Artlightenment 2016 Art and Film Festival Coming in November

Eighth Annual Multi-media Art and Film Festival Slated for November 10-12.

Artlightenment, the annual multi-media art show and film festival, which showcases dozens of  visual artists, painters, sculptors and filmmakers, is slated to run November 10-12 at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, 1130 8^th Ave. S., Nashville, TN, 37203. Created by painter, sculptor and film producer, Robyn Morshead in 2009, this three day event also features workshops, live music and a fashion show, making it a vital force in Nashville’s creative community.

The theme of this year’s festival is “America-Its Cultures and Influences” and will feature the work of legendary painter Jim Warren, one of the most versatile and successful artists living today. The whimsically surreal and amazingly unique creations he paints have inspired artists from around the world. Winning a Grammy Award for his cover art of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” album, Warren has also painted portraits of such notable figures as Brooke Shields, the Beach Boys and Kelsey Grammar for the Fame-Wall project in New York and continues to collaborate with Disney Studios on various projects. Ticketholders will enjoy a rare opportunity, not only to see Mr. Warren’s work, but to meet him in person during a brief reception, on Saturday, November 12 at 6:30pm. He will then speak about his legendary career, which has spanned four decades.

In addition to Mr. Warren’s work, over 30 visual artists will have their art on display beginning at 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 10. The 2016 Film Festival will include short films created by both Nashville filmmakers and filmmakers from 35 countries around the world. These films will be screened nightly throughout the Festival.

Artlightenment is also proud to feature professors and student filmmakers from MTSU, including well-known Documentary Filmmaker Tom Neff who will showcase some of his photography. These works will be shown throughout the Festival’s three day run.

Tickets for this revolutionary event are $10 for three days. Ticketholders have access to all exhibits and workshops as well as the Film Festival and closing-night awards and fashion shows. For more information on the Artlightenment 2016 Art and Film Festival, to see the schedule of events, or to purchase tickets, please visit: http://www.artlightenment.com.  

Enjoy a sneak-peek of Artlightenment’s Art Show, (no ticket required) on November 5, which will dovetail with the WEHO Art Crawl, beginning at 6:00 pm at 1130 8^th Ave. S., Nashville, TN, 37203.

Citizens Commission on Human Rights Distributes Information to Music Lovers

Mental health watchdog Citizens Commission on Human Rights distributed materials to music lovers attending a major two-day festival.

Mental health abuse doesn’t discriminate. Many different types of people have suffered it at the hands of psychiatrists they thought they could trust. So the Nashville Chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) has been on an all-out effort to reach everyone with the facts.

Most recently, volunteers had a booth at the Pilgrimage Music and Arts Festival. The Pilgrimage Music and Arts Festival is a rootsy two-day event held just south of Nashville that is now in its second year, according to Rolling Stone Magazine.  The Tennessean says it is “shaping up to be one of the South’s premier festivals.”

CCHR was at the festival distributing information about the common and well-documented side effects of psychiatric drugs, which include mania, psychosis, hallucinations, depersonalization, suicidal ideation, heart attack, stroke and sudden death.

CCHR is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious mental health industry watchdog whose mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health.  It works to ensure patient and consumer protections are enacted and upheld as there is rampant abuse in the field of mental health.  In this role, CCHR has helped to enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive mental health practices since it was formed five decades ago. For more information on CCHR, visit cchrnashville.org. 

Artlightenment Founder Robyn Morshead to Receive 2015 Aesthetics and Dreams Award

While the Artlightenment Festival began as an artist’s dream to help other artists and promote the art of existence, it is now inspiring countless others in the Music City, and for this reason, the founder of the art show and film festival will be receiving the 2015 Aesthetics and Dreams Award from the Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville.

Artlightenment will hold its 7^th annual festival this year. Robyn Morshead, the festival’s founder and an artist and filmmaker herself, gears the event toward the advancement of every artist and filmmaker who participates or attends.

The festival will run the second weekend of November, from the 12^th - 14^th. As has become custom, there will be a film festival on Thursday and Friday, with the art show formally opening on Saturday at noon. An artist reception will take place Saturday night immediately followed by the awards ceremony and a fashion show.

Morshead will be receiving the Aesthetics and Dreams Award during a private celebration at the end of June for her dedication to helping other artists shine and inspiring a movement which is uplifting Nashville through the arts.

The Artlightenment festival takes place November 12 – 14 at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Nashville, 1130 8th Ave S, and all are welcome. Prospective participants may submit their film or artwork online at artlightenment.com.

Spreading the Way to Happiness at Memphis Stone Soul Picnic

Common sense booklets which provide information on how to live better to be distributed at Stone Soul Picnic in Memphis. 

Saturday, August 31, from 1-10pm, Memphis residents and others from around the country will “surry” on down to the Stone Soul Picnic. As this is the 39^th annual event and Memphis’ longest-running outdoor festival, it has gained popularity and attention as an institution in the city.

The picnic is a gospel-loving, family-friendly occasion. In past years, the picnic has brought such luminaries as Johnnie Taylor, Shirley Caesar and Al Green. This year's event will be held at the historical Tom Lee Park on the banks of the Mississippi River in Downtown Memphis and expects over 15,000 in attendance.

While the festival always brings people together for a great time, this year will go a step further to help promote good lifestyle choices with a booklet that is being distributed called “The Way to Happiness.”

The Way to Happiness was written by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1981 to address these problems and to provide a path that can be followed by any person of any background, culture or creed to attain a happier, more prosperous and more fulfilling life.

 “Viewed from almost any perspective, the world today suffers from a moral and ethical crisis of epidemic proportions,” according to the website scientology.org. “Beneath society’s rampant crime and drug abuse, corporate greed, political misconduct and international conflict lie the root problems of dishonesty and immorality.”

Those distributing the booklet report that when it is distributed in communities afflicted by violence, gangs and racism, it has brought calm and peace. The booklet has been used in thousands of prisons and its message has restored self-respect among the most hardened criminals, guiding them onto the path to becoming useful and contributing members of society.

More than 100 million copies have since been distributed in 205 countries and territories since its initial publication in the early 1980s. By participating in the Stone Soul Picnic, organizers hope to reach people that might not be reached any other way. “We go to where people are in order to get this message out there,” says Chris Hays who organizes the Tennessee chapter, “In this fast-paced media age, there are many conflicting messages of right and wrong, but by placing effective answers in someone’s hand they can change around their life for the better.”

To learn more about The Way to Happiness, visit thewaytohappiness.org. For more information about the Stone Soul Picnic, visit Memphis.about.com.