A recipient of the Joan Mitchell award, James Lavadour showed at the Venice Biennale 2013 and has co-founed Crow's Shadow Institute for the Arts in 1990, a non-profit organization dedicated to the cultivation of the arts in and around the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Public Collections include the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute in NY, Crystal Bridges Museum, Seattle Art Museum, and many more.
Greg Sand and Amy Dean are featured through October 26th by Manifest, a charitable, non-profit organization founded in 2004 by professors and students from area universities seeking to make a positive impact in the community. Manifest continues to be operated by professors, students, and working artists to this day. For the start of their 15th exhibition season, Greg Sand presents a solo exhibition in the drawing room featuring his recent series of photographic collages named 'Chronicle'. Amy Dean is one of five artists selected by a blind jury to present work in a group show occupying the North Gallery: 'Archives - Non-Photo Based Art About Archives'. As Manifest has done before, this exhibit sets out to provide a counterpoint to the FotoFocus Biennial themed photo-specific exhibition in our Main Gallery, thereby providing the viewer a valuable opportunity to compare and contrast the role of media and creative processes in the resulting work which is, nevertheless, united by theme.
To learn more: Greg Sand and Amy Dean.
We are saddened to announce the passing of James Gibson, professor emeritus at MTSU, on August 13th, 2018. Our heartfelt thoughts go out to Jim's wife Betty and his sons. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
James Gibson has been part of Cumberland Gallery since 1987, during which he presented six solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows. James Gibson taught sculpture at Middle Tennessee State University from 1970 - 1999 and was named Professor Emeritus in 2000. He has also been inducted into the Alumni Gallery of Achievement by the University of Charleston and his work has been included in private and public collection throughout the country and in Turkey, Germany and Austria. Known for his work in welded metal and carved and constructed wood, the universality of the human figure and mythology were significant in the development of Gibson's shapes and color vocabulary.
Carol Stein is from the old school, and she's the first to admit it. Her Cumberland Gallery is the oldest art gallery in Nashville. She opened the Green Hills space in 1980, just after moving to town with her husband, a now-retired orthopedic surgeon. Originally from New York, she has a master's degree in psychiatric nursing and had three young children — two of whom were still in diapers — when Cumberland opened.
Since its first days, Carol has taken on the role of educator in the local art community. She's proud to speak about the shows she organized without any intention of selling work. Instead, she sought to use the gallery as a means to expose people to certain kinds of work that they might not have seen elsewhere. The gallery, on Hillsboro Circle near The Mall at Green Hills, is as much a classroom as an art space, with various alcoves devoted to different exhibition spaces.
"It's important to stay involved in the arts community in terms of pushing the envelope," she says. That integrity is evident in the diverse roster of artists Cumberland represents, from Barry Buxkamper, a painter whose precise but unsettling realism got him into the prestigious Whitney Biennial, to Mark Hosford, a Vanderbilt professor who specializes in prints influenced by street art.
What do you look for in an artist? There are three criteria. I show minimalism, narrative work, figurative work, abstract work, etc., but the first thing I look at is technical skill; I don't like sloppy work. The second thing is a unique vision. Perhaps there's nothing new under the sun, but I like to see something of the artist in the work. The third is the most difficult to define, and that's a certain level of honesty. And I relate to art that asks questions. If it doesn't ask questions, it holds no interest for me.
What's an obstacle you face? That there's not a collecting museum in Nashville. The Frist has done a lot in terms of putting things in front of an audience, but you don't have museums that are collecting. I've done a lot of out-of-state shows — Seattle, San Francisco — and what I primarily do is that I take artists from the region to elevate them into a national arena. And when my regional artists are judged against national levels, we do very well.
What was the first piece of art you sold? It was a collage piece by Brian Harrington. He's a California artist who has since become a wine vintner. I had the opportunity to buy the piece back, which I did, and it's hanging in my office. That's why I remember it so well.
What prompted your interest in art? My dad was a book publisher in New York, and he had a specific interest in fine art publishing. He used to take me to galleries all the time — Pace, Marlborough, Alex Rosenberg. I grew up with very good art, and he knew a lot of artists. I met Red Grooms when I was 16! The only thing I'm sad about is that my dad never lived to see me open the gallery. He died the year before we opened. That would have made, for him, a complete circle.
Sculpture Fields partnered with Ballet Tennessee and the Pop-up Project to produce "Anchors," a dance film honoring the fallen five.
Cheryl Goldsleger will be hosting an artists talk at the Georgia Museum of Art on Friday June 15th at 2pm. Two of her works are currently on display through July 23, 2018 in the museum Lobby as part of a three month rotation program, curated by director Bill Eiland.
Currently Morris Eminent Scholar in Art at Augusta University, artist Cheryl Goldsleger has had work in exhibitions at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, the American Academy in New York, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and many other institutions. She has two works currently on display at the Georgia Museum of Art.
From April 28th through September 2nd, Sherry Karver presents her photo-based work in a solo exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art in Oceanside, CA. Her show is part of The Visual Narrative series of exhibitions - reminiscing of the hidden individuals in the anonymous crowds with unique and surprising thoughts and personalities. Complementing exhibitions in the Big Read partnership, The Visual Narrative series features four solo shows with artists Janell Cannon, Joyce Cutler-Shaw, David Fokos, and Sherry Karver that explore literature, language, and storytelling through the visual arts. To view available work from Sherry's last year's solo exhibit at Cumberland Gallery, please click here.
The Sequential Nature of Time, Mixed media on panel, 40 x 30 x 2 inches, 2016.
Night Vision by Farrar Hood Cusomato has been nominated for the 6th annual juried competition of the Visual Art Exchange in which some of the most ambitious and timely works by artists from across the region are being shown. The purpose of the exhibition is to gather a survey of what artists in the Regional South are currently creating. Since 2012 this show has grown and expanded to become one of VAE's most popular exhibitions and is part of the Raleigh Arts Plan. Celebrating the South as a hub for creativity, the City of Raleigh has adopted this ten-year master plan to strengthen arts and culture for all.
Night Vision (2017), oil on wood panel, 24 x 24 inches.
The enigmatic and meticulous painter, Warren Greene, earned his bachelors degree in fine arts at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, ennessee i 1992 and s MFA in studio art at Memphis College of Art in 1996. He has exhibited widely across the south, from solo shows at the Perry Nichole Gallery in Memphis to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. Since 2008, Greene has served as Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville and is represented at Cumberland Gallery in Nashville. His work was included in the Memphis College of Art 2016 Alumni Biennial, juried by Mark Scala, Chief Curator at the Frist. Greene was one of 10 artists featured in the exhibit who were awarded MCA lumni Gallery solo shows for their outstanding contributions to the Biennial. For more information about the exhibition, please click here.
Warren Greene, Bellicose Binary, 2015. Acrylic and oil on panel, 36 x 36 inches.
The Elevate program was introduced at 21c Cincinnati in 2012, and runs throughout the seven locations of 21c's multi-venue museum. This ongoing initiative encourages engagement with the local community by featuring works by local artists. Dedicated exhibition spaces on each of the guestroom floors presents works on loan from Nashville-based artists, including several pieces by Barry Buxkamper and Marilyn Murphy. The installations will change periodically, offering opportunities for a wide range of artists to share their work with a visiting audience, and creating a sense of place for guests.
Congratulations to Andy Saftel on the installation of a new, large-scale work in the lobby of Hyatt Place downtown Knoxville. For more info on this particular new piece, honoring Admiral David Farragut, click here.
Congratulations to Heather Patterson on her newest outdoor public art piece: a 7'x130' mural commissioned by the Longmont Community Foundation for the Centurylink building in Longmont, Co.
Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts will be including seven works by Tom Pfannerstill for this upcoming group exhibition, FOOL THE EYE, at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Long Island, NY.
Lichtenstein, Vik Muniz, Ben Schoenzeit, and Victor Vasarely to name a few.
I have always been fascinated with photo-realistic drawings and paintings, and trompe l'oeil sculptures—from artists such as Bronzino and Jean-Étienne Liotard, to the Flemish painters and today's contemporary artists. The ability to create art that reflects reality in this way is a skill I admire so much, especially when the artist goes beyond the merely technical to incorporate more conceptual themes and their unique style of art-making.
Jim Torok, Samara Umbral, Kaari Upson, Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Kehinde Wiley, Steve Wolfe, Mike Yaniro, and Jason Yarmosky among others.
Beth Rudin DeWoody, art collector and curator, resides between Los Angeles, New York City, and West Palm Beach. She is President of The Rudin Family Foundations and Executive Vice President of Rudin Management. Her Board affiliations include the Whitney Museum of American Art, Hammer Museum, The New School, The Glass House, Empowers Africa, New Yorkers for Children, and The New York City Police Foundation. She is an Honorary Trustee at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and on the Photography Steering Committee at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach. DeWoody has curated numerous exhibitions including I Won't Grow Up at Cheim & Read, New York; In Stitches at Leila Heller Gallery, New York; Think Pink at Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach, Hunt & Chase at Salomon Contemporary, East Hampton; Inspired at Steven Kasher Gallery, New York; Bad For You at Shizaru Gallery, London; and Please Enter at Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York. In December of this year, DeWoody will open a private art space in West Palm Beach, which will present viewable storage of her collection, as well as exhibitions. The space will hold private tours and events.
Click here to read more about this well-established encaustic artist and writer. Joanne Mattera's work will be on display at Cumberland Gallery from August 19th though September 16th.
From June 1st through October 22nd, the Sculpture Milwaukee Project will display 22 sculptures from internationally renowned artists at selected sites on Wisconsin Ave. Curated by the former Milwaukee Art Museum director Russell Bowman, the installation will include work by Lynda Benglis, Chakaia Booker, Sol Lewitt, Dennis Oppenheim, Santiago Calatrava, Tony Cragg, Alison Saar, Joel Shapiro and Jessica Stockholder. John Henry presents Zach's Tower (2007), a 26 feet high painted steel sculpture, on the southeast corner of 5th Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
Zach's Tower (2007), painted steel, 312 x 168 x 144 inches. Here exhibited at OPEN 10. International Exhibition of Sculptures and Installations (Venice, Italy) in 2007.
Current Exhibition James Lavadour | Recent Findings received a critic's pick in The Nashville Scene.
JAMES LAVADOUR featured in NPR interview on Life Wire Radio, Pendleton OR. Click here to listen to the entire podcast.
Marilyn Murphy: Magic Realist features paintings and drawings in which reality is turned upside down in dreamlike scenes, with gravity-defying objects and figures diligently focused on a task—their earnest stances belying what is always, in fact, a very strange object of study. Murphy finds inspiration for her subjects in the popular culture of the 1940s and 1950s, presenting them with an attention to light and shadow that creates a sense of mystery and often incorporates dramatic effects from forces of nature.
A multi-panel piece by James Lavadour is currently on view at The Frist Center for the Visual Arts as part of State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. A broad survey of art from across the United States, this exhibition was organized in 2014 by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in Bentonville, Arkansas. The exhibition's co-curators, Don Bacigalupi and Chad Alligood, strove to create a vivid overview of American art today. Crisscrossing the United States and visiting approximately a thousand artists, they considered factors of quality and originality, as well as what Bacigalupi called a "generosity of spirit"—an interest in developing a meaningful artistic conversation with the audience. The resulting exhibition is particularly rich in art that responds to place, conveys personal and familial experience, and communicates the artists' concerns with issues of the environment, the economy, gender, race, and identity. The Frist Center presents a selection of works that were in the original exhibition, grouped thematically to demonstrate connections between artists and ideas across the country.
Marilyn Murphy's 'Realism Subverted' opens January 19 at Vanderbilt University's Fine Art Gallery with a reception from 4:30 - 6:30 pm.
In honor of Professor of Art Marilyn Murphy, who will retire in 2017 after 37 years of teaching in Vanderbilt's Department of Art, the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery presents Marilyn Murphy—Realism Subverted beginning Thursday, Jan. 19. Marilyn Murphy—Realism Subverted features paintings and drawings in which reality is turned upside down in dreamlike scenes, with gravity-defying objects and figures diligently focused on a task. These figures' earnest stances belie what is always, in fact, a very strange object of study. Murphy finds inspiration for her subjects in the popular culture of the 1940s and '50s, presenting them with an attention to light and shadow that creates a sense of mystery and often incorporates dramatic effects from forces of nature—a sign of her youth on the Great Plains.
Murphy's artwork has been shown in more than 380 exhibitions nationally and abroad, and her pieces are in several public and private collections, including the Kemper Collection, the Boston Museum School, the Siena Art Institute in Siena, Italy, and the Oklahoma Museum of Art. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville mounted a mid-career survey of her work in 2004, and she participated in a two-person exhibition at the Huntsville Museum of Art with Bob Trotman. She is represented by Cumberland Gallery in Nashville, Adler and Co. in San Francisco, Carl Hammer Gallery in Chicago, and Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.
Cheryl Goldsleger, Aspiration, Graphite and mixed media on Mylar, 16 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches, 2006.
Pick up a copy during your next gallery visit or read the full article here.
The sixteenth presentation in the ARTMATTERS series focused on contemporary art, this exhibition surveys a range of John Fraser's exquisitely crafted objects, drawn from the McNay's collection, the artist's studio, and select museum collections. Fraser makes quietly compelling, intellectually focused works, taking the form of three-dimensional sculpture or two-dimensional collage, or straddling between the two. Characterized by meticulous fabrication techniques and subtle surface details, Fraser's art effortlessly moves from being image-oriented to wholly abstract, as well as teetering between image and abstraction.
Works included in the exhibition were made over the past 25 years. Marker, from 2001, was purchased for the museum by the McNay Contemporary Collectors Forum in 2005, and subsequently additional works were added to the collection. Composition of Rectangles, 2004-05, typifies the artist's subtly beautiful collages.
John Fraser, Into Warmer Air, 2013. 26 x 20 x 1 1/2 inches, Graphite, Acrylic, and Mixed Media Collage on Wood Panel.
In the year of its 10th Anniversary, MSA wants to recognize one of its founding members and internationally recognized sculptor, John Henry, by decorating him with the Masters Award for Lifetime Achievement. The ceremony will be hosted by MSA President Isaac Duncan III and special guest Michael Hall.
John Henry is known worldwide for his towering public works, which grace numerous museums, and corporate, public, and private collections. His minimalist and geometric forms range in scale from small tabletop pieces to some of the largest contemporary metal sculptures in the world. For more than forty years, Henry's work has found its aesthetic and historical base in Constructivism. He has a supreme commitment to the materiality of his work, and an unwavering insistence on maintaining the integrity of the process and the materials in developing his visual vocabulary. With elegance and a sense of immediacy, Henry's work expresses arrested motion and defied gravity.
Henry earned a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, where he received a Ford Foundation grant and the Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship. As a visiting professor, he has taught at the University of Iowa, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago, and the School of Art Institute at Chicago. He is formerly the Distinguished Professor of Art at Chattanooga State College. Recent awards include the Governor's National Award in the Arts from the state of Kentucky, the Mayor's Award of Distinction in the Arts from the City of Chattanooga, recognition on the floor of the Tennessee State Senate, and recognition by the City of Chicago of his contribution to public art by the renaming of North Cermack Road to "John Henry Way". Most Recently, Henry is the founder and energy behind Sculpture Fields at Montague Park (Chattanooga, TN) which will feature large scale sculptures by Henry as well as both national and international artists. His role in the inception, maintenance and ongoing growth of this acclaimed sculpture park cannot be over stated.
'American Epic,' an exhibition by artist and master printmaker Jesse Shaw, will be hosted by Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture at Vanderbilt Divinity School this fall. The show will open to the public Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a reception to follow from 4 to 6 p.m. Shaw will conduct a "walk through" gallery talk at 5 p.m. The exhibition will be in the Divinity School's Art Room (G-20).
"Shaw will comment on his creative methodologies and the conceptual worlds at play in the series and its various images," said Dave Perkins, associate director of Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture. "The audience will be encouraged to interact with the artist in a Q&A." Shaw, of Clarksville, Tennessee, works primarily in relief prints carved from linoleum blocks. His work is based in the narrative, satirical, political and social commentary tradition of the graphic print. He has completed 27 prints in the "American Epic" series during the past seven years. Shaw was inspired to begin his own interpretation of the American story and its culture when he traveled to Dartmouth College to see Jose Clemente Orozco's mural "The Epic of American Civilization." "This interest in Orozco's work led me to Mexico to study Mexican printmaking and the works of other Mexican muralists, including Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros," Shaw said. "The intensity and sincerity in the murals, along with the history of the political and social purpose of printmaking in Mexico, brought me to working on prints in the style of muralism." Shaw's work in this exhibit is part of a project that will eventually consist of 50 prints illustrating and critiquing American society. When the series is complete, the prints will form one large masterwork.
Shaw, who continues to explore other mediums, techniques and collaborations as an extension of the American Epic prints, earned his master of fine arts in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009. He received a bachelor of fine arts from Austin Peay State University, where he has taught printmaking and drawing as an adjunct professor. His work has been exhibited in Nashville, New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia, among other cities.
From Aug 27th - Sep 3rd, see what's upstairs at CG and help us downsize. View and shop for gallery-owned hidden gems from the vault, including art posters, gently-used frames, works on paper, fine art, sculpture, books, and more. Browse through incredible values for marked down prices for a limited time only.
Pick up a print copy here during your next gallery visit, or read the full story online here.
For our second summer artist talk, join us in welcoming Tennessee mixed media artist and painter Andrew Saftel. Andrew has shown his work at Cumberland Gallery since the early nineties in four solo shows and select group exhibits. He is recognized nationally for his tactile mixed media surfaces on birch panel, incorporation of found objects, and works on paper. Originally from the Northeast, Andrew graduated from San Francisco Art Institute in California and in the last thirty years has earned numerous awards, fellowships abroad, and public commissions. We are delighted to have him back this summer to talk about the ideas behind his work, process, and developments.
DON'T MISS THE OPENING OF 20 COLLABORATIONS IN BOOK ART II. Cumberland Gallery members include Andrew Saftel and our preparator, sculptor Jason Lascu. The reception lasts today from 2-4PM but the exhibit will extend through December --located on the main floor of the Nashville Public Library.
Full Story on ARTISTS SELECT featured in Nashville Arts Magazine May 2016 edition.
In a curatorial return after ten years of distillation, Cumberland Gallery brings back Artists Select 2016, a showcase of artists from their current established roster, as well as an introduction to new faces. Artists Select 2016 pulls work from Cumberland Gallery artists Lori Field, Tom Pfannerstill, Bob Nugent, Cheryl Goldsleger, Dan Gualdoni, Fred Stonehouse, James Lavadour, John Fraser, John Henry, Leonard Koscianski, and Marilyn Murphy. In turn, each of the eleven artists represented by Cumberland engages their own curatorial voice, selecting another whose work they respect and whose artistic experience shares influence and dialogue. Visiting artists include Hanna von Goeler, Caroline Waite, Mark Eanes, Joanne Mattera, Tom Reed, Michael Noland, Nell Warren, Steuart Pittman, Bryan Rasmussen, Marcia Goldenstein, and Michael Kempson, creating a powerhouse chorus of global thought." Click here for the full article.
BEYOND THE POUR II: THE CREATIVE PROCESS August 20, 2016 – January 22, 2017 Inspiration happens when you are hard at work. Using the wine label as a medium to examine creative processes, Beyond the Pour II: The Creative Process, explores the ways in which artists make their inspiration a reality. This exhibition highlights the process of a number of these artists as they make their way from inspiration to the completion of their artwork, destined to be reproduced on wine labels. The majority of the work chosen for this exhibition comes from the Imagery Estate Winery Permanent Collection. Thirty-one years ago, Bob Nugent began curating this collection of art by commissioning artists based on the quality of their work and the materials they use. He invited them to create an original piece in any manner, medium and style. Having complete confidence in the artist's work, Nugent made a promise to the artist to use the image as a wine label for Imagery Estate Winery, and had no control over the final outcome. The only requirement was that the artist include some interpretation of the "Parthenon," the winery's trademark. For this exhibition, several artists were commissioned to document the making of the pieces shown. This will provide a typically unseen insight to the creative process as each artist works toward a final completed piece. Artists represented in the exhibition include, among others: Tony Berlant, Richard Derwingson, Dominic DiMare, Don and Era Farnsworth, John Fraser, Stephen Galloway, Sam Gilliam, Lynn Hershman, Guy Laramée, Sol Lewitt, Pam Longobardi, Robert McCauley, Robin McCauley, Jim Melchert, Judy Pfaff, Otavio Roth, Buzz Spector, Monika Steiner, Catherine Wagner, Cybele Young, and a collaboration between Heather Patterson and Elaine Coombs.
John Fraser, Tan Intersection with Burgundy Square, 2010. Mixed media collage with found objects on wood panel, 30 x 30 x 1 1/2 inches.
Cumberland Gallery wants to congratulate Cheryl Goldsleger, James Lavadour and John Fraser with their participation in 'Close Readings: American Abstract Art from the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery'. The show will open with a reception on March 17 (5-7pm) at the Cohen Memorial Hall and will run through May 26. For more information visit the exhibition page here.
Cardinal Point, 2013. Graphite powder with gum and arabic on paper, 22" x 18".
ROBERT DURHAM'S A VIEW FROM RUTLEDGE HILL FEATURED ON THE COVER OF NASHVILLE ARTS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2016 EDITION.
Bob Durham, A View from Rutledge Hill / The Year of the Cranes, oil on linen, 60 x 40". SOLD.
Congratulations to Andrew Saftel for his new commission piece 'Musical Fruit' for the Ascend Amphitheater.
Andrew Saftel, Musical Fruit, Mixed media on panel, 8 x 4 feet.
Throughout September 4, work by Cumberland Gallery James Lavadour will be displayed at the Telfair Museums in Savannah (GA) as part of Crystal Bridges' traveling exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. Showcasing 134 works—including paintings, photographs, videos, sculptures, works on paper, installations and performances—by 52 under-recognized artists from nearly every U.S. region, the exhibition examines how today's artists are informed by the past, innovate with materials old and new, and engage deeply with issues relevant to their communities.
James Lavadour, Out of Range 2.