Respondents:
XPayne: visual artist
Andrea Zieher: gallery owner at ZieherSmith
Daniel Jones: manager of artistic programming at OZ Arts and artistic director at Kindling Arts Festival
Clarence Edwards: gallery owner at Cë Gallery and Cëcret by Cë Gallery, director at Foxy Brown Live
What was the best work of art you saw (locally) in 2022?
I went to an event hosted by Liberated Grounds in late December, and there was a vocal performance by Angel Adams accompanied by ballerinas that moved me deeply. She literally sang one word, and still told an entire story. The intimacy of the event added to its power. —XPayne
“Bite,” Raheleh Filsoofi
Raheleh Filsoofi’s "Bite" video and accompanying ceramic at Unrequited Leisure. I have long been a fan of this Iranian American artist and Vanderbilt professor, but I cannot say enough about her profound series and its timely and timeless implications. I walked into Unrequited Leisure's intimate space and was blown away. —Andrea Zieher
For a couple hot nights in mid-May, the courtyard at Centennial Art Center was lit up with fiery choreography from Asia Pyron and her company PYDANCE. Her work POOL was inspired by the incredibly complicated history of that exact spot — it was once a formal public swimming pool that was shut down during the city's integration as prejudiced white folks refused to share the waters. Pyron took that energy and fused it into her Nashville choreographic debut, which she performed alongside the dazzling talents of Lenin Fernandez, Becca Hoback, Aurora Jenssen and Joi Ware. The piece was a damn marathon — at some point, I was almost concerned for the performers dancing full-out in the heat — and it showed us that a new voice has arrived in Nashville's dance world, one that will no doubt have a lot to share in future years. —Daniel Jones
What do you think Nashville’s art scene needs?
We are desperate for a strong investment from the city that supports the performing and visual arts, and not just music. It would make a world of difference if the Convention & Visitors Corp treated the arts like an essential part of the fabric of the city, if Metro’s budget increased the small sliver of the pie given to support local artists to a figure that was more on par with similar markets like Austin or Charlotte, and if the press gave more coverage to the arts (thankfully something we have not had to fight for at the Scene). Nashville’s artists are making important work that intrinsically enhances the quality of life in the city. They deserve more support from public resources. —Daniel Jones
I think group shows should be precursors to solo shows. I would also like to see galleries owned by white curators make an effort to add Black artists to their roster, and not just during February. It's about equality of opportunity. —XPayne
I would like to experience more of today's pop-culture art — like a massive Kaws sculpture in the middle of Centennial Park or a Banksy tag on the Frist Museum building. I also think Nashville needs more provocative performance art. —Clarence Edwards
For the public to understand that art galleries need daily visitors. I've heard many people imply that missing a gallery opening means missing the show completely and/or that they can't visit a show because they don't intend to buy something. Art exhibitions aren't one-time events like a music performance; shows run for weeks. Galleries and artists work very hard to mount shows, and they want people to see them. When our gallery was in New York, we had thousands of visitors a month, 99 percent of whom would never buy a thing, and we absolutely thrived on the energy those viewers brought when they walked in the door. —Andrea Zieher
“After We Are Gone,” Otobong Nkanga
What are you most excited about seeing in 2023?
The upcoming exhibit of Nigerian-Belgian visual artist Otobong Nkanga at the Frist. She explores connections between landscapes, natural resources and the body. —Daniel Jones
I am excited to see artworks by local artists installed in new businesses coming to the city. —Clarence Edwards
I'm just looking forward to seeing what the creative community has to say in 2023. Nashville in a sense is a new city, and I look to fellow artists' adaptations as a source of inspiration. —XPayne
Traversing the state this spring to take in the collective exhibitions of the Tennessee Triennial, overseen by artist, curator, Vandy professor and force of nature Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. And the upcoming Frist exhibition Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage, most especially the incredible work of Memphis native (and now major art star) Derek Fordjour.
—Andrea Zieher
What do you hope gets left in 2022?
Scarcity mentality. We’ve been conditioned in the arts to think that only a little is possible, or that we won’t be supported if we really go for it. But it would be nice to instead work from a place of abundance, trusting that the community has what we need and that we will work together to make it happen. —Daniel Jones
Parking woes. (I know, I know, this is a Nashville-wide issue.) Some suggestions: The Frist Art Museum should stop charging its members for parking. Just up the membership level by $2, rather than making us go through the hassle of paying your machine. And Vanderbilt Art Gallery, please find some more spots for your visitors! —Andrea Zieher
I hope to leave nostalgia for Nashville's past behind. This may be personal, but I need to accept that Nashville has changed and will continue to change, and nostalgia about the past is keeping me from living in the present. —XPayne
An interview with artist Jeffrey Gibson leads our guide to the season’s best art shows, theater performances, film screenings, book events and more
