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Restoring the Reflecting Pool

Posted on August 23, 2021October 25, 2023 by wordpress

Restoring the Reflecting Pool

Within the past two years, Cheekwood’s conservation initiatives have expanded to include preservation and restoration projects focused on the original landscape architecture of the Cheekwood estate. The fundamental commitment made to continue the dedicated journey towards comprehensive historic preservation remains at the forefront of institutional initiatives. This July, Cheekwood kicked off another exciting undertaking to restore one of the estate’s most beloved original garden features within the seven-acre historic core.

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From July through late August 2021, attention has again been turned toward significant garden statuaries, water features, and historic landscaping. After successfully completing work on Cheekwood’s grotto and classical Carrera marble statue, The Bather, in 2020, the Italianate Reflecting Pool has become the next focal point of historic initiatives. In effort to conserve and restore landscape architect Bryant Fleming’s original concept for one of Cheekwood’s most popular gardens, much care and energy is being applied to reinterpreting all aspects of the area’s historic aesthetics. The classical muses Thalia, goddess of comedy and poetry, and Urania, goddess of astronomy, that flank the pool’s edges are receiving special care and treatment to ensure structural integrity and cleanliness.

After having weathered the Tennessee elements for ninety years, conservators will be removing decades of biological growth from these mid-nineteenth century cast concrete statues in order to more closely resemble their initial coloring when the Cheek’s first purchased and installed them in their garden. In addition to treatment of the original statuaries, highly skilled masons are carving, repairing and replacing the limestone fountain bases, cascading weir, and the decorative curved supporting walls upon which the muses perch. To further accentuate these updates, an additional enhancement will be made to the restoration through the inclusion of functional fountain features to reintroduce the natural gentle sound of flowing water to the Reflecting Pool as echoed throughout all of Fleming’s waterway designs on the estate. Final touches to refresh landscaping and Leslie Cheek Sr.’s prized boxwoods are anticipated to be made in late-August, with a projected project completion and debut just in time for Labor Day. We are eager to share this restored space of classical beauty and tranquility with all in the weeks ahead!

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Q&A with Mike McMath

Posted on August 20, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

Q&A with Mike McMath

In celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the Martin Shallenberger Artist-in-Residence series, Cheekwood is proud to present the melodic work of artist Michael D. McMath as the Cheekwood artist resident of 2021.

McMath is an innovative painter taking much inspiration from ancient art practices. Over his career, McMath has completed countless murals, faux finishes, trompe l’oeil paintings and gold leaf projects commissioned across the United States. Working in the centuries old artform of Venetian plaster and encaustics, or hot wax painting, McMath has revived these ancient Greek and Roman techniques in the 21^st century. The creative techniques he employs in each work require an air of freedom given the untamable nature of the medium. The method of encaustics takes control from the artist’s hands and creates lovely unforeseen results. McMath finds great joy in the aesthetic accidents produced by the medium, which in turn pays tribute to the unruly and innate beauty of nature. Receiving inspiration from horticultural surroundings and architecture, McMath is eager to discover endless sources of beauty that will inform his imagery from the bountiful environment throughout Cheekwood during his residency. Mike McMath will be creating onsite in Cheekwood’s second floor galleries through August 27 and an exhibition of his work will run through October 17.

Where do you draw your inspiration for your artwork?

It’s a combination of “composition” and “the process”. Something has to catch my eye! Whether it’s something in nature, architectural or the human form, composition is key. Once I have passion for that image everything becomes about “the process”. I love the act of creating. There is a constant battle with the chosen medium to achieve the image in my mind.

How did you decide that you wanted to draw from ancient art practices?

I was drawn to Venetian plaster and encaustic because of their illusion of texture. Venetian with its many thin layers of color and skim coating appear to have great texture but in fact feel like polished stone. Encaustic had such depth simply by the colors melting together. That translucency is what drew me in.

How long have you been creating art and what made you start working in different mediums?

I have been creating works of art for as long as I can remember and loved graphite at an early age. It was in college that I started working with oils and other traditional mediums. It was after collage that I started a faux final company after seeing someone doing a marble effect. I didn’t know how it was done but I knew I could do better. I fell in love with the Venetian plaster effect we were putting on walls and was asked to paint a mural on the Venetian with Venetian. Encaustic intrigued me much the same as the marbling that I had seen years earlier. I didn’t know how it was done but I had to try it!

Why did you want to be this year’s Artist-in-Residence at Cheekwood?

It is very hard to make a living as an artist solely on your work and I see the AIR as a great opportunity to do just that.

What does Cheekwood provide to an artist that he/she might not find elsewhere?

Inspiration! The architecture and the natural surroundings are all I need to start “the process”.

Describe what the visitors will see when they see your work on display at Cheekwood.

My goal is to bring the outside in. Inspired by the architect’s original intent to create a synoptic balance of structure and landscape I intend on doing the same by filling the gallery space with color and texture.

See McMath’s work on view at Cheekwood through October 17!

Hero image courtesy of Michael D. McMath.

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The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework

Posted on August 11, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens
Fisk University Art Galleries
August 12 – October 31, 2021

William Edmondson (1874-1951) was the most notable sculptor active in Nashville during the 1930s and 40s, and today he remains one of the most important folk or self-taught American artists of the twentieth century. In 1937, he became the first Black artist to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which helped Edmondson gain national and international prominence for his limestone carvings. He also attracted significant local attention from neighbors, collectors, and noted intellectuals and creatives, including photographers like Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Edward Weston, and Consuelo Kanaga. These individuals came from across Nashville and from around the country to see Edmondson at work on his property in the city’s Edgehill neighborhood, just east of Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University). Edmondson’s life in Nashville directly shaped the form and content of his work, but its reach and impact extended far beyond the limits of the city he called home.

The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework draws on new scholarship and methodologies to contextualize Edmondson’s carvings, both within the histories of Nashville during the Interwar years and the history of modern art in the United States. Edmondson has largely been confined to narratives that focus on his supposed artistic discovery by white patrons in the 1930s; his work’s formal resonance with so-called primitivism and direct carving techniques; and his place in the traditions of Black “outsider” art in the United States. This exhibition revisits Edmondson’s work within these frameworks, but also reconsiders his work on its own terms and as part of a comprehensive practice that included the creation of commercial objects rather than strictly fine art. Edmondson’s carvings were intended to be seen and used by the public, in everyday spaces and places. The exhibition’s title references this aspect of Edmondson’s practice, and more specifically, the sign that hung outside his studio, advertising what was for sale and on view in his yard, including tombstones, birdbaths, and statuary.

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is the greatest single repository of sculptures by Edmondson and related works, including a substantial collection of photographs of the artist and his work gifted by Dahl-Wolfe. The Sculpture of William Edmondson is the first large-scale museum examination of the artist’s career in over twenty years. The exhibition offers an opportunity to highlight and reevaluate Cheekwood’s significant holdings, while more fully contextualizing his practice by placing it alongside notable loans from private and public collections. Additionally, Cheekwood’s collection of Edmondson and Edmondson-related work are now accessible digitally, for the first time in the institution’s history, through a new online collection resource. The exhibition is also accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue, published by Vanderbilt University Press, which features new scholarship by Renée Ater, Kéla Jackson, Ellen Macfarlane, Anne Monahan, and Learotha Williams. Of particularly note is an essay written by Nashville historian, Betsy Phillips, on the tombstones carved by Edmondson in Nashville cemeteries—marking the first time such a list has been compiled and published.

The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework will be on view at both Cheekwood and the Fisk University Art Galleries. This concurrent presentation helps more fully contextualize Edmondson’s work across Nashville during a particularly rich moment in the city’s cultural history, which also included an exhibition of his work at Fisk University in 1948, presented as part of its annual Spring Arts Festival. The two-venue presentation, however, also speaks to the underlying goals of this exhibition: to make Cheekwood’s tremendous collection of Edmondson and Edmondson-related works more widely and easily accessible for all.

The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework supported by

Additional support provided by

Image #1

William Edmondson, Sculptor, Nashville, Tennessee, 1937. Gelatin silver print. Gift of the Artist. 1964.3.1. © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona: Louis-Dahl-Wolfe, Archive/ Gift of the Louise Dahl-Wolfe Trust

Image #2

William Edmondson (American, 1874-1951). Birdbath, 1938. Limestone. Gift of Sophia Ezzell Dobson. 1994.20a-d. Photo: © Eric Wheeler, 2021

Image #3

William Edmondson, (American, 1874-1951). Barbara Kinnard Tombstone, 1940. Limestone. Mount Pisgah Cemetery. Photo courtesy of Marin R. Sullivan.

Image #4A/B

Pamphlet for the Fisk University Spring Arts Festival, 1948. Courtesy of Fisk University, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library, Special Collections and Archives.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Arkendra Johnson

Posted on August 4, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

Volunteer Spotlight: Arkendra Johnson

Arkendra Johnson joined Cheekwood as a volunteer in 2018, and she has consistently served every year since. She pursued a range of opportunities here at Cheekwood helping with our Tot’s art activities, painting the Swan Ball dance floor, gardening, serving as a gallery service volunteer and guide during Chihuly at Cheekwood in 2020 and participating in our inaugural African American Cultural Family Celebration. Engaging, welcoming, and friendly, Arkendra always volunteers with an infectious smile! She is drawn to art and history, is eager to learn, and is currently attending docent training.

Tell us a little about yourself.

This is home!! I was born and raised in Franklin, TN graduated from Page High School and Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Criminal Justice and a double minor in Political Science and Psychology. I’ve had the pleasure to work in some form of customer service for over 25 years. I love working with people and getting to know them (family too)! Currently I am the Principal Broker of Luxury Homes of Tennessee in Downtown Franklin and live in College Grove.

What are your favorite hobbies, activities, or interests?

I love to volunteer, read, and travel with my family. Also, I like trying new restaurants/foods.

What is your favorite garden or area at Cheekwood and why?

Very hard question because I love every part of Cheekwood. I guess it would be the Burr Terrace Garden and the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden. The gardens are very inviting and an exceptional display for children and adults to enjoy.

What is your favorite room or area in the Historic Mansion & Museum, Frist Learning Center, or Botanic Hall? Why?

Featured Art Galleries. There’s a unique story with each artist and art piece.

Do you have a favorite art piece at Cheekwood, or, if not, a favorite exhibition that Cheekwood has hosted? Is there a reason you like it?

Chihuly! I volunteered not knowing a lot about it, but after a tour and reading about the artist I really enjoyed seeing all the rich color of glass art displayed. Definitely eye opening to see art shared in so many different forms and colors.

In what ways have you been involved as a volunteer with Cheekwood so far?

I’ve helped with kid’s activities, reading to the kids, Chihuly at Cheekwood, greeter in Historic Mansion & Museum, and helped prepare for the Swan Ball.

Why did you become a volunteer?

I have always volunteered in some way locally in my community, and decided to add to the list of organizations I volunteer for. Cheekwood piqued my interest with the different displays of gardens and art. This was all new to me, but I enjoy exploring new things and it’s been amazing!!

What have you enjoyed the most about your volunteer experience?

I work in a fast paced environment. When I volunteer at Cheekwood and arrive on the campus, everything slows down for me and I get to experience nature and new things. Also, I love meeting/talking to volunteers and guests. It’s great to see families spend time together and have fun at Cheekwood.

Is there a funny or inspirational story you can briefly tell about your volunteer experience?

I volunteered for the garden area. I had some idea of my volunteer assignment, but it was my first time working in the gardens. I didn’t realize how much manual hard work goes into gardening. I pulled weeds for about an hour and a half. I loved being in the gardens, but my knees and arms were sore when I left! My goodness I told myself several times “Do not quit!” I did not quit and completed my job. I want to thank all gardeners everywhere for all your hard work. Cheekwood is so beautiful.

Do you have any advice for individuals considering volunteering with Cheekwood?

Definitely come to Cheekwood to volunteer. It’s a great way to give back to nature/art and it responds back to you. Such an exciting opportunity to learn and enjoy all Cheekwood offers.

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Are you interested in volunteering at Cheekwood? We need volunteers for our inaugural African American Cultural Family Celebration. Click here to learn more!

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Top Plant Picks August 2021

Posted on August 1, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

Top Plant Picks August 2021

As summer continues, celebrate the season by taking a stroll through our gardens! Cheekwood’s Plant Collections Manager, Shanna Jones, shares her top plant picks for August.

Rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus)

Bloom Time: July – October

Sun Requirement: Full sun

Water Requirement: Medium

Tolerates: Drought & Deer

Wildlife: Butterflies, bees & songbirds

Native to North America: Yes

Location: Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden

Zones: 4-8

Other: Indigenous peoples used the sap of rosinweed to make a chewing gum.

Purple Top Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)

Bloom Time: June – Frost

Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade

Water Requirement: Medium

Tolerates: Poor soils

Wildlife: Butterflies & Goldfinches

Native to North America: No

Location: Wills Perennial Garden

Zones: 7-11

Other: Will self-seed and naturalize in warmer climates.

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Mexican Oak (Quercus greggii “La Siberia”)

Sun Requirement: Full sun

Water Requirement: Medium

Tolerates: Clay, deer & drought

Wildlife: Birds & squirrels

Native to North America: Yes

Location: Sigourney Cheek Literary Garden

Zones: 7-11

Other: New leaves are fuzzy and crinkly. ‘La Siberia’ is a town located near the High Mexican Valley.

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Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra “Aureola”)

Bloom Time: N/A

Sun Requirement: Part Shade-shade

Water Requirement: Medium

Tolerates: Deer & shade

Native to North America: No

Location: Burr Terrace Garden

Zones: 5-9

Other: ‘Aureola’ is a gold-striped variety.

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata)

Bloom Time: July – October

Sun Requirement: Full sun

Water Requirement: Wet

Tolerates: Low fertility

Wildlife: Dragonflies and fish

Native to North America: Yes

Location: Martin Boxwood Gardens Grotto & Robinson Family Water Garden

Zones: 3-8

Other: Seeds and leaves are edible.

Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)

Bloom Time: June-September

Sun Requirement: Full Sun

Water Requirement: Dry-medium

Tolerates: Drought

Wildlife: Butterflies & bees

Native to North America: Yes

Location: Howe Garden

Zones: 5-9

Other: Plant host to swallowtail butterfly larvae.

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Bloom Time: July – September

Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade

Water Requirement: Medium- wet

Tolerates: Drought

Wildlife: Butterflies & Bees

Native to North America: Yes

Location: Howe Garden, Herb Study Garden, and The Carell Trail

Zones: 3-9

Other: Great for rain gardens and woodland edges.

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Member Spotlight: Lillian Gilmer

Posted on July 26, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

Member Spotlight: Lillian Gilmer

In this Member Spotlight, we chat with a long-time Member about some of her favorite experiences visiting Cheekwood over the years.

Lillian Gilmer and her family have been Members since 1999, but she has been going to Cheekwood since she was a child. As a Nashville native, Lillian remembers visiting with her family, seeing the beautiful garden displays, exploring the rooms inside the Historic Mansion & Museum, and learning about Cheekwood’s history.

Lillian’s interest in history led her to Davidson College where she majored in Asian studies and spent her free time hiking and whitewater kayaking in the North Carolina mountains. After graduating with honors, Lillian returned to Nashville to teach History and Political Science at Harpeth Hall High School, and later moved to Japan to teach English in Nagoya. After four years of teaching, Lillian entered law school at Vanderbilt and upon graduation, began practicing real estate law with a local law firm. Ultimately, her interest in both non-profit organizations and real estate law led her to an affordable housing development. Fast forward to today, Lillian is an attorney with Reno & Cavanaugh, PLLC where she continues making a positive impact on her community, working with non-profit agencies, such as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville as legal counsel for their single-family homeownership program, as well as representing developers who purchase, develop, and rehabilitate affordable multi-family housing through federal low-income housing tax credits and other federal subsidies.

Lillian and her husband, Nate Gilmer, live in Nashville and are soon to be empty nesters as their triplet daughters will go off to college this fall. Still passionate about spending time outdoors, Lillian enjoys the changing terrain and technical challenges of trail running.

Lillian, you’ve been a Cheekwood Member for 21 years, what prompted you to join?

Really? Wow…time flies. Well, I’ve been going to Cheekwood since I was a child, so those memories were certainly an influence. I remember our family going at Christmas. The mansion was so beautiful, and I loved all the different Christmas trees. Seeing it through the eyes of a child, it was magical.

Cheekwood has many gardens and trails to explore. What is your favorite garden area to visit?

I have two favorite garden areas. I really enjoy the Japanese Garden of course. It is so peaceful and reminds me of my time in Japan. The other area where we spent a lot of time is near the Swan Lawn. When our girls were little, we visited Cheekwood every weekend, sometimes both on Saturday and Sunday. We would pack a picnic lunch and load the girls in our triplet stroller to walk to Cheekwood from our house on Page Road. Willy and Elenore were often at the gate, and they greeted us with such enthusiasm every time we arrived at Cheekwood, which was always a nice welcome after pushing our triplet stroller up the hill to the entrance gate. Then, we would always go to our special spot near the Swan Lawn, where we would lay out a blanket, pull out a few toys, some books, and snacks, and just enjoy the afternoon. We were such regulars at Cheekwood that we were featured in a newsletter back in 2004!

Cheekwood is open year-round and hosts four seasonal festivals. What is your favorite season or festival?

We always enjoy coming for Cheekwood Harvest and Holiday LIGHTS. We also enjoyed the music at Songwriters Under the Stars. Our favorite festival of all has always been El Día de los Muertos, which we never missed when our children were young. And of course, the Easter Egg hunts!

Do you have a favorite exhibition that Cheekwood has hosted?

The Treehouses were a family favorite. Our girls had a lot of fun with those. Of course, both Chihuly exhibitions were gorgeous. Last year, my husband and I celebrated our 23^rd anniversary at Cheekwood. Seeing Chihuly lit up in the evening was so beautiful. It was the perfect “date night”.

Cheekwood offers so many programs and activities that our Members really enjoy. What are some that you or your family has especially enjoyed?

We have always loved all of the art activities at Cheekwood for the children.Before our girls started kindergarten, our nanny would bring them to Cheekwood once a week for art activities. Over the years, our girls went to several summer camps and art workshops. On weekends during the holiday season, we always came to decorate cookies.

Lillian, thank you for sharing so many wonderful memories about Cheekwood. We have one last question for you. Why do you think Cheekwood is important – for individuals, families and communities?

Cheekwood is such an amazing resource for Nashville. The ability to enjoy art, nature, and music in one setting is truly a gift, and Cheekwood is one of the few places in Nashville where all can be enjoyed at the same time. Cheekwood offers individuals a place to disappear into a landscape of beautiful green lawns peppered with colorful flowers and art exhibitions for a few hours, or even a day, a place to seek solace and a temporary escape from hectic city life. Cheekwood is also a wonderful playground for families, providing a place where families can take walks, enjoy a picnic, and be entertained for hours without the distraction of technology. Having a resource like Cheekwood is so beneficial to the community because it brings people together to enjoy the very things that are so important in life to our mental well-being (art, nature, and music), and it is these things which people often don’t take time to enjoy due to being over scheduled with obligations. Spending an afternoon at Cheekwood, whether it be alone with your thoughts, picnicking with family, or communing with other Nashvillians over an exhibition or other community event, is sure to be a delightful experience for anyone!

Not a member? Join Cheekwood today and experience the unparalleled beauty of Nashville’s landmark country estate. As a member, you have unlimited access to inspiring art and garden exhibits, programs, festivals, and events throughout every season.

Learn more

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Wedding Trends for 2021

Posted on July 20, 2021October 27, 2023 by wordpress

Located just eight miles west of downtown Nashville, Cheekwood is the area’s premier wedding destination. Cheekwood offers unique indoor and outdoor spaces suited for any couple, from intimate garden ceremonies to lavish receptions. We asked Director of Events, Jenny Morris, to share with us 2021 wedding trends seen at Cheekwood.

Image courtesy of Rachel Moore Photography.

The weddings of 2021 are sure to look a little different after the year we all experienced in 2020. Let’s discuss the big trends we have seen so far. If COVID taught us anything, it would be how important friends and family truly are to each of us. We no longer take for granted the times we get to spend together, so weddings this year have become quite intimate and not just due to guest count restrictions. Many couples are choosing to size down their guest lists to ensure a safe and happy celebration. Cheekwood recognizes how special intimate gatherings truly are and love to be a part of making it all happen. The saying “quality over quantity” truly applies to hosting your event in one of Cheekwood’s intimate spaces.

With a smaller guest count, couples turn the focus on ensuring a magnificent experience for their guests with no detail spared. Couple’s allocating more dollars in their budget towards over-the-top dinner experience, sentimental tabletop settings, breathtaking flower arrangements, and/or the overall design of the day improves greatly when you get to focus on those smaller details.

Image courtesy of Rachel Moore Photography.

Couples are looking for ways to keep their guests as comfortable as possible. What better way to do so than to have a cozy living room right in the middle of your celebration. Living room décor has always been trending in wedding design, but this year it has especially become a staple at any celebration. Couples want their guests to feel comfortable since for many this may be their first time back in a large gathering setting. A fun lounge seating area with plush pillows is always an attention grabber in wedding décor and is one to definitely please your guests.

Image courtesy of Lauren Bailey Photography.

One thing that has come from 2020 is people are spending much more time outdoors. It is no surprise outdoor weddings are probably the biggest trend of 2021. An outdoor wedding is one way to ensure safety and comfort of your guests with an open air space and room to spread out. Outdoor weddings allow you to be extremely creative with how you want to design the space. Tenting and lighting can completely transform your outdoor wedding into a ballroom under the stars.

Image courtesy of Cassidy Carson.

Interested in hosting your wedding at Cheekwood? Check out our ceremony and reception options, and be sure to follow Cheekwood Weddings on Instagram!