Prairie Bluestem: Seen in Nashville

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Seen in Nashville

Life in The Upper South...

Here are some random images from recent visits to the Nashville Airport and to Nashville's Opry Mills Mall which is located alongside our easiest route to the airport.

This large flag is suspended over a ticket counter and check-in area in the airport. Call me corny if you want, but I think the U.S. flag is beautiful.

These fabric artworks were created by Diane Getty. A sampler of six such pieces featuring Tennessee's wildflowers is currently on display at the airport. The piecing and quilting on these are just incredible. According to the info posted with the exhibit, Diane Getty is a native of Maine who studied fine arts at the University of New Mexico and later at the East Tennessee University. Her comment:

"I am inspired by the beauty, patterns and colors of my home in the Cumberland Plateau and I work to interpret what I see. I experiment with painting on fabric and incorporating collage and stitching into my piece. These methods help me articulate and interpret the layered intricacies of the landscape and its flora. Every piece challenges and delights me as I am constantly learning about my subject matter and my creative resources. It's the best of both worlds - the landscape and the process of creation sustain me."

On our other trip to the airport last week, the featured artist in this hallway gallery was Mary Spelling, a Tennessee painter. In the info about her, it said that she is interested in portraying relationships. I didn't take any photos of her art -- sorry.

Since it's Music City, the airport has a small stage near the concourse entrance where musicians provide several shows each day. James Allen Batson, a dapper looking gentleman perhaps in his 50's in age, was performing during our first visit, and he was really very good. I admire someone who can get up in the morning and cheerfully sing and play at 9 a.m. to a distracted audience in a busy public area. It takes an entertainer to graciously accept the situation and perform for those who are listening at the moment. In a way, it's a ministry as well as a job.

Opry Mills has a Bass Pro Shop, and much of the decor in it is rustic. Or at least it's meant to simulate rustic, though it might actually be made of plastic. This big fireplace in the lobby isn't plastic, though. The ironwork on the doors is nicely done.

In a shop doorway at Opry Mills. The reflection on a fold gives a strong hint that these guys are really just ... flat.

This carousel is located in the center of the Opry Mills food mall. The theme of the dining room is "a picnic in the park". The structural pillars are adapted to look like stylized tree trunks and dozens of banners imprinted with leaves are suspended high overhead to provide the foliage. The design is witty, there's natural light, and somehow, there's a pleasant golden glow to the entire area. It's nice public architecture.

As I sat on a bench waiting for my group to come out of a shop in the mall, I jotted down these descriptions of interesting people who passed by:

Woman pinching her cheeks - why?
Handsome, healthy blue collar couple with beautiful little boy.
Chubby teenage boy in saggy pants with preppy friends.
Ladies teetering in heels.
50-year-old Thalidomide victim.
Goth girl in black lace petticoat, black flip-flops, black skull purse.
Dad babysitting toddler in stroller, too much tickling.
Plump matron in splashy floral pantsuit, tennis shoes.
Hispanic cowboy with girl in tight orange stretch clothes.
10-year-old boy with red-white-blue arm cast.
Unhealthy banker in bermudas with spindly arms/legs, spindly wife.
14-yr-old boy, black clothes, sideways cap.

When Isaac saw that I was actually making these notes, he said, "You're sick, Mom. Really sick." I suppose he's right. I'm good at entertaining myself, though.