Spring Activity Spotlight: Christy Lee Rogers’ The Muses
An elementary school field trip or two aside, many Nashvillians haven’t spent much time at The Parthenon. But there’s far more to the Music City landmark than the steps that make for the perfect resting place during a Sunday afternoon in Centennial Park. Since the second week of December, its central art gallery has been home to Christy Lee Rogers-The Muses–a celebration of the famed underwater photographer’s 2018 exhibition that marks the first show the Metro Nashville resident has had in her adopted hometown.
Inspired by the nine muses of Greek mythology, Rogers has captured an awe-inspiring merger of light, costumes, and water that have much more in common with the iconography of the Renaissance masters than what one would expect from contemporary photography. Known for her collaborations with brands like Apple and Lavazza (as well as an entry in the show commissioned for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water), the Honolulu native taps into the vibrant character of the Greek myths without stripping them of their allure and underlying danger.
Though the exhibit will remain front and center to visitors until June 1, The Parthenon has spent much of the year engaging with locals through its nine-part Muses Education Workshop Series, a collaboration with Nashville-based artists from various media who each spend an evening tying their craft to one of the famed goddesses (thanks to the Parthenon for the chance to devote last Friday night to film and its relationship to Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy).
Those wanting a family friendly creative jolt can join Emily Everhart, Senior Producer of Nat Geo Kids’ Greeking Out for a podcast creation workshop in honor of Calliope, Muse of Eloquence and Epic Poetry on April 12th. The series will end in epic fashion on April 24th at Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory when astronomer Dr. Erika Grundstrom will offer a crash course on myth and the stars. As the series has proven, Nashville has earned that Athens of the South title for a reason.
More information about the exhibit and workshops is available at The Parthenon’s website.