Outdoor Art in Nashville
~ story and photos by Jeff Tryon
If you walk around Nashville these days, you may get the impression that there’ s been a sudden growth of public sculpture and outdoor art.
It’ s as if the venerable art colony has decided to thrust the art right out onto the street.
Sculptures placed around town by the Nashville Arts and Entertainment Commission( NAEC) are part of an ongoing public art conversation in Nashville.
Catherine Martin, president of the NAEC, said Nashville is not unique in promoting outdoor art as a community enhancing project.“ There’ s a sort of blooming of outdoor art in many communities.”
Martin said the impact of Soaring, the giant leaf sculpture at the heart of town by the veterans group Elder Heart, assisted by local sculptor Jim Connor and painter Larry Webb, has boosted the idea of public art in Nashville.
“ That’ s been fabulous,” she said.“ It’ s great to see, practically every time you drive by, people getting a picture taken. And they’ re smiling and talking.
“ That’ s exactly what it was intended to be, sort of,‘ Here you are. Enjoy this!’ and,‘ This speaks of what we are about.’ Enjoy it, or not— talk about it at least. Conversation is a good word for it.”
She says the conversation started earlier with the Brown County Public Library’ s sculptured railings— metal
Coordinate Harmony, High Lonesome, Shelter, and All Together.
plants, reeds and vines by Jack Brubaker on the front terrace. A bench of metal and Brown County stone, created by Jim Connor in honor of retired librarian Yvonne Oliger, was added to the lawn in front of the library.
Connor also created the license plate palm tree at the former Muddy Boots building and the artistic metal railing at the Pine Room Tavern.
Connor served on the sculpture committee that fielded proposals for the NAEC’ s four leased public art projects.
The first of the projects to hit the street was the abstract limestone sculpture Coordinate Harmony by artist Carl Wright, installed at the corner of Franklin and Jefferson streets.
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58 Our Brown County • July / August 2015