Arts

April Art Crawl welcomes T.A.L. to 5th Avenue North

May we have your attention, please?

Finally, it’s beginning to feel like Spring! And just in time as Saturday night was near perfect for the Nashville Art Crawl and the opening of the new housing of the Tennessee Art League. 5th Avenue North was busy with people roaming and moving along through the many art houses what with the Bernie Taupin exhibit at Rymer Gallery four doors down from the T. A. L. gala at 219 5th Avenue North. Kress Gallery had live music on the sidewalk and The Arcade was its own entertainment with its distinct attractions.

While the Tennessee Art League is the new kid on the block, 5th Avenue-wise, they were by no means the novice in attracting guests. The new venue is spacious, with a bright, open and welcoming feel that saw visitors flowing through the doors the entire night. The atmosphere was cheery and conversation was lively and brisk. New member-artists provided more than a little stimulation for the impulse to become a supporter of the arts as guests became enamoured of  diverse works and made purchases as the night moved along. Smiles and the joy of ownership were readily visible on many faces that filled The Gift Shop.

Bernie Wilson shows one of his motion statuettes

Newcomer artist-member Bernie Wilson has several motion statuettes on display in The Gift Shop. Though modest in scale, the motion sculptures are captivating in concept and form. Each piece is indeed a working piece of art reflecting culture, simplicity and elegance in approach. Wilson himself  is a warm and affable man with lively eyes, a ready smile and easy personality. He is eager to share his art and most appreciative of compliments.

The exhibit hall arena was awash in visual stimulation of every type. Paintings, photography, woodturning, sculpture, 3-D paintings, mixed media, it is all there, in delightful numbers and wondrous style. Some familiar names from the T.A.L.’s more senior members mixed easily alongside the newer kids just come to the block, so to speak. Clarksville artist Tess Lankovich eagerly pointed out her two works of water color  paintings.

Featured gallery artist Ev Niewoehner

Jazz Music artist Ev Niewoehner was on  hand to witness the gala crowds and has several of his colorful music infused panels displayed throughout the gallery hall. Neiwoehner is also the featured exhibition artist of the month as the T.A.L. celebrates its new digs. Born in rural Iowa, at age ten, his  family moved to Colorado where he graduated from Fort Collins High School. He earned history degrees from Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. He also studied art at several universities. After teaching at the high school level, he owned and operated an art gallery in Los Angeles. Teaching opportunities brought him to Tennessee, where he taught for 21 years. Retiring from teaching 1999 has allowed him to commit to his first love, oil painting, full time. Although he has painted in several genres, the theme of music  has dominated the bulk of his work, with quite impressive results. These works evoke an undeniable sense of jazz and the atmosphere  in which one enjoys that uniquely American music art form. From Cuban drums to alto trumpets, to a small combo group bathed in cinnamon lights, the viewer is made part and parcel of the work.

Bob Jones has some of his astounding pen and ink hand drawings on the walls and it must be noted that the detail he achieves by hand is breathtaking. His, “Lost in Thought” is one such example. Those who were fortunate to see his “Miles Davis” will attest to the unbelievable skill and effect this artist can produce. Noriko Register was also spotted in the gallery hall with smiles for the new visitors. Barry Werner has another woodturning piece on display this month as well. While he gives Mother Nature credit for doing the really hard work, his skill at bringing out the beauty hidden within the wood pieces is beguiling.

A Country Music Muse for John Cranshaw

Nashville newcomer John Cranshaw has found himself a comfortable base with The T.A.L. Music City has indeed influenced his artistic perspective. From his evocative beach and waterfront vistas of late 2012, Nashville’s music scene has taken hold of his most prolific brush strokes and rendered him a avid portraitist of his new muse, the music of Nashville. This new skin fits him well. Vibrant, lively and evocative, he and his new muse are a good match.

Clarksville has another artist included in this exhibition. The Customs House Cultural Museum’s own Terri Jordan features works from her ‘Spanish Lady’ series of paintings. Sculpture has a place and plenty of it to shine at 219 5th Avenue North. There modest clay creations as well as near full-scale human form works throughout the gallery. “African Boy” and “Torso # 2 are examples of the variety displayed within the gallery.

An Open Arms Care client ‘s work

A treasured carryover from the Broadway location is the T.A.L.’s Poston Gallery. This gallery space, now known as ‘The Poston’ is given over to Open Arms Care Corporation’s unique art program- Artistic Realization Technologies A.R.T), and the YMCA’s artEmbrace program.

Open Arms is an organization that provides intermediate care facility services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Nashville. Its A.R.T. program allows clients, many of whom are unable to speak, walk or hold a paint brush, to control the creative process via a laser pointer that is secured to their head. The pointer allows the client to direct a tracker, (the person painting) as to how they would like their canvas to look. The tracker works directly with a client, asking an infinite series of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions. Trackers use a board of colors and a canvas. They continue asking questions until the painting is exactly how the client wants it. A variety of different sized frames and artists are presented in this month’s exhibition.

Close-up of an artEMBRACE work

artEMBRACE is a comprehensive multi-cultural arts education after-school art program  in the YMCA’s line-up of after-school programs in five counties throughout Middle Tennessee. Currently in its seventh year, local professional teaching artists travel to over 100 after-school programs each semester to share their talents in a wide variety of visual and performing arts with hundreds of kids all over Middle Tennessee. The mission of artEMBRACE is to use art education to positively affect the lives of students, improving their chances to lead successful lives by developing creativity, improving learning skills and building self-confidence.

The  artEMBRACE after School Artwork Exhibit consists of matted and framed prints from workshops taught by local artist and T.A.L. vice-president Maylynd Augelli and hand sculpted clay creations from workshops taught by local artist Sophia Stevenson. All of these works are original creations, made by the students. There is no computer generated design among these works.  These are the students own creations. The images are impressive.

While The Nashville Scene rightly tauted the Bernie Taupin exhibit at The Rymer Gallery, the grand unveiling of The Tennessee Art League’s new digs on 5th Avenue North was no less a spectacular success. Well attended with a steady flow of eager viewers, warm and friendly conversation, good vibes and ready refreshment, and more than a few pieces moved off the walls.

Here’s wishing them a long and happy residence  on 5th.

[Photos by Turner McCullough Jr./JazzWaves Imaging Solutions]