Parks and Recreation

Centennial Art Center

Headquarters for Visual Arts in Metro Parks
25th Avenue North & Park Plaza, in Nashville’s Centennial Park

cac

Metro Parks’ Centennial Art Center – located in the 25th Avenue North and Park Plaza corner of Nashville, Tennessee's beautiful, historic Centennial Park – serves as headquarters for the Visual Arts Department of the larger Cultural Arts Division of Nashville’s Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation.  Originally built as a swimming complex in 1932, it closed in 1959 and was renovated in 1971, becoming the first Metro Nashville owned structure rehabilitated for “Adaptive Reuse.”

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Tucked within an attractive brick walled courtyard in back of Centennial Art Center’s building, are   attractive outdoor areas that include performance, exhibition and workspace.  The former pool is now a sculpture display garden and pond (where, on occasion, ducks from nearby Lake Watauga fly in to swim and nest), surrounded by an impressive herb garden created and maintained by The Herb Society of Nashville.  The adjacent courtyard is furnished with tables and chairs, creating a wonderful area for picnics, a gathering of friends, club meetings or just relaxing.  It is free and open to the public Monday – Friday, from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, and is available for rental during other hours.  The Art Center is also the location of the Metro Parks’ first Wi-Fi antenna, so visitors can enjoy the peace and quiet of the Center’s courtyard while easily accessing free wireless internet via their laptops, PDAs and other wireless internet devices.  The wireless network – called "Metro-Parks" – is operational during Centennial Park’s hours, 6 AM to 11 PM.

Under the leadership of *Brenda McSurley, Metro Park’s Visual Arts Supervisor and Centennial Art Center’s Director, the Art Center has two art studio/classrooms where popular, affordable classes in drawing, painting, pottery and sculpture are taught by well-respected artists.  Many area artists got started through the Center’s classes, and both past and current students consistently win awards in juried exhibitions.  In addition to the Art Center’s classes, the Visual Arts Department offers craft and fine art classes in numerous Metro Parks Community Centers throughout Nashville. 

A mutually beneficial collaboration – involving over a dozen different Metro Parks’ Community Centers – combines Parks’ Visual Arts Department's teaching staff and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts’ Art Trunk  Community Outreach Program.  Art Trunks – educational kits with different themes designed to enrich the appreciation and understanding of Frist Center exhibitions – include reproductions of artwork and guided lesson plans for children and Senior Citizens.  The Frist Center provides Art Trunk training for Metro Parks’ art teachers who then conduct the programs.  To round out the students’ educational and recreational experiences, the teachers accompany them on special visits to the Frist Center to view, in person, the works they have studied. 

Centennial Art Center’s main building also contains a gallery** that hosts exhibits and sales of a variety of media by professional visual artists.  Each exhibit opens with an Artist’s Reception, giving the public an opportunity to meet the artists and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow visual arts supporters.  During the month of December, the popular Holiday Season Exhibition and Sale is held.   Benefiting Arts in the Parks, a non profit organization, the exhibit features works by Cultural Arts’ Staff and students.

Throughout the years, Metro Parks Cultural Arts Division has been awarded numerous grants from public and private organizations that help enable the Visual Arts Division and others within Metro Parks to collaborate on special projects and events.  One such special event, Memorial Day’s Legends of the Blues Festival, is in collaboration with The Music City Blues Society and attracts thousands of Blues, craft and visual arts fans.

Thanks to Metro Parks’ Visual Arts Department, the cultural and recreational lives of many citizens of Metro Nashville and its visitors are enriched!

Mission Statement: The mission of Metro Parks and Recreations' Visual Arts Program is to provide and expand quality art and cultural experiences within Metro Parks' facilities via classes, workshops, art exhibitions and gallery/museum field trips for the citizens and visitors of Metro Nashville, Davidson County.

PHONE: (615) 862-8442 or (615) 862-8443
FAX: (615) 880-1716
Mailing Address: Parks and Recreation Department
Centennial Art Center
P.O. Box 196340
Nashville, TN 37219-6340

Street Address (no parking lot access from 25th Av. N., must enter from within Centennial Park):

Centennial Art Center
301 25th Ave. N.
Nashville, TN 37201

*Brenda McSurley, Visual Arts Supervisor & Centennial Art Center Director
E-Mail: brenda.mcsurley@nashville.gov 

**Lena Lucas, Centennial Art Center Gallery Manager
E-Mail:  lena.lucas@nashville.gov