Brandon Ingram // Contributing writer
The annual Artlightenment Art Show and Film Festival featuring visual artists, painters, sculptors and filmmakers will kick off on Nov. 7, five days prior to the film festival at the Celebrity Center in Nashville. The festival will include the work of MTSU’s Photography Department as well as that of MTSU’s professors Bob Pondillo and Tom Neff.
Bob Pondillo will be the festival’s featured filmmaker and will premiere his film, My Name is Wallace, on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
Pondillo’s short narrative movies have won dozens of awards at festivals internationally and
have been chosen as “Official Selections” in over 100 film festivals, including the prestigious Festival de Cannes.
The festival will additionally feature the MTSU Athens Project, three films produced by Assistant Professor Tom Neff and shot by MTSU’s student filmmakers.
Created by painter, sculptor and film producer Robyn Morshead in 2009, Artlightenment will also feature workshops, live music and a fashion show making it one of Nashville’s premier multidimensional art gatherings.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Music City Mystique—Behind the Art” and will highlight the work of award-winning photographer and filmmaker Raeanne Rubenstein, whose work has been featured in publications like People Magazine, Rolling Stone and The New York Times.
Rubenstein has also photographed several country music legends such as George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood and Dwight Yoakam. She will discuss her work live on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. when she hosts an event called “Shooting the Stars.”
The visual arts show will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7 with free admission. All art will be available for purchase.
The festival’s film portion will take place Nov. 12-14, including a fashion show on Saturday night. Three-day tickets to this portion will be $15 and can be purchased on the festival’s website.
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