A slate of summer exhibitions highlight development and homelessness
It’s the middle of summer and the low ebb of the gallery-going season, but a handful of exhibitions closing out the dog days are worth braving the humidity. From a unique local perspective on development and demolition to displays by veterans and artists who’ve experienced homelessness, these shows all avoid the floral clichés of warm-weather commercial curation to ask tough questions and offer unique perspectives on our neighborhoods and our neighbors.
Peggy Snow Showcase Displayed at Gordon Jewish Community Center
Peggy Snow’s been painting Nashville’s relentlessly changeable streetscape for more than three decades. Abandoned buildings, historic structures threatened with demolition, and beloved blocks buried in tall-and-skinny domestic silos and multilevel-mixed-use monstrosities wrought from metal and glass. Snow has captured an archive of lost structures in a city that’s changed faster than most residents have been able to absorb. Across a career of canvases dabbed and streaked in her signature painterly style, Snow works roadside and on location. She’s a contemporary plein air artist who eschews the rivers and fields for the neighborhood streets and congested roadways that are the front lines of an ongoing battle to preserve our city’s architectural heritage. Snow painted the Rock Block before Gold Rush closed, Printer’s Alley before its boutique makeover, and firehouses and apartment buildings that are long gone, but not forgotten thanks to Snow. For Contributor readers who understand the cultural and human cost of the city’s relentless development, Snow’s practice looks increasingly prescient, even visionary. Snow’s work is on view at the Gordon Jewish Community Center through Sept. 21.
Daybreak Arts Presents ‘Perspective: How We Experience Art’
Daybreak Arts presents Perspective: How We Experience Art, a group exhibition at Arcade Arts’ Gallery 59. The exhibition spotlights work by artists who have experienced homelessness and are rebuilding their lives through creativity. More than just a show of so-called outsider art, Perspective is organized around three styles of art representing different modes of perception: realism, impressionism, and abstraction. Moving through the three separate gallery environments, visitors are presented with different ways of seeing the world. Interactive elements, artist demonstrations, and educational programming during the show’s run add to the conversation. “These artists demonstrate extraordinary talent and resilience,” said Daybreak Arts Executive Director Nicole Minyard, “inviting us to look beyond assumptions and recognize the creativity, humanity, and possibility within every individual.” Admission is free. Perspective opens Aug. 8 during the Second Saturday Art Crawl at Arcade Arts Gallery 59 and runs through Aug. 26, with open gallery hours Thursday through Sunday, 1–6 p.m. Go to daybreakarts.org for more information.
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center Hosts Eighth Annual Veterans Art Exhibition
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center’s eighth annual Veterans Art Exhibition is also a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The Contributor’s readers know the battles veterans can face from mental health challenges to addiction and homelessness. This year’s celebration reminds our neighbors of the sacrifices the few have made for the many, while also spotlighting the role that art can play when it comes to healing traumas both national and personal. For the Love of Liberty is a star-spangled display centered on the work of Michigan-based abstract painter Tim Yanke. The artist’s “Yanke Doodles” series reimagines the American flag in non-traditional colors representing the diverse cultures and communities that have made their home in this country. Other flag paintings incorporate Vietnam service ribbons in tribute to the veterans who served in that conflict. Nashville’s own Manuel will also exhibit his elaborately decorated state jackets in an installation that honors the original 13 colonies. Gallatin-based artist Don Olea will also display some of his knockout watercolor paintings celebrating the founding. Military veterans enrolled in the MACC’s Between the Lines healing arts program will display their own work in a companion exhibition titled I Didn’t Know How to Tell You. The show reminds viewers that veterans are overrepresented among our unhoused neighbors. For the Love of Liberty is on view at Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center through Sept. 6.
Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.