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10 great places for big town art -Southern style
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While big cities like New York, LA and Chicago all seem to get top billing when it comes to major art exhibitions, certain Southern towns also deserve mention. In no particular order,here are ten great Southern hot spots for art.
Lexington, Kentucky has several surprises for the art smart. Currently, the UK Art Museum is hosting Excavating Egypt, a major exhibit from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London. Lexington also hosts the annual Nude Exhibit, a national juried show, at the Lexington Art League each January. Countless community happenings are also a constant such as Gallery Hop, Thursday Night Live downtown, the Woodland Art Fair and Mayfest, to highlight a few.
Louisville, Kentucky is home of the Speed Art Museum . Currently on display at the museum is the Dorothy and Herbert Vogel collection, Fifty Works For Fifty States. Louisville is also employing a rather novel, if not a bit of a guerrilla approach toward public art displays in its bus shelters. Replacing the in-your-face ads for eye surgeries, legal services, and other ubiquitous visual noise are images of art and poetry. Hooray! Public enlightenment for the masses!
Savannah, Georgia is home of the Savannah College of Art and SCAD. SCAD's major exhibit on display June 1 through December 31, 2009 include works by Picasso, de Kooning, Jasper Johns, Romare Bearden and several others. The Telfair Museum has a rather ambitious approach to public art enhancement with its commitment to host a new exhibition every 8 to 12 weeks and that in addition to the several thousand works in its permanent collection. Savannah also boasts its City Market experience the "Art and Soul of Savannah". Much more than a place for a nice ghost story in a garden.
Charlotte, North Carolina can now boast huge urban renewal. NoDa has replaced questionable vocational practices on Trade and Tryon streets with numerous and varied art galleries and organizations. Charlotte is also home to the Mint Museum which is currently undergoing new construction scheduled to be completed in 2010.
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photo Nashville.gov
Nashville, Tennessee is a cozy little art spot with Southern sophistication. Outsider art fans will be delighted to know about Art Through The Eyes of Autism on display now though July 31 at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Nashville also has the Fisk University Galleries, for those who are fans of artists such as Georgia O'Keefe, Cezanne, Renoir and photographer Alfred Stieglitz.. Nashville also has the Parthenon , a full-scale replica of the original, which houses a 40-foot statue of Athena.
Charleston, South Carolina is home to America's first museum. Founded in1773, The Charleston Museum's mission statement is "to preserve and interpret the cultural and natural history of Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry." On site are its two preserved National Historic Landmark houses. Charleston has long been known for its rich history but few are aware that it can boast a first museum.
St. Petersburg, Florida boasts the Salvadore Dali Museum. For fans of surrealism this is a must see. The Dali Museum is home to the world's largest collection of works by the Spanish artist. Collected over a 45-year period by Eleanor Morse and A. Reynolds Morse, the museum houses 96 oil paintings by Dali.
New Orleans, Louisiana is still home to the New Orleans Museum of Art or NOMA . Even after hurricane Katrina, the museum has an impressive collection of over 45,000 works of art valued at over $200 million. Yet another hurricane survivor is the five acre Sidney and Walden Bestoff Sculpture Garden with over 50 sculptures situated along a landscaped footpath. With a history of more than 90 years, the museum continues to "exhibit, interpret and preserve works of art from ancient to modern times".
Birmingham, Alabama Currently featured on display are sculptural works created from found objects by Charles Lucas. Also works by Mary Lucier who is considered a pioneer in the field of using videos as an art form. Coming in October 2009 on loan from the Yale University Art Gallery is the exhibition entitled Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
.Washington, DC Yes, indeed, Washington DC is south of the Mason-Dixon. The obvious mention is, of course, the Smithsonian Institute and all of its encompassing wonders in and around the Mall commons.
photo Smithsonian Information Center
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