Experience the Lost Aesthetic of the 1920s in Multimedia as Part of OZ’s Local Artists Series and See Armistead’s Portraits of Nashvillians Projected Life-Sized and Live Variety Show

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 7, 2014 – Multidisciplinary artist Hunter Armistead, a Nashville native and resident, has garnered acclaim as a fine art photographer and as the front man of rock band Mel and the Party Hats. On May 15, as part of the heralded new contemporary arts center’s TNT (Thursday Night Things) local artists series, OZ presents an event that draws on Armistead’s dual background to celebrate the beauty and talent of local artists: Ziegfeld Girls, an immersive exhibition of his 1920s-style portraits of Nashvillians and a variety show, emceed by Armistead, featuring performances by models in the photographs.

Doors will open, and the Riff’s Fine Street Food food truck will begin serving, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at www.oznashville.com or at the door. OZ is located at 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle in Nashville, TN.

Armistead’s Ziegfeld series takes its inspiration from the portraits by Alfred Cheney Johnston of the Ziegfeld Follies showgirls in the 1920s and ‘30s, among the most-famous beauties of that era. Armistead, whose first foray into the arts was jazz dancing in college, is captivated by the graceful, almost balletic nature of the Johnston images: “The women’s poses, particularly the positioning of their hands, are very precise. They look almost mid-dance. The style of the photographs, including their brilliant use of props, captures the look and feel of the ‘20s in an unparalleled way. In my own photographs I have tried to recreate that aesthetic with a contemporary twist or two, with talented local women as my models.”

The Ziegfeld motif will come to life in several ways: Armistead’s photographs will be projected life-sized in rotation on four screens within OZ’s elegantly minimal warehouse space. In addition, a variety show featuring several of Armistead’s models—Katelyn Epperly, Meagan Rhodes, Heather LeRoy, Elle Long, Rosemary Fossee, Jenna DeNuys, and Molly Cherryholmes to name a few—will recreate the Broadway setting in which the Ziegfeld girls performed and danced.

About Hunter Armistead

Hunter Armistead began practicing photography shortly after graduating from college due to a recommendation made by a vocational test. He completed a series on Beersheba Springs before setting his camera aside to pursue a 15-year career as a rock singer in rock band Mel and the Party Hats, which in the late 90’s was one of the most successful unsigned bands in the South. In 2006 he began practicing photography full-time. In 2008 he moved to Berlin, now his second home, for a year. There he completed a number of projects, showed his work, and performed. The city remains his second home today.

Armistead has been published in The New York Times, Southern Living, and Nashville Arts, among other magazines and newspapers. His first book, The Nashville 100, a series of 100 strangers he photographed on Lower Broadway in one day, was released in December 2013.

He has shown his images in Berlin and in Nashville at The Parthenon Museum, Project A and the Froelich Gallery and has work in private collections as well as the Tennessee State Museum. He considers AKTION—a popup live performance in front of a 90-foot-long installation of his images at a park in Berlin—the high point of his career to date.

About OZ

As the first contemporary arts institution in the region, the arrival of OZ transforms the cultural landscape of Nashville. Through a year-round program of performing and visual arts events, OZ supports the creative explorations of leading artists from around the world and inspire curious audiences of all ages. Nashville’s Ozgener family established the non-profit OZ in the building that once housed their cigar company, C.A.O. Under their leadership, OZ has been transformed into a column-free, 10,000 square-foot performance and installation venue nestled amidst artfully landscaped grounds.

In addition to presenting celebrated national and international artists, OZ serves as a catalyst for local creativity. The organization provides a platform for local artists through the monthly TNT (Thursday Night Things) series, which asks artists to create an event that would traditionally not be seen in a visual art gallery or theatre – and that involves a collaboration of creative disciplines.

OZ’s first season is programmed by Artistic Director Lauren Snelling, who came to the organization following posts at the Park Avenue Armory in New York and the Melbourne International Arts Festival in Australia. She has engaged the artists in collaboration with one of the world’s foremost curators, Kristy Edmunds, Executive and Artistic Director of the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA and previously the Consulting Artistic Director for the Park Avenue Armory, the Artistic Director for the Melbourne International Arts Festival, and the Founding Executive & Artistic Director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) and the TBA Festival (Time-Based Art) in Portland, Oregon.

For tickets or more information, please go to http://www.ozartsnashville.org/programs/tnt-may/