Category: Arts or Education

THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S SPONSOR

 Silly and serious, big and small, frightening and friendly-scarecrows created by our Nashville community have invaded our gardens once again this fall for our Scarecrow exhibit. For over ten years we have invited the community to get in on the fun of Cheekwood Harvestby assembling a group to design their own custom scarecrows! Dozens of fabulous, weird, funny, and traditional scarecrows will lurk along the paths in our Turner Seasons Garden until October 21.

Groups selected to participate in our scarecrow exhibit are encouraged to be as creative and out-of-the-box as they want! We had 33 diverse groups participate in this year’s exhibit, ranging from preschools, libraries, and even retirement homes. Several of these groups have participated in years past, and have come together again this year to join in on the fun! Each scarecrow is unique to the group that made it, such as the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out” Ralphie scarecrow created in honor of their production of “A Christmas Story”. Other highlights include the Bellevue Branch Library’s “Bob Ross scarecrow”, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s tribute to hot chicken with “Spicy Scarechicken”, Cheekwood’s Finance Team’s “Dr. E. McSquared”, Nashville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s “Diva Delta of Nashville”, and the delightfully spook “Frankenstein’s Monster” by American Patriot Home Maintenance.

This year we are introducing our Scarecrow Selfie Challenge that will continue throughout Cheekwood Harvest. Visitors are encouraged to take a selfie with one of our unique scarecrows, share it on Instagram using #ScarecrowSelfie, and tag us using @Cheekwood. A winner will be selected each Monday during Cheekwood Harvest, and will receive tickets to this year’s Holiday LIGHTS event. Get in on the action by accepting our 2018 Scarecrow Selfie Challenge!

THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S PRESENTING SPONSOR

The Japanese Moon Viewing event began in 2015 after Cheekwood hosted a meeting with the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. Jane MacLeod, President and CEO of Cheekwood, has maintained a relationship with the Consul-General of Japan since 2015. Cheekwood has worked with Consul-General Kinefuchi over the last three years to make the Japanese Moon Viewing a success. This year Consul-General Kobayashi helped out with his first moon viewing after arriving this past May.

Earlier this month, Cheekwood hosted an intimate gathering to welcome Consul-General Kobayashi and his wife to Nashville. The Consul-General along with several prominent guests enjoyed lunch on the Loggia during the event. After the luncheon, guests had the opportunity to tour the newly named Blevins Japanese Garden, which will debut in 2020 following exciting renovations and enhancements made possible by the Blevins family.

Next year, Cheekwood looks forward to hosting the fifth annual Japanese Moon Viewing celebration, and continuing the tradition of this special event. Stay tuned for more information!Published: 9/25/2018

On September 23, Cheekwood hosted the fourth annual Japanese Moon Viewing event. This moonlit evening typically takes place in Shōmu-en, Cheekwood’s Japanese Garden, which has been named “one of the most original Japanese Gardens in North America” by Dr. Kendall H. Brown, author of Quiet Beauty, The Japanese Gardens of North America. However, due to rain, this year’s event was held in our Massey Auditorium, where guests gathered for tea ceremonies and activities.

This one-of-a-kind evening gave guests the opportunity to experience Japanese culture and traditions while celebrating o-tsukimi, the autumn moon viewing tradition. Despite the rain, guests celebrated the harvest moon with open-house style tea ceremony, and authentic kamishibai-style storytelling of Japanese folk tales about the moon, which included hand-drawn visuals along with narration. Children had the opportunity to participate in several activities including origami, calligraphy, haiku flags, yoyo fishing, and fan making. Guests even had the opportunity to sample some traditional Japanese treats served by Sonobana.

The restoration of Cheekwood’s historic rooms and gardens and the endowment for their care and maintenance have been made possible with generous support from the Andrea Waitt Carlton Family Foundation, the Bovender Family, Mr. and Mrs. William F. Andrews Jr., and the Founding Members of The 1929 Club.Although it goes without saying, we look forward to sharing these spaces with you on June 17, as the historic restoration debuts with Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times. Timed ticketed entry is required to tour the Dressing Downton exhibition, so be sure to reserve your tour time here.Experience the newly restored Cheekwood Mansion all year long by becoming a Cheekwood member. Join today!

For more information about the history of the Cheekwood Mansion, click here.To better your experience, we are installing a new Visitor Services area on the Ground Floor that will allow our team to help you make the most of your time in the mansion, as you journey through the historic rooms and gallery spaces. Further, and most importantly, we have researched and developed interpretive stories that, combined with the furnished spaces, will transport you to another time and assist in creating an atmosphere of life during the 1930s at Cheekwood. These stories will be conveyed through interpretive signage displayed in key areas throughout the mansion, as well as by docents and tour guides. There are countless stories to tell of life at Cheekwood, some of which are only partially known. As our research continues to develop, we look forward to sharing new and engaging narratives with you as you visit time and time again.We are in the home stretch of the major restoration that has been taking place at Cheekwood since January. Soon we will be opening our doors to the public and welcoming you to the new and improved Cheekwood Mansion. With less than a month to go, the majority of the historic restoration and furnishing work is complete – paintings are on the walls, furniture is in place and the dining room table is set. There are just a few final surfaces to be polished and wrinkles to be ironed before the grand reopening on June 17.