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Visit the Frist for free May 18 and 19

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, will offer free admission on Friday, May 18, in celebration of the Association of Art Museum Directors’ Art Museum Day and International Museum Day.

In addition, the Frist Center will offer free admission to active-duty military servicemen and women, veterans and their families on Saturday, May 19, in honor of Armed Forces Day.

In 2011, the Frist Center – along with more than 100 other AAMD member museums across North America – participated in International Museum Day. The theme of this year’s International Museum Day, “Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations,” invites museums and their visitors to ponder the role of museums in our culture of new media and social responsibility.

In keeping with this theme, the Frist Center encourages visitors to share their museum experiences during Art Museum Day via social media using the hashtag #ArtMuseumDay in a collective public response.

“AAMD believes that art should be accessible and relevant to all, and we are so pleased that the Frist Center is joining with us and the global community of museums to celebrate the role museums play in their communities and to encourage visitors to share their museum experiences,” said Chris Anagnos, executive director of AAMD.

The Frist Center will offer free admission to all servicemen and women – past and present – and their families on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 19, in recognition of the service, commitment and dedication of those who have served and now serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, reserves and National Guard.

“We are keenly aware of the sacrifice made by this country’s servicemen and women, and it is an honor for us to pay them tribute on our national day of recognition for that service,” said Frist Center Executive Director Susan H. Edwards.

Veterans, active-duty members of the armed forces, reserves and National Guard will be admitted to the Frist Center free of charge from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Visitors need only to identify themselves as veterans or service members to gain free admission and to receive discounted parking.

On Exhibition

Fairy Tales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination
Feb. 24-May 28, 2012
Upper-Level Galleries

Fairy Tales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination is an exhibition of works by contemporary artists who invent human-like, animal or hybrid creatures to symbolize life’s mysteries, desires and fears. Finding inspiration in sources ranging from Aesop’s Fables to the products of genetic experimentation, the artists in the exhibition examine interactions between nature and humanity in the context of oral and written lore, psychology, ethics and visions of the future in both science and science fiction. The exhibition includes approximately 60 contemporary paintings, photographs, sculptures and video works.

This exhibition is organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and curated by Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala.

Connecting Cultures: Children’s Stories from Across the World
April 15, 2011–June 3, 2012
Conte Community Arts Gallery

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts has partnered with 10 local and regional community organizations to present Connecting Cultures: Children’s Stories from Across the World, an exhibition inspired by children’s stories that is designed to reflect the unique cultural values of each participating community. Connecting Cultures will be on view in the Conte Community Arts Gallery through June 3. The exhibition kicks off a celebration of Nashville’s diverse ethnic communities that will include related monthly programs throughout the year. The Presenting Sponsor for Connecting Cultures is the Nissan Foundation.

This exhibition was organized by the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, which is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Contacts: Maggie Carrigan, (615) 744-3351
mcarrigan@fristcenter.org

Ellen Jones Pryor, (615) 243-1311
epryor@fristcenter.org