Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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A DIVINE APPOINTMENT EXHIBITION OPENS AT MONTHAVEN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER

Media Inquiries:

Cheryl Strichik: [email protected]
(615) 822-0789

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (April 14, 2025) – In celebration of the Easter Season, Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is presenting an original exhibition titled A Divine Appointment. The exhibit features 11 portraits of Jesus created by artist Dana Pettit in different styles of Western art. A 12th portrait suggests the Holy Spirit as seen through the lens of contemporary performance art. The exhibition runs April 18-27, 2025 at Monthaven.

“We are thrilled to debut Dana’s amazing exhibition,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director. “Dana has been working on these imaginative portraits for the past 12 year. It has truly been a labor of love.”

A Chicago-area native and Nashville transplant, Pettit created the works in this series as part of her own personal quest to find God. Although she grew up in the Catholic Church, she realized early on that the iconography of that religion did not speak to her soul. She flirted briefly with Buddhism while studying art in France, but she mostly turned away from religion. But then, she says, she received a spark of inspiration from the Holy Spirit. He invited her to search for the Divine in the face of Jesus.

Pettit based the portraits in this exhibit on a likeness of Jesus she imagined as a child. Realizing that the mystery of Christ was too profound to convey in a single artistic style, she opted to create a series of portraits ranging in styles from Baroque and Impressionism to Surrealism and Pop Art. Ten of the portraits are oil or acrylic paintings. Another portrait is a sculpture of found trash and glue in the style of Dadaism or Tramp Art. The final portrait is an empty room – a nod to performance art – representing the Holy Spirit.

The opening reception for A Divine Appointment will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April 18, 2025. Pettit will be on hand for an Artist Talk at Monthaven from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 24, 2025. For more information about A Divine Appointment, go monthavenarts.org or call (615) 822-0789.

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.

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Kaylin Warden

Creative Design and Operations Manager

Kaylin Warden serves as the MACC’s Creative Design and Operations Manager. In this post, she oversees the organization’s graphic design work for exhibitions, events and special projects. She also coordinates the MACC’s arts outreach activities and assists with bookkeeping, among other duties. Kaylin, above all, 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.