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APSU Dance faculty member Marcus Hayes concludes a year-long collaboration with the Frist Center for the Arts in Nashville

Austin Peay State University - APSUClarksville, TN – Marcus Hayes, Austin Peay State University associate professor of dance, has been engaged in a year-long collaboration with the visual artist Nick Cave and the exhibition of his work at the Frist Center of the Visual Arts in Nashville Tennessee.

Cave is a Chicago-based artist who produces work in a wide range of media, including sculpture, installation, video and performance.

Austin Peay State University associate professor of dance Marcus Hayes.
Austin Peay State University associate professor of dance Marcus Hayes.

While his creations are optical delights, a deeper look reveals that they speak to issues surrounding identity and social justice, specifically race, gun violence and civic responsibility.

His trademark human-shaped sculptures—called soundsuits because of the noise made when they move—began as a response to the beating of Rodney King by policemen in Los Angeles more than 25 years ago. As an African-American man, Cave felt particularly vulnerable after the incident, so he formed a type of armor that protected him from profiling by concealing race, gender, and class.

The first part of Hayes’ collaboration was the contribution of a quote to the tapestry of photos of Cave’s art work and quotes by notable artists from Middle Tennessee, as well as nationally known artists from various art forms produced by the Frist Center. The tapestry is titled “Spreadsheet” and is available for purchase in the gift shop of the Frist Center.

The second collaboration involved contributing to the audio tour for the exhibition, “Feat.” Hayes was able to do a walk-through of the exhibition with Cave, gather notes, and have the reactions professionally recorded.

“This part of the experience was fantastic,” Hayes said. “I truly enjoyed my time with Nick Cave and learned so much about live audio recording and was honored to have my reactions shared with the public.”

The audio tour is available on the Frist Center for the Arts app.

The collaboration will culminate with two live performances on Friday, April 6th, at the Schemerhorn Symphony Center. The sold-out, live performance includes elements of dance and performance art and will feature Hayes, along with eight current APSU students, in the piece, “Up Right,” which is a staged rite of passage ceremony.

The APSU students include Maurice Anglin, Corey Finley, Cordarius Talley, Sammie Hall, Nicholas Gunter, Samuel Spewer, Jared Little and Raymond Ivory Roberts.

For more information about the performance or to watch the livestream, go to fristcenter.org.

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