Nashville Visionaries Art Exhibit Features TSU Poets and Artists

by Barbara Olivis                                                                                          

            As some may know, Nashville Visionaries debuted their new exhibit January 31st, and I highly encourage everyone to check it out! The opening featured a DJ, various forms of artistry, as well as an opening speech by the director of the event Curtis Pope.

            The exhibit features a huge array of different art forms. The room is completely filled with color and personality, with each different artist bringing a different message to the table. Curtis Pope revealed to the audience that there was 73 artists in the show with contributions from TSU's Art and English majors, and local artists in general. He estimated that there were over 300 pieces of art in the exhibit total. 

            Art forms in the exhibit include: paintings, line drawings, photography, signs, sculptures, poetry and more! One of the main things stood out at the showcase is a pool that is filled with clear balls and a sign that asks everyone to write what they envision for Nashville's future. Though, this art piece was creative, I also enjoyed the different messages that adorned the room centering on feminism, sustainability, racial pride, and politics within the art.

            Even though an influx of people came into the exhibit about thirty minutes early, Pope did not hesitate to introduce the idea behind the exhibit. “This show is a conceptual art project. In conceptual art there are two major characteristics, one characteristic is the use of text; the second characteristic is the characteristic of art as instructions. So this particular show is the result of me giving instruction to local artists to make artworks about what they envision for themselves, the world, or the community of Nashville.”

            

           The “Spirit of the South” art exhibit is exquisite! The art there is so multidimensional, and so inclusive, that it allows for people like myself, that aren’t art connoisseurs, to see the beauty, significance, and the messages behind the art clearly.
            The exhibit runs through March 25 in the Hiram Van Gordon Gallery in Elliot Hall. 

Other Events in LLP  this Week:
African American Read In, 12:30-1:30p, Friday, Feb. 8, Room 113, Humanities Building
GSA Pride Training Friday, 9a - 12p, Feb. 8, Room 113, Humanities Building