Nashville Disaster Sparks Creative Thinking
Jun
21
Written by:
6/21/2010 5:29 PM
Nashville may lack a cohesive gallery district like New York's Chelsea, or Canyon Road in Santa Fe, but that does not mean that the arts scene here is lacking in cohesion and creativity. A recent benefit for Finer Things Gallery, located above Rusty Wolfe's floded studio (reported in earlier blog posts) and run by Rusty's wife Kim Brooks is evidence that the creative community here pulls together. The benefit was held in a space run by a competing gallery, The Arts Company in their "Avant Garage" that adjoins the gallery.
Basically, Kim curated and installed a show of her gallery artists, many of whom donated the works for the benefit. Kim told me, "it feels good to be able to do what I know how to do - to put together a show." The benefit was reminiscent of the Nashville Symphony's response to the Louisiana Philharmonic after Hurricane Katrina. Rather than play a benefit concert and send the money to New Orleans, they brought the members of the orchestra from wherever they had evacuated around the country to Nashville to play their own benefit concert. it was the first time the musicians had played together since Katrina.
The benefit for Finer Things was well-attended and by all reports, financially successful. It will be followed by similar benefit shows hosted by other members of the Nashville Art Dealers' Association (NADA). While I am sure that the money generated by this benefit is most welcome, I would not underestimate the value of an opportunity to do something creative to help with ones own recovery from disaster. Cleaning up mud and mold is nasty, and a steady diet can be depressing. We have to find ways to survive creatively. Hooray for those who come up with ways like these to let artists, musicians, and other creative types (like gallerists) spread their wings, even in the face of a disaster!
Read more about the event in the Nashville Tennessean.