That said, here are a few things that jumped on my radART this week. I’d like to briefly share it with you as a beautiful accompaniment to your own schedule. First, this Friday might inspire you in more ways that one. One way specifically, you might try to stroll over to the always intriguing The Plowhaus Gallery on 729 Porter Road in order to check out “Nashville Portraits Show.” The show will feature photography by Robin Dodd and Mickey Bernal. Dodd will be debuting her Portraits of East Nashville Women: a series of works featuring the female movers and shakers of East Nashville seen through Dodd’s unique and beautiful vision. Bernal will counter with colorful portraits of Nashville’s equal male standouts. It will show from 6-9pm with wine and live music.

Saturday night will allow you to enjoy yet another First Saturday Downtown Art Crawl at all of the usual and extraordinary (much better to use than unusual) art galleries and spots about and around The Arcade. First, you can catch the closing reception for Tinny Contemporary and Hyunmee Lee’s “Silent Gestures.” It has been quite the success and this will be one last party for the show. Lee’s large, abstract canvases delight in the union of opposites, where vast fields of carefully delineated color and expanses of blacks and wits intermix with expressive lines and painterly brushstrokes. Simply, it is pretty, amazing, and pretty amazing.

Also, down the street and around the corner at The Arts Company on 5th Avenue of the Arts, they will be ringing in the New Year with “Of Things To Come.” It is a gallery tradition of previewing new work, new artists, and new plans for the New Year. This year will include Judy Nebhut, Brad Wreyford, Robin Venable Kenny, and Denise Stewart-Sanabria. There will be plenty of photography, paintings, and sculptures to go around for all art lovers. Beginning January 5th, from 6-9pm, and continuing through January 25th, this show will blow you away.

Another thing that will blow you away is the Disposables show at the Downtown Presbyterian Church from 6-9pm on Saturday.  It is a benefit for The Contributor featuring photography by homeless and formerly homeless newspaper vendors.  It is FREE admission, with $5 suggested donation, food by Porter Road Catering, and entertainment by Whit and Al Hill, Adam Chaffins with Millicent Martin, Lynn Taylor with Graham Gray.  It will blow you away with the art and humanities we are surrounded by on a daily basis.

But isn’t what 2013 is all about … blowing you away in a pleasant way? I do believe so. So why stop doing the best of what we’ve started in 2012, you ask? No question about it, we will not stop having amazing shows with East Side Storytellin’. This coming Tuesday, January 8th, we will host our next show at Rumours East with some of the best people I know in town. You can visit the happy hour from 5-7pm, but at 7pm you better get to your seats that you already reserved to witness the first East Side Storytellin’ of 2013- a year where we really take off with ideas. The featured author will by Cary Graham (writer of “Remnant”) and the musical stylings of married couple that will totally folk you up, Jenny & Tyler. Seriously guys and gals, it is a must see experience, and it’s FREE! All you have to do is call Rumours East at 615-262-5346. You don’t want to miss out. You know you don’t!

Jenny & Tyler

Thanks for reading the following above and helping spread the good word. It takes a village and we have such a wonderful village and time here in Nashville. I look forward to writing more this year and keeping all of us on the same page for all that is yet to come.

Enjoy your day and week ahead.
As you were, busy but happy,
chUck

www.nashvillesheart.com
www.eastsidestorytn.com

Tonight, you shouldn’t really be going anywhere but Rumours East in my humble opinion. What is going on you ask? Well, if you pick up your cell phone right now and call615-262-5346, you might just be a winner and win FREE tickets to see David Mead play music at Rumours East. Not only that, you’ll also get to hear local author Bill Friskics-Warren read and talk about his book “I’ll Take You There.” It’s part of the live-recorded radio show event called East Side Storytellin’ that I host every other Tuesday night. There are still a few seats available for tonight and this is definitely a show you won’t want to miss. So if you want to be a winner, pick up the phone NOW! Here is a preview of what you might experience if you do …

http://eastsidestorytn.com/and-so-east-side-storytellin-begins/

Then, tomorrow, December 5th, you can get an excellent 2-for-1 great experience over in the Hillsboro Village area. First, all day long through December 6th, you can check out “Surface Treat” at Nashville’s Smallest Art Gallery, across the street from Fido on the wall. Artist Shana Kohnstamm has put together some amazing wool pieces mixed with aluminum mesh to glass marbles in a sculptural and pictorial medium. Well worth the visit. Then, after you view that, walk across the street to Fido at 8pm for another dose of FREE storytelling at 8pm. Pictures of Fireworks is going down and it is a monthly night of storytelling that showcases a combination of Nashville’s best comedians, authors, interesting local characters and residents, and YOU. Half of the tales are told by performers who are curated in advance and the other half come from the audience members who may or may not be chosen randomly after you drop your name in a hat at the start of the show. The curated storytellers have 7 minutes to share their story and audience members have 5 … no scripts allowed! So much fun. See you there?

And typing of seeing you there, I might as well throw in the news about Thursday’s 85th Annual Waffle Shop at the Downtown Presbyterian Church from 11am-2pm. DPC will offer up a Christmas-themed lunch of homemade waffles, turkey has, southern grits, linked sausages, coffee, and spiced tea for a mere $7! This event funds the homeless ministries at the DPC. Then, later Thursday night, you should come back over to Hillsboro Village for Christmas In The Village if you want to stick with the holiday theme here. It is FREE, and from 5-8pm there will be a big Village Art Walk with tons of receptions, shows, and events hosted in most Hillsboro Village shops and restaurants. Don’t believe that it will be fun? Well, I do know that Santa and his Elves will be arriving at 6pm sharp at Fido. Free photos with everyone in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy for Toys For Tots from 6-8pm.

Friday will be a fun day because Untitled Nashville is pulling together another art show sure to beat out your cold weather, wintery blues away. The show, Seasonal Art Disorder, will take place at Myridia, 507 Main Street in the 5th and Main Building from 6-10pm. There will be tons of local art, local musicians, spoken word and poetry, a DJ spinning in between, a craft table, a photo booth, and did I mention tons of exciting local art around. It is a great way to spend your Friday date night before or after you visit The Idea Hatchery any time, day or night, everyday at 1108 Woodland Street just around the corner of sorts.

Saturday night should be a night of positivity this week. I’ll help you in this department. On November 28th, local author Kathleen Cosgrove was injured in a terrible car accident. Her prognosis is good that she will walk again with 5-6 months of grueling rehab ahead, but she needs more help than just rehab at this point. That is where you and I come in. This Saturday, at 6pm, several local authors (D. Alan Lewis, Angela Trumbo, A. Jay Lee, and Nikki Nelson-Hicks) are coming out to East Side Story at 6pm to do a reading and sell their books. All proceeds are going to Kathleen Cosgrove to help with her medical expenses from these authors’ book sales and donations on the side. We are also pleased to announce that Joe Khoury and Mark Harriman of the hot Celtic band, Molly Ramone, and good friends of Kathleen have graciously volunteered to play at East Side Story as well. Please find it in your heart to come by and support Kathleen in this time of need. It will be an awesome time with great people.

And to finish your weekend in style and casually, Watkins Community Education program is hosting an afternoon of art-making, food, and fun at the winter Open House on Sunday from 1-4pm. You’re more than welcome to work with talented art teachers with printmaking, book arts, and stop-motion animation while learning about their spring course offerings. Side note, if you register for a class during the Open House, you are automatically entered into a $50 gift certificate drawing towards a future course or workshop. I say that and everything above this paragraph is a wonderful deal!

Pretty much everything I’ve written above is FREE and open to all ages. What are you waiting for. Remember, pick up the phone and call Rumours East NOW … before someone else beats you to it

much love,
chUck

www.nashvillesheart.com
www.eastsidestorytn.com

First, add a little bit of music.  Local rockers Eastern Blockwill be releasing a new 7” called “Wing Walker” at Grimey’s this Thursday, June 16th from 6-9pm.  With an in-store performance and brand new songs that you can take home with you afterwards, to say that Eastern Block is riding the wave of their most recent successes and landslide victory while winning Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhemcompetition is the understatement of the year to this point.  These guys deserve all of the accolades, in my humble opinion, and are primed to make the most of every positive opportunity coming their way. If you by chance miss out on their appearance at Grimey’s, by all means run over and catch them on Friday, June 17th at The Rutledge at 10pm.

And typing about running, leave it to Sarah Shearer- a local artist, Assistant Director to the Community Education at Watkins College of Art and Design, and wife of Eastern Block’s lead guitarist Jon Shearer- to also get recognized lately for her efforts.  Besides the fact that she rocks the canvas whenever she puts her paintings on view outside of her Downtown Presbyterian Church studio, Sarah was just bestowed East Nasty of the Week a week ago for her dynamic energy and trail-blazing attitude on and off the road.  I highly suggest you take a moment to appreciate the art the Shearer family is currently bringing toNashville’s table.

Second, add a little bit of music.  Leave it to the Frist Centerto, yet again, make a mark on this writer and art appreciators alike.  This week’s museum concert highlight, again in my humble opinion, is the Music in the Café: In the Round at the Frist.  While each week some of Nashville’s most accomplished and celebrated artists perform at the Frist on Thursday and Friday evenings, this coming Friday, June 17th provides a wonderful setting for the Frist’s version of music “In the Round,” led by Ronny Criss.  Criss, a valued Frist employee, is also a songwriter that is very excited to bring together other local songwriters Bryan Clark, Adam Burrows, Joel Shumake, and Joe Hajek for a night like no other.

But don’t think for one minute that Ronny Criss stops helping other local artists when he clocks out at the Frist Center.  He’s not only a talented artist and songwriter in his own right, Criss has dedicated his spare time to sharing the spotlight on others trying to make Nashville a creative hot spot.  Starting in April of this year, Ronnie started his own interview and video blog titled “Nashville Art Makers” that allows for the general public to and art lovers alike to really get a sense of not only the artwork of local artists that deserve to be seen and heard but also the people and their stories that inspire them to inspire others.  Starting with Beth Inglish in April, and then spotlighting Jeff Bertrand in March, Miss June J just so happens to be someone I know very well and love in Emily Harper Beard (efharper or Emily Frances Harper Beard depending on the press release).

And what kind of husband would I be if I didn’t transition from the Nashville Art Makers’ pick of the month and tell you that efharper will be one of several artists, fashion designers, film makers, musicians, models and photographers taking part in the next RAW show in a little over a week at Mercy Lounge on Thursday, June 23rd (I will remind and give you more details next week, but you can go ahead and buy your ticket online HERE).

So there you have it; a full circle review of family, music, art, and events to make your heart … your Nashville heART smile yet again.  Thanks for tuning in and sharing with your friends.  See you sooner than later.

much love,

chUck

First, let me say that Thursdays have never been better at the beginning of the month now that the Nashville Association of Art Dealers (NAAD-an organization that has been together for over 21 years) has started ‘Art After Hours.’ It is a monthly citywide art event that not only supports the visual arts in Nashville but also elevates the awareness of the participating galleries by opening and staying up late from 5pm-8pm every first Thursday of every month. This first Thursday, Tonight, The Arts Company is proud to bring in renowned artist Brother Mel for a special night of book signing and reception celebrating the recent publication of Brother Mel: A Lifetime of Making Art. Alongside a brief presentation and discussion about his work, Brother Mel will showcase the process of making the book with the help of his friend and the incoming national president of the Women’s National Book Association, Mary Grey James.

Next, with no resemblance whatsoever to the glory days of my generation’s youth of TGIF on television, you can feel free to introduce the next wave of artistic endeavors by giving praise to the soon to be graduates at Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. The Graphic Design Senior Show titled ‘Taking Flight-Launching Our Careers’ will be held at Rhythm on Music Row this Friday, December 4th, from 6pm-9pm. Be there to support Random Allen, Julian Baker, Guy Coffin, Craig Gwin, Lydia Light, Holly Mathews, Teela Shandess and Andy Young with their final projects for their time at Watkins.

Well, well, well … looky here. Saturday has more people and places to see stuffed into the First Saturday Art Crawl than your holiday dinners last week! You can see the highlighted link in the previous sentence for a good guide of the participating galleries and events scheduled (and feel free to come back here for write-ups soon to be written up about the galleries’ ongoing exhibitions thru December after their opening nights this Saturday), but I would like to point out one event in particular. Yes, it may be because some of my own work with my first book will be sold there as well, BUT I would not be doing a good job for you or Examiner at all if I didn’t bring up the events that contain charity causes built within their purposes. Connect with a Cause is an event featuring the Connect 12 Artist Collective and ASK Apparel. Located at Blend Studio, this exhibit and holiday sale offering handmade goods from several Nashville-based artists and artisans. Though the event will last thru January 30, 2010, please make the time to come down for the opening reception in the Arcade this Saturday, December 5, from 6pm-9pm, and connect with the artists themselves. Help Eric Denton, Tiffany Denton, Stacy Irvin, Andee Rudloff, Ben Vitualla, Daniel Lai, Samantha Callahan, Chris Hill, Alesandra Bellos, Sarah Bellos, Kate Bellos and other Connect 12 artists raise money and needed awareness for Safe Haven, Oasis Center, Downtown Presbyterian Church, Urban Housing Solutions, Adventures Inside a Campus for a Cure and several other Nashville community organizations. From t-shirts, prints, sculptures, to paintings, all items purchased can be taken home immediately and you can also direct your monetary donations to your choice of local community organizations! Everyone wins!

And speaking of everyone winning for a finale within this epic Examiner, I have a treat for you in an Art Crawl after party of sorts. As soon as you put all of your purchased artwork back into your car, start up your engines and drive on over to The End for an event organized by local photographer and art of all types aficionado, John Brassil. In what is now sort of an annual show of electronic music from Nashville in its various forms, you can check out David Maddox and Brady Sharp performing duets and then see Maddox tag along with Ben and Amy Marcantel’s Forest Bride. With the show not starting until 9pm and lasting until whenever they shut the doors at some point when Sunday morning rolls around, you can experience all that the Art Crawl has to offer and unwind at The End for the end.

THE END

Ps- Not mentioned above but filled with loads of art and good times this Saturday, December 5th, are the following galleries: Art and Invention, Tinney Contemporary, Plowhaus at the Arcade, MIR, Blend, Twist, Estel, Rymer, Zeitgeist at Terrazzo, Downtown Presbyterian Church among others.

Salud,
Chuck Beard

Pause as my stomach giggles.

Yep, I said it! This Thursday, December 3, from 11am-2pm, the Downtown Presbyterian Church is opening its Waffle Shop for the 84th time. Begun in 1926, the Downtown Presbyterian Church is continuing its bread and butter fundraiser event by inviting you to come over and visit with them and waffles, turkey hash/sausage, grits, coffee/spiced tea, baked goods, craft items, and their ever elusive cheese wafer for the mere price of $6 per person. All of the money raised from the event goes towards the church building fund and church ministries, like feeding the homeless every Wednesday and Sunday.

As you may or may not already know, the Downtown Presbyterian Church has not only become an immense help for the local homeless by providing food, shelter, support and positive direction, it has also developed into quite the central hub for many local artists to hone their own talents within the church’s artist-in-residency program. In exchange for studio space, chosen artists are more than happy to lend helping hands within a variety of church functions and donate their artistic knowledge to others wanting to create something more for themselves. One such artist that has participated in this program and is opening a solo show this Saturday, December 5th at the Twist 58 Gallery is local talent Sarah Shearer.

Shearer, always creating work that permeates deeper than whatever the canvas reveals, has carried on along her artist statement by attempting to do work that reflects her ideas that have stemmed from countless questions flying around her own head. This show, appropriately called Sarah Shearer: Seven Questions is built around the foundation of the following questions:

• What is meaningful?
• What is superficial?
• What makes me happy?
• Why do those things make me happy?
• What is beauty?
• Why are some things that are beautiful labeled superficial?
• Does beauty equal weakness in your eyes?

So come out to Twist and Twist 58 Gallery this Saturday, December 5th, from 6-9pm and check out the best of Shearer’s (as well as the exhibit Three Ways Different: works by Dona Berotti, Rob McClurg and Cristina Viscu too) latest efforts. Maybe you can ask the artist for some of the answers she found within her work regarding to her introspective questions. Maybe, if you’re not scared to look deeper, you will find answers to some of your own questions as well!