Media Inquiries:
Cheryl Strichik: [email protected]
(615) 293-3767
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 28, 2025) – Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center will present a major group exhibition celebrating Black history this February. The exhibit, titled Black Vibrations, runs Feb. 22 to Mar. 23, 2025 and will feature 56 works by more than a dozen Middle Tennessee-area Black artists. Donna Woodley, an art instructor at Tennessee State University, will curate the exhibition.
“One of Monthaven’s most important missions is to promote the art our most gifted regional artists,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director. “So, we are thrilled to introduce more than a dozen of these artists to our audience. I think people are going to love these colorful and powerful artworks.”
Black Vibrations is a bold celebration and exploration of the complexity of Black experience, history and culture. This group exhibition is a harmony of works by Black artists from different backgrounds and generations and serves as a platform for the celebration of Black history.
The title Black Vibrations derives from the idea that although the familiarities that reside within Black culture are beautiful and celebratory, Blackness is not a monolith. It is an oscillating and dynamic state of being with a pulse that beats life, joy, resistance, celebration, creativity, similarities and differences. Just as sound vibrations travel, reverberating across space and time, so too do the legacies of Black communities and their continuous contributions to global culture. Each artwork in this exhibition, whether through color, texture or form, sends out a powerful vibrational frequency that calls for reflection, engagement, and dialogue.
The opening reception for Black Vibration will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22. Artists in the exhibit include Omari Booker, Samuel Dunson, Leroy Hodges, Barbara Hodges, Michael McBride, Rod McGaha, Ashley Mintz, Lakesha Calvin, Michael Mucker, Shadale Smith, Trica Townes, Nadine Shillingford and XPayne.
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 1,000 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.