Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Monthaven Arts And Cultural Center In Hendersonville, Tenn. Adds Two New Directors.

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (May 17, 2022) The Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) has hired two new directors for its growing organization. Celeste Davidson, a veteran Sumner County business owner, will lead the MACC’s fundraising operations as director of development. Eva Rabin, a West Coast artist who trained in the United Kingdom, will take over as education director. 

“The MACC has experienced unbelievable growth in the past few years, with more than 600 students now studying art at Monthaven,” says MACC Executive Director Cheryl Strichik. “Celeste and Eva will both play important roles in helping the MACC manage and continue this development as we move forward.”

Davidson brings a wealth of business experience to her new post. As the former owner of The Go Go Gourmet in Gallatin, Tenn., Davidson was responsible for planning and executing major events. She also managed her organization’s client database. Prior to launching her own venture, she worked as chief operating officer of Nashville’s Educational Marketing Group. While there, she helped design and implement corporate strategies for this multi-million-dollar firm. She also assisted the CEO in fundraising. At the MACC, Davidson will oversee fundraising strategy and be responsible for planning and executing the organization’s annual campaign. 

Rabin comes to the MACC from Los Angeles. She enjoys many things—traveling, art, history, reading and documentaries. She credits her eclectic interests as the foundation of her inquisitiveness. At the root of her work is the continual exploration to find meaning and understanding in both the present and the past.

While a student at Smith College, where she studied History and Studio Art, she spent a year abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. After graduating from Smith, she returned to the UK and graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BA in Three-Dimensional Design. In 2017, she graduated from the MFA Applied Craft + Design program in Portland, Oregon. As education director, she will develop new curricula for the MACC and oversee the organization’s fast-growing education programming.

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) is a jewel-box art museum and education facility housed in one of Tennessee’s most spectacular antebellum mansions. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MACC has staged exhibitions featuring everything from the ceramic art of Pablo Picasso to the evening gowns of Princess Diana. The artwork of local artists and military veterans are also on frequent display. As an art school, the MACC offers classes to more than 600 children and adults each year. The MACC also provides free arts outreach and healing arts to underserved children, families and military veterans. For more information, visit www.monthavenartsandculturalcenter.com or call (615) 822-0789.

Kaylin Warden

External Affairs Coordinator

Kaylin Warden joined the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center staff in 2024 as External Affairs Coordinator. In this post, she organizes special off-site events and manages the organization’s external communications. She also works with the development department by updating the MACC’s customer relations database, and she assists the executive director in setting up exhibitions. Above all else, Kaylin is passionate about the arts. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is now pursuing a master’s degree in art history. When she’s not at the MACC, you can find her reading her favorite books (especially ones dealing with maritime mysteries), cooking, gardening, playing with her cat and two dogs, and cheering for the Nashville Predators.

Ruth Chase

Regional Arts Director
Ruth Chase is the Regional Arts Director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, joining the team in 2023. For Ruth, the job is all about community, bringing people together to uplift and educate artists and art lovers alike. Her role at Monthaven is to strengthen the local artist community and build connections that will enrich Hendersonville and our surrounding communities through art exhibitions, art education, and opportunities for regional artists.
 
Prior to joining Monthaven, Ruth worked in the arts for over 30 years and is a multimedia artist and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. Her artistic practice is inquiry-based and engages in community bridge-building. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles, curated and juried exhibitions, and has taught at the Crocker Art Museum.
 
Ruth was awarded an Artist-in-Residence for Artist Activating Communities through a grant from the California Arts Council for three consecutive years. Her film Belonging screened at both the 18th Annual Nevada City Film Festival and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. She has received the Legendary Female Artist of Venice award, and she has exhibited in The Crocker Kingsley, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute. Ruth also continues her work as a Curatorial Consultant and Art director for the Californian Indigenous Research Project, where she has worked with the local tribe since 2018.