Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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MONTHAVEN ARTS AND CULTURAL CENTER CELEBRATES AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A MAJOR ART EXHIBIT FEATURING THE WORKS OF TIM YANKE, MANUEL AND DON OLEA

Media Inquiries:
Cheryl Strichik: cheryl@monthavenarts.org
(615) 822-0789

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (June 30, 2026) – Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary with a special Eighth Annual Veterans Art Exhibition highlighting the works of some of America’s greatest living artists. The exhibit, titled For the Love of Liberty, will include Tim Yanke’s American flag paintings along with the acclaimed fashion designer Manuel’s jackets honoring the original 13 states. On display from Aug. 2 to Sept. 6, 2026, the exhibit will also feature some of Gallatin watercolorist Don Olea’s art depicting scenes from America’s founding.

“Monthaven is built on property that was part of a Revolutionary War land grant, so of course we feel like this is the perfect place to celebrate the nation’s founding,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director. “And we can’t think of a better way to commemorate America than with an exhibit that includes the flag art of Tim Yanke, the patriotic state jackets of Manuel and the Revolutionary War-era art of Don Olea. These artists possess a love of country that is deeply moving.”

Best known for his abstract artwork, Yanke has created a series of U.S. flag paintings that he refers to as (what else?) “Yanke Doodles.” The inspiration for these works came to him following the tragic events of 9/11. In creating the paintings, he started to experiment with non-traditional colors for the flag. These variegated hues represent the different cultures, countries and communities who have come to find a home in America. In some of the Yanke Doodles there is also a Vietnam service ribbon intertwined, a nod to the U.S. military veterans who served in the Vietnam War. For the Love of Liberty will include these flags along with other works the artist has created to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

Manuel is world-renowned as the Couturier to the Stars. In 2005, he debuted at the Frist Art Museum a fantabulous series of 50 colorfully decorated jackets, one for each U.S. state. For his exhibition at Monthaven, he will showcase the jackets that correspond to the original 13 states. Each of these jackets contain images that reflect the state’s history and character.

The Gallatin-based artist Don Olea, who was the featured artist for the MACC’s 7th Annual Veterans Art Exhibition, will also display some of his works celebrating the founding of the United States. Finally, military veterans enrolled in the MACC’s Between the Lines healing arts program will display their art in an exhibit titled I Didn’t Know How to Tell You.

Every Veterans Art Exhibition includes a Boots & BBQ fundraiser to support the MACC’s Between the Lines healing arts program for military veterans. This year’s fundraiser is 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026 at Bagsby Ranch, 1628 Long Hollow Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066. The keynote speaker is Dr. Michael Hamilton, an Army veteran, educator and executive with Label 22 Recording & Management. Sal Gonzalez, a Marine Corps veteran and star of America’s Got Talent, will perform. Tickets to this event are $75 each and include a private VIP reception to see For the Love Liberty at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026 at Monthaven. For information, 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 stages world-class art exhibitions. As an art school, the MACC offers classes to more than 1,200 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.

 

 

 

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Robin Willis

HEALING ARTS COORDINATOR

Robin Willis is the MACC’s Healing Arts Coordinator. She also works as the Exhibition and Events Manager and Director of Outreach. Robin has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Clemson University with a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is a multi-discipline artist with emphasis in writing, mixed media abstract painting, alternative process photography, collage, and book arts and binding. In addition to her art practices, she holds several healing modalities certificates, such as extensive kundalini yoga teacher training and education, Reiki master, systemic family constellation facilitator, and depth psychology-based therapy trainings. As an avid learner, she explores and encourages others in their exploration in art, psyche, and our relationship to the micro and macro worlds within and around us. Influenced by John Muir’s quote, When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe, she fuses art, healing, and organization throughout her work and personal life as a creative-scientist minded person.

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. 
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