Music City, USA

I traveled to Nashville, TN, better known as MUSIC CITY, USA, with friend Karen several weeks ago. We had the great pleasure of staying with some friends I met recently. Richard and Kathryn were wonderful hosts and it was terrific to get better acquainted with them. 

Here is a glimpse of our quick weekend trip:

First stop was in downtown Nashville. Our destination was Hatch Show Print which is one of the oldest letterpress poster shops in the country. In business since 1879, Hatch is owned and operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame and has created art for Grand Ole Opry stars and performers associated with the country music scene. 

On the way to Hatch Show Print we passed some of the local color of Nashville.

One disclaimer! I am not a devotee of contemporary country music and the whole scene attached to it. But plenty of people are if the numbers of people roaming downtown Nashville are any indication! Broadway Street is loaded with honky tonks and bars of every variety and it looked like a 24/7 scene for the country music crowd.

It's a Nashville thing!

And a striking feature of downtown Nashville is the Music City Center, an enormous convention center that is brand new to the city. And I mean IT IS BIG.

And of course you cannot be in Nashville without coming across a tribute to The Man In Black!

Saturday: First stop  of the day was the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. The Frist Center is a significant architectural landmark in Nashville. It occupies what was the former downtown US Post Office. The building was constructed in 1933-34 and represents the most distinctive architectural style of the period, Art Deco. It was the perfect place to view the exhibit "Sensuous Steel: Art Deco Automobiles". The automobiles and motorcycles in the exhibit were built in the 1930's and 1940's and they are big and shiny and streamlined and luxurious.

The cars were lots of fun to see BUT I have to put in a plug for the other exhibit at the Frist. The artist is Vik Muniz and the exhibit title is "Garbage Matters". Vik Muniz constructs his "paintings" by assembling hundreds of pieces of post-industrial waste - garbage. The best way to see and understand the depth of what he is doing is by seeing the documentary on his work "Wasteland". I highly recommend it. It is enlightening and full of heart.

Next stop was The Parthenon, a full scale replica of the famous Greek temple in Nashville's Centennial Park.

It's Nashville: Gotta have MUSIC!

Sunday: Last stop was Cheekwood Art and Gardens. The Cheekwood mansion and it's 55 acres of grounds were once the home of Leslie Cheek and Mable Wood. This family is responsible for the Maxwell House brand of coffee and they played a significant part in the growth of Nashville. The Art Center and Gardens were opened to the public in 1960. Below are some shots of the garden areas.

Again, special thanks to Kathryn and Richard for providing a place to stay and for their very special company.

Thanks for looking.