ABC Nashville

NASHVILLE, TENN. – The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville and Jack Daniel Distillery present Paint the Town Jack, a collaborative program inspiring workplace creativity among area restaurants, bars and wine and spirits shoppes. The contest culminates at a reception in TPAC’s Andrew Jackson Hall Lobby on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 5:30 p.m.

Joining chefs, servers, bartenders and other employees, Paint the Town Jack builds camraderie as teams work to paint statues of JACK utilizing original, creative themes. Included in the over 25 participating establishments are: Midtown Café, Mambu, 3rd & Lindsley, Frugal MacDoogal’s, Beyond the Edge, Weiss Liquors and more.
Judging will take place just prior to the reception and Awards will be presented in the areas of: Most Classic, Most Creative, and Best in Show. Guests will also be asked to participate in voting for the People’s Choice Award while enjoying Jack Daniel’s signature cocktails.

Beginning in June, participants received thirty-four inch statues of Jack Daniels to creatively paint utilizing a theme of their choice. Participants in the Contest made a donation to the Arts & Business Council to drive collaboration between arts and business contributing to the economic prosperity and cultural vitality of greater Nashville.

Nashville visual artists Herb Williams and Anthony Billups are each painting a six –foot JACK statue for auction.

Connie Valentine, President & CEO of the Arts & Business Council, calls Paint the Town Jack “an exciting venture to include Nashville’s culinary artists and restaurants in using new forms of creativity to build workplace innovation and camraderie.”
For more information, call the Arts & Business Council at (615) 743-3055 or visit www.ABCnashville.org.

Event photos available upon request.

-9/14/10

NASHVILLE – The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville in partnership with The Nashville Bar Association Young Lawyers Division presents the 2nd annual Arts Immersion – Thurs., June 3, 2010 at 6:30 PM at the ICON in The Gulch .

This annual arts soiree, chaired by Tyler Middleton, showcases local bluegrass music; performance art courtesy of Playing by Air; film reels from FilmNashville and the Nashville Film Festival; as well as visual art from some of Nashville’s finest painters and photographers. The evening is topped off with a unique silent auction including: tickets and wristbands to the Americana Music Festival, a VIP tour of Jack Daniel’s Distillery, and a six week acting class in the Meisner technique from Actors Bridge Ensemble.

Arts Immersion also features delicious fare from local restaurants including Urban Flats, Taco Mamacita, and Rumba, as well as beer courtesy of Yazoo and Little Black Dress wine. With all this in store, Arts Immersion is the summer event for everyone from young professionals to artists to music industry veterans a.k.a. the perfect blend of suits and skinny jeans.

Arts Immersion celebrates the convergence of Nashville arts and business by showcasing Nashville’s creative community and honoring the professionals that so generously support it. All proceeds from Arts Immersion support the Arts and Business Council’s Volunteer Lawyers & Professionals for the Arts program which provides pro bono legal assistance and education to low-income artists of all disciplines, as well as legal and business services to emerging non-profit arts organizations. With a roster of nearly 200 generous volunteer lawyers & professionals, this program has provided an estimated $650,000 worth of pro bono services to the Nashville arts and entertainment communities in just over three years.

Tickets are $25 in advance | $30 at the door. Tickets are available for purchase beginning May 3rd by calling 615-743-3055 or visiting www.ABCnashville.org.

-4/29/2010

NASHVILLE, TENN. — The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville today announced the Finalists for the second annual ABC Music City Corporate Band Challenge. For the Challenge, area businesses put together company bands to compete for bragging rights and a chance to perform at the CMA Music Festival and at the Arts & Business Council’s 2011 Bowtie Awards. Preliminaries were held the week of February 22nd at area establishments. Bands were rated by a distinguished panel of Nashville music industry judges in the areas of musicianship, appearance, originality/music choice, crowd appeal, and overall impression.

The seven corporate band Finalists are:

The Hummingbirds – Avenue Bank

The Good Hands Band – AllState Insurance

Pushing Metal – Beaman Automotive

$timulu$ Package – BMI

The Other Brian Setzer Orchestra – CIGNA

Government Services

Legal Trouble – Loeb & Loeb

Three Day Weekend – First Tennessee

The Finals will be held Sunday, March 14, 2010, 6:00 pm at Belmont University’s Massey Performing Arts Center. Demetria Kalodimos of Channel 4 News will again host the event. Judges include: Rod Essig, lead Agent at Creative Artist Agency; Tony Conway, President of Conway Entertainment Group; and Anastasia Brown, President of 821 Entertainment Group and a past judge on Nashville Star. Winners of the 2009 inaugural ABC Corporate Band Challenge, MTA’s Transit, who were not eligible to compete this year, will do a feature performance at the Finals.

“The Challenge is about fun and building camaraderie through creativity within each of the participating companies,” states Connie Valentine, President & CEO of the Arts & Business Council. “Amazingly, on top of that, the level of the bands was so outstanding that yet again we are reminded of the unique breadth and depth of Nashville’s creative community.”

Tickets for the Finals are $21. For more information or tickets, call the Arts & Business Council at (615) 743-3055, email info@ABCnashville.org, or visit the ABC website at www.ABCnashville.org.

-3/1/2010

It’s back—the annual art exhibit & reception inspiring corporate creativity and camaraderie

NASHVILLE-The Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville highlights the creative spirit of Nashville businesses at ArtWorks—the annual art exhibit and reception, October 7, 2010, 5:30-7:30 PM, at the Mall at Green Hills.

Co-chaired by Zach Liff and Norah Buikstra, ArtWorks invites companies to show off their team’s innovation and creativity and enter up to ten pieces of original artworks created by their employees. Everything from paintings and photography to sculpture and architectural design is eligible. ArtWorks seeks to uncap the hidden creative potential found in Nashville’s business community.

Beyond competing for traditional bragging rights, all participating companies compete to win the Critic’s Pick Awards, as judged by Alan LeQuire, Hope Stringer, and Howard Stringer. In addition, ArtWorks attendees will vote for People’s Choice Award winners in both company and individual categories. KraftCPAs is the official accounting firm for ArtWorks.

The Arts and Business Council partners with Art by the Glass founder, Beth Roberts, to introduce an interactive element to ArtWorks. Art by the Glass features local artists teaching their style for students to recreate in weekly classes at the Edgehill Studioes. Thanks to the expertise of Art by the Glass, ArtWorks will feature a painting station where guests can throw on an apron, grab a brush, and get creative. Each guest’s brush stroke will meld together into an original painting.

ArtWorks will also feature a silent auction of two six-foot tall statues of Jack Daniel’s painted by Nashville visual artists Herb Williams and Anthony Billups. The statues, created as part of ABC’s Paint the Town Jack, commemorate Jack Daniel’s 160th birthday. In addition, ten of the 34 inch Jack Daniel’s Statues, painted by area restaurants, bars and package stores as part of the Paint the Town Jack competition in September will be on display at ArtWorks.

The company sign up deadline is October 1. Businesses can enter by calling the Arts & Business Council at (615) 743-3055 or emailing Jaclyn Johnson at jjohnson@ABCnashville.org. Individual ArtWorks tickets are available for $20 at www.ABCnashville.org.

Past winners include: Earl Swensson Associates; Battle Ground Academy; Bridgestone Americas; Skanska; Emma; Avenue Bank; Dennis Gregory, D.F. Chase Construction; Virginia Gregory Kocai, Bridgestone Americas; Clark Spoden, Frost Brown Todd; Rich Roddy, Avenue Bank; Dave Kazmerowski, Avenue Bank; Rhea Reeves, Sommet Group; Michelle Chalfont, Z-Gallery; James Threakill, Skanska.

-9/27/10

Arts & Business Council Announces Finalists for Inaugural Bowtie Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On January 26, 2010 the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville presents its inaugural Bowtie Awards, which recognizes business support of the arts. Held at the Wildhorse Saloon, 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., the event is co-chaired by Laurie Eskind, Vicki Horne and Ellen Leifeld.

Hosted by Nashville business and arts leader Steve Turner, the Bowtie Awards will honor and recognize business support of the arts and highlight Nashville’s vibrant creative community in an energizing and fun show. Expect to hear performances by some of the ABC’s 2009 Music City Corporate Band Challenge winners, plus special visual arts surprises and unique “arts experiences.”

In Fall, 2009, individuals, companies and arts organizations nominated their favorite arts-supporting businesses in five award categories. Selected by a panel of business/community leaders, the three finalists in each category are:

Arts Education: Caterpillar Financial * Nissan * Southwest Airlines

Arts Partnerships: First Tennessee * Hearing Bridges * Regions Financial Partners

Entrepreneurial Support: Delevante * SWS Studios * The Bradford Group

Generosity: Bridgestone Americas * HCA * SunTrust

Work Environment: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP * Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations * Pinnacle Financial Partners

Winners in each category will be announced at the January 26, 2010 Bowtie Awards luncheon. Each of the winners take home an original award designed by heralded Nashville artist Herb Williams, in addition to receiving a $1,000 gift to donate to the arts organization of their choice.
“From music to theatre and literature to film, Nashville businesses support the Arts in extraordinary ways,” states ABC President & CEO Connie Valentine. “The Bowtie Awards are an opportunity to say thank you for making Nashville an important creative center and for making the arts a vibrant economic driver for the city.”

To become a sponsor, purchase tickets or learn more, contact the Arts & Business Council at (615) 743-3055, bowtieawards@ABCnashville.org or visit www.ABCnashville.org.

-1/6/2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On January 26, 2010 the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville presents its inaugural Bowtie Awards, which recognizes business support of the arts. Held at the Wildhorse Saloon, 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., the event is co-chaired by Laurie Eskind, Vicki Horne and Ellen Leifeld.

Hosted by Nashville business and arts leader Steve Turner, the Bowtie Awards will honor and recognize business support of the arts and highlight Nashville’s vibrant creative community in an energizing and fun show. Expect to hear performances by some of the ABC’s 2009 Music City Corporate Band Challenge winners, plus special visual arts surprises and unique “arts experiences.”

In Fall, 2009, individuals, companies and arts organizations nominated their favorite arts-supporting businesses in five award categories. Selected by a panel of business/community leaders, the three finalists in each category are:

Arts Education: Caterpillar Financial * Nissan * Southwest Airlines

Arts Partnerships: First Tennessee * Hearing Bridges * Regions Financial Partners

Entrepreneurial Support: Delevante * SWS Studios * The Bradford Group

Generosity: Bridgestone Americas * HCA * SunTrust

Work Environment: Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP * Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations * Pinnacle Financial Partners

Winners in each category will be announced at the January 26, 2010 Bowtie Awards luncheon. Each of the winners take home an original award designed by heralded Nashville artist Herb Williams, in addition to receiving a $1,000 gift to donate to the arts organization of their choice.
“From music to theatre and literature to film, Nashville businesses support the Arts in extraordinary ways,” states ABC President & CEO Connie Valentine. “The Bowtie Awards are an opportunity to say thank you for making Nashville an important creative center and for making the arts a vibrant economic driver for the city.”

To become a sponsor, purchase tickets or learn more, contact the Arts & Business Council at (615) 743-3055, bowtieawards@ABCnashville.org or visit www.ABCnashville.org.

-1/6/2010