Summer 2016 Newsletter - The Conservancy for the Parthenon

2600 West End Avenue:
Images of Centennial Park
in the Twentieth Century
Exposition Lithograph, 1897
SUMMER 2016
Athens of the South
O LY M P I C S
T
he ancient Olympic
August 8, 10, 12
Games were dedicated
the gods’ events
to the Greek gods and
Words from
were staged on the plains of the
August 15, 17, 19
Board Chair
ancient city of Olympia in Greece.
the goddesses’ events
The Conservancy is launching a
Paula Van Slyke
social media campaign in celebration of the 2016 Summer
Olympic Games and Nashville’s reputation as the “Athens
of the South.” Join us as five Greek gods and five Greek goddesses compete in
our Athens of the South Olympics which is a “digital” triathlon that will consist
of three events: swimming, cycling, and running. You will be able to vote online
for which god and goddess will win each sporting event of the competition. You
will also be able to provide commentary about your vote. There will be separate
competitions for the gods and goddesses and all five gods and goddesses will
compete in each event. Voting begins on August 8th, when Ares, Hephaestus,
Helios, Poseidon, and Hermes will kick off the gods’ triathlon with their swimming
race. The gods’ cycling and running races will be held August 10th and August
12th, respectively. (Sorry, folks, we are not including Zeus in the competition
because he would just hurl thunderbolts at the other competitors in order to win!)
The goddesses’ competition will begin on August 15th and run through August
19th, with Artemis, Amphitrite, Athena, Iris, and Nike all vying for the gold medal.
At the end of both triathlons, we will announce which gods and goddesses took
continued inside and back cover
home the gold, silver and bronze medals.
2600 West End Avenue:
Images of Centennial Park
in the Twentieth Century
from the Ridley Wills II Collection
Through October 26, 2016
Greek Gods
l to r, top row:
Ares, Hephaestus,
Helios
bottom row:
Poseidon, Hermes
The Gods’ Events
August 8
August 10
August 12
The Goddesses’ Events
August 15
August 17
August 19
Greek
Goddesses
l to r, top row:
Artemis, Amphitrite,
Athena
bottom row: Iris, Nike
* See front cover for details
When the park opened in 1904,
it was one of the last trolley stops on the line that ran along West End
Avenue. Today it stands as a popular respite within an expanding mid-town
urban cityscape. The Parthenon remains a prominent landmark in postcards
that document the many alterations to gardens, paths, and lakes made to
accommodate the changing needs of a vibrant, growing city.
COURTESY OF METRO NASHVILLE ARCHIVES
New Parthenon Exhibit
T
he Parthenon
Museum is
pleased to open
an exhibition of
twentieth-century
images of Centennial
Park. Postcards from
the Ridley Wills II
Collection anchor the
show with pastoral
scenes from the
Mrs. Buford Smith with her Studebaker
early 1900s through
Commander in front of the Parthenon, 1929
a late twentiethcentury image
Centennial Park
entrance around
1909
of the Parthenon’s west end
framed against the skyscrapers
of the city. Also included in
the exhibit are excerpts from
WNPT’s documentary, Nashville
Memories and large-format
images of people enjoying the
park through the years.
Athens of the South Olympics Triathlon*
O LY M P I C S
8th & 15th
10th & 17th
continued from cover
In order to allow you to assess the strengths and abilities of each god and
goddess, we will post on our website pertinent information about them.
This information will be posted prior to the first day of voting with links
also posted on social media. Not only can you participate, but you can
involve your children as well! The Parthenon’s education director, DeeGee
Lester, will post a study guide for students on our website. This will be a
great activity for your children to learn more about Greek mythology.
Stay tuned for the Athens of the South Olympics by connecting to us on
our website, conservancyonline.com, where the actual voting will occur.
There will also be links to our website posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
12th & 19th
Please be sure to vote for the god and goddess that you would like to see win
Olympic gold!
PO BOX 196340
NASHVILLE, TN 37219
conservancyonline.com
The Conservancy’s mission is to preserve,
enhance and share the Parthenon and
Centennial Park so that all future generations
may benefit from these enriching cultural and
educational landmarks.
J
DeeGee Lester
W O R D S F R O M C O N S E R VA N C Y P R E S I D E N T
Sylvia Rapoport
honored at the
The Little Engine That Could…
ave you seen our downtown billboard at the
split of Broadway and West End?
Does your family take advantage of Kidsville at the Parthenon
on Saturday mornings where we connect Nashville children
and families to transformational
experiences in the areas of art, music,
nutrition, fitness, and literacy?
Have you taken one of our new
architecture tours of the Parthenon
and discovered why the ancient
building is so beloved?
Were you one of the 45,000 people
enjoying Musicians Corner’s spring
season in our new permanent home in
Centennial Park?
Did you expand your
knowledge of “the
fourth dimension”
in photography at
our program with
collector Billy Frist
and photographer Jerry Atnip during our Parthenon Series:
Conversations on Art and Architecture?
Billy
Frist
Do you know that the Parthenon has a vibrant education program
where K-12 students can make exciting connections to art, history,
and mathematics all within the context of learning about the Parthenon?
Are you part of our 40% increase in Conservancy
membership?
Are you taking advantage of the wonderful new
features in Centennial Park resulting from $9 million
in improvements The Conservancy helped to fund?
Sir Paul
Are you using the new promenade and entry drive?
Have you noticed the enhanced ellipse in front of the Parthenon? Did you know we
improved Lake Watauga’s water quality and added bee hives on the island? Have
you smiled at children playing in the park’s fresh spring that had been covered since
the 1850 cholera epidemic? Have you walked the 7½ additional trails that were
created and enjoyed shade under 300% more trees? All of this is just the first phase of
improvements in the park, and plans are already underway for the next phase of work.
We expect to break ground in the fall of 2017 for a re-engineered Great Lawn and a
renovated Band Shell and Events Pavilion.
Jerry
Atnip
J
We are thrilled to be a finalist for the Center for Nonprofit
Management’s 2016 Salute to Excellence – The Frist Foundation:
Revenue Development Award. Recognition by this leading
organization that serves as the backbone of area nonprofits not only
strengthens support for what we do but also enables us to continue
to create and provide the type of services and initiatives that results
in a better community. Contributing to the betterment of our
community is why we strive to do what we do. We are excited to see
where the journey ahead will take us and hope you come join us.
Up Close Look at the
Parthenon’s Treasury Room
Cast of Hestia, goddess of the
hearth, and the corresponding
maquette above in the west
pediment of the Parthenon.
The maquette includes Apollo
with Ganymede leaning against
him, Hestia, and Dione with her
daughter Aphrodite reclining in
her lap.
Join us for free music
at Musicians Corner
Saturdays August 6 –
September 3 at our new permanent
venue in Centennial Park.
dogville, kidsville, food trucks,
local artisan marketplace
musicianscornernashville.com
Design: Gerri Winchell Findley, Go Design LLC
H
Bravo! Award Lunch
Were you the lucky winner of our auction for a “Meet
and Greet” with Sir Paul McCartney and tickets to
his concert that he donated to support our Musicians
Corner program?
A
t the PENCIL
Foundation's
annual Bravo! Luncheon
on Monday, April 25th,
the Parthenon Director of
Education, DeeGee Lester,
received the 2016 PENCIL
Foundation Volunteer of
the Year Award. Parthenon
intern Dev Bhavsar also
received the Academy
Student of the Year Award
for Stratford STEM Magnet.
We applaud DeeGee for
her dedication to helping
students learn in creative,
thoughtful and exciting
ways – bravo to DeeGee!
THE CONSERVANCY
Officers
Paula Van Slyke,
Board Chair
Beth Fortune, Vice
Chair
Neil Krugman,
Treasurer
Reavis Mitchell,
Secretary
Sylvia Rapoport,
President
Board of Directors
Beth Courtney
John Darwin
David Ewing
Justin Graham
Matthew Hargis
Demetria Kalodimos
Chris Kyriopoulos
Trish Lindler
Brooks Mathews
Ben Page
Mara Papatheodorou
Jonathan Perlin
Samantha Shore
Shirley Speyer
Butch Spyridon
Candy Toler
Barbara Tsakirgis
Mike Whitler
Ex-Officio
Jo Ann Brannon
Tommy Lynch
Hope Stringer
Staff
Andrea Gilbert Berger
Justin Branam
Leah McMullin
Clare Robbins
John Tumminello
Shakespeare
L
ooking forward, the Parthenon has been selected by
the Folger Shakespeare Library and the American
Library Association as the Tennessee host site for
an exhibit marking the 400th anniversary of William
Shakespeare’s death. First Folio! The Book that Gave Us
Shakespeare is a national traveling exhibition of one of
the world’s most treasured books. Many of Shakespeare’s
plays, which were written to be performed, were not
published during his lifetime. The First Folio is the first
collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays. This is a rare opportunity to come within
inches of one of the most influential books of all time. Published in 1623, it includes
Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, The
Comedy of Errors, and As You Like It. The First Folio is the book that gave us
Shakespeare, and the Parthenon will have it on display this fall.