Giving TPAC a High Five

Have you seen TPAC’s album for pre-schoolers, Give Yourself a High Five, yet?
Do you know how the artwork for the album cover and packaging was created?
You will now!

The process for creating the album artwork was so much fun!  It started with a discussion between me (TPAC’s Creative Services Manager) and Lattie (Director of Special Projects for TPAC’s Education department).  Yes, TPAC has a WHOLE DEPARTMENT full of people for our educational programming!  We are proud to administer one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education programs in the nation.

We decided to try paper sculpture for the cover.  After researching, a few sketches to nail down the concept, style, and composition, plus one really big paper shopping excursion at Plaza Art, I began.

Sessions 1 & 2:
I started by gluing the background layers to the backing.  Then, I moved to the houses, schoolhouse, and trees.  In the second photo, you can see the print-out of the very rough digital template I made from my final sketch.

Sessions 3 & 4:
Next, I made the music notes and sculpted them for added dimension.  They are raised off the board with various thicknesses of foam core.  Also, I added the roads, people, and animals.  (The cows are my favorite part.)

Session 5 & finished product:     
I couldn’t believe I was done after only five sessions!  I took the final pieces over to the TPAC Education offices for the photo shoot with Martin O’Connor.

Download or purchase the album today!  Visit tpac.org/highfive.

– Jennifer

Tis the Season

After looking at the headlines, there are some great names coming out of the woodwork and heading to the stage… especially heading into the holiday season both on Broadway and at TPAC. (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is almost here!!!)

The Country singer Billy Ray stars in the famous musical Chicago as a lawyer named Billy Flynn. With his country background, I feel that his voice will give the character a unique, heartfelt touch, which could be an interesting contrast to the tinny sounds of the pre-prohibition era style show. 

Away from the lights of Broadway, over at the New York City Center, Amber Riley is starring in Duke Ellington’s Cotton Club Parade. This 19020s/30s review brings out the best big band style from the famed Harlem nightclub. Riley’s voice should lend itself to this show.

So, grab your sleigh, if you are in New York, or your rain coat, if you are in Nashville, and fill up on some holiday Cheer with these great shows this season!

New to Nashville

Well, as I begun to brainstorm on what to write for my first blog post ever for TPAC, I thought it would be awesome to let people know how amazing this city is. I have lived in Tennessee for a little over 15 years, but only recently stumbled into the Nashville scene. I just became the marketing intern for TPAC which has given me even more of an opportunity to experience Nashville. The arts have always been one of my passions and I've been blessed with the opportunity TPAC has given me.  The big venues and acts I will be working with are always amazing, but the ones you can find “off the beaten path” can also really change your life. I’ve seen people from all backgrounds I had never thought possible, and after one gets past the tourist attractions, Nashville becomes something even more. Some of the places I was introduced to were Tin Roof off of Demonbreun, Winners and Losers in midtown, as well as bars like The Stage on Broadway.

These places have provided me with the chance to see artists like Zac Brown band, Darius Rucker, Ben Folds, Chris Young, and other writers who’ve come up with some of the songs that have shaped a generation of music. My favorite so far has been on Monday nights at Losers for Whiskey Jam where singer/song writers come and play for free. Going to these places for the first couple of times was crazy to me because I had obviously never been around anyone famous. Here, these giants in the music industry just acted like they’d never written a number one hit. Nashville is one of those rare cities where people can relax, have a good time, and listen to some great music.  For those of you who haven’t made it down here, then I suggest you get on it because it is easy to fall in love with a city that is unmatched by others.

- Drew

Parlour and Juke: See America. Get a Haircut

Nashville is an incredible city, full of many independently owned businesses that make it very unique in regards to other destinations. Everything you need and want, from blue jeans at Imogen and Willie, to ties from Otis James, to incredible chocolate at Olive and Sinclair comes with an experience and a relationship. One of such is a haircut from Parlour and Juke. Some of our employees over here at TPAC have taken up getting our ears lowered at this amazing establishment on Cannery Row. A mix of a Parlour (French for “gathering place”) and an old-fashioned southern Juke Joint, this shop is the epitome of southern hospitality. Decorated with exposed brick and old, rough timber, this place has become a Friday afternoon haven for us. The owner, Cali DeVaney is a rock star herself. She has done hair for Grammy Award winning albums, and hair for stars like Loretta Lynn. "You can have whatever you want," she says, “I just help find your own best version of it."

Furry Little Sailor Man

To celebrate the coming of Anything Goes, I made a fancy sailor hat for Biscuits out of a paper bag.Feeling pretty proud of my creation, I found Biscuits and got ready to take some photos of him as an adorable little furry sailor man.

In case you’re wondering, this is what happens when you try to put a sailor hat on your cat.

If you would like to see non-feline sailors singing and dancing on TPAC’s Jackson Hall stage, come see the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes October 23-28.  Visit tpac.org/AnythingGoes for details and tickets.

If you would like to make a sailor hat out of a paper bag and chase your cat around the house with it for hours of amusement, visit artistshelpingchildren.org.

– Jennifer

"CATS: Behind the Curtain" featuring Anything Goes (and Biscuits the cat)