Well, well, well … another year down and another chance to turn your entire world around for the better is yet again here for the taking. Most of you celebrated the holidays with those you love. Most of you made life-changing decisions; whether you admit to using the term ‘resolution’ or not. Most of you hit the rock slide going sideways for a brief out of boat experience moment in a canoe paddling down the Rio Grande near Santa Elena Canyon in between camping out under the stars and surrounded by various wild life to bring in the new year with incredible pizzazz. Wait; maybe the out of canoe experience in cold water to awaken all your senses instantly was just me and one other, but I do believe that we are all in a good spot when it comes to life, art, and a refreshing time of creativity for a new year and beginning all around.

Opening this year and piece, I’d like to go back to the basics; specifically, back to school if you will. No, I’m not taking any classes at the moment, but I’d love to shed a little light on Harpeth hall School and a very special exhibition opening this Thursday, January 6th, headed by the Director of their Marnie Sheridan Gallery, she of Marla Faith. The Marnie Sheridan Gallery at Harpeth Hall (3801 Hobbs Road, Nashville, TN) is pleased to present an exhibition of the art of Akira Blount and Jane Braddock. Braddock’s shimmering abstract paintings on lush, acrylic canvases have been exhibiting in private and corporate collections nationally for quite some time now. Sculptor Akira Blount, who often collaborates with her husband Larry on unique doll sculptures created from woods and other natural materials, has work in the permanent collections of the Louvre in Paris, the White House in DC, doll museums in Japan and Washington State, and the Tennessee State Museum, among others. Both artists are very unique in their own styles and rights and Harpeth Hall and the Nashville art world are honored to have both in one spot at the same time. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 8 am- 4:30 pm, and while this exhibition runs from January 6th-February 23rd, the public is invited to an opening reception for the artists above on Sunday, January 9th from 3-5 pm.

In order to continue some good things from last year and carry them on over to the new, leave it to the COOP Gallery in The Arcade, Space 75 to present another exhibition by New York artist Dave Hebb. The second of two exhibitions in the same location, this one is a two channel video work that documents landscapes over a long period of time that question the long-term global impact that industrialization has on the environment. The exhibit’s opening will be on Saturday, January 8th, and I think it is a perfect way to see just how what we are doing today has affected the past and throws us into the future.

And speaking of the future, this Saturday, January 8th, will also mark the First Saturday Art Crawl of 2011 which fortunately for us doesn’t appear to be leaving us without primo art and spirits any time soon. With a shuttle that makes frequent stops around all of the galleries that participate in the crawl from 6 pm -10 pm –including Art at the Arcade, located in the historic downtown Nashville Arcade accessible from 5th Avenue. Participating galleries include Twist Gallery (Arcade #73), BelArt Gallery (Arcade #56), Mir Gallery (Arcade #44), and other boutique galleries. Beyond 5th Avenue, Tennessee Art League (808 Broadway), Estel Gallery (115 Rosa L. Parks Blvd), and The Frist Center for the Visual Arts (919 Broadway)- there is never a dull moment for art enthusiasts of any age.

This Saturday, January 8th, Tinney Contemporary is ready to unveil New Works by Encaustic Artist Mary Long-Postal. With exhibition dates running from Jan. 8th-Jan. 30th, and an opening reception Jan. 8th, 6-9 pm, Tinney Contemporary is determined to beat the cold, bitter, and gray days of typical January weather by bringing the color and original wax encaustic style of Long-Postal’s paintings. Memphis-based, Long-Postal is more than excited to have her first solo show in Nashville. Self-taught and after showing her work nationally in such cities as New York City, Taos, and Santa Fe, who’s to say that her work won’t inspire you to do great things after witnessing the wonder she has made?

Who’s to say that all of the new works in all of the local Nashville art galleries won’t inspire you to be a better person all around this year? I know I won’t suggest anything other than the truth, and the truth is that good art does inspire a better way of life. It allows us to visually and mentally transform ourselves into the people we wish to become and the places we want to be. I hope that you have enjoyed the stories I’ve shared here before today, and I hope that this place can continue to be an oasis for you to visit and share with others who are searching for such inspiration.

May this year bring you loads of opportunity for positive personal growth, joy, insight, and hope along your own adventures that in turn make 2011 a truly great one to remember for the ages.

much love,
chUck

www.nashvillesheart.com