Visual Arts Gallery
The Visual Arts Gallery will exhibit regional, national and international artists. Exhibitions are designed to promote aesthetic awareness and visual art education.
TACA Biennial Exhibition
Free. Visual Arts Gallery. All Galleries. With six chapters and hundreds of members across Tennessee,
TACA (Tennessee Association of Craft Artists) is
one of the state's largest and most acclaimed artists' associations.
In the Middle Tennessee area, the chapter that
represents those artists involved is the Cumberland Valley
TACA (CV-TACA). Most people in the area know of TACA
through the annual craft fair held at Centennial Park in
Nashville, which is actually a potential showcase for a
member of any TACA chapter. It is at this exhibit that people
are exposed to the hand-worked pieces of individual
craft artists. The work ranges in media from wood to metal
to glass and almost everything in between. Many of them
work within traditions of materials and processes using that
framework to create something new and unique to their
own style and concepts. Cumberland Valley TACA always
plays a large
role in the festival
due to its
association
with the area,
but it also plays
a role in
smaller exhibitions
around the
area, often times
individual representatives, but sometimes as a small grouping.
The Renaissance Center is pleased to be a host for a
new exhibition to be held every other year in the halls and
on the walls of the center. Cumberland Valley TACA will
have the opportunity to showcase itself and its individual
artists, exhibiting together as a group, under the significantly
sized roof of the center allowing for a special viewing
of their crafts. On very few occasions has the center given
the entire space to one exhibit, though due to the size and
nature of CV-TACA this is one of those occasions. With an
immense number of members each creating works, which
either sit on a base or hang from a wall, it is a chapter full of
artists creating beautiful works of art at an extremely high
quality. Over the years the center has been fortunate to
work with members on a singular basis, but never as a
whole. So while this will be a new exhibit for the chapter, it
will also be a new experience for The Renaissance Center.
Each artist will create pieces that will be juried for entry to
the exhibition. What this produces is a visual display of
work that has been chosen as the best of the best, the
highest quality work felt fit for display and representation of
CV-TACA. Working closely with Cumberland Valley TACA
and its members, the galleries of The Renaissance Center
are pleased to bring its viewers the first biennial exhibition
for this talented association of artists and craftsmen. More...
Aug 19 - Sep 20
8th Annual Artstock to benefit the Humane Society of Dickson County
$15. Visual Arts Gallery. Art by many area artists will be on display in The Renaissance
Center Sept. 22-27 and then sold in a live auction
at the end of the week in the 8th Annual Artstock to benefit
the Humane Society of
Dickson County. Paintings,
drawings, photographs and
sculptures have been featured
in previous Artstock
auctions. Supporters will be
able to view the works and
place bids on the pieces
throughout the week, then
they will be sold in a live auction
beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday,
Sept. 27. It promises
to be a PAWsitively wonderful
evening! For more information
on the 8th Annual Artstock
or to purchase tickets,
contact the Humane Society
of Dickson County at (615)
446-PETS or visit humanesocietyofdickson.org.
Sep 27 - Sep 27
10th annual Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit
Free. Visual Arts Gallery. Each year the walls of The Renaissance Center host an
annual exhibition that often introduces new artists and
sometimes re-familiarizes us with ones from throughout
the Southeast. This year is of course special since it
commemorates the 10-year anniversary of this exhibition.
Once again a call for entries is mailed to artists, universities,
galleries and individuals in the 11 states throughout
the Southeast United States and from those entries a selected
guest juror will decide which works will adorn the
walls and pedestals of this exhibition. The Renaissance
Regional Art Exhibit (RRAE) has become a distinct tradition
in the tenure of the center. During the year patrons
and artists continue to ask about the exhibit, and during
the year many of us at the center anxiously await its arrival.
One of the things that makes this exhibit so special
is that level of interest. Over the calendar year there are
many exhibits and opportunities for viewing art at the
center. These shows have varied levels of interest normally
due to artist location, genre, medium and exhibition
dates. While there is a clear mark that the galleries are a
draw for local arts and are growing throughout the region
- there is also the comfort of knowing that each year this
exhibit exposes new viewers and makers of the arts to
the educationally artistic efforts of The Renaissance Center.
But specifically special is that these viewers then
continue to return and add to the growth of the ideas and
vision of the fine arts at the center. Last year the entries
for the exhibit broadened its scope of acceptance into
artists whose works are digital submissions and video or
digital format. This shift helps align the RRAE with other
exhibits across the country that have attempted to be as
all-inclusive as possible and continue to expose their
viewing audience to the best artwork available, no matter
the medium or genre. With that sense of direction and
growth, this year's RRAE seeks to continue moving forward
and bring to our viewers the best the Southeast has
to artistically offer.
Oct 2 - Nov 15
2nd Annual Graduate Exhibition
Free. North Wing Gallery. For the second year during the RRAE, the North Wing
Gallery space will be home to the work of an emerging
young artist from within the state. This exhibit specifically
targets universities that have a Fine Arts program granting
degrees within the boundaries of Tennessee. Students
who are completing or just have completed the art
degree requirements at those institutions have the opportunity
to submit work and have it juried for the chance to
display in a solo exhibition at The Renaissance Center.
This is a fairly new exhibit
here at the center. Jaime
Raybin, last year's recipient,
is an alumnus of
Watkins College of Art in
Nashville and was the inaugural
artist for this annual
exhibition. There is
actually a tradition in
which one can find the
basis for this exhibit. It
lies within the long history
of artistic institutions,
most notably in France
and England, as arts universities
annually
awarded a top prize to
their most achieved students.
This student was often chosen by his instructors or an outside artisan and
generally from work seen in a student exhibition. It was
the exhibition that led to the honor; in this case it is the
exhibition that is the honor. The goal of this exhibit is directly
on track with the educational goals of the arts programming
at The Renaissance Center as the chosen
student is being awarded not just for the strength of his
or her work, but also a commitment to the successful
completion of a degree program. While many students
graduate from school and spend the next year or more
searching for a gallery willing to give them an exhibition
of their work, this is an immediate opportunity to become
active in art-making and show in a professional arena.
Just as these students are being given the chance to display
their work for the first time, the patrons of the center
are also given the chance to view that work and be witness
to the birth of a new artistic career.
Oct 2 - Nov 15
Sew Delightful Quilt Guild
Free. Rotunda Gallery. One of the delights of the exhibition schedule at The Renaissance
Center each year is those exhibits that allow us
to work directly with members of the community. The Sew
Delightful Quilt Guild is a group of quilters from the Middle
Tennessee area who frequently work and exhibit together.
As they have done for the past three years they are bringing
a special three-day exhibit to the hallways of the center.
Quilts are objects to which we generally have a
uniquely personal relationship, often within our home or
the home of others. Though many of us never get the opportunity
to view a mass of these artistically functional objects
within the same space. What is so special about this
exhibit is the traditional presentation of the pieces, the historic
and traditional context of processes and forms, and
the truly artistic nature in which they are approached, promoted
and presented. While you may have never engaged
quilting on this level, there is something for
everyone in this exhibition. The days are filled with educational
opportunities, vendors and even old-fashioned quilt
turnings. The connection to the past is here as well. Many
quilts are handed down from generation to generation
while others are throwbacks to traditional styles created
long ago. But the new is not forgotten, as there are young
quilters and new methods that are constantly being explored.
All will be on view for our patrons and quilting aficionados
- old and new. If you or anyone you know is
interested in exhibiting a quilt, please contact Elva Gentry
at (615) 446-4041 or Fay Davidson (Granny B's Quilt
Shop) at (615) 441-3884.
Oct 9 - Oct 11
AIDS Memorial Quilt
Free. Rotunda Gallery. For the fifth year, panels from the internationally recognized
AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed at The Renaissance
Center in a special one-day exhibit to observe
World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is
the world's largest community art project consisting of
thousands of quilt panels, each memorializing a victim of
the AIDS epidemic. The NAMES Project Foundation coordinates
the quilt project that has panels in traveling displays
serving as memorials and to raise awareness in the
battle against AIDS. This tradition at The Renaissance
Center is a positive step in the ongoing battle to promote
awareness and education in response to the global AIDS
epidemic. This year's reception will once again feature locally
renowned choir Nashville in Harmony, a 52-member
mixed soprano/alto/tenor/bass chorus comprised of
members and supporters of Middle Tennessee's GLBT
community. A special reception will be held 7-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1.
Dec 1 - Dec 1
10th annual Little Masters Art Exhibit
Free. Visual Arts Gallery. Once again The Renaissance Center will partner with
public schools from Dickson County to coordinate an exhibit
for the Visual Arts Gallery. In conjunction with the
schools, a theme is chosen and the students spend the
months and weeks prior to the exhibit creating pieces
surrounding that theme. Each year the varying theme allows
for a range of works to manifest themselves. Last
year the schools decided to honor the memory of local
artist Burnard Wiley with their creations. Looking at his
images taken from the Dickson area, the students created
works based on places in the community that had
importance, either personally or publicly. It is this diversity
of image making and ideas that is encouraged and
fostered by working alongside educators to help develop
programs such as this, that give the opportunity to incorporate
new activities into the classroom. As an increased
art effort is being promoted in schools across the country,
this program strives to keep our community schools
in the forefront of the movement. Students not only learn
to continue being creative, but do it within an educational
framework where the outcome is a clear goal: the exhibition.
It also shows to students the inherent career possibilities
within the creative arts. With this annual effort,
Dickson County public schools and The Renaissance
Center strive to educate and promote arts awareness for
all students and blossoming young artists while allowing
them the chance to exhibit in a professional setting. A reception
will be held 12-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, immediately
following the 9th annual Children's Christmas
Workshop and prior to the Mind Enriching Theatre series
production of Seussical.
Dec 3 - Jan 10
Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart Exhibit
Free. East Wing Gallery. A recent transplant to the Nashville area, Jennifer
Stoneking-Stewart comes with a wealth of knowledge,
talent and a background that fits nicely into the educational
goals of The Renaissance Center. As a Bachelor
of Fine Arts graduate of the University of Tennessee-
Knoxville and a Masters of Fine Arts graduate of Clemson
University, she eventually landed in Talbott, Tenn.,
and began teaching at Carson-Newman College and
Walters State Community College. An instructor of Art
History, Art Appreciation and Printmaking, she is now an
instructor of Printmaking and Drawing at Belmont University.
A background such as Stoneking-Stewart's is not
exactly rare in the world of art education. Instructors
often move around until they find a place where they can
settle and begin to make artwork but also teach at a fulltime
level to support their needs and be productive in
their efforts. What is rare about her background, though,
is her dedication to the craft of printmaking and her experiments
in other media. This is evident in her prints, as
they move fluidly throughout the piece from one process
to the next seeming to become a history of printmaking
contained in a single image. Stoneking-Stewart's ability
to transcend the simple process of an almost archaic
process such as printmaking and imbue it with new energy
is a delight to find in each image. What one realizes
is that it's not just her ability to speak within the medium
that gives the work value, but also her ability to pull from
the outside world. Images begin to reference mapping,
biology, cityscapes and even still life that speak to the
beginnings of referential art. While each image or grouping
has its own unique set of ideas, what binds them all
is the strength to which each is produced. Stoneking-
Stewart's technical expertise comes through in each
image and it becomes clear why her path into education
is a natural fit for this artist. It is a true opportunity to see
an artist that has gained such a mastery over her technique
so quickly. One can only imagine that her instruction
in printmaking is equally as impressive. Important,
though, is the tradition that this falls within. As Renaissance
printmakers once took apprentices to pass down
their craft, here it is done within the university. As The
Renaissance Center continues its goals to educate
within the fine arts, it is a pleasure to find an artist that
works within that tradition.
Dec 3 - Jan 10
The Renaissance Center Children's Art Exhibition
Free. North Wing Gallery. Each year the students of The Renaissance Center have
the opportunity to showcase their artwork for the pleasure
of family, friends and the everyday occupants of the center.
This occurs at multiple times throughout the year, but
each time there is a different group of artists with different
work, and sometimes even new classes. There is one
group though that is near and dear to the hearts of so
many in our community: the children. Our children's art
classes at the center take up the majority of the art instruction,
whether it is through private or class-based instruction.
They often stay with us for years, moving from
one class to the next, becoming more and more advanced
as they move along. It is often a delight for our instructors,
as they see students reach new levels within
their work, learn something new, or achieve a goal for the
first time. Excited children greet their teachers with hugs
and parents with gifts of newly created pieces of art on an
almost daily basis. This exhibition allows those children's
art classes the chance to do this on a significantly larger
scale. In the North Wing Gallery and Display Cases,
classes from drawing or painting to Native American art
will be showcased, focusing on children's art. While this is
not a new exhibit, it is a perfect opportunity to bring it
back to The Renaissance Center alongside the 10th annual
Little Master's Art Exhibit and celebrate the talents
and endeavors of our youngest community members.
Dec 3 - Jan 10
View a 360º IPIX Image of the Visual Arts Gallery
An IPIX image is a 360º x 360º view. In other words, you can look up, down, and all the way around you as you view the image in the IPIX viewer. If you’ve never seen an IPIX image before, you probably will need to download the IPIX viewer. Two versions are available of the image. The low resolution version is only about 65KB, so it should download in less than 40 seconds over a 28.8 modem. The high resolution version is about 185KB, so it should download in less than two minutes over a 28.8 modem. It takes longer, but the image is more clear. If you need to download the IPIX viewer, hop on over to www.ipix.com/photo_support/download/plugin.shtml.
Low resolution IPIX | High resolution IPIX | More IPIX Images of the Center
| News | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | Expiration | Headline |
| 8/6/2008 | 9/20/2008 | Crafts to fill Renaissance Center for TACA biennial display |