Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work Opens in Frist Center's Ingram Gallery June 24, 2011

Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work Opens in Frist Center's Ingram Gallery June 24, 2011

Multi-Sensory Exhibition Features 220 Works, including Elvis, Dolly, Marilyn, Mick Jagger, Liza Minelli, Debbie Harry

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work, the first exhibition to delve deeply into the roles music and dance played in the artist's life and work, opens at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts on June 24 in the Ingram Gallery and will remain on view through Sept. 11, 2011.

The exhibition, organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in partnership with the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, brings together more than 220 works and objects, including paintings, silkscreen prints, photographs, works on paper, installations, films, videos and album covers, as well as objects and documents from Warhol's personal archives. Warhol's love of music and dance provides an essential narrative element, guiding visitors as they rediscover this seminal Pop artist's work. Following Warhol's career chronologically and thematically, the exhibition begins with the film music he adored and the stars he idolized in his youth and concludes with his images of celebrities enjoying the nightlife in such famous New York hotspots as Max's Kansas City and Studio 54, the legendary nightclub that opened in 1977, where he was one of the famous regulars.

"Warhol's view of the world and the art he created left indelible marks on our culture," says Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala. "His genius was to challenge the art world's sacred cows--originality, the painter's touch, the belief in art as psychological revelation--which he believed were irrelevant in postwar America, an era defined by materialism and the mass production of consumer goods, an obsession with celebrity and a burgeoning understanding of the impact of mass media. While his innovative responses to the culture are well-known, what is so fascinating is the 'illustrated sound-track' that accompanies every dimension of Warhol's work. He found inspiration in movie music, opera and ballet; the avant-garde compositions of John Cage and dances of Merce Cunningham; the proto-punk of the Velvet Underground, the rock of the Rolling Stones and the disco scene of the 1970s and 1980s. There is even a painting of country music's Dolly Parton in the exhibition. It seems so fitting that today's Music City, with its own plethora of genres animating the already vibrant music scene, should be a venue for Warhol Live!"

The exhibition is organized around ten major sections: Hollywood; Classical Taste; Andy's Jukebox; Warhol and the Avant-Garde; The Silver Factory, 1964-1968; Producer: Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground; Exploding Plastic Inevitable; Fame; Ladies and Gentlemen, Mick Jagger!; and Warhol Nightclubber. An early highlight is a selection of album covers Warhol designed between 1949, the year he arrived in New York, and his death in 1987. Warhol worked for the most significant record labels of the day, including Columbia, RCA, Blue Note, Prestige, Verve and EMI. Along with Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, on view are albums of the music of Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, the Velvet Underground, Blondie and the Rolling Stones, all on loan from Montreal collector Paul Marechal. Showing Warhol's playfulness and interest in breaking down boundaries between art and life, some of the designs are interactive; his banana sticker on the 1967 Velvet Underground & Nico album includes the instruction to "Peel slowly and see." Similarly, the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers zippered album implicitly invites viewers to unzip it. This became one of the most popular albums ever produced, earning Warhol the Art Directors Certificate of Merit and a Grammy nomination.

Throughout the exhibition are major paintings and prints of such icons as Elvis Presley, Liza Minelli, Mick Jagger and the artist himself, as well as works from the Campbell's Soup Can and Disaster series. Also on view will be works that show Warhol's embrace of other disciplines, including a room filled with buoyant silver Mylar balloons (through which visitors may walk), which composed the stage set he designed for choreographer Merce Cunningham's Rainforest. The exhibition section Warhol and the Avant-Garde includes a selection of minimalist films, including Sleep and Empire, which employ the repetitive principles of avant-garde music by Eric Satie, John Cage and Lamonte Young. Sections devoted to Warhol's studio, known as the Silver Factory, and his work as the producer of the Velvet Underground, show the artist orchestrating both the assembly-line creation of his own art objects and the production of energy-laden performances. Perhaps the most notable example of the latter was the Velvet Underground's visual and auditory extravaganza, Exploding Plastic Inevitable, which was produced in New York and across the country. On view in this section will be a simulated interior of a downtown club, with the music of the Velvet Underground punctuated with a strobe, a flashing slide show and large projected videos.

Later projects such as album covers he designed for the Rolling Stones; the television shows AndyWarhol's TV and Andy Warhol's 15 Minutes and music videos produced for groups such as the Cars and Curiosity Killed the Cat, exemplify the artist's desire to more fully integrate music, art and popular culture. Selected copies of Warhol's magazine, Interview--the precursor of today's People and Entertainment Weekly--on view in the Fame section underscore the artist's obsession with the cult of celebrity, which carries over into the Warhol Nightclubber section that contains painted portraits of Grace Jones, Debbie Harry, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and many others, as well as the candid photographs of celebrities Warhol took in various entertainment venues.

Through art, music, dance and film, Warhol Live! offers an experience of "total art," an ideal the artist adopted from one of his favorite art forms, the opera. Like the Exploding Plastic Inevitable, the exhibition is a feast for the senses. It also provides a lens through which the visitor can understand Warhol, not just as a seminal Pop artist who captured a moment in our past, but, as Scala notes, "as an artist who shaped or anticipated many of the attitudes of our own times. Today, as boundaries between art forms dissolve, as the separation between studio practice and life is constantly challenged, as we seek new ways to define how our world is shaped through the filter of mass media and the Internet, we continue to feel the abiding presence of Andy Warhol."

EXHIBITION CREDITS

Warhol Live is produced by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.

Exhibition Sponsors

The Frist Center gratefully acknowledges the exhibition sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor: The HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and the TriStar Family of Hospitals
Hospitality Sponsor: Union Station, a Wyndham Historic Hotel
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

PROGRAMS

Kids Club: Draw, Blot, Color, and
Saturday, June 11 Repeat
10:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m.,
or 3:00 p.m.
Frist Center Studios
Free
Registration required. Call
615.744.3357 to reserve a space.

Featured activity: Explore the wonderful world of monoprinting!
Inspired by the exhibition Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Warhol's
Work, participants will play with a unique style of printmaking called
"blotted line" to draw, color, and reproduce their own artistic
creations. Designed for 5-10 year olds, the Frist Center Kids Club
offers exciting opportunities for children to discover, explore, and
create art. Free membership includes a Kids Club card, rewards for
participation, hands-on activities in the Martin ArtQuest Gallery and
monthly projects in the art studios.

Curator's Conversation: Warhol Live:
Friday, June 24 Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work
12:00 p.m.
Auditorium
Free
Seating is first come, first
served.

Join us for a lively conversation between the co-curators of
Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work -Stephane
Aquin, curator of contemporary art at the Musee des beaux-arts de
Montréal and Matt Wrbican, archivist at the Andy Warhol Museum-as
they offer insights into this visually exciting exhibition and the
artist, Andy Warhol, who used the medium of music to transform
himself from fan to record album designer, producer, celebrity
night-clubber and rock star.

Thursday, July 7 Printing by Hand
6:00-8:30 p.m.
$25 members; $40 non-members.
Cost includes all supplies and gallery admission.
Advance registration required. Call 744-3342 to register.

Printmaking-a process that is simultaneously complicated and
simple-has been around for centuries and has been utilized in
innumerable ways by everyone from the Shakers to Andy Warhol. In
this workshop, Frist Center educators Stefanie Gerber Darr and
Andrea Steele will introduce an easy way to create prints on
paper, fabric or practically any object using handmade stencils.
Participants will leave with at least one print as well as the
stencils they create to enable them to continue their
exploration at home.

This is an introductory level class. No prior printmaking
experience is required.

Frist Fridays Concert Series Inspired by Warhol

Frist Fridays, the Frist Center's popular summer concert series, kicks off May 27, 2011, with the Talking Heads tribute band Same As It Ever Was performing live in the Turner Courtyard. Now in its ninth year, this exciting series takes place May through July from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the final Friday of each month. Patrons are invited to enjoy an evening of live music, light snacks and beverages as well as the diverse exhibitions on view in the Frist Center's galleries. Frist Fridays takes place rain or shine.

Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs to the events.

"We are pleased that Frist Fridays is one of Nashville's most popular summer traditions, attracting visitors of all ages from Middle Tennessee and beyond," said Frist Center Executive Director and CEO Susan H. Edwards, Ph.D. "Over the years, so many people have told us that Frist Fridays introduced them to our institution and to the art in our galleries. What fun it is to bring music and art together in our creative community. This year's series is heavily influenced by Warhol Live: Music and Dance in Andy Warhol's Work, our major summer exhibition. We are so pleased to have these wonderful entertainers jump into the spirit of the exhibition!" she concluded.

Friday, May 27, 2011 Same As It Ever Was
Talking Heads Tribute Band
http://www.myspace.com/
sameasiteverwasmusic
Knoxville-based Talking Heads tribute band Same As It Ever Was works
to defy expectations bringing audiences to their feet with the same
fun, familiar, and New Wave tunes David Byrne and the Talking Heads
introduced to the music world decades ago. Same As It Ever Was
members Curtis Geren (Vocals), Grant Geren (rhythm guitar and
vocals), Taylor Hiner (bass and vocals), Rusty Davidson (keyboard),
Matt Aurand (percussion), Josh Hobbs (lead guitar), Steve Corrigan
(drums) and Laura Bost (vocals) remain true to the punk
sensibilities for which the Talking Heads became known. The band is
in constant demand, playing college campuses and clubs throughout
the southeast.

Friday, June 24, 2011 The Long Players
http://www.thelongplayers.com/
The Long Players are a group of Nashville-based musicians who have
taken classic albums and performed them live in their original
sequence since 2004. The Long Players unique tribute to "the album"
as a conceptual work of art sets them apart from other tribute bands
that focus on look-a-likes and sound-a-likes. Through this
approach and their remarkable ability to pull off a variety of
musical styles, they have received national notoriety and have been
featured in Billboard and on NPR. The band includes Bill Lloyd
(Foster & Lloyd), Steve Allen (20/20), Steve Ebe (Human Radio), Brad
Jones (record producer) and Jen Gunderman (Jayhawks). Dipping into
Nashville's exceptional musical community, The Long Players always
offer a stellar roster of guest artists to help them bring these
classic albums to life. As homage to Andy Warhol's love of, if not
near obsession for, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, The Long
Players will perform a faithful rendition of The Stones' album
Sticky Fingers. Renowned saxophone player Bobby Keys, whose sax
work is heard on The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" and "Can't You
Hear Me Knockin'" will be sitting in on The Long Players' Frist
Friday performance. Warhol designed the Sticky Fingers album package
which will be on display in the Warhol Live exhibition.

Friday, July 29, 2011 Studio 54 remix with DJ Ron
http://www.djron.com/
Nashville has its fair share of recognizable DJs, but none are as
well-rounded and visible in the club community as Ron Slomowicz,
also known as DJ Ron. Ron has been spinning in afterhours clubs in
Nashville since 1996 which has earned him recognition as the city's
Best Club DJ in the Nashville Scene's Reader Choice Awards the last
three years. He has been a staple DJ on Vanderbilt University's
radio station WRVU for nearly 20 years and may be found entertaining
audiences weekly at both Play Dance Bar and Tribe. In recent years,
he has regularly traveled to New York and is in demand at some of
the hottest dance clubs in the country. DJ Ron melds music and
video across time and genre to create other-worldy, multi-sensory
experiences. On this special Frist Fridays evening, DJ Ron will
transform the Turner Courtyard of the Frist Center into the vibrant
dance club scene reminiscent (only in some ways!) of the infamous
Studio 54, a notable disco of the 1970s and 1980s notable for its
glamorous nightlife and celebrity guest list which often included
pop artist Andy Warhol.

Frist Fridays Admission
Admission to Frist Fridays is free for Frist Center members and to visitors 18 years and younger. General adult admission for non-members is $10.00 and $7.00 for seniors, military and college students with ID.

Frist Fridays Sponsors
Supporting Sponsor: Land Rover Nashville
Contributing Sponsor: Southwest Airlines
Media Sponsor: Nashville Scene and Lightning 100

About the Frist Center

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., is an art exhibition center dedicated to presenting the finest visual art from local, regional, U.S. and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions. The Frist Center's Martin ArtQuest Gallery (open until 5:30 p.m. each day) features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Gallery admission to the Frist Center is free for visitors 18 and younger and to Frist Center members. Frist Center admission is $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for seniors, military and college students with ID. College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5-9 p.m. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling (615) 744-3247. The Frist Center is open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sundays, 1-5:30 p.m., with the Frist Center Cafe opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling (615) 244-3340 or by visiting our website at www.fristcenter.org.

SOURCE Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Frist Center for the Visual Arts

CONTACT: Emily Harper Beard, +1-615-744-3331, ebeard@fristcenter.org, or Ellen Jones Pryor, +1-615-243-1311, epryor@fristcenter.org, ejpryor@aol.com

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