Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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TENNESSEE ARTIST LISA JENNINGS SHOWCASES HER LATEST WORKS AT THE MONTHAVEN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER’S PAPILLON GALLERY

Media Inquiries:

Ruth Chase: [email protected]
(530) 409-2330

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (July 16, 2024) – This summer, one of Tennessee’s most distinctive and original visual artists will stage her first solo exhibition at the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center’s Papillon Gallery. Artist Lisa Jennings has titled her exhibit On the Wings of Blessings. The show, which features paintings, journals, sculptures and mixed-media works created over the past five years, runs Aug. 3 to Sept. 29, 2024.

“It is a thrill to introduce the art of Lisa Jennings to our Monthaven visitors,” says MACC Regional Art Director Ruth Chase. “Lisa’s paintings, sculptures and journals make deep spiritual connections to nature. I think visitors to Papillon Gallery are going to love them.”
A Pennsylvania native, Jennings moved to Nashville at age 15 and graduated from Dupont Senior High School as an art honors student. She studied graphic design at Nashville State Tech and Nōssi College of Art and then worked in Nashville’s print industry. In the late 1990s, Jenning threw caution to the wind when she decided to become a full-time independent artist. Around this same time, she met her future husband, the noted artist Anton Weiss, who had been a protégé of the abstract expressionist painter Hans Hofmann. Jennings attributes much of her development as an artist to Weiss’ influence and support.

As a painter, Jennings creates works that draw heavily on primitivism, symbolism and collage. She points to the horses in her painting “Greener Pastures,” which will be on display at Papillon Gallery, as an example of her approach to primitivism. The horses appear as simple outlines on a soft green landscape. Similarly, many of her wood-and-stone sculptures come across as primitive totemic figures. Her sculpture “The Spirit of the Forest” calls to mind a mysterious shaman. All the works in the exhibit reveal a deep and abiding love for nature.
It’s worth noting that the works in this exhibit were all created over the past five years, which has been a period of heartache and change for Jennings. Her mother passed away during this time, as did her husband Anton Weiss. In finding the inspiration to create these new works, Jennings demonstrates both the power of art and the resilience of the human spirit.

An opening reception for On the Wings of Blessings will be Saturday, Aug. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Jennings will present an Artist Talk about her exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The evening will include refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artist and ask questions about her work and process.

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 900 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.

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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.