Nashville for Free

This is part of the “Femme Fatale” film series that goes with Tracey Snelling’s “Woman on the Run” exhibit at the Frist (which is REALLY cool). As for the film it’s about Walter Neff, an insurance agent, and Phyllis Dietrichson, a greedy blonde bombshell, who plot to bump off Phyllis’ husband and collect the premiums. Leaving behind the standard New York setting of lower-class crime, this definitive film-noir of the 1940s takes place in a California of shady streets, supermarkets, and stucco houses. Stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. Directed by Billy Wilder, 1944.

The whole thing gets started at 7pm and is not rated. Oh, and save room for some of their free popcorn!

-Emily

A little-known fact about me is that I go nuts for art history, especially pre-17th century European stuff. You could then see why I’d be incredibly pumped about the new exhibit in the Frist – Northern Renaissance Art. Oh yeah, give me paintings by some old dudes with “van” in their names and I’m a happy camper.

Well, last night the Frist had a lecture about their Egyptian exhibit, and tonight they’re having a lecture on their other exhibit. It’s called “Picturing Faith and Telling Tales: Northern Renaissance Art” and it starts at 6:30pm sharp. You know, which is why that’s the title of this blog post. Anyway, let me just post the official event description:

Northern European art of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries was characterized by exquisite craftsmanship and didactic intent. Netherlandish and German masters mixed technical virtuosity with inventive pictorial strategies designed to stimulate memory. Paintings, such as those on view in A Divine Light: Northern Renaissance Paintings from the Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery, were practical and beautiful devotional aids used for spiritual betterment. Such paintings could be found in churches as well as private homes. This lecture will explore the revolutionary paintings of artists Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden, among others, that transformed European art.

I love events like this because it helps people who are more analytically-minded appreciate art. I mean, I could never really appreciate art, especially older stuff, until I learned how it was used. Van Eyck  and Hans Holbein were boring names that I had to know until I learned the history surrounding them. The amazing detail in their paintings (like the artist in the mirror in the picture shown) to anamorphic skulls, the more you know the more you see. So if you have a hard time “getting” art when you’re just strolling through a gallery you should seriously consider checking out a lecture. Like this one, perhaps.

-Emily

Haven’t you heard? The Frist has two really cool exhibits right now, and one of them involves ancient Egypt and mummies! As usual the Frist is hosting a few events to add to the experience of the exhibit, one of which is a lecture tonight at 6:30pm. It involves mummies and tomb robbery.

Sadly this isn’t about Indiana Jones, but it should still be pretty good. Here’s the gist: everyone knows that Egyptians went to extreme lengths to preserve bodies – it’s what mummification was all about. But why? Let’s see what the official event description has to say…

In this talk, Egyptologist Dr. Kara Cooney, star of Planet Green’s “Out of Egypt” and consultant to the TV series “Lost,” will suggest that this degree of body preservation became popular because of the increased risk of tomb robbery. Investments in mummification may have provided psychological security for elites who intended to perfectly preserve for eternity the flesh and bones of the deceased, even if all their burial goods were stolen.

In case you stopped reading at the word “Lost” because you got overly excited and had to lay down, Cooney is going to explain why she thinks Egyptians went nuts over preservation. And it’s not so they could walk around museums with the night guards either.

-Emily

P.S., is it just me, or does it seem like this would have been an appropriate event for Halloween or the week preceding Halloween?

This is one of those great opportunities you have to see the actual artist speak about her work. This afternoon Vesna Pavlovi, whose work has been featured at the Frist since June. The exhibit features photographs taken in the artists’ native Serbia and the United States over the last two decades.

The talk starts at 2pm in the auditorium. First come first serve. Here’s the official event description:

Join Nashville-based artist Vesna Pavlovi? as she discusses some of her work presented in Projected Histories, an exhibition of her work on view in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery from June 24 through September 11. The exhibition includes photographs taken in Pavlovi?’s native Serbia and the United States during the last two decades. Focusing on architecture, as well as sites and events of cultural significance, these works examine the power of photography to project both self images and national ideologies, shaping the perception of history as an expression of the dreams and aspirations of others.

-Emily

In case you haven’t heard, the Frist has a really cool Andy Warhol exhibit right now, and in their typical fashion they’re having a few pretty cool events surrounding it. Last week they hosted a lecture that you had to plan your lunch hour around, but tonight at 6:30 (after work!) photographer Raeanne Rubenstein will be sharing some pictures of Andy and his crew and discussing them.

Here’s the description from the Weekly Highlights:

Raeanne Rubenstein became good friends with Warhol when they both lived and worked in NYC in the 1970s. For more than a decade she was a fixture at his Factory, both as friend and documentarian. On film, she captured Warhol with the legends of his day, from Federico Fellini and Lou Reed to Halston and Superstars Viva and Jackie Curtis. Tonight she’s going to share and discuss some of those pictures. If you’re a Warhol fan you do NOT want to miss this.

Warhol fans, celebrate! And attend!

-Emily

There are so many reasons to love the Frist. They’re kind of the only major art museum in the area, but thankfully they don’t coast on that. They also bring great lectures, films, and other event to compliment their diverse art collections, and today you can see their art for free.

Today’s free day is part of the Association of Art Museum Directors’ (AAMD) Art Museum Day which also falls on International Museum Day (it’s just a good day for museums dudes). There’s also a theme to go with today (museum and memory) and this is what the Frist has to say about it:

Participation by AAMD member museums emphasizes the lasting impact art museums have on their communities, highlights the value of the visual arts in society, and provides new opportunities for audiences to participate in the wide-ranging programs that art museums offer.

There are some pretty cool exhibits at the Frist today, and almost all of them are closing on May 29th, including Vishnu: Hinduism’s Blue Skinned Savior, Simen Johan: Until The Kingdom Comes and Hindu Home Shrines, so don’t hesitate any longer on seeing those.

-Emily

The past two Fridays I’ve done something that I’ve (surprisingly) never done before in my three years in Nashville: I went to films at the Frist.

It’s not that the movies have never struck my fancy. It’s not even that I wasn’t sure I could find anyone to go with. I’ve just been lazy about my Friday nights. “Hey,” I would think to myself, “I’ll just get in on Netflix.”

But I never do get the movies on Netflix. Never. And just like that, I miss out on seeing a potentially really good movie and free popcorn because I’m lazy.

All that has changed, my friends. As I mentioned before Matt and I have been going to the Strangeness of the Ordinary film series there that celebrates directors who were inspired by the photography of William Eggleston, whose work they currently have on display. Last week they screened Blue Velvet and this week it was Drugstore Cowboy.

Now let’s talk about the experience. You sit in a room with a not-huge but not-small projection screen filled with folding chairs. You get free popcorn. You can grab a seat cushion from the Frist but I suggest you bring your own (that’s a story for another time). The crowd is enthusiastic and respectful, and the only cost to you is the $3 or so that you pay for parking if you use their lot. The only negative thing I could think of is that I thought that Blue Velvet was a little loud.

As for the movies themselves, I enjoyed both Blue Velvet and Drugstore Cowboy, but I favored the later. Blue Velvet was a good movie and it really got me going after awhile, but it was a little slow for me. I have to give the Frist credit for their choices though, they didn’t pick films that wouldn’t piss anyone off. All three of the movies in this series (Virgin Suicides is next) are messed up. There’s drugs, there’s sex, there’s violence, there’s general “oh my god what the hell is going on here” weirdness all over the place. I’m sure a few of their donors wouldn’t approve, but the Frist is an art museum, and damnit, they’re going to pick the films that are art, not the films that are bubblegum.

I applaud you, Frist Center, and I look forward to joining you next Friday at 7pm for a screening of The Virgin Suicides.

-Emily

Alfred Hitchcock. The man knew how to scare people. He got inside our heads and made us terrified of the things that were just off the screen. It was all about psychology, the idea that the monster you create is sure to freak out you more than anything another person could spring upon you.

Alfred Hitchcock directed 66 full-feature films and shorts, including Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Dial “M” for Murder, and Rear Window.

The 1950 crime thriller Stage Fright might be best known for two things: a lying flashback and Christian Dior. That’s right, Christian Dior. Marlene Dietrich, the star of the film, refused to wear anything other than genuine Dior during filming. She wasn’t about to let herself be seen on film in anything less than glamorous couture.

That brings me to why this film was chosen by the Frist. As you may remember, right now the Frist has an exhibit called the Golden Age of Couture, and Marlene Dietrich’s wardrobe is a great example of what couture looked like in real life, how it moved on a person rather than how it sits on a mannequin.

As for the film’s plot, here’s what NetFlix says:

Alfred Hitchcock takes Selwyn Jepson’s novel, preserves all the thrills from the page and adds a dash of his own. Eve Gil (Jane Wyman), a drama student studying in London, learns that a friend, John Cooper (Richard Todd), has been implicated in the death of the husband of his lover, actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). John has a plan to prove himself innocent, but needs Eve’s help, not to mention her talent. Can they pull it off?

Free movies make for a great night out. This should be good. This event will take place at the Frist on Friday July 9th at at 7pm.

-Emily

What: Free Screening of The 300
When: Friday, March 12th at 7pm
Where: The auditorium at The Frist Center

The 300 is an epic movie. Not epic in the way Australia is or Gone with the Wind is, but epic in the sense that it’s really bad ass. I’ve never actually seen the whole movie, only the end, but it’s visually stunning, has a lot of really buff dudes, and has some intense fight scenes. I’m pretty sure I saw a dude get sliced right in half at one point, but I can’t be sure.

If you’re wondering why an art museum would be holding a free screening of The 300 you’re probably not alone. Right now at the Frist there’s an exhibit called Heroes, which features over 100 objects that represent Greek heroes (something I know way too much about for me to ever be considered cool). This is actually the 3rd of a 4 part film series being put on by the Frist. They’ve already shown Superman and Helen of Troy, and the next film will be To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my personal favorite movies.

About the movie:
This American action film based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel by the same title is a fictional retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae that took place in 480 BCE. Through larger-than-life scenes, 300 depicts the heroic and borderline impetuous Spartan Army and their struggle to preserve freedom and democracy. Led by King Leonidas, the Spartan’s small army of three hundred launches a battle against the much larger Persian military. Despite knowing their fate, the Greeks, who are joined by seven hundred Thespians, stand against the Persians for as long as they can in order to give the rest of Greece more time to prepare for the invasion. Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, and Rodrigo Santoro. Directed by Zack Snyder, 2007. 117 minutes. 35mm. Rated R.

• Thomas Hart Benton: An Epic Life at the Frist – 6pm
• Miller Made Music Showcase at Exit/In – 9pm more info here:http://short.to/10z05
• Edgehilll Village 3rd Thursday event – 5-8pm bring some extra shoeshttp://short.to/10yaq
• Believing in the Magic of the Season at Goodlettsville library – 6:30pm. Readings from Polar Express & Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree & more
• Gypsy Hombres at 12 South Taproom at 8:30pm
• Holiday Cocktail Mixer at O Gallery in the Arcade – 4-8pm. New gallery, drinks and refreshments.
• Third Thursday Special Event w/ Lisa Patton, Edie Maney and Evy McPherson at Nouveau Classics (3201 Belmont blvd) 6-9pmhttp://is.gd/5rmma