OZ Arts Nashville to Host 10th Anniversary Bash in April

Art-lovers are invited to join OZ on Friday, April 5 for a celebratory evening ringing in the next decade of brave new art, including special performances by New Dialect, Shackled Feet Dance, and Fable Cry, DJ sets from RAIDEN, a sampling of Modular Art Pods, and more

Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville today announced a 10th Anniversary Bash to celebrate its first decade of bringing unforgettable contemporary arts programming to Nashville. Art-lovers are invited to gather in OZ Arts' expansive creative warehouse for this one-of-a-kind event featuring more than two dozen adventurous artists and performers who have made OZ's ten-year history extraordinary.

The line-up of sensational arts experiences for the evening includes a stunning new dance and light collaboration from groundbreaking performance ensemble New Dialect (also celebrating its 10th anniversary this spring), theatrical noir rock band Fable Cry known for its "Festival of Ghouls" Halloween celebration, and interdisciplinary and all-inclusive dance collective Shackled Feet Dance. The evening will also include beats by DJ RAIDEN, the stage name of Nashville-based art gallerist and curator Clarence Edward. Theater maven Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva will emcee the evening with her signature energy and humor.

The Bash will also feature a variety of visual art installations from OZ's past and present, including selected sculptures by Alex Lockwood originally featured in his Shake event in 2015. For a fully experiential installation, attendees can sample "MAPS - Modular Art Pods" - open-source collaborative art tunnels - in which artist-created pods are connected for a unique art-viewing experience. The project was initiated by circuit-bending legend Tony Youngblood and presented by OZ in 2016. This smaller installation in OZ's creative warehouse is curated by Madeleine Hicks and includes pods by Beth Reitmeyer, Marlos E'van, Dycee Wildman, and Youngblood himself.

In conjunction with the 10th Anniversary Bash, OZ will premiere a new visual art exhibit that features selected artists from the first decade of exhibitions. Among the artists whose work will be on display will be the late OZ founder Cano Ozgener as well as Lauren Gregory, John Paul Kesling, Alex Lockwood, Marcus Maddox, Joseph Patrick, Vadis Turner, and more. The exhibit is curated by OZ's own Daniel Jones.

Since OZ Arts first opened its doors in 2014, more than 75,000 audience members have witnessed some of the most innovative and powerful performances from around the globe while the creative warehouse has served as a laboratory for countless local artists. This celebratory event invites long-time supporters of OZ Arts and first-time visitors alike to be delighted by the unique creative space and exciting programming, as familiar faces return to OZ to take part in the festivities. These pop-up performances and celebrations will take revelers on a nostalgic journey back through the years of OZ Arts programming, all while patrons of the arts mix and mingle with the Nashville creative community and look forward together to another exciting decade of contemporary art.

"As the saying goes, there's no place like OZ! And we couldn't be happier to celebrate ten successful years of bringing our unique brand of contemporary arts programming to Nashville and beyond," said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive & Artistic Director. "We're honored to raise a glass with our passionate community at this exciting event. The first ten years of performances and events have allowed us to further our mission of presenting artists who reflect our diverse society, utilize new artistic forms and technology in creative ways and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with audiences, students and cultural and civic leaders. We're celebrating what we've accomplished together and propelling us into a second exciting decade of Brave New Art."

Admission for this celebratory event is pay-what-you-wish in increments of $10. Tickets are on sale now on the OZ Arts website. To learn more about upcoming performances, please visit https://www.ozartsnashville.org/.

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