$25,000 Award Will Support Education and Community Outreach Programs Exploring Asian Cultures and Traditions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 30, 2016)—The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is proud to announce that it is a 2016 recipient of a Nissan Foundation grant. The $25,000 award will help fund the Center’s education and outreach programs that align with the Nissan Foundation’s mission of promoting the value of cultural diversity and building inclusive communities.
The Frist Center’s educational programs will investigate the diversity and richness of Asian cultures and traditions as seen in two exhibitions, Samurai: The Way of the Warrior (November 4, 2016–January 16, 2017) and Secrets of Buddhist Art: Tibet, Japan, and Korea (February 10–May 7, 2017). The goal of the programs is to promote a deeper understanding of these world cultures, historically and today, among Middle Tennesseans and visitors. Programs will include education galleries, lectures, gallery talks, a panel discussion, a samurai film series, educator workshops, and the construction of a sand mandala with related ceremonies. Free Family Days featuring these exciting exhibitions will take place in November 2016 and May 2017.
Featuring more than 90 objects ranging from suits of armor and swords to lacquered incense trays and a pearl-inlaid saddle, Samurai provides insight into the influential warrior class and demonstrate the fine craftsmanship of items used in their ceremonial and everyday life from the late eighth century to the mid-19th century. The term “samurai” can be roughly translated as “those who serve.” Samurai valued loyalty, courage, honor, and personal cultivation. Their political and social dominance profoundly affected art and design produced in medieval and early modern Japan.
Showcasing approximately 100 objects, Secrets of Buddhist Art introduces a general audience to the dazzling aesthetics of art created under the enlightened philosophy of Buddhism and provides a basic understanding of these objects’ function within Buddhist practice over the past 14 centuries. Called Vajrayana Buddhism, this esoteric or “secret” form of the religion is passed on exclusively to practitioners through special initiations and utilizes works of art that reveal the world in terms of ultimate truth through a complex array of both human and divine figures.
The Frist Center is one of only 27 recipients nationwide to be selected for the grant this year. In its 24-year history, the Foundation has awarded more than $9.3 million to more than 100 nonprofit organizations across the United States.
“The Nissan Foundation is proud to support the Frist Center’s mission to enrich people’s lives and open doors to new ways of understanding our neighbors and the world we live in,” said Scott Becker, president of the Nissan Foundation. “Diversity is a core value of Nissan. Thirty-eight percent of Nissan’s U.S. customers are ethnically diverse, the highest among major automakers in the U.S.”
Exhibition Credit
Samurai: The Way of the Warrior was organized by Contemporanea Progetti SRL with the Museo Stibbert, Florence, Italy.
Secrets of Buddhist Art: Tibet, Japan, and Korea was organized by the Newark Museum.
Sponsor Acknowledgment
Platinum Sponsor: HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and TriStar Health
These exhibitions are supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
About the Frist Center
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., the Frist Center offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. The Frist Center’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Information on accessibility may be found at fristcenter.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for visitors 18 and younger and to members; $12 for adults; $9 for seniors and college students with ID; and $7 for active military. College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5:00–9:00 p.m. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling 615.744.3247. The galleries, Café, and Gift Shop are open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 1:00–5:30 p.m., with the Café opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling 615.244.3340 or by visiting fristcenter.org.
About the Nissan Foundation
Established in 1992, the mission of the Nissan Foundation is to build community through valuing cultural diversity. The Nissan Foundation is part of Nissan North America’s commitment to “enrich people’s lives” by helping to meet the needs of communities throughout the U.S. through philanthropic investments, corporate outreach sponsorships, in-kind donations and other charitable contributions.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.NissanUSA.com and http://www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.
About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment. For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.
FRIST CENTER MEDIA CONTACTS
Buddy Kite: 615.744.3351, ”
Ellen Jones Pryor: 615.243.1311, ”
High-Resolution Images Available
NISSAN MEDIA CONTACT
Steve Yaeger: 615.725.4443, ”
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