Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
Edit Content
Click on the Edit Content button to edit/add the content.
  • (615) 822-0789
Facebook Youtube Instagram Jki-envelope1-light
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
DONATE

MONTHAVEN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER SCORES BIG WITH ITS FOURTH ANNUAL MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS GALA

Media Inquiries:

Cheryl Strichik: [email protected]

(615) 293-3767

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MONTHAVEN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER SCORES BIG WITH ITS FOURTH ANNUAL MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS GALA

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (May 2, 2023) – Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) is pleased to announce that it far exceeded its fundraising goal for the Fourth Annual Moonlight and Magnolias Gala. The event, held April 27 at the Standard’s Smith House in Downtown Nashville and April 29 at the MACC’s Magnolia Cottage in Hendersonville, surpassed its original target of $200,000 with a final total of $311,425 raised. All proceeds from the fundraiser will support the MACC’s arts education, outreach and healing arts programs.

“The phenomenal success of this year’s Moonlight and Magnolias Gala proves once again that there is tremendous support for arts programming in Middle Tennessee,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director. “We are deeply grateful to all of our donors and partners for helping us make the arts available to everyone.”

The Fourth Annual Moonlight and Magnolias, chaired by Jim and Elizabeth Carmody, was an eventful fundraiser that opened with a pre-gala party on April 27 at The Standard. More than 100 art enthusiasts attended the event, which featured a special performance by popular Nashville vocalist Jonell Mosser. The pre-gala also included the MACC’s first-ever online auction. Visitors to the MACC’s website were able to bid on the works of such renowned artists as Michael Goddard, Romero Britto, Peter Max, and more. The MACC’s long-time partner Park West Gallery, which represents the artists, donated 100 percent the proceeds of the sales from the auction to support Monthaven’s arts programming.

The black-tie gala event on April 29 opened with visitors touring Monthaven Mansion to see the exhibit Shakers, Breakers & Music Makers, featuring the rock star portraits of Russian artist Stas Namin. One of the founders of Russian rock music, Namin was on hand to greet visitors. The evening’s main event took place at Magnolia Cottage, where 240 guests enjoyed an elegant three-course meal from Chef’s Market while listening to a lineup of speakers that included MACC Board Chairman Barry Ellis, Park West Founder and CEO Albert Scaglione and MACC Executive Director Cheryl Strichik. Lois Riggins-Ezzell, director emeritus of the Tennessee State Museum, was the evening’s keynote speaker. VIPs in the audience included Park West Corporate Secretary Mitsie Scaglione, Park West Foundation Executive Director Diane Pandolfi, and New York-based artist agent Gene Luntz.

John Block, executive vice president of Park West and a MACC board member, served as the evening’s compère and also led a live auction. Items in the auction included ocean cruises from Celebrity Cruises along with art from the Park West Gallery. Musical entertainment was provided by country singer-songwriter Wade Hayes and blues singer and instrumentalist Tullie Brae.

Moonlight and Magnolias weekend concluded April 30, with Namin engaging in an entertaining Q&A with Executive Director Strichik and 60 or so members of the audience. Namin remained afterward to sign catalogs and pictures. His exhibit at the MACC runs through June. 11.

Park West Gallery is the world’s largest private art dealer. The Gallery emphasizes its mission to bring art to everyone through its Park West Museum, a free-to-the-public art museum, open seven days a week, in Southfield, Michigan. Visitors can browse Park West’s private collections of original works by artists like Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Albrecht Dürer, Francisco Goya, Yaacov Agam, Salvador Dalí, Marcel Mouly, Michael Godard, Alexandre Renoir, and more. For more information about Park West Gallery, visit www.parkwestgallery.com.

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.monthavenarts.org or call (615) 822-0789.

Tagged

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.