The Frist Gala Celebrates 25 Years of the Frist Art Museum

In 1934, construction concluded on the main post office of Nashville. The blend of Art Deco and Classical architecture projected permanence and order. Then, 67 years later, The Frist Foundation transformed the building into the Frist Art Museum — a cultural center that would bring the world’s art to Nashville. On April 8, 2001, the museum’s founding director declared the museum “to be open today, tomorrow and forever.”

Just over 2.5 decades later, guests arrived at the Frist Art Museum for another once-in-a-lifetime moment — to celebrate 25 years of the museum at the Frist Gala. Hosts festooned the dinner tent with yellow flowers to honor the late Patricia “Pom Pom” Frist, who was integral in the museum’s creation. Karyn Frist co-chaired the event with her daughters-in-law, Ashley, Elizabeth and Margaret, and worked with Dori Thornton Waller of The Social Office to transform the space into a sprightly, elegant pastel canvas and create a truly special evening for guests.

Between visits with the Frist family, guests ventured to the galleries to get one last look at the exhibits In Her Place: Nashville Artists in the Twenty-First Century and The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art. 

Museum executive director Seth Feman took guests back in time, sharing that, on the Frist’s opening day, no one really knew what “forever” would look like. “They were taking a big gamble with this big museum, with a bold idea of displaying a constantly changing array of exhibitions along with creative community programs,” he said. “Well here we are, 25 years — almost to the day — into the future, and just look at how much we’ve grown.” Only a few weeks prior, the museum had welcomed its 5 millionth visitor.

While forever may have been hard to envision in 2001, the Frist’s future is bright. “When a community shows up like this, it gives an institution like ours the confidence to think bigger, to reach a little further, and to imagine what the next 25 years can look like,” said Seth.