Nashville Art Teachers: Beyond the Classroom salutes the heroic efforts of teachers during the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. It features the work of elementary, middle, and high school art teachers working in Davidson County. Jurors narrowed over three hundred submissions from eighty teachers to this remarkable selection of thirty-three works, showcasing artists who are skilled in diverse media and emphasize a variety of themes. These artists share their observations, perceptions of the world around them, and personal stories through their art.
The exhibition is a companion to Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful. Thomas (1891–1978) was an art teacher in a Washington, DC, public school for thirty-five years and became the first African American woman whose work was hung at the White House. By connecting these two exhibitions, we hope to underscore the importance of art teachers and celebrate their artistic contributions inside and outside the classroom.
Artists featured in the exhibition
Trent Boysen (University School of Nashville)
Jeff Clark (Goodlettsville Middle School)
Sara Eberhart (Crieve Hall Elementary School)
Ted Edinger (Tulip Grove Elementary School)
Susie Elder (Harpeth Hall School)
Sydney Ellison (Two Rivers Middle School)
Diana Garigliano (Julia Green Elementary School)
Leigh Hardcastle (Croft Middle Design Center)
Briena Harmening (Hillwood High School)
Jan Hatleberg (Meigs Academic Magnet Middle School)
Catharine Hollifield (Montgomery Bell Academy)
Emily Holt (University School of Nashville)
Fan Jiang (Gateway Academy Learning Lab Nashville)
JC Johnson (Ensworth School)
Lisa Jones (Wright Middle School)
Brenna Lloyd (Explore! Community School)
Janet Malone (Norman Binkley Elementary School)
Scott Mast (Hunters Lane High School)
Colleen McCormick Metzger (Overbrook School)
Marti Profitt-Streuli (Nashville School of the Arts)
Troy Rexilius (Valor College Prep)
Erin Rickelton (Lipscomb Academy)
Stacie Robelia (Tennessee Connections Academy)
Erin Scobey (DuPont Elementary School)
Beth Seawell (May Werthan Shayne Elementary School)
Jianna Shafer (Inglewood Elementary School)
Shayna Snider (Hume-Fogg Academic High School)
Laura Sturgill (Oak Hill School)
Kati Swieca-Brockman (Montgomery Bell Academy)
John Toomey (Abintra Montessori School)
Anna Torrence (Isaac Litton Middle School)
Marty Welsh (St. Edward School)
Jacolyn Wingo (Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary School)
Jurors
Katie Delmez, senior curator, Frist Art Museum
Kim Dummons, associate professor, Middle Tennessee State University
Samuel Dunson, associate professor, Tennessee State University
Brian Jobe, executive director and cofounder, TriStar Arts
Organized by the Frist Art Museum
The Frist Art Museum gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our O’Keeffe Circle members in funding this exhibition.
Presented in part by
Exhibition gallery
Trent Boysen. Twin, 2018. Platinum print on vellum, 10 x 10 in. Courtesy of the artist. © Trent Boysen
Sara Eberhart. Thunderhead, 2021. Indigo on wool, 18 x 27 in. Courtesy of the artist. © Sara Eberhart
Jacolyn Wingo. Unconditional Love, 2017. Watercolor on paper, 24 x 18 in. Courtesy of the artist. © Jacolyn Wingo
Ted Edinger. Pieces of Appalachian Me, 2021. Fabric, thread, beads, buttons, wood, and copper foil, 36 x 24 in. Courtesy of the artist. © Ted Edinger
Shayna Snider. April 9, 2021. Archival pigment print, 10 x 8 in. Courtesy of the artist. © Shayna Snider
Sydney Ellison. Rainy Day in Iceland, 2017. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 in. Courtesy of
the artist. © Sydney Ellison
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