, music, and theatre. Both of his parents are artists. His wife Ann Piper is a tenured painting professor and artist. He earned his BFA from the University of Kansas, MFA from Syracuse University, graduating with honors from both institutions. He has studied with many notable teachers with national reputations, including the late realist painter Robert Brawley, pop artist Roger Shimomura, and figurative painter Jerome Witkin. At Syracuse University, he was chosen from among hundreds of applicants in every department to receive a coveted third year fellowship.
He is the recipient of numerous other honors and awards, including a Pollock-Krasner grant in 2005. In 2003, he was made an honorary alumnus of the Roswell Artist-In-Residence program and his work was added to the collection of the Anderson Museum, after spending the year in Roswell during his wife's residency. His work hangs in many private collections nationwide, and several corporate and university collections.
 Rod Daniel / “On the Road with Rod Daniel”
A limited-edition series of black and white photography
The artwork: Since his youth, Rod Daniel has been taking and printing black and white photographs. It wasn’t until he began to travel the quiet back roads of America on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that the combination of self-sufficiency and isolation that he felt was met in the landscape he found along the way.
The strong, solid and singular images in his photography confront us foremost with an immensely intimate sense of place. The impact of the constancy between subject and space, the feel-it-on-your-skin use of light, and his full frame approach enable us to experience a sense of joy that comes from the recognition of the importance of seemingly insignificant objects. These become, through the eyes of Rod Daniel, significant subjects through which we might discover a shared and common connection.
The artist: Rod Daniel, a Nashville native and graduate of Vanderbilt University, has returned to Nashville following his 25 years as a successful Hollywood director. Following his time in Vietnam as an army lieutenant, he began as a television advertising producer and commercial director in Nashville, then Atlanta, and then Chicago. His Hollywood career began in 1978 when he joined WKRP in Cincinnati as a director. From there, the list of Hollywood credits is long, with television shows from Newhart to Magnum P.I. to Everybody Loves Raymond to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. His theatrical releases include Beethoven's Second and Teen Wolf. as well as many other episodes for television and additional theatrical film credits. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
He has been actively engaged in developing his fine art photography portfolio over the last fifteen years, combining his motorcycle travels with photography on the road.
 Preview of the 2008 Nashville Film Festival
The Arts Company will host a preview to introduce the Nashville Film Festival line-up for 2008. The gallery will highlight the film work and acclaimed autobiography of Patricia Neal, this year’s recipient of NaFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Festival officials will be on hand to offer advance tickets.
The Art of Books for April 2008
The Arts Company continues the new monthly series, The Art of Books, showcasing new and vintage books related to the arts as a complement to the Company inventories and exhibitions. For the April exhibits, the Company has asked the two exhibiting artists to identify artistic mentors who have influenced their work. In addition, there will be other new and vintage art books available both upstairs and downstairs. This new book series is intended as a destination for exchange of information and ideas related to The Art of Books.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on First Saturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
FirstArtSaturday / April 5, 2008
at
The Arts Company
Introducing two new artists:
Aaron Morgan Brown
oil on canvas
“Still Life for the 21st Century”
&
Rod Daniel
Black and white photography
“On the Road with Rod Daniel”
Meet Rod Daniel
Exhibition Opening Reception
April 5, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 am until 9 pm
Exhibits continue through May 23
Also previewing
The 2008 Nashville Film Festival
And Continuing
“The Art of Books,”
A monthly signature series of new and vintage art books,
Featuring artistic mentors of featured artists
The Arts Company
presents
Works in Progress
New clay sculpture by Nelson Grice
Contemporary landscape photography by Hollis Bennett
Hand-painted photography by Kimiko
And introducing an inaugural exhibit of paintings by Calvin Morton
Plus
The Art of Books, the new monthly signature series
Featuring new and vintage art books
Meet all of the featured artists during the FirstArtSaturday opening reception, March 1, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 AM – 9 PM
Exhibits continue through March 28
Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
The Arts Company will present “Works in Progress,” featuring four different artists—Nelson Grice, clay sculpture; Hollis Bennett, contemporary landscape photography; Kimiko, hand-painted photography; and introducing Calvin Morton, painter—all scheduled to attend the opening reception during FirstArtSaturday, March 1, 6-9 pm. The exhibits continue through March 28 during regular gallery hours, 10-5 pm, Tuesday-Saturday at The Arts Company, 215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North. The Art of Books, the Company’s newest signature series, will feature new and vintage books selected for the occasion. For more information, call 254-2040 or check the website at www.theartscompany.com.
About the March 2008 Exhibition
The Arts Company has had a decade-old tradition of presenting new artists and new artwork. The March exhibit, “Works in Progress” is all about what four particular artists are working on at this time—in sculpture, photography and painting—as they each continue to develop a body of work that outlines their particular interests. Two of the artists—Hollis Bennett and Kimiko—have been featured in Company shows before; and Nelson Grice has had various pieces in the gallery on occasion. However, this time, their exhibits will be more expansive to indicate the directions in which they are headed. This exhibit will be a first gallery exhibit for Calvin Morton, who is a recent college art graduate with a series of work that connects Tennessee with global issues, all in the language of a painter. “The Art of Books,” the Company’s newest signature series that presents new and vintage art books, will feature books related to the interests of The Arts Company clients.
About the Artists and Artwork  Nelson Grice / “Clay Structures”
The artwork: As a college student, Nelson Grice developed a deep passion for making clay sculpture. At the beginning, he specialized in building animal structures, but in recent years, his sculptures have evolved into observations about how animals and people are interconnected. Technically, he uses slabs of clay to create a series of design modules, which he then cuts and knits together into a structure. Using his own custom “legos,” he assembles the parts together. The result is an ironic blending of material, subject matter and animated personalities.
The artist: Alabama-based Grice focused on ceramics and painting for his BFA from the University of Montevallo. Since receiving his MEd in 1996, he has been teaching and developing his clay sculptures. His work merited a cover and the lead article as the featured artist for Ceramics Monthly Magazine in January 2007. His next interest is in creating and converting some of his clay work into large-scale bronze installations.
 Hollis Bennett / “Contemporary Landscape Photography”
The artwork: Hollis Bennett describes himself as “a body in motion” all of his life. He moved with his family out of Tennessee before he was a year old, only to return in the last couple of years after having covered hundreds of thousands of miles throughout the world. He observes that this constant travel and motion have been a way of life for him, influencing every image he makes. His landscapes represent his singular vision—that is, to observe the interaction of the natural and built environments. As a result, he produces large-scale landscape images in color that are rich, broad, and haunting. His smaller black and white images are more intimate in scale, scope and technique.
The artist: Bennett studied photography at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and at the Art Institute of Colorado in Denver. On his return to Nashville, he established his own commercial and art photography business. His goal is to produce exemplary fine art, travel and documentary work that all fits together as the same body of work. His plan is to spend a year traveling through the U.S., Canada, Mexico and overseas carefully observing and documenting what he sees photographically that is distinctive about the 21st century landscape.
 Kimiko / “New Orleans Series”
The artwork: Kimiko’s “New Orleans Series” is the latest photographic series she has completed in recent years, this one inspired by her love of New Orleans. The images make it clear that the spirit of New Orleans remains. She walked the streets day and night to stay focused on what New Orleans is like now, not then. She captured the good, the bad, and the ugly. While Kimiko’s black and white photography can stand alone, she prefers to return from her travels and paint in the color that she wants the images to have. Each piece of her work is an original, hand-painted piece. Altogether, the images offer an intriguing tour of this fabled city seen in its new circumstance, with beauty and dignity still intact.
The artist: Japanese-born Kimiko Sakai graduated from Toyo University in 1982. She came to America and moved to Nashville in 1995. Soon after, she studied photography at Nashville State Technical College and began quickly to develop her own photographic style and techniques. Tutored by some of her painter friends, she began to focus on hand painting each image to make each piece unique. By 2000, she had already won a national photography contest, and was well on her way with her own professional career. In 2007, Travelers Rest commissioned Kimiko to identify and document sites in Nashville related to “The Lives of Women in Nineteenth-Century Nashville,” an exhibit curated by Rob DeHart and presented as a one-person show at the Metro Public Library downtown.
 Calvin Morton / “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
The artwork: Calvin Morton bills himself as an environmental artist. Growing up on the lakes of East Tennessee, he was surrounded by the Smoky Mountains. He was inspired by the natural beauty of the area, but as he grew older, he noted increasingly the smoke stacks in and around the Oak Ridge area and wondered what happened to the smoke. His first extensive body of work is based on his painterly exploration of that observation. His work makes quick connections between the past, present and future of the environment in Tennessee and how we are connected with larger global issues. Simply put, landscapes are not what they used to be; nor is the way painters approach landscape painting the same. His observations and techniques are 21st century. Claiming that lectures and protests about the environment can easily be tuned out, his hope is that a gallery setting makes our understanding of the environment a more personal, immediate, and visual experience.
The artist: Morton was invited to participate in the Governor’s School of the Arts of Tennessee in 2001. That’s when his interest in art became intense. In 2007, he graduated with an M.F.A. in Studio Art from MTSU in Murfreesboro. This exhibit at The Arts Company is his first commercial gallery showcase. He and his art are works in progress. This is truly fresh art of our time and place.
The Art of Books for March 2008
The Arts Company continues the new monthly series, The Art of Books, showcasing new and vintage books related to the arts as a complement to the Company inventories and exhibitions. For the March exhibits, the Company has asked each artist to identify favorite artists and related art books that are most impressive or important to them in their own work. In addition, there will be other new and vintage art books available both upstairs and downstairs. This new book series is intended as a destination for exchange of information and ideas related to The Art of Books.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and introduces new artists during FirstArt Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on First Saturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
FirstArtSaturday / March 1, 2008
at
The Arts Company
Exhibition Opening Reception for Artists
Meet Nelson Grice, Hollis Bennett, Kimiko, and Calvin Morton
March 1, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 am until 9 pm
Exhibit continues through March 28
Presenting Works in Progress:
Clay sculpture by Nelson Grice
Contemporary landscape photography by Hollis Bennett
Hand-painted photography by Kimiko
Introducing
A new series of paintings by Calvin Morton
And Continuing
“The Art of Books,”
A monthly signature series of new and vintage art books
THE ARTS COMPANY
215 Fifth Avenue, North 615-254-2040
www.theartscompany.com
The Arts Company
Introduces Two New Artists to Nashville
Nicole Katano, “Illuminations”
Limited edition photographic diptychs
and
Javier Barbosa, “Paintings Set to Music”
Contemporary abstract paintings
Also showcasing a special Mardi Gras series of paintings,
“A Passion for New Orleans Jazz,”
by Nashville-based William Buffett,
Opening during
First Saturday / February 2, 2008
Also Featuring
“The Art of Books,”
A new monthly exhibit series
previewing new and vintage books related to art
Meet the Artists: Nicole Katano and William Buffett
During the First Saturday reception, February 2, 6-9 PM
Gallery open 10 AM – 9 PM
Exhibits continue through February 22, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5 pm
(Hours extended until 9pm on First Saturdays)
The Arts Company introduces two new artists to Nashville February 2 during First Saturday—Los Angeles-based photographer Nicole Katano and New Mexico-based painter Javier Barbosa—and presents a special Mardi Gras series of paintings focused on New Orleans Jazz by Nashville-based William Buffett. The opening reception, to be attended by Ms. Katano and Mr. Buffett, is scheduled for February 2, 6-9 pm. The exhibitions will continue through February 22 during regular gallery hours, 10-5:00 pm, Tuesday-Saturday, at The Arts Company at 215 Fifth Avenue of the Arts, North.
The Arts Company newest monthly signature series, The Art of Books, will feature new and vintage books related to the arts. This month’s showing includes books on artists from Banksy to Lucian Freud to Richard Avedon and new art commentaries such as Peter Gay’s “Modernism: The Lure of Heresy,” and Phaidon’s new “Art Book for Children.”
About the February 2008 Exhibitions
February is the month of Valentines and Mardi Gras. The February exhibits planned for The Arts Company reflect the images, colors and passion associated with this time of year, each exhibit in very different ways. Nicole Katano makes new visual emotional connections in her limited edition series of photographic diptychs. Javier Barbosa pulls out the stops when he paints, accompanied by classical music, often singing along with his favorite operas as he paints. William Buffett, a self-avowed devotee of authentic New Orleans jazz, pays homage to the originators of jazz, presenting them on canvases with formal technique and style, bringing to mind the formality and dignity of Renaissance paintings. Even the Company’s new monthly signature series, The Art of Books, will feature new and vintage books in keeping with the time of year.
About the Artists
Nicole Katano / “Illuminations” Katano’s diptychs are full of recognizable images of familiar things, though she vows that her photographs are not about any thing in particular; but that she is more concerned with detail, texture, shape, light and color rather than images of any particular thing. Her work revolves around “the ability of the camera to isolate tiny fragments of time and space in such a way that otherwise fleeting details can be more consciously examined by the observer.”
Katano literally gathers up qualities found in color, light and shape in details of images and presents them to the viewer in ways that resonate with each other and literally elicit an emotional response in the viewer. The images are specific. The combinations are abstract. The response is emotional, immediate, and encourages a non-verbal experience in the viewer. “The ultimate point,” she says, “isn’t to tell people what to see or think. It is to make them feel.”
Los Angeles-based Nicole Katano began her professional career as a photographer after having received a BFA in film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in ceramics from San Francisco State University. Since then, in the last 25 years, she has produced a broad and deep portfolio of commercial projects for clients such as Nokia, Dreamworks SKG, American Girl and Paramount Pictures, among many others. At the same time, she was producing a large body of personal work, which she has only in the last couple of years begun to exhibit. In addition to The Arts Company, she has been signed for gallery exhibits in California and Santa Fe.
Javier Barbosa / “Paintings Set to Music”
 A native of Mexico and currently a resident of New Mexico, Javier Barbosa is totally involved with classical music, especially opera, when he paints. His work is expressive and vigorous in style and palette. Though abstract, his paintings are specifically attached to the music he loves, and his organic style makes them easily accessible as well as exciting to the viewer. His paintings translate the listening experience into abstract visual equivalents of phrasing, tempo, rhythm and dynamics.
As a child in Monterrey, Mexico, Javier Barbosa grew up in a culture that appreciated color and celebrated it vibrantly in fashion, cuisine, entertainment, architecture, music, and certainly in fine art. Barbosa has mined that rich background for inspiration and refined it into paintings that offer fully arresting experiences in contemporary abstract art.
Barbosa is an original painter with a distinctive artistic vision and a substantial technical arsenal at his command. He maximizes the effects of color and intrinsic light by submerging interesting forms and textures under layers of clarity-enhancing mediums. His formidable set of application techniques gives his paintings a quality of exhilarating visual depth. Though often encouraged to go to art school to learn more, Barbosa has chosen to remain self-taught. That has enabled him to formulate and adhere to his own instinctual philosophy of art and to devise his own technical procedures.
Barbosa is a prolific painter who also has an opening of new work at the Elder Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina at the same time of his Nashville show at The Arts Company.
William Buffett / “A Passion for New Orleans Jazz”
 Nashville-based William Buffett took a classical route to becoming an accomplished artist. He was awarded a full tuition scholarship at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles in the 1950s and then began his travels as an artist to visit art museums around the country, picking up a Huntington Hartford Foundation Fellowship for painting along the way. In the early 1960s, he was drawn to New Orleans by the music. He went there to make studies of musicians at work. Throughout the decade, he painted portraits, worked as a sculptor, learned screen printing and presented solo art shows. In the 1970s he traveled—to NYC, to art museums in Europe, and to Japan, China, Thailand and Singapore, painting and sketching along the way. In the 1980s he began producing editions of serigraphs, which were published and enjoyed commercial success from widely distributed reproductions of both his serigraphs and paintings.
Buffett has lived in Nashville in the last couple of decades, and among other projects has continued to develop a small body of work focused on the roots of New Orleans Jazz. In the 1990s, he showed some of these paintings at the former Carlton Wilkinson Gallery in Nashville. This current exhibit features some 15-20 pieces in a series that includes very large canvases as well as small sketches from which the larger works were built. The exhibit is being presented in cooperation with Richland Fine Art in Nashville, where his work is represented.
With his background of classical training and his interest in the style and substance of indigenous American music, this series of paintings highlights both the dignity and spirit of true original roots of jazz.
The Art of Books for February 2008
 The Arts Company continues the new monthly series, The Art of Books, showcasing new and vintage books related to the arts as a complement to the Company inventories and exhibitions. The February book exhibit will feature vintage, as well as recently-released books on the arts and artists—from Banksy to Warhol to Burtynsky to Peter Gay’s new commentary on “Modernism.” Every month, this series of curated exhibits spotlights a broad range of subjects of interest to the arts and to Arts Company clients—from history to biography to various media and issues. Both new and vintage books are included each month. This new book series is intended as a destination for exchange of information and ideas related to The Art of Books.
About The Arts Company / 2008
Established in 1996, The Arts Company continues to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company adds new artwork and new artists during First Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series has been added to these monthly receptions scheduled throughout 2008—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for public and office workplaces. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Information on First Saturday is also available on the website. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
First Saturday / February 2008
at
The Arts Company
Introduces two new artists to Nashville
Nicole Katano, “Illuminations,” limited-edition photographic diptychs
And
Javier Barbosa, “Paintings Set to Music”
Also showcasing
“A Passion for New Orleans Jazz”
Paintings by William Buffett
and
“The Art of Books,”
A new monthly exhibit series,
Featuring new and vintage books
Exhibition Opening Reception for Artists
Meet Nicole Katano and William Buffett
February 2, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10 m until 9pm
Exhibit continues through February 22
THE ARTS COMPANY
215 Fifth Avenue, North 615-254-2040 www.theartscompany.com
Regular gallery hours: 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday
(Hours extended until 9pm on First Saturdays)
The Arts Company
presents
The 12th Annual Preview of Things to Come
Opening during
First Saturday / January 5, 2008
Featuring
Lekhleti’s
“Life is a Dance…of Sorts”
Leandro del Manzo’s
“Life is a Cabaret…and a Tango”
Introducing
The Art of Books,
A new monthly exhibit series
And Previewing
Other New Artists and Artwork
Opening January 5, during the First Saturday reception 6-9 PM
Gallery open 10 AM – 9 PM
Exhibits continue through January 25
The 12th Annual Preview of Things to Come at The Arts Company welcomes the New Year with two exhibits: “ Life is a Dance…of Sorts,” new paintings on paper by French-based Company artist Lekhleti; and “Life is a Cabaret…and a Tango,” paintings on canvas and paper by new Company artist Leandro del Manzo. The opening reception is scheduled during including a First Saturday, January 5, 6-9 pm, preview of new artwork and new artists, and introducing a new monthly series, The Art of Books, showcasing new and vintage books related to the arts. The exhibits will continue through January 25 during regular gallery hours, 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday at The Arts Company.
About the January 2008 Exhibitions
Fresh, original and full of energy for a New Year—that’s what the two featured exhibits for January are all about. Arts Company favorite, Lekhleti, French-based artist who has been an affiliate artist at the Company for two years, has just completed ten new paintings on paper for the occasion. Leandro del Manzo, a native of Argentina, will exhibit paintings on canvas and paper, all related to themes of cabaret and tango.
The first exhibit of the New Year is always about previewing what’s to come. This year the emphasis is on lots of new artists being introduced to the Company this coming year in solo exhibits. New artists include: Nicole Katano, photographer; William Buffett, painter; Aaron Brown, painter; and Javier Barbosa, painter, among others. Other Company artists will be previewing new work as well.
In addition, The Arts Company will introduce a new monthly series, The Art of Books, presenting new and vintage books related to the arts.
About the Featured Artists
French-based Mohamed Lekhleti, with an artistic academic background from universities in Montpellier and Aix-en-Provence, has become a successful emerging artist throughout Europe, frequently invited to participate in various European art expos. He is represented by galleries in France and Germany, as well as here in Nashville. His works on paper and canvas are typically dominated by mythical narrative and legend. His interest in embracing as much space as possible has led him to use large shapes and dynamic swells in a world of spirals. This will mark his third exhibit at The Arts Company.
Leandro del Manzo, a native of Argentina, is a fourth generation artist. His talent was recognized at a very young age and a public exhibition of his work was held when he was thirteen years old at the Museum of Art in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Leandro studied drawing and painting with renowned artist Martinez Howard who had studied with Lino Spilimbergo and the great Hungarian artist Lajo Szalay. Leandros’s paintings are included in several International public and private collections in Argentina, Sao Paulo, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Madrid, Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Mexico City, and Toronto. In the United States his work is included in collections in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City and Charlotte. His subjects often include the tango and cabarets, both of which are featured in this current exhibit. He paints with energy and flourish, and a great sense of color, even with his paintings that are strictly black and white.
Introducing The Art of Books
 In January 2008, The Arts Company introduces The Art of Books, a new monthly series showcasing new and vintage books related to the arts, as a complement to the Company inventories and exhibitions. The series will be curated as exhibits that spotlight a broad range of subjects of interest to the arts and to Arts Company clients—from history to biography to various media and issues. There will be guest hosts each month beginning in February, and both new and vintage books will be included. It is intended as a destination for exchange of information and ideas related to The Art of Books.
About The Arts Company / 2008
In this 12th year, The Arts Company will continue to be a prime destination in downtown Nashville for fresh, original, contemporary artwork in photography, painting, and sculpture, by artists from emerging to legendary. The Company will continue to add new artwork and new artists during First Saturdays every month, 6-9 pm. In addition, a new monthly series will be added to these receptions—The Art of Books, a showcase for new and vintage books related to the arts. The Company’s various gallery spaces—over 6000 square feet on two floors in a historic building—include a downstairs gallery, and an extensive inventory of artwork, books and other galleries upstairs at The Arts Company, designed especially to develop exhibits and projects for business clients. The gallery website, www.theartscompany.com, is available 24/7 for reviewing and previewing artist portfolios and gallery and satellite exhibitions sponsored throughout the year by the gallery. Regular gallery hours are: 10-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday.
First Saturday / January 2008
at
The Arts Company
Exhibition Opening Reception
January 5, 6-9 pm
Gallery open 10am until 9pm
Exhibit continues through January 25
Presenting
The 12th Annual Preview of Things to Come
Lekhleti’s “Life is a Dance…of Sorts”
Leandro del Manzo’s
“Life is a Cabaret…and a Tango”
Introducing The Art of Books,
A new monthly exhibit series
Previewing new artwork and new artists
THE ARTS COMPANY
215 Fifth Avenue, North 615-254-2040
www.theartscompany.com
Regular gallery hours: 10-5 Tuesday-Saturday
(Hours extended until 9pm on FirstArtSaturdays) |
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