The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is an art museum in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The museum is housed in what used to be the main branch post office for the city of Nashville. As the city grew the need for a more up to date main facility was needed. When a new main post office was built in 1986 the historic old facility became a downtown branch using only a small portion of one floor.
In the early 1990's Thomas F. Frist, Jr. , and his family, through the charitable Frist Foundation took up the task of converting the old post office into an art museum. They implemented an interesting public/private venture between the Frist Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, and the city of Nashville.
In 1998 the City of Nashville took over ownership of the building from the U.S. Postal Service for the purpose of creating the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. A renovated post office branch was opened on the lower floor in 1999.
Collection
The Frist Center does not have a permanant collection. Rather the museum focuses on creating exhibits as well bringing in travelling exhibits.
Education
A primary goal of the center is in supporting arts education. The center provides services such as teacher education, summer arts camps, community outreach programs, and various other programs designed to further arts education.
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