Spotlight on Nashville: More than Music City

I rolled into Nashville less-than 24 hours ago, and I've already stumbled upon two gorgeous pieces of art. The first, this stunning Nashville Scene cover photo by Eric England featuring dancers from the Nashville Ballet.

And the second, this playful illustration of Nashville's newest songbird, the cicada. Every 13 years these noisy bugs make an appearance on the Tennessee stage, and Anderson Design Group capitalized on this year's summer-time performance.

Even though I'm just here for a few weeks (more on my future plans later!), I love that Nashville's artsy attitude is still alive and well!

Kat Macleod Illustrations

My sweet sorority lineage gave me a basket of goodies as a graduation present, and hidden amongst candles, candy and wine glasses was this fun book of cocktails. Even more than the drink recipies, I loved the whimsical illustrations by Kat Macleod.Wouldn't they look lovely in simple black frames?

Once upon a problem

A friend of mine recently participated in a photo shoot with budding photographer Kirstie Jeffrey that explores the pressure college women feel to be perfect, and the toxic results of this quest for perfection. Using Disney's canon of princesses as inspiration for these troubled portraits, Jeffrey created a series of images that are far too close a representation of reality. I was absolutely stunned by the contrast of these photos and just had to share my favorites here. Click over to Kirstie's website for the full project.

 Sleeping Beauty--exhaustion

 Cinderella--drinking problems

 Snow White--low self esteem

 Alice--drug issues

Belle--pressure to be thin

Japanese Relief: Nan Lawson

 It is far too easy to become trapped in the bubble of college life where breaking news consists of midterm exams and fraternity parties, but every so often a major event, like the recent tragic earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan, is able to break the metaphorical bubble. I hope, if you're able that you will give to the relief effort. One stylish way to help is by purchasing this gorgeous 5 x7 print by Etsy illustrator Nan Lawson. Each print is $10 and all proceeds go directly to relief efforts in Japan.

Paris versus New York

Last fall, French graphic designer Vahram Muratyan began a series of "friendly visual matches" between Paris, France and New York City. His bilingual blog, "Paris versus New York" took off, and now several of his illustrations are available for purchase!

Wouldn't these colorful comparisons look perfect framed in a kitchen or breakfast nook? 

 

a maGREAT gift idea for an art nerd

Pardon the pun, but how cute is this laptop decal? It's such a clever play on Magritte's famous "Son of Man" painting, and at $4.50 plus $3 shipping, it's not breaking anyone's budget. Click over to DecalMax's Etsy shop and order one today for your favorite art history nerd!

Flannel, Formal, and Fall Leaves: A Life Update

It's nearing the end of fall semester, and I've been so busy with school and the Wake social scene that I've neglected my blogging. I hate to make empty promises, but as I enter the home stretch of this semester, I'll make an effort to post more frequently. In case you've been itching for an update, here's what I've been doing in my absence from the blogosphere.

(Me and my friend Aveen in our flannel waiting to go out on the boats)

Mountain Weekend
Visualize a serene mountain setting with cozy cabins, picturesque rocking chairs, and a lack of cell phone reception. Now impose over that peaceful scene a crowd of rowdy college students sporting flannel, blaring music and generally disrupting the crisp, cool Rocky Mountain air.

Two weekends ago I attended a fraternity formal in Fontana Dam, North Carolina, where activities included everything from floating pontoon boats to swing dancing at the formal. Needless to say, my weekend attire ranged from sweatshirts to stilettos. It was a nice break from campus life, but far too brief. Missing a weekend of studying threw me into an academic whirlwind once we made it back to Winston-Salem.

Public Art Final Projects
This semester I enrolled in a public art course to finish up my Studio Art minor. Basically this class is run as a guided independent study with an exhibited piece of public art as the final project. Naturally, I decided to go about my project the difficult way, and am in the process of creating a series of temporary public art pieces  inspired by the poetry of Wake Forest Alum, A. R. Ammons.

Last week, the library held a symposium honoring the poet, and I was fortunate enough to read a poem aloud during the final lunch. On the tails of the conference, I displayed my first work of art, a piece inspired by Ammons' poem "Rapids," pictured above.

Wake readers, keep your eyes peeled for the remaining works in my series. They'll be popping up on campus soon alongside the other final pieces from my class.

Semi-Formal

Right before Thanksgiving break my sorority had our last event of 2010, semi-formal. After internally debating my outfit for what seemed like days, I settled on a Plenty by Tracy Reese dress that I've had for a few years. Filled with dancing and food, formal was great. I couldn't have asked for a better night, but I am so happy to have a brief hiatus from Wake Forest for the next couple days.

(This print is part of Anderson Design Group's "Spirit of Nashville" Series)

Thanksgiving Break
After a day of traveling, I'm so excited to be back home in Nashville. I can't wait for all my family and high-school friends to get into town!

Readers, has your fall been flying by? Can y'all believe it's Thanksgiving tomorrow?

Inspired by: Keith Haring

The Pop Art works of Keith Haring continue to inspire fashion designers twenty years after his AIDS-related death. His vibrant colors, thick outlined forms, and radiating lines are instantly recognizable, as are his images inspiring social activism. I selected some of my favorites to feature here on the blog, but I highly recommend checking out the online pop shop for more Keith Haring products and information about the Keith Haring Foundation.

1.) The Keith Haring V-Neck Lovers Tee ($28)- Wouldn't this simply t-shirt look chic tucked into a pencil skirt?
2.) Keith Haring by Nicholas Kirkwood Collection- Nicholas Kirkwood plans to release a limited edition line of twelve shoes featuring Haring's artwork in February of 2011. These black and red pumps caught my eye with their subtle detailing--many of the other shoes are so over the top!
3.) Black Icon Clutch ($96)-Patricia Field collaborated with the artist to produce a limited number of plastic magazine clutches decorated with Haring's signature work. I love the combination of black and white with accents of purple.

You say Tomato

During the summer of 2004, Meg and Bret MacFayden hosted a small art show honoring the tomato and planned a handful of neighborhood events to promote their business, The Art and Innovation Gallery. Six years later, The Tomato Art Festival is East Nashville's premier summertime event. With over 100 street vendors, a New Orleans-style parade, musical performances, a tomato 5k, and of course, the tomato art that started it all, The Tomato Art Fest has something for everyone.

 (Image Credit: Delgado Guitars)

Around 10 this morning my mom and I headed over the river and through the 'hood to East Nashville's five-points area, the crux of the festival. Having attended the event since 2006, we like to consider ourselves seasoned tomato veterans. This year, we slept in and missed the parade, so we made the Art and Innovation Gallery our first stop, in an effort to beat the crowd. This year's tomato art contest winner was a beautiful mandolin embellished to resemble everyone's favorite summertime fruit. The piece was handcrafted by Manuel Delgado of Delgado Guitars.

 Pictured above is all of our tomato fest loot. My mom's piece of folk art, a tomato magnet, bumper sticker and commemorative coffee can from Bongo Java.

After making a few tomato-themed purchases, we decided to peruse the hoards of booths crowding the streets. There were restaurateurs, insurance salesmen, book vendors and clothing designers. You name it, there was probably a vendor selling it. I pocketed a handful of business cards, but couldn't commit to purchasing anything today. At 90+ degrees, it was just too hot to carry anything. My mom, on the other hand, picked up a piece of wooden folk art.

We finished the day at Fanny's House of Music. This instrument store doubles as a haven for vintage lovers. I walked away empty-handed, but there were some fabulous pieces. Now that it's on my radar, I'll definitely be going back.

If you're in the Nashville area and missed out on this morning's activities, don't fret. There are still events going on! Click here for a complete schedule. And don't think we starved ourselves during this celebration of food. The culinary experiences of The Tomato Fest deserve a post of their own. Check back later tonight for all our dining adventures!

For more photos from the festival click below!

 Every year the festival hosts a bumper sticker contest. These are some of the winners from years past.

 My mom and I both entered the "Guess how many tomatoes are in a jar" contest at Wonders on Woodlawn.

 My mom bought her folk art dove from the man who owns this van!

 The star of the show!

 Being a musical theater nerd, I thought this was hilarious!

 How cute are these tomato tutus?

We stumbled upon this fabulous vintage Lilly dress in Fanny's House of Music. The silhouette wasn't my style, but I absolutely loved the pattern!

Spotlight on Nashville: CHIHULY

 (Ray-Ban Wayfarers, Gap Favorite V-neck T, Anthropologie Shape Template Mini Skirt (Fall 2009), Longchamp Le Pliage Tote)

All summer, my mom has been trying to get my family to go see the Chihuly art installations at the Cheekwood Gardens here in Nashville. Last night we all cleared our schedules and finally went to check out the glass exhibit. If you're a Nashville reader or anywhere near the city, I definitely recommend checking out this exhibition. The hand-blown glass sculptures are beautiful and incredibly unique--They were like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Click below for more photos from the exhibit. All images are courtesy of my brother, Jack Hallemann.

Color Me Stylish

Need a way to release your inner artist? Look no further than Anthropologie's Color-Me-Paisley Tote. The black-and-white graphic bag comes with six fabric markers making it a fashionista's coloring book. It's a little pricey for a cotton bag at $218 so try to stay in the lines!