He wanted to be a painter and was friends with many of the major figures in the art world on both sides of the Atlantic. Annoyed with the art writers and critics of his day, he founded an arts journal called The Crayon. When both The Crayon and his health failed in 1857 and the doctor advised rest and “no painting”, he bought a photography kit and taught himself the new skill when the technology was still in its infancy.
He turned to the diplomatic corps for financial stability and secured a post in Rome. Later he was stationed in Crete and he and his young family endured a bloody insurrection against the Turks.
Finding himself in Athens in 1869 with everything in his financial and personal life in shambles, Stillman turned to photography as a way to focus his mind and earn enough money to support his family. His artist’s eye, along with his firm belief that the ancient ruins were best understood in the context of time, imbued his images of familiar antiquities with a grace and a compositional framework unlike those of other photographers.
The following year he moved to London where he published his images of Athens and the Acropolis in a book entitled, The Acropolis of Athens, Illustrated Picturesquely and Architecturally in Photography. The Nashville Parthenon has a rare complete copy of this book in its collection and it is this book that inspired both the exhibit and the creation of the new play.
With 2012 funding from The Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park, the Parthenon’s Education Department commissioned playwright Valerie Hart to create a play that would allow visitors access to the whole story of Stillman, his life, and how the images came to be. Hart, who was selected for the Tennessee Rep’s Ingram New Works Festival in 2010, has written other works for the stage; her play Rising and Falling was produced by Rhubarb Theatre Company in 2011.
Performances of Wish You Were Here are at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the Parthenon’s West Gallery. The 40-minute play is directed by Robert Kiefer and stars Richard Northcutt as Stillman. Northcutt has performed with Tennessee Rep, Tennessee Shakespeare Festival, and Cumberland County Playhouse, among other companies. He helped found the Art Center of Cannon County in 1989 and was one of five Nashville actors to participate in an exchange with actors in Magdeburg, Germany in 2005. Kiefer is an actor, director and props master, currently touring with his wife, singer Carol Ponder, in Ponder Anew, an original play based on her father’s World War II experiences.
There will be further performances of the play in March and April. There is no additional charge for the play beyond admission to the museum.
HOURS
The Parthenon is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
ADMISSION
Admission to the Parthenon is $6 for adults; $4 for seniors 62 and over; and $4 for children 4-17. Children under 4 are admitted free.
Admission includes access to all exhibitions and the Parthenon’s upper level, graced by the colossal statue of the goddess Athena.
MEMBERSHIP
Members of The Conservancy for the Parthenon and Centennial Park, which supports the exhibitions and programming of the Parthenon, enjoy unlimited free access to the Parthenon. They also receive invitations to lectures, receptions, and other special events. Additional benefits include discounts at the museum store and free guest passes. To learn more about the Conservancy, please visit www.conservancyonline.com
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