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Purpose and Goal/ Brief History of the Carousel/ How this Project Got Started

OUR PURPOSE AND GOAL

Through this blog we hope to raise awareness of and renew public interest in the "Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel," a full-scale working carousel created by renowned Nashville artist Red Grooms.
Our goal is to have the Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel brought out of storage, restored, and reinstalled as a functioning piece of public art in Tennessee's capital city.
To reach this goal we want to engage the Nashville and greater Tennessee and arts communities in a letter writing campaign to state and local officials who can help "Bring Back the Carousel!" We invite you to learn more about this wonderful carousel, engage in the discussion, share in a collaborative writing project, or simply contribute photos and stories of your experiences with or hopes for the future of the carousel.

You may also wish to visit our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/452933301438682/?fref=ts

A Brief History of the Carousel: 

In late 1998 the city of Nashville introduced the Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel to its citizens and visitors. Situated on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville’s historic downtown, this unique and delightful full-size working carousel is a masterpiece of renowned artist and Nashville native Red Grooms. Grooms had mined Tennessee’s near and distant past and created 36 ride-able carousel figures as well as 28 hand-painted panels that capture, in his whimsical, colorful, distinctive style, highlights of the rich history and culture of our state. The carousel was a crowd-pleasing audio-visual art and history lesson in motion, a tremendous gift of the artist, as well as many patrons and supporters, to the people of Nashville, of Tennessee, and beyond.

Sadly, the Tennessee Fox Trot Carousel was only in operation for a few short years. The effects of weather and the nearby river, the ups and downs of economics and politics, and insufficient long-range planning lead to the carousel’s removal. It was carefully disassembled and has spent the last 10 years in protected storage.

How this project got started:

For the 2012-2013 school year the Metro Nashville Schools art teachers chose Red Grooms as their “Artist of the Year.” This sparked the idea:  what better time to start the wheels in motion and  “Bring Back the Carousel!”  Through collaboration among parents, teachers and the school principal at Lockeland Design Center (an elementary school) in East Nashville it was decided to present all sides of the story and allow students to decide for themselves if the carousel should be restored and returned to public use. 

We invite you to join us!  This is the place for you to learn more about the carousel, how it came to be, why it went away, and the challenges it faces in returning to public use.  Here you can also learn more about how to participate in the writing campaign.