APSU’s The New Gallery presents ‘Listening: The Fourth String’ to continue engaging exhibition season

Clarksville, TN – The New Gallery, with support from The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts and the Austin Peay State University (APSU) Department of Art + Design, is pleased to present Listening: The Fourth String by visual artist Raheleh Filsoofi and musician Reza Filsoofi to continue an engaging 2021-22 exhibition season.

“Listening: The Fourth String is an artistic collaboration that combines artist, musician, and community,” said Michael Dickins, director of The New Gallery. “This project conceptualizes listening and examines the listening experience as a means for change in societal perceptions and intercultural communication, particularly in regards to the Middle Eastern Community in the Middle Tennessee region.
 
“Despite an estimated Middle Eastern population of 20,000 in Nashville and the surrounding area, the music scene of Nashville has not created a solid and ongoing platform for their art and music,” he added. “This project strives to create community engagement and bring awareness of Middle Eastern cultures and their unique contributions to art and music.”
 
The exhibit opened on Monday, February 21st, and runs through March 25th at The New Gallery, located in the Art + Design building at Austin Peay State University.

Inspired by the life and work of Moshtagh Ali Shah in the 18^th century, this collaborative effort between ceramicist and visual artist Raheleh T. Filsoofi and musician Reza Filsoofi consists of a series of interactive multimedia installations and public performances.

In The New Gallery, visitors will be invited to sit and play a large 16-foot-by-20-foot instrument while being “watched” by Iranian musicians from a bank of large video screens.

Then visitors can then make their way upstairs to the Barbara Beach Gallery to learn how to play the setar with video instruction by Reza Filsoofi. It’s an interactive exhibit that encourages the community to play and learn.

Several Events Accompany the Exhibition:

• A gallery talk and performance by Raheleh and Reza Filsoofi at 12:30pm on February 24th in The New Gallery.
• Raheleh Filsoofi will present an artist lecture on her work and creative practice at 6:00pm on February 24th in Room 106 A/B of the Sundquist Science Complex. This event is in person, but will also be live-streamed, courtesy of CECA. Registration for the live-streaming event can be found here.
• A performance by Reza Filsoofi and Michael Hix will take place at noon on March 3 in The New Gallery.
• This exhibition will be open during Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walk from 5:00pm-7:30pm on March 3rd.
• A large Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Celebration will take place at 5:00pm on Saturday, March 19th, in the APSU Art + Design building. This event will include Iranian food and a musical performance by Reza Filsoofi, Raheleh Filsoofi, Charlie Gilbert and Carlos Duran.

All events are free and open to the public.

A virtual tour of the exhibition will be available soon and can be found at www.apsu.edu/art-design/thenewgallery.

This project is supported with funding from CECA, APSU, the Tennessee Arts Commission and Vanderbilt University.

Hours for The New Gallery are 9:00am-4:00pm Monday-Friday, closed on weekends and holidays, and follows the university’s academic calendar.

For more information on this exhibition, which is free and open to the public, contact Dickins at dickinsm@apsu.edu.