This September, Vanderbilt University partners with Nashville’s leading arts and cultural institutions to launch a new season of community programs—offering conversations, performances and panels that highlight history, creativity and connection.
InsideOut at TPAC
The season begins Sept. 16 with the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s InsideOut series. This event offers a lunchtime preview of the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s season-opening production, Come From Away, featuring a conversation with the show’s director, Leah Lowe. Lowe is a professor of theatre, directing and dramaturgy and director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt.
Based on a true story, the musical is set in the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, where on Sept. 11, 2001, 38 planes were rerouted, leaving nearly 7,000 passengers from all over the world stranded. The show exemplifies selflessness and compassion after the 9/11 attacks. A complimentary boxed lunch is provided with the InsideOut event registration.
(Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University)
Then and Now with Nashville Public Library
On Sept. 17, the Then and Now: The History of Minority Communities of Nashville series returns with a program spotlighting the Black community in East Nashville and the story of Meigs School. Hosted at Meigs Middle School, the evening will feature reflections from Meigs High School alumni and be moderated by Dr. André L. Churchwell, Vanderbilt’s senior advisor on inclusion and community outreach.
Now in its third year, Then and Now explores the history and impact of these communities through the scholarly work of noted historians and the personal stories of community members through a partnership with the Nashville Public Library’s Special Collections.
Food for Thought at the Frist
The season continues Sept. 18 at the Frist Art Museum with the return of Food for Thought, a series of interdisciplinary conversations over lunch inspired by Frist exhibitions. The September session titled “Threads of Meaning” is inspired by the exhibition Fabric of a Nation. The conversation will explore the value of crafted stories and the importance of preserving them.
Panelists include Sarah Calise, special collections librarian and public historian at Vanderbilt; Alexandra Sargent Capps, director of the Fiber Arts Build Lab at the Wond’ry and faculty member in fine arts; Sandra Lee Chandler, local textile artist and educator; and Katie Delmez, senior curator at the Frist. Museum admission, parking and lunch are free with registration.
(Joe Howell/Vanderbilt University)
Presented in collaboration with the Frist Art Museum, TPAC and the Nashville Public Library’s Special Collections, these public programs showcase Vanderbilt’s commitment to building community through shared history, art and dialogue.
Additional events in these series will be announced soon on the Vanderbilt University event calendar.