Explore Tennessee Art Attractions

Art Along the Way
By Rachel Kirk

As Tennessee borders seven states, many people attending the Special Libraries Association Conference this June will drive to Nashville. These road trips can be enhanced by little side excursions. The following are museums, galleries and a botanical garden that may stave off the boredom of driving. The Hunter Art Museum charges $5.00 admission for adults. The Frist Center charges $8.50 per adult. The Botanical Garden charges $6.00 per adult. The other sites specifically stated that admission was free or gave no admission prices.

In or Around Nashville

Frist Center for the Visual Arts
919 Broadway
Nashville, Tennessee, 37203
Phone (615) 244-3340
Adult Admission: $8.50

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts strives to present great art from around the world by hosting traveling exhibitions and developing its own exhibitions on a diverse range of themes. During the Special Libraries Association convention, the Frist Center will be featuring a special exhibit, Realms of Faith: Medieval and Byzantine Art, from the Walter Art Museum in Baltimore during the Special Libraries Association Conference. This exhibit, exclusively organized for the Frist Center by the Walter Art Museum, includes a diverse array of religious and secular works from Coptic Egypt, medieval France, Orthodox Russia and Byzantine Greece, etc. A variety of media are presented.

The American Artisan
4231 Harding Rd
Nashville, TN 37205-2019
Phone (615) 298-4691

Southern Living called this gallery an "artistic treasure trove with a browser friendly atmosphere". The American Artisan is a nationally acclaimed functional crafts gallery that specializes in American hand-crafted items and artwork The gallery strives for a fun funky approach to everyday life. You'll find an impressive array of handcrafted items, such as jewelry, pottery, furniture, art glass, and household accessories spanning two floors. It even features blown glass items from Tommie Rush.

Both interesting and provocative, the Zeitgeist specializes in contemporary artists and media. Primarily, Zeitgeist represents works from local or regional artists, but also features prominent artists of national renown. The gallery offers a variety of works including fine arts, illustrations, furniture design and more.

This year, Zeitgeist celebrates in ten-year anniversary. From May 29, 2004 through June 19th, the gallery will sponsor a museum style exhibition of designing elements, furniture and fashion of the 1990's.

Coming North on I-65 from Alabama

Huntsville Botanical Garden
4747 Bob Wallace Avenue
Huntsville, Alabama 35805
Phone: (256) 830-4447

A trip to Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden will refresh and rejuvenate road-weary travelers. Rose, daylily, herb and butterfly gardens as well as a Nature Trail offer road-weary travelers a chance at peaceful rejuvenation. The garden also features a Maple tree-lined promenade ending in a reflecting pool.

Coming Northwest on I -24 from Chattanooga

Bluff View Art District
412 East Second Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403
Phone: (423) 265-5033

http://www.virtualcities.com/tn/bluffview.htm

The Bluff View Art District creates an inviting and stimulating atmosphere for visitors interested in the arts. The gardens, galleries, working artist studios, and historic homes will rejuvenate travelers en route to the Special Libraries Association meeting.
For those interested in museums, the Hunter Museum of American Art boasts the finest collection of American Art in the Southeast. Through June 6th, the Hunter Museum will be hosting a touring exhibit from the Smithsonian institution, Graphics Masters: Highlights from the Smithsonian American Art Museum celebrates the extraordinary variety and accomplishment of American artists works on paper. Eighty-one pastels, watercolors and drawings from American artists during the 1860s - 1990s comprise this exhibit. Special note, the Hunter Museum is located on a Cherokee holy place.
In addition to the exceptional collection of American art, aficionados will appreciate the extensive collection of regional, national, and international fine art and craft, displayed at River Gallery. In addition to the paintings, sculptures, and studio art glass held within the turn of the century home, the River Gallery Sculpture Garden contains over thirty original sculptures spread over 2 acres overlooking the Tennessee River. Works are available for purchase.

Coming South on I-65 from Kentucky

Capital Arts Alliance
416 East Main St.
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Phone: 270-782-ARTS

Bowling Green's Capital Arts Center sponsors two exhibits each month. In early June, the center will feature painting and sculpture from local artists in the Houchen's gallery and paintings by local artists in the Mezzanine.
Memphis Marcia's, a gallery owned by a local artist, which also features other local artists as well as her own is just down the road in Fountain Square. This gallery offers sculpture, modern mixed media, and contemporary art.
Lot 916 offers both a broad variety of artwork for sale as well as a myriad of unique objects. Visitors can feast their eyes on local jewelry, Spanish soaps and many other distinctive gifts.

Coming West on I-40 from East Tennessee

Carroll Reece Museum
East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, Tennessee 37614
Phone (423) 439-4392

The permanent collection of the Carroll Reece Museum consists of over 10,000 objects. Works by Picasso, Whistler, and Appel are intermingled with regional artists such as illustrator Harrison Cady, Kermit Ewing and Carl Sublett, as well as African- American artists Sammie Nicely and Bessie Harvey, and contemporary artists Eva Carter, Charles Lawson, and Andrew Moore.

Oak Ridge Art Center
201 Badger Road
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Phone: (865) 492-1441

The permanent collection of the Oak Ridge Art Center includes a wide variety of works representing both international and regional artists. The museum's collection primarily focuses on Abstract Expressionism works which reflect the cultural, political and societal upheaval of the early twentieth century. The center also hosts new exhibits every six weeks that try to expose viewers to a myriad of styles, techniques, content and media. Admission is free.

Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive
Smithville TN 37166
Phone: (615) 597-6801 or (931) 372-3051

The Appalachian Center for Crafts, a unique facility emphasizing professional degree studies in traditional and contemporary fine craft in clay, fibers, glass, metals and wood, will be hosting its Summer Workshop Faculty Exhibition in early June through August 3rd. Both functional and conceptual art and fine craft in blacksmithing, clay, fibers, glass, metals, wood, and mixed media will be featured.
An ever-present attraction of the center is the assortment of extremely diverse sales galleries housed here. The Gallery, as it is referred to, represents traditional and contemporary fine craft by Craft Center faculty, resident artists, advanced students and over 100 regional artists and craftspeople. For sale, at the gallery, are hand-blown glass works, functional pottery and sculptural ceramics, jewelry, traditional and contemporary furniture, decorative metals and ironwork, children's handmade puppets, quilts, handmade clocks, lamps & candles, woodcarvings and turned bowls.

Coming West on I-40 from North Carolina

Southern Highland Craft Guild
Milepost 382
Post Office Box 9545
Asheville, NC 28815
Phone: (828) 298-7928

The Southern Highland Craft Guild is an educational organization of more than 800 craftspeople living and working in the mountainous regions of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The Guild offers a permanent collection gallery of two hundred art works that illustrate some of the best examples of southern Appalachian art. Visitors will see woodcarving, textiles, furniture, basketry, pottery, dolls, and other crafts created from 1855 to the late 20th century.
In early June, the Guild will be exhibiting traditional woodwork objects created by craftspeople of the eastern United States and Sweden. Chairs, cabinets, bowls, boxes and tools will be included and a complete chair maker's workshop will be presented via multimedia.