Located right off of Broadway, in Nashville, the newly-opened Frist Center for Visual Arts seemed to draw quite a crowd the Saturday morning I visited it myself. Instead of entering the impressive front entrance, my accomplice and I took the back way in, past the ritzy-looking cafe and on into the long hallway.
Within the Frist, there are five displays: three on the main level and two upstairs. Of those, only two were able to hold my attention. Maybe I’m picky.
The first exhibit, Realms of Faith, from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, displayed Medieval and Byzantine artwork ranging from the 4th to 14th centuries. Many pieces in this collection were very interesting. I soon found, however, my greatest complaint about the Frist: the lighting was very poor.
Many pieces were small and extremely detailed, which one would think would need close lighting -- yet the lights were very far above every display, casting shadows on the signs which explained each piece of art; it became tiresome trying to read the explanations.
From the Realms exhibit, Joey and I wandered -- almost by accident -- into a second display, this one the Petah Coyne: Fairy Tales. This display gave me an eerie feeling. Perhaps the most creative of all exhibits at the Frist, Petah Coyne’s Fairy Tales struck me as odd: in a little white room, where we had to wear little hosipital booties, were three masses of matted horsehair arranged in some semblance of a figure.
From there, we went to the last display on the main level -- the Leaves of Gold exhibit, which displayed intricate illuminated manuscripts written by the hands of scribes in centuries past. By this time, I was frustrated enough with the poor lightning and mass amount of reading that we didn’t spend much time in this section of the museum.
Up the stairs, which Joey thought were cool and artistic, was the An Enduring Legacy exhibit, the current longest-running exhibit at the Frist right now. This gallery had not only paintings, but sculptures, photography and even furniture.
For the finale, Joey and I went to my favorite part of the Center: the ArtQuest gallery, made for children, but also loved by adults. This interactive section lets childern learn the basics of drawing -- such as lines, colors, shapes -- but also try to do it themselves. I made my first attempt at art by drawing my self-portrait; from there, I listened to music and drew what I felt.
The trip to the Frist Center for Visual Arts was alright. The most entertaing part was the children’s gallery. I recommend that if you enjoy studying and reading about pieces of art -- go visit the Frist. The museum provides so much information about the time periods and each piece itself, so it is definitely a learning experience.
Of course, you can go just to see the hair on the wall. Now that’s interesting.
Article prepared for web by Alicia Mayberry
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