Haley Gallery presents Curious Circumstances, an exhibition showcasing the works of visual artist Marilyn Murphy. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will feature over 20 letterpress prints and large drawings by Murphy. Haley Gallery is located at 224 Rep. John Lewis Way South in Downtown Nashville.

Raised on the Great Plains and now living in New Zealand, Murphy incorporates the effects of the wind and the shape and movement of clouds into her art. She often addresses issues of women’s identity and roles, creating curious situations that imply a larger story. Her drawings typically include one or two figures involved in an improbable action or a curious task, with many of her current pieces focusing on the act of seeing, the creative process or aspects of the human experience.

On Wednesday, January 24th, the gallery will host a reception with Murphy to celebrate the exhibit’s opening. The reception, which will take place between 5 and 9 p.m., is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be open until March 22.
 
Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Marilyn Murphy is an artist and a professor emerita of art at Vanderbilt University, where she taught before moving to New Zealand. Murphy’s work has been shown in over 390 exhibits nationally and abroad, including mid-career surveys at the Frist Art Museum and a two-person exhibit at the Huntsville Museum of Art. Her art has also been featured in solo shows at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Ga.; the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, Tenn.; and at the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery in Nashville. Murphy’s work is inspired by the writings of the philosopher Gaston Bachelard, film noir and the sense of optimism in magazines from the 1940s and early 1950s.

Working in collaboration with renowned visual artists, the Haley Gallery organizes and displays a variety of art exhibitions each year. It also features monoprints – one-of-a-kind, contemporary interpretations of the Hatch Show Prints’ iconic collection made with its classic wood blocks. A portion of proceeds from artwork purchased in the gallery supports the nonprofit Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s educational mission. The Haley Gallery is free and open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The Haley Gallery is operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, along with CMF Press, CMF Records, CMA Theater, the Frist Library and Archive, the Taylor Swift Education Center, Hatch Show Print® poster shop and Historic RCA Studio B®. The museum collects, preserves and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of an array of audiences. In exhibits, publications, digital media and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and is among the most-visited history museums in the United States