ArtDocs Nashville Holds URBAN ARTS BIZARRE 10/15 At The Fifth Arcade

ARTDOCS NASHVILLE (Artists Receiving Treatment Doctors Offering Crucial Services) is a new 501c3 charitable organization in Nashville offering no-cost medical services for artists without health insurance. ARTDOCS was founded in New Orleans in 1999 by art gallery owner Jonathan Ferrara, Vincent Morelli and a group of physicians and volunteers. ARTDOCS NASHVILLE is the first ARTDOCS outside of New Orleans.

ARTDOCS will hold their first annual ARTDOCS BENEFIT entitled URBAN ARTS BIZARRE on Thursday, October 15th from 6 to 9 pm downtown at the Fifth Avenue Arcade. The Arts Company, The Rymer Gallery, Tinney Contemporary and Picture This on Fifth will be participating, along with The Untitled Artist Group and Arcade Galleries - The Showroom Gallery, Blend Studio, LeQuire Annex, Plowhaus, BelArt / Marleen De Waele-De Bock, Twist, MIR and Ronell & Company galleries.

ARTDOCS will offer much-needed medical care to visual artists, writers, musicians and other performing artists in need of routine and urgent health services. One of the first programs of its kind in the country, ARTDOCS will give members of Nashville's creative community a place to turn to address their often-overlooked medical concerns.

The program was founded by Carol Ziegler, Vince Morelli, Roger Zoorob and Millard Collins of the Meharry Family Medicine Clinic, the artistic team of Sera Davis (The Showroom Gallery), Daniel Hawks (Studio 83), Susan Tinney (Tinney Contemporary Gallery), Jeff Rymer (The Rymer Gallery), Anne Brown (The Arts Company), Samantha Callahan (Blend Studio), the "Untitled Artists Group" and Elaine Wood of "Oh, Elaine!" Special Events.
ARTDOCS accommodates eight patient visits per week at the Meharry Family Practice Clinic on the Meharry Medical College campus or at a satellite location in Madison, TN. ARTDOCS clinical coordinator Carol Ziegler and Meharry Family Physicians will handle initial consultations with artists. Dr. Roger Zoorob, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Meharry, Dr. Millard Collins and Dr. Vincent Morelli of Meharry Family Medicine Clinic will oversee the program.

ARTDOCS currently covers the cost of initial consultation with a family physician, health maintenance services, routine lab work and simple x-rays. The program will eventually develop a referral network of volunteer specialists who will assist in providing more specialized care.

Although medical evaluations and services above are provided at no cost, there are still expenses related to the ARTDOCS program. Laboratory services and x-rays are sent to outside agencies and must be paid for by funds generated from the annual benefit auction.

EVENT DETAILS

The date is Thursday, October 15th from 6 to 9 pm and features live music (Drummers, Percy Person, Charles Butler Group, Matt Urmy Band), food, wine and beer, fire dancers, the Nashville Rollergirls, Miss Lolly Pop's Burlesque Coterie, Dr Sketchy's Anti Art School, Playing by Air's juggling and circus acts, the Spinderella's Hula Hoop Extravaganza, live works by Graffiti artist Ragoe (Jon Judkins) and other Bizarre and amazing events. There will also be a silent auction and a small live art auction where extraordinary curios, mysterious and valuable gewgaws and fine art works will be auctioned off. 100% of these proceeds will go to ARTDOCS as well as 10% of all gallery sales for the evening. Finally, an art auction that benefits artists!

A $10 wristband charge at the Arcade entrance, which grants admission to this extraordinary event, also benefits ARTDOCS.

THE FOUNDERS

Sera Davis of Davis Art Advisory & The Showroom Gallery, in the Arcade on Fifth Avenue downtown, features emerging contemporary national and international artists. In addition she offers full service art acquisition assistance to individuals and corporations as well as Artist Career Coaching to regional artists.

The Untitled Artists Group, featuring over 700 emerging artists in the Nashville area has also been involved since the inception of ARTDOCS. Untitled is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists, reaching new art audiences and offering alternative visual arts experiences in the Nashville community. Founded in 1991, Untitled organizes quarterly one-night-only exhibits in non-traditional venues.

Blend Studio is a community based art space intent on facilitating dialogue between the local community and local and international art communities.

The Arts Company, The Rymer Gallery and Tinney Contemporary all feature contemporary artwork from a large portfolio of nationally and internationally known artists. In addition these galleries also provide professional art services including selecting, purchasing and installing artwork. The Rymer, Tinney and Arts Company galleries have been instrumental in the formation of ARTDOCS and will also donate 10% of the night's sales to ARTDOCS.

Studio 83, featuring fine, textile and wearable art, crafts, and instructional classes, is now at its new location at 604 Gallatin Avenue @ West Eastland Avenue, Suite 216, Nashville, TN 37206 www.studioeightythree.com
THE PERFORMERS

The Nashville Roller Girls-The super damsels of the Nashville Sports scene, the NRG's yearly challenge to the Nashville Predators has always gone unanswered. Fear is often silent. Nashvillerollergirls.com

Miss Lolly Pop's Burlesque Coterie has performed coast to coast and has been featured at Bonnaroo annually since 2005. They have mastered a unique blend of mind-blowing performance art and burlesque that leaves audiences mesmerized.

Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School - Founded in 2005 by artist Molly Crabapple, this isn't your typical life- drawing class. Instead, it transforms figure drawing into a mind-opening envelope pushing experience that needs to be experienced to be appreciated. From its humble Brooklyn beginnings, Dr. Sketchy's has 82 branches around the world.

The Spinderellas are a hula hoop performance troupe who have enchanted crowds of thousands with their magnificent spins and theatrical style. They also trained 50 women to hula hoop the entire Country Music Half Marathon this year. Details at thespinderellas@yahoo.com

Playing by Air- Playing By Air's original acts feature juggling, circus skills, physical comedy, dance, music, and other variety arts. They provide high-energy, professional creative solutions to corporate meetings and special events.

Fire dancers, The Pyreflies, have a combined 17 years of fire performance experience including events such as The Electrified Farmyard Festival, Southern Social Experiment and an opening for The Reverend Horton Heat.

Nationally known graffiti artist "Ragoe" (Jon Judkin's) will face-off against a rival street artist in a public display of unconventionally impressive artistic talent. We take the paint cans from the railroad to 5th Avenue with this one. Ragoe was recently the featured artist at THE SHOWROOM gallery's annual "Urban Project" exhibition.

Email: artdocsnashville@gmail.com

ARTDOCS LOCATIONS
Meharry Family Practice Clinic Meharry Family Medicine/OB

1005 DB Todd Blvd, suite 300 968 Madison Square
Nashville, TN 37208 Madison, TN 37
615-327-6155 615-860-7511