TFTA's Conner, Nashville in Motion featured at Arts Fusion 3 celebration Aug. 4

Release Date: 7/11/2007. Expired: 8/4/2007

Arts Fusion 3, a statewide celebration of the arts, will be held Saturday, Aug. 4, at The Renaissance Center in Dickson with proceeds to benefit various arts programs.

Stephanie Barger Conner, the new executive director of Tennesseans for the Arts and board chairman for the Tennessee Arts Commission, will be the keynote speaker. The evening also includes an art exhibit reception, dinner and special performance by Nashville in Motion.

Tickets for Arts Fusion 3 are $40 per person (for dinner and the program) and $20 (program only) and available through The Renaissance Center box office at (615) 740-5601.

“We began Arts Fusion two years ago as a way to bring artists, arts organizations and arts patrons together to interact, connect and learn more about the arts in Tennessee,” said Bob Kucher, senior director of Fine Arts at The Renaissance Center. “It has continued to evolve with that same mission each year and now with our third annual celebration we want to start offering tangible assistance to arts organizations.”

Proceeds from Arts Fusion 3 will benefit the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Value Plus Schools initiative at Dickson Elementary School and other area arts organizations that offer scholarships and/or assistance to artists. Value Plus Schools is a multi-year initiative to integrate the arts into all school subjects and Dickson Elementary is one of six schools across the state chosen to participate in the launch of the program.

Arts Fusion 3 kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, with a special free reception for the three art exhibits in the center’s galleries. The Visual Arts Gallery and Upper East Wing will be displaying paintings by Nashville artist Paul Harmon. The East and North Wing galleries will feature works by Rufus Morgan. Rob McClurg will have pottery and ceramic sculpture pieces in the North Wing Display Cases.

The ticketed portion of the evening begins at 6 p.m. with a dinner in the center’s rotunda. A selection of musical performances will be offered throughout the meal.

The Arts Fusion 3 program begins at 7 p.m. in the center’s Performance Hall. A special performance by Nashville in Motion will start the program before Conner offers the keynote address, The State of the Arts.

Appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2002 and now serving as its chairman, Conner recently was named executive director of Tennesseans for the Arts. She previously served as executive director of the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission. She also has served as assistant to the Governor for Policy and prior to that position was assistant to the Governor for Boards and Commissions. Conner received her Bachelor’s degree in human development from Vanderbilt University. She is married to Forrest Conner and they have two children.

Arts Fusion 3 also marks The Renaissance Center’s eighth anniversary, which is being celebrated with and open house and other activities starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4.

For more information on Arts Fusion 3, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org. To purchase tickets, call (615) 740-5601.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.