244 5th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219
USA
Watkins College of Art, Design & Film presents paintings by juniors Marlos E’van and Aaron Harper at its downtown gallery WAG during the January 3 edition of the First Saturday Art Crawl.
Marlos E’van, studying for a Bachelor of Arts in Art, has titled his show Funkhaus, “an element of style, grace, violence, disorder and anything bordered. I intend to capture the grace of existence and present it in its elemental nature.” A native of Mississippi, he moved to Nashville in 2012 to begin his studies at Watkins, and his work has been shown in several shows in the downtown arts district and through public installations. In 2014 he co-founded the Wonderland Museum, where public spaces become art events. E’van is also a composer, and was a co-organizer of the July 2013 Music Moves Festival, Nashville’s first large-scale mobile music festival hosted on public transportation. To learn more, find him on Instagram at VELVET_CASTLES.
Fine Art major Aaron Harper, from Corpus Christi, TX, offers Space Between Things, featuring works derived from the experience of walking and driving around the city of Nashville during the night. Months of on-and-off exploration inspired the creation of numerous oil paintings that function as thoughts concerning the effects that darkness can have on the psyche. The work of artists such as Merlin James, Mary Heilmann and Forrest Bess, the writings of Plato, Nietzsche and Bataille, the music of Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and Don Cherry, as well as a background in the Pentecostal Church, are prominent influences in his work. A member of the Watkins-led Co. H collective, Harper was part of their highly praised Mystic Truths show (summer 2014), and he has also exhibited in group shows at the Packing Plant, Track 13, Fort Houston, Chestnut Gallery and Cummins Station. For more information, visit aaronwharper.tumblr.com.
WAG–an acronym for Watkins Arcade Gallery–is located in suite 77 upstairs in the historic Arcade and is open the first Saturday evening of the month during each Art Crawl (from 6-9 p.m.), and by appointment.
WAG joins approximately 20 participating Art Crawl galleries along Fifth Avenue of the Arts and upstairs in the Historic Arcade. Admission is free, and the Nashville Downtown Partnership provides two free shuttles traveling among the venues. For more information on the First Saturday Art Crawl, visit nashvilledowntown.com/play/first-saturday-art-crawl.
About WAG
The Watkins Arcade Gallery–WAG–is a public exhibition space of Watkins College of Art, Design & Film committed to serving the college community and the community at large through exhibitions and programs that enhance curriculum as well as engage a greater audience in the visual arts. WAG is dedicated to supporting the educational and cultural mission of the College by encouraging students to think independently and creatively about their art practice and role as critical thinkers within the cultural landscape. The venue will present shows year-round featuring work by Watkins students, alumni and other professional artists. For inquiries, contact WAG@watkins.edu. WAG is the second Watkins-run gallery space, joining the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr. Gallery, the primary exhibiting space on the College’s campus in Metro Center. More info at Watkins.edu