In Her Place

The Frist Art Museum’s 25th anniversary is marked by a major exhibition of works by Nashville-based women artists.

By Alyssa M. Tidwell

Nashville is a city known for its vibrant creative culture, and women artists are at the core of that scene. The Frist Art Museum will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a major exhibition exploring the role women have played in shaping Nashville’s visual arts community, featuring nearly 100 paintings, sculptures, textiles and installation works by an intergenerational group of 28 women artists based in the Music City. In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century will hang in the museum’s largest gallery space.

“This exhibition is a cross-section of some of the most celebrated Nashville-based artists working in painting, sculpture, fiber and installation. It is important because it demonstrates that, in addition to music, Nashville is home to a first-rate and thriving visual art community, one that is unquestionably led by women,” says Katie Delmez, senior curator at Frist Art Museum.

Among the highlights in the upcoming exhibition is an oil on canvas by Karen Seapker that feels reminiscent of an O’Keeffe piece. “I clearly remember seeing You are Springfor the first time in a show at Zeitgeist Gallery a few [years] ago,” Delmez reflects. “The sacredness with which the artist views nature and the interconnected relationship between humanity and the natural world, its cycles and endurance, were so palpable that I felt it in my bones. In times of seemingly uncontrollable chaos, the jewel-like colors and arching rays of the scene bring me a sense of grounding and hope.”

In Shannon Cartier Lucy’s Brooklyn’s l’ennui, a woman sits on a sofa, unaffected by the burst of flames next to her. “Brooklyn’s l’ennui likewise immediately caught my attention, and I was determined to secure the loan for our show. The beautifully rendered painting depicts the artist’s niece, who also lives in Nashville, sitting quietly on a blanket-covered couch with her tight-clad legs tucked under her. She is glancing at something outside of the picture plane, not looking at the book on her lap and not even noticing the fire burning next to her. It is a surreal scene but speaks to the absurdity that sometimes permeates our everyday lives,” Delmez explains.

Additional artists featured in the show include María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Ashley Doggett, Raheleh Filsoofi, Jodi Hays, Alicia Henry, Sisavanh Phouthavong Houghton, Vadis Turner, Yanira Vissepó and Emily Weiner.

A 168-page hardcover exhibition catalog will be available in the Frist Art Museum’s gift shop. In Her Place is held in conjunction with the annual Symposium of Women in the Arts, hosted by American Women Artists. The symposium will be held on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 5:30 p.m. at the Frist Art Museum and features keynote speaker Sharon Louden, a renowned artist, author and arts organizer. —

In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century
Through April 26, 2026
Frist Art Museum
919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 244-3340, www.fristartmuseum.org