Colorful sculptures in the form of movable stair stoops and a panel discussion with three Vanderbilt University faculty members are among the ongoing activities for Art Makes Place, a year-long project to bring more contemporary art to Nashville’s public spaces.
Art Makes Place addresses the artist’s role in society and how artists help to create a sense of place and identity with a community,” artist Adrienne Outlaw said. “An important goal of this project has been to put more temporary, performance-based sculptures around Nashville.” She is the creator of “The Enhancer Project,” one of seven public artworks for Art Makes Place.
Outlaw will lead a panel discussion on Thursday, Oct. 8, on the ethics of people taking drugs that were intended to treat hyperactivity in order to enhance memory and other cognitive abilities. The event will be from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St. The three Vanderbilt panelists are Dr. Jeff Bishop, Dr. John Greer, and Jeffrey Schall, the E. Bronson Ingram Professor of Neuroscience and professor of psychology. They will be joined by writer Michael Sims, who previously worked in the Heard Libraries’ Special Collections.
“I have a strong interest in bioethical issues and would like people to think cautiously about this alarming societal trend,” Outlaw said. “Are there ways besides popping pills that will enable us to enhance memory and increase learning?” A limited number of unique brain-shaped viewfinders that Outlaw created will be distributed to those who attend the library discussion.
Another one of the Art Makes Place projects, “Community Outpost,” is on display in front of the Central Library at Vanderbilt Oct. 6-8. The portable stairs exhibit by artist Mike Calway-Fagen is designed to encourage interaction among people who do not know each other, including those of different cultures. “They are beautiful as sculptures but really come alive when people sit on them,” Outlaw said. The stair stoops will move along with other Art Makes Place projects to The Commons for Fall for the Arts on Oct. 9. The stair stoops then will be displayed on Magnolia Lawn for a length of time to be determined.
“One of the great aspects of this overall project is that the artworks pop up and then they go somewhere else,” Outlaw said. “And if you miss seeing the projects on campus, you will have another opportunity when they are transferred to the downtown public library from Oct. 17 through the end of March 2010.”
Vanderbilt, including The Commons, Office of the Dean of Students and the School of Nursing, are among those who have providing funding and assistance for Arts Makes Place. Other supporters include the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville Cultural Arts Project and Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation. Funding from the latter will provide an exhibition catalogue with critical essays about Art Makes Place.
For more information about Art Makes Place, visit www.n-cap.org/amp.html.
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu