Arts at the Airport: Spring Flying Solo Exhibits Open Today

NASHVILLE – The spring installment of the “Flying Solo” series at Nashville International Airport (BNA) opens today featuring the eclectic works of Keavy Murphree, Wayne Edge, Graham Gerdeman, Contemporary Collective and Delgado Guitars.

Each season, the Flying Solo series offers arts organizations and gifted artists an opportunity to exhibit their work at BNA. The Spring 2020 exhibits, which run from March 2 through May 24, 2020 (Delgado Guitars will be on display until Aug. 23), are part of BNA’s Arts at the Airport program.

Below is a brief biography of the featured artists and their work:

Keavy Murphree
Art Case, Concourses A/B Waiting Lounge (pre-security)
Keavy Murphree is a ceramic sculptor. Her interest in ceramics started at a young age and has continued throughout adulthood. Since 2016, she has embarked on a full-time freelance design and sculpture practice after more than a decade working in product design and management. Murphree is forever inspired by her family, along with prehistoric and folk art. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Murphree lives and works in Nashville. www.keavymurphree.com

Wayne Edge
Art Case, Concourse C Waiting Lounge (pre-security)
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Wayne Edge has been practicing sculpture for more than 50 years. His sculptor’s path includes foundations in camping, mountaineering, carpentry, and cabinet- and furniture-making. He earned Bachelor of Fine Art degrees in sculpture and photography from the original Academy of Arts in Overton Park in Memphis. His work is in the permanent collections of The Tennessee State Museum and Nordstrom in Nashville, Mississippi University for Women, Dixon Gallery and Gardens and the lobby of City Hall in Memphis. www.wayneedge.com

Graham Gerdeman
Art Wall, Concourses A/B Waiting Lounge (pre-security)
Graham Gerdeman was raised in Dickson, Tennessee, where he and his identical twin brother both declared at an early age that they wanted to be naturalists when they grew up. Gerdeman earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from Eckerd College in 1996, where he also began pursuing his interests in music and the arts. Over the past 20 years, he spent more time developing his “arts side,” particularly photography and videography, than his “science side,” but his passion for birding and the natural world eventually coincided with his love of photography, and his focus came full circle. While not exclusively a wildlife photographer, it is as a naturalist photographer that he is most happy. www.grahamgerdeman.com

Contemporary Collective
Art Wall, Concourse C (across from Gate 10)
The Contemporary Collective is an established group of Nashville-area abstract artists who have been working together since 2012. The collective represents a variety of ages, styles, approaches and motivation for painting. Featured this quarter are Mildred Jarrett, Lisa McLaughlin and Carol Williams. www.contemporarycollectivenashville.com

Delgado Guitars
Art Cases, Concourse A (across from Gate 2)
Manuel A. Delgado is a third-generation Old World luthier. He has had instruments in two separate exhibits with the Smithsonian Institute, in the Fowler museum at UCLA and is in three Nashville exhibits at The Parthenon. Additionally, his work is featured in “Soundbox” at Adventure Science Center and the Tennessee State Museum. Delgado was also sought out by Pixar to consult for the movie “Coco” and Lexus labeled him a “Takumi” craftsman (a highly trained craftsman with meticulous attention to detail who possesses a true belief in excellence). www.delgadoguitars.com

Arts at the Airport
Working closely with the 15-member Arts at the Airport Foundation board, BNA’s Arts at the Airport showcases the region’s visual and performing arts. The award-winning Arts at the Airport program reviews and presents works by local, regional and national artists for the enjoyment and enrichment of BNA’s passengers and visitors. In addition to visual art, Arts at the Airport includes music, an integral part of Nashville. The arts come alive with musical performances on stages throughout BNA’s passenger terminal.

With nearly 18.3 million passengers in in 2019, Nashville International Airport (BNA) is one of the fastest growing airports in North America. BNA serves 540 daily flights to 75 nonstop destinations. According to a recent study, in 2018 alone, BNA generated more than $7.1 billion in total economic impact, supported more than 67,000 jobs in the region, and produced more than $392 million in state, local and federal taxes. BNA receives no local tax dollars. For more information, visit flynashville.com. Follow us on Facebook: @NashvilleInternationalAirport, Twitter: @Fly_Nashville and Instagram: @FlyNashville. Learn more about BNA Vision, our growth and expansion plan for the airport, at BNAVision.com.