Greetings from Nashville exhibit to open at Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at JMU

Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at James Madison University will open the group exhibition Greetings from Nashville on Tuesday, Jan 15.

The exhibit, curated by Gallery Director and Chief Curator, John Ros, will be on view through 23 February 2019. Featured artists include: Molly Barnes, Matt Christy, Marlos E’van, Jodi Hays, Armon Means.

The gallery will host Jodi Hays, Artist, MFA Program Director at Watkins College of Art (Nashville, TN) and Founder and Curator of DADU (Nashville, TN) during an exhibition reception on Monday, 28 January from 5-7pm. Jodi will give a lecture about her studio and curatorial practices on Tuesday, 29 January from 7-8pm in Duke Hall room 2036. Other programming will include a panel discussion on artist-run initiatives and the artist DIY movement featuring Jodi Hays (DADU); Jon Henry (Old Furnace Artist Residency); Rob Mertens (Modular Project Space); Katie Mills (Pop-Up Art Collective); John Ros, moderator (studioELL). An Artist Film Series and exhibition programming at Arts Council of the Valley will also accompany this multi-faceted exhibition.

Nashville, TN recently overtook Austin, TX as one of the fastest growing cities in the US.  Greetings from Nashville takes a look at what it means to be an artist in a growing city. Not only when it is advantageous to move to a growing city, but when a creative acts as a visionary on behalf of the larger community to build a better community for all. Barnes, Christy, E’van, Hays and Means have all, in their own ways, played roles in elevating the art scene of Nashville throughout the years. This exhibit is a visual conversation about community building and social awareness with a focus on symbol as activator and metaphor and will feature photos, cyanotypes, quilts, ceramics, sculpture and mixed-media paintings.