Past Exhibitions

Drawing of a black man in four different poses drawn in different colors.

Sole Study

Apr 10, 2025–May 3, 2026
Under the direction of Student Curator Gopal Pokharel (Sumiran) from Fisk University and Student Designer Myles Jones, a senior at Tennessee State University, Sole Study was created through Project Uplift, a program designed in partnership with Fisk and TSU to offer a student or recent graduate an opportunity to curate,… Read More
Two women looking closely at a colorful abstract scultpure

In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century

Feb 1–Apr 26, 2026
In Her Place draws attention to the prominent position of women artists in our region and beyond through the presentation of nearly 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles, and installation works made by an intergenerational group of 28 celebrated Nashville-based women artists. Read More
Three people looking at artwork in a gallery.

Sistah Griot: The Iconoclastic Art of Barbara Bullock

Feb 1–Apr 26, 2026
This exhibition showcases the incisive and still-timely work of Nashville-based artist Barbara Bullock (1946−1996). Bullock moved to Nashville in 1969 after being raised by her aunt and uncle in Buffalo, New York, and studied art at George Peabody College for Teachers (now a part of Vanderbilt University). Fifteen years later,… Read More
Guests watching a video screen with the words

Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm

Nov 6, 2025–Jan 26, 2026
Organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, this exhibition presents selections from an extraordinary archive of recently discovered photographs taken by Paul McCartney between December 1963 and February 1964. Over the course of these three short months, The Beatles—Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—were propelled from being… Read More
Man taking a photo of a masquerade ensemble

New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations

Oct 10, 2025–Jan 4, 2026
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations highlights the stories of four contemporary masquerade artists, their motivations, artistic choices, and the patronage and economic networks with which they engage. Through the presentation of works of Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa (Nigeria), David Sanou (Burkina Faso), Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah (Sierra Leone), and Hervé… Read More
People looking at paintings in a gallery with a black sculpture in the foreground

Fahamu Pecou: This Face Behind This Mask Behind This Skin

Oct 10, 2025–Jan 4, 2026
This Face Behind This Mask Behind This Skin presents the work of Atlanta-based artist and scholar Dr. Fahamu Pecou. The exhibition’s title reads like a mantra—an embodiment of being and becoming. Dr. Pecou’s work explores contemporary representations of Black masculinity and identity through painting, mixed-media sculpture, and critical theory. This exhibition brings… Read More
Rendering of a possible idea for the east bank in Nashville showing buildings and a park like setting with people milling about

Avenues to a Great City

Jul 4–Dec 14, 2025
The Civic Design Center and the Frist Art Museum have partnered to create Avenues to a Great City, on view in the Conte Community Arts Gallery from July 4 through December 14. Visitors are invited to consider the complex art of civic design through an exploration of the growth of Nashville… Read More
close up of hands working on a quilted square

Vitality Arts Project:
Art Making with FiftyForward

Sep 25–Oct 20, 2025
Celebrating the conclusion of the Vitality Arts Project, held from October 2024 through September 2025, this exhibition showcases artwork created during these workshops for participants ages 55 and older. The program was presented in partnership with FiftyForward and was supported by a Vitality Arts grant from E. A. Michelson Philanthropy… Read More
Two women looking at quilts

Fabric of a Nation:
American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Jun 27–Oct 12, 2025
Seen by many as a timeless, democratic art form, the quilt has evolved throughout United States history and continues to develop today. Made by a broadly under-recognized diversity of artistic hands and minds, the medium offers an opportunity to tell a rich and complicated story of our shared and contested… Read More
Two textile artworks

Art in the Atrium:
Ashley Larkin and Shabazz Larkin

Jun 27–Oct 12, 2025
Featuring work by Ashley Larkin and Shabazz Larkin This year’s Art in the Atrium project was selected to complement the exhibition Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Featuring a selection of textile works made by Nashville-based artists Ashley Larkin and Shabazz Larkin, the… Read More