While Nashville is known as Music City, it is a variety of performing and visual arts that truly bring character to Nashville. This year we profiled just some of the incredible organizations dedicated to music and movement that elevate the city.
Since their inception, these organizations have helped Nashville’s light shine brighter and to bring arts to a greater section of the community. Step inside as we talk history, legacy and the future with some of Nashville’s institutions of music and movement.
The culture of Nashville is ever-expanding, and contributing greatly to the growth and depth of our beloved city is OZ Arts, a nonprofit arts center celebrating the world of performing and visual arts.
The history of OZ Arts is truly unique and inspirational. The Ozgener family, first generation Turkish-American immigrants and Nashville residents since 1968, ran a very successful cigar company called CAO Cigars. Their widely accredited creations were extremely inventive and artistic — from sculpted Meerschaum pipes that look like they belong in prominent art museums, to solid cherry wood boxes custom designed to house Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls championship rings in 1997 and 1998.
When it came time to sell the cigar company, OZ Arts Founder Cano Ozgener saw the opportunity to continue his family’s entrepreneurial efforts in an artistic manner. As a longtime resident of Nashville, he noticed the city needed a home for contemporary performing and visual arts. Ozgener was inspired by certain warehouses in Brooklyn and Miami that had been converted into art centers. In 2013, the cigar warehouse and headquarters were transformed into the OZ Arts we know and love today. After Cano Ozgener's passing in 2018, Co-Founder and President Tim Ozgener took the lead in carrying out his father's vision.
Crucial to the success of OZ Arts is Mark Murphy, the Executive and Artistic Director, who has been with the organization since 2019. His impressive career in the arts has propelled the organization’s programming. Murphy’s mission has been increasing attendance and introducing more regional and international artists, while still fostering relationships and creating opportunities for local artists. By providing Nashville with access to these diverse acts, Tim noted, “It’s a gift to the community. Instead of getting on a plane … you can see the world just by coming here.”
The performances at OZ Arts are so much more than song and dance. They are interactive and intimate experiences where the audiences form an emotional connection with the art form. The guests and the artists feel like they’re part of the same community. Tim even mentioned that during some Q&As after a performance, audiences have been moved to tears.
This year, OZ Arts is gearing up for their 10-year anniversary. The annual benefit “Conversations at OZ” will be decade-themed — looking back ten years and looking forward to what the next ten years may hold. Next spring, they will host a big birthday bash; it’s sure to be a grand soirée, but the reality is every day at OZ Arts is a celebration.
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