The MACC is deeply devoted to educating the next generation of artists. Each year, more than 1,200 students enroll in Monthaven’s youth and adult art classes, homeschool classes and summer camps. Thousands more receive cultural enrichment through Monthaven’s free arts outreach courses.
To further its arts education mission, Monthaven is launching a new student art show. The exhibit, titled Within These Walls: Emerging Artists at Monthaven, will run Oct. 4 to 19, 2025 in the MACC’s Papillon Gallery and will showcase the talents of Monthaven’s own art students. The MACC’s Arts Education Coordinator Eva Rabin is curating the show. We recently sat down with her to talk about the exhibit and to discuss her new role at Monthaven.
Monthaven already has its James B. Hawkins Sumner County Student Art Show, which happens every spring. Why is the MACC launching a new student art show for the fall?
Eva Rabin: Our spring art show celebrates the talents of students in Sumner County. Those students may be taking art classes at one of the county’s middle schools or high schools. But they are not necessarily studying art at Monthaven. The new fall art exhibition is intended to shine a spotlight on young artists taking art classes within the four walls of Monthaven. These students do not have to be from Sumner County. They just have to be one of our art students.
The spring art show features a little bit of everything – painting, sculpture, photography, you name it. What sort of art will we see in the fall show?
ER: It’s going to be a little bit of everything just like the spring show. We’ll have some mixed media, sculpture, drawing, animation and painting. The content of the exhibition will reflect what our students are working on in their classes at Monthaven. These are our young students, who range in age from 5 to 18. Their works will be shown in our Papillon Gallery, which means it will be a smaller, more intimate exhibit than what we stage in the spring. The fall exhibit will feature approximately 30 pieces.
How is the art selected for the show?
ER: We reached out to our art teachers and asked them to help us with the selection. So, they assisted in picking out the pieces that best represented our curriculum. These pieces also look good when displayed together, which helps create a cohesive show. Unlike the spring exhibit, this is not a juried show, and there are no prizes. The intention here is merely to celebrate the artistic accomplishments of our students.
You have returned to the MACC as our education coordinator following a brief hiatus. What brought you back?
ER: I just felt like it was time to go back to work after being a stay-at-home mom for almost two years. Being a parent is a great job and the most important thing we do as adults. But sometimes, you just have to do something for yourself. And as an artist, I missed being involved in the arts on a regular basis.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
ER: That’s easy: engaging with the teachers. I really enjoy talking with our teachers, getting to know them, and exploring the arts with them. I was recently at Rock Castle with some of our teachers, and we spent some of our downtime talking about our own art projects, our college experiences, and our relationships with the greater arts community in Nashville. These teachers are an integral part of my peer community, and engaging with them is an invaluable part of my own artistic development and practice.
Eva….so glad you are back at Monthaven!!!!