Frist Center Expands Schedule of Public Programs for “Italian Style: Fashion since 1945” Exhibition

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 4, 2015)—This summer, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts will offer a lineup of exciting public programs in conjunction with the presentation of Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, an exhibition that chronicles the birth and growth of the Italian fashion industry from the post–World War II recovery years to the present day. Program highlights include a conversational lecture by top model Karen Elson and fashion media professional and stylist Libby Callaway. A series of Artists’ Forums will feature some of Nashville’s best fashion and accessories designers in panel discussions, sharing their experiences and working methods. Projecting the Hollywood on the Tiber phenomenon on the big screen, the Frist Center’s “Italian Style on Celluloid” summer film series will screen La Dolce Vita, Roman Holiday, and Barefoot Contessa all on 35 mm.

Based on new archival research, Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 explores the development of both womens- and menswear and highlights key designers and the outstanding techniques, materials and expertise for which Italy has become renowned. More than 90 garments and accessories by leading Italian fashion houses, including Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Missoni, Prada, Pucci, Valentino and Versace will be on display. Curated by Sonnet Stanfill, curator of 20th-century and contemporary fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Italian Style will be on view in the Frist Center’s Ingram Gallery from June 5 to September 7, 2015.

Public Programs

Friday, June 5
Curator’s Perspective Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 Presented by Sonnet Stanfill, curator of 20th-century and contemporary fashion, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
6:30 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Gallery admission required; members free
First come, first seated

Find out about the rise of Italian fashion after World War II by the curator of this decidedly glamorous exhibition. Sonnet Stanfill will share insights into the historic trends and sartorial underpinnings of postwar Italian style, relaying stories about the role the United States played in developing the distinguished fashion houses of Milan and beyond, leading to their global powerhouse status today.

Friday, June 19
Film: La Dolce Vita
7:00 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Gallery admission required; members free
First come, first seated

About the film series: Inspired by the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, “Italian Style on Celluloid” features some of the most iconic films of the twentieth century, with sharply dressed stars, glamorous locations, and a very Italian brand of cool nonchalance. After joining us for La Dolce Vita, be sure to return for Roman Holiday (July 10) and The Barefoot Contessa (August 14) to continue experiencing the Hollywood on the Tiber phenomenon for yourself.

The biggest hit from the most popular Italian filmmaker of all time, La Dolce Vita propelled Federico Fellini to international mainstream success—ironically, by offering a damning critique of the culture of stardom. A look at the darkness beneath the seductive lifestyles of Rome’s rich and glamorous, the film follows a notorious celebrity journalist (a sublimely cool Marcello Mastroianni) during a hectic week spent on the peripheries of the spotlight. The film’s costumes, which won Piero Gherardi the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, are essential to the portrayals created by a sophisticated, expensively dressed, and sensually alluring Mastroianni, an elegantly feline Anouk Aimée (wearing black dresses and cat’s-eye sunglasses), and an impossibly glamorous Anita Ekberg.

Directed by Federico Fellini. 174 minutes. NR. 1960. Italian with English subtitles. 35 mm. Wine, beer, and a full menu are available in the Frist Center Café and can be enjoyed during the screening.

Friday, July 10
Film: Roman Holiday
7:00 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Gallery admission required; members free
First come, first seated

The first Hollywood film to be shot and produced on location in Italy, Roman Holiday made Audrey Hepburn an enduring international star and fashion icon. Princess Ann (Hepburn), on a visit to Rome, decides to try to escape her stifling royal identity and heads out to see the city incognito. She runs into American reporter Gregory Peck, and love blossoms as they discover the charms of the eternal city in a way that stimulated Italian tourism and fashion consciousness like no film before it. The film’s Academy Award winners included Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton, for Best Screenplay; Hepburn, for Best Actress; and Edith Head, for Best Costume Design. Head developed the clothes for Roman Holiday in collaboration with Italian couturiers Sorelle Fontana (the Fontana sisters).

Directed by William Wyler. 117 minutes. NR. 1953. 35 mm. Wine, beer, and a full menu are available in the Frist Center Café and can be enjoyed during the screening.

Thursday, July 23
Artists’ Forum: Nashville Fashion Designers Presented by Amanda Valentine, VALENTINE/VALENTINE founder and designer and Project Runway finalist, and Mclaine Richardson, jewelry designer, Margaret Ellis, Inc.
6:30 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Free
First come, first seated

Inspired by the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, the Frist Center’s summer Artists’ Forums will feature some of Nashville’s best fashion and accessories designers in panel discussions where they share their sources, working methods and how they communicate their signature sartorial styles. Attendees are encouraged to join the dialogue about the creative process. Designer biographies and additional information can be found at fristcenter.org.

Friday, July 24
Art After Dark: Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 Presented by Ginny Soenksen, assistant curator of interpretation, Frist Center for the Visual Arts
6:30 p.m.
Meet at exhibition entrance
Gallery admission required;
members free
Reservations recommended, but not required

Enrich your Friday nights. Join in an open-ended discussion in the galleries to heighten your appreciation and understanding of the visual arts by exploring one work of art in depth with an educator. The chosen object changes every session, making each Art After Dark a new experience. Space is limited to 15 participants to encourage interaction.

Thursday, July 30
Curator’s Tour: Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 Presented by Trinita Kennedy, curator, Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Noon
Meet at exhibition entrance
Gallery admission required; members free

From the postwar couture of the Sala Bianca to the glitz of Hollywood on the Tiber, to the contemporary designs of the houses of Armani, Prada, and Valentino, Italy has been a dominant force in high fashion for over 70 years. Join curator Trinita Kennedy for a guided tour that will explore why the “Made in Italy” label is so covetable.

Saturday, August 8
An Art Deco Affair
6:00–8:30 p.m.
$50 per member; $75 per non-member
For more information, please visit fristcenter.org/artdecosociety. Tickets will go on sale in early July.

Come celebrate the glamour and luxury of the Jazz Age with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and a chance to view Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 and Postcards of the Wiener Werkstätte: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection. The affair is modeled, with some liberties, on Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. Guests are encouraged to wear black and white.

All proceeds support the care of the Frist Center’s historic art deco building.

Friday, August 14
Film: The Barefoot Contessa
7:00 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Gallery admission required; members free
First come, first seated

Humphrey Bogart plays Harry Dawes, a recovering alcoholic and film director who plucks simple nightclub dancer Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) out of obscurity and transforms her into an international movie star. The Barefoot Contessa details the rise and fall of the starlet-turned- aristocrat. The film, shot at the Cinecittà Studios in Rome and featuring glamorous costumes by Italian couturiers Sorelle Fontana (the Fontana sisters), is a prime example of the Hollywood on the Tiber phenomenon. This Technicolor masterpiece—the final evening in our “Italian Style on Celluloid” series—will be shown on 35 mm film, making this already rare screening an event not to be missed.

Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz. NR. 1954. 130 minutes. 35 mm.

Thursday, August 20
Lecture: “Stylish Cities: Fashion and a Sense of Place—from Milan to Nashville” Presented by Karen Elson, British top model and singer-songwriter, and Libby Callaway, fashion media professional and stylist
6:30 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium
Gallery admission required; members free
First come, first seated

Join one of the fashion world’s most sought-after models, Karen Elson, and tastemaker Libby Callaway for insider perspectives on the hallmarks of Italian style and Nashville’s own growing fashion scene. Elson has walked the runways of some of Italy’s greatest houses, including Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Versace. Callaway is a creative visionary who has helped put Nashville’s burgeoning fashion scene on the map. Learn how the culture and style of a given city can influence high fashion in this engaging and anecdotal discussion.

SUMMER CAMP AND YOUTH PROGRAMS

Monday, June 15 through Friday, June 19
Summer Art Camp: Art + Fashion
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily
$250 members; $300 not-yet-members

Check out this summer art camp for children ages 11 to 13. Get inspired by the intersection of art and fashion! Building on the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, campers will play with a variety of nontraditional materials to create wearable art. Participants will explore fashion design, learn to draw croquis (preliminary sketches), create mood boards, and reinvent outfits, using materials such as fabric, felt, duct tape, and recycled clothing items. Art + Fashion participants will exhibit their artwork at the Frist Center on Friday, June 19, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Register early! For more information, please visit fristcenter.org/summerartcamp.

Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26
Summer Art Camp: Wearable Art
1:00–4:00 p.m. daily

$150 members; $200 not-yet-members
(If paired with Paint-n-Play for full-day enrollment: $250 members; $300 not-yet-members)

Check out this summer art camp for children ages 5 to 7. Create art you can wear! Inspired by the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, campers will use materials such as fabric, paint, and recycled objects to design art they can wear or share. Projects will include jewelry, tote bags, T-shirts, and more. Wearable Art participants will exhibit their artwork at the Frist Center on Friday, June 26, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Register early! For more information, please visit fristcenter.org/summerartcamp.

Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26
Summer Art Camp: Fashion Forward!
9:00 a.m.–noon daily
$150 members; $200 not-yet-members
(If paired with Sculpture FUNdamentals for full-day enrollment: $250 members; $300 not-yet-members)

Check out this summer art camp for children ages 8 to 10. Delve into fashion and make art you can wear. Inspired by the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945, campers will test a variety of art materials to create their own fashionable designs. Projects will include costume designs, fabric sculptures, felt wallets, and sketchbooks. Explore the connection between art, fashion, and design. Fashion Forward! participants will exhibit their artwork at the Frist Center on Friday, June 26, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Register early! For more information, please visit fristcenter.org/summerartcamp.

Sunday, July 19
Artful Tales “Red, Purple, Gold: Yes, Please!”
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Frist Center Auditorium and Studios
Free

Enjoy this FREE family program, geared toward everyone ages three and up! Listen to an original story about a little girl who learns that making dreams come true for others can lead to the fulfillment of her own fashionable dreams. After the story, create a fabulous hat to celebrate the exhibition Italian Style: Fashion since 1945.

Exhibition Credit

Italian Style: Fashion since 1945 is organized by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design, with collections unrivaled in their scope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collections, which span over 2,000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world, continue to intrigue, inspire and inform.

Sponsor Acknowledgment

Presenting Sponsor: Nordstrom

Platinum Sponsor: The HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and TriStar Health

Gold Sponsors: Anne and Joe Russell

Silver Sponsor: First Tennessee

Hospitality Sponsor: Union Station Hotel

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

CONTACT:
Buddy Kite: 615.744.3351, ”
Ellen Jones Pryor: 615.243.1311, ”

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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 reservations 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.

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