Events

Upcoming events

Aug 27
A colorful striped graphic with the words

PechaKucha Vol. 53: The Dialogue of Space

Thursday, August 27, 2026, 6:00–8:00 p.m.

Auditorium; Free for Frist Art Museum and Civic Design Center members; $20 for not-yet members; Space is limited; registration is required

This edition of PechaKucha will explore the ongoing dialogue between our ideas and the physical spaces we inhabit. Read More
Talks + Lectures
Register
Sep 3
A series of white symbols on black canvas.

Frist Films: Reframing the Narrative—Indigenous Filmmakers in Focus

Thursday, September 3, 2026, 6:30–8:00 p.m.

Auditorium; Free for members; gallery admission required for not-yet members; First come, first seated

In conjunction with An Indigenous Present, Indigenash presents an evening of film and conversation featuring three Nashville-based filmmakers whose work reflects distinct cultural experiences and creative perspectives from across Turtle Island. Read More
Talks + Lectures
Sep 10
Two women look at an art tapestry with music notes on it.

Artist’s Perspective: “What Gets Amplified” with Raven Chacon

Thursday, September 10, 2026, 6:30–7:30 p.m.

Auditorium; Free for members; $20 for not-yet members

Join us in the auditorium for an evening with composer and multimedia artist Raven Chacon to learn more about Chacon’s recent works. Read More
Talks + Lectures
Register
Sep 25
An abstract technology based artwork with geometric shapes and bright colors.

Shimmer Symposium Keynote Conversation: Art, Technology, and the Posthuman Imagination

Friday, September 25, 2026, 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Auditorium Free for members and students; $20 for not-yet members Space is limited; registration is required

This conversation features Mark Scala, chief curator at the Frist Art Museum, in conversation with Christiane Paul, curator of digital art at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Tina Rivers Ryan, an internationally renowned expert on the history of art and technology. Together, they will explore how digital technologies are transforming artistic practice and shaping new ways of thinking about art, technology, and the posthuman. Read More
Talks + Lectures
Register
Sep 26

Shimmer: Dreaming the Posthuman—A Symposium on Art, Technology, and Empathic World Building

Saturday, September 26, 2026, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Auditorium; $18 for students; $25 for members; $45 for not-yet members; Space is limited; registration is required

Presented in conjunction with Shimmer: Dreaming the Posthuman, this symposium brings together leading artists, curators, and scholars for a day of thought-provoking conversations. Panelists will offer a contextual framework for the exhibition by discussing how, using both analog and digital technologies, art can give emotional resonance to such themes as… Read More
Talks + Lectures
Register
Oct 16
The silhouette of a woman looks at an art projection of flowers.

Conversation: In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers

Friday, October 16, 2026, 12:00–1:00 p.m.

Auditorium; Free for members; $20 for not-yet members; Registration is required and opens September 14

After experiencing In Search of Thoreau’s Flowers—The Memory of a Season, join collaborators Robin Vuchnich, a new-media artist, and Emily Meineke, assistant professor of urban landscape entomology at the University of California, Davis, as they discuss the creative partnership behind the exhibition. Read More
Talks + Lectures
Nov 19
A technology based artwork with a pixelated deer in a dystopian city.

Art History Lecture: “What's So Scary About Using Tech in Art?”

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30–7:30 p.m.

Rechter Room; Free for members; gallery admission required for not-yet members; Frist come, first seated

This lecture traces that recurring cycle of technological change, from photography and the photocopier to computer drawing and contemporary artificial intelligence models. Read More
Talks + Lectures

Exhibitions on view today

Closing soon
May 22–Aug 30, 2026

International Surrealism from Tate:
Fifty Years of Dreams

People walking through a gallery with Surrealism paintings
Closing soon
May 22–Aug 30, 2026

Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven

Gallery with an installation with tall red string-like pieces handing together in a square with other works on the walls
Jun 26–Sep 27, 2026

An Indigenous Present

Acrylic painting with colorful shapes