View all current exhibitions

Current exhibitions

Jul 23–Oct 10, 2021

Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick
From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

Jan 8, 2021–Feb 27, 2022

A Landmark Repurposed: From Post Office to Art Museum

Career-Spanning Kara Walker Exhibition

Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation offers a broad overview of the artist’s career and explores racial and gender exploitation, abuse, and inequity.

A leading artist of her generation, Walker works in a range of mediums, including prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture, film, and the large-scale silhouette cutouts for which she is perhaps most recognized. Her powerful and provocative images employ contradictions to critique the painful legacies of slavery, sexism, violence, imperialism, and other power structures.

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COVID Health and Safety Procedures

The Frist continues to require all guests, staff, and volunteers to wear masks while in the museum. If you are running a fever or not feeling well, please postpone your visit.

Click on the button below to learn about our current health, procedural, and cleaning protocols.

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Consider Donating Today

Join us in celebrating the Frist’s 20th birthday. We invite you to reminisce virtually with us by looking back on a selection of important exhibitions from each year of our history.

The 250+ exhibitions shown in our galleries speak to the continued focus on our founding mission. Contributions in celebration of our twentieth year ensure that the Frist Art Museum can continue presenting thought-provoking arts and education experiences for all ages, both in-person and online, and provide support for museum overhead and essential services. Every gift makes a difference.

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Upcoming events

Sep 18

Architecture Tour

Saturday, September 18, 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Meet in the Grand Lobby; no reservations necessary

Offered every Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
When was the Frist Art Museum built? Who was the architect? Can you tell me about the floors in the galleries? Enjoy a guided tour of our landmark art deco building at 4:30 p.m. every Saturday. Read More
Sep 25

Architecture Tour

Saturday, September 25, 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Meet in the Grand Lobby; no reservations necessary

Offered every Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
When was the Frist Art Museum built? Who was the architect? Can you tell me about the floors in the galleries? Enjoy a guided tour of our landmark art deco building at 4:30 p.m. every Saturday. Read More
Sep 26

Performance: writers’ BLOCK, featuring Quentin Michael Music Group

Sunday, September 26, 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Upper-Level Galleries ; free to members; gallery admission required for not-yet-members

Join writers’ BLOCK and the Quentin Michael Music Group for a performance of music and poems inspired by Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.  writers’ BLOCK is an artistic trio comprising NewLee, Twigz, and Karimah, who specialize in poetry, verse,… Read More
Oct 2

Vaccination Day

Saturday, October 2, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Frist Café

The Metro Public Health Department will be on-site at the Frist Art Museum providing COVID-19 vaccines from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2. Both the two-dose Pfizer vaccine and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be available. There is no cost to get vaccinated, and… Read More
Oct 2

Summit: Existing in Silhouette

Saturday, October 2, 1:30–5:30 p.m.

Check in at the Frist Art Museum Grand Lobby; free; registration required

Join us for a program made by and for college-aged Black women, presented in conjunction with the exhibition Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick, from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. This summit aims to provide a safe and honest space in which to discuss the personal meanings of existing as Black women in a nation where the humanity of Black women is continually eroticized and erased. Read More
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Oct 8

Curator’s Perspective
American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 1918–1939

Friday, October 8, 6:30–7:30 p.m.

Presented on Zoom; free; registration required

Join exhibition curator Catherine Futter to learn more about the era through decorative arts, fine arts, architecture, and design. During this one-hour illustrated lecture, Futter will explore key themes of the exhibition, such as industrial and technological progress in the period following World War I, as well as relative social progress for women and people of color; the rise of the middle class and consumer culture; and the migration of styles, ideas, and designers from Europe to the US. Read More
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Oct 9

Artist’s Perspective: Mary Sibande

Saturday, October 9, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Presented on Zoom; free; registration required

In her photographs and costumed mannequins, Mary Sibande critiques stereotypical depictions of Black South African women. She shows her characters reimagining their lives in radical ways, symbolized by fantastic costumes of her own design. Arranged in distinct color motifs, the exhibition guides viewers on an emotional journey through different periods… Read More
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Oct 14

Frist at Home: American Art Deco

Thursday, October 14, 1:30–2:00 p.m.

Presented on Zoom; free; registration required

Join us wherever you are for a Frist at Home online tour—a closer look at some of the art currently at the museum. Spend thirty minutes in the company of our docents and other art lovers. This conversation will focus on American Art Deco: Designing for the… Read More
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Oct 16

Teen ARTlab: Patterned Textiles

Saturday, October 16, 1:00–4:00 p.m.

Frist Art Museum Studio C
Ages 13–19 only. Space is limited. Free (all supplies, gallery admission, and parking validation included); registration required.

Presented by Yanira Vissepo In this workshop with teaching artist Yanira Vissepo, participants will acquire basic skills for designing and making their own patterned textiles. Attendees will sketch and create their own designs, then use techniques such as stenciling and block printing to transfer images onto fabric, with an emphasis on… Read More
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Oct 21

Educator Workshop
American Art Deco

Thursday, October 21, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Studio B and Ingram Gallery; register by October 18.

Repeats on Saturday, October 23
During this workshop, examine artworks that highlight the glamour and optimism of the 1920s, as well as the Great Depression in the 1930s. Participate in a gallery tour of American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 1918–1939 and studio activities, receive teaching materials, and discuss curriculum connections. Read More
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