Laura Hutson Hunter

2 days ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

In the middle of a Zoom call with the Scene, Arielle Gray’s twin sister steps into the camera’s frame and kisses her on the cheek, then walks away. It’s a quick moment, but an effective one — the 28-year-old photographer immediately drops her shoulders and pushes a braid behind her ear, visibly relaxing a bit. See more photography by Arielle Gray at ariellegray.studio“I see her as a soulmate,” Gray says of her sister, Iyana.

1 week ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

At 7:44 p.m. on Friday night, OZ Arts CEO Mark Murphy got an email: The National Endowment for the Arts was withdrawing the nonprofit arts organization's $45,000 grant. “I've been dealing with getting and managing NEA grants for almost 40 years,” Murphy tells the Scene, “through the culture wars in the ’90s and through the previous Trump term and several presidents and congresspeople who said they wanted to gut the NEA.

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

In the Cambodian tradition, people invite monks to their homes to bless the spirits of their family members. Because there tend to be fewer monks in American communities, the tradition evolved into a communal blessing ritual. Every year, members of the Cambodian community from all around Middle Tennessee — and sometimes from other states — gather at the Cambodian Buddhist Temple in East Nashville for a special memorial service.

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

The Venerable Han Hoeung didn’t always want to be a monk. “In the beginning, I didn’t want to be a monk at all, but my father was a monk,” Hoeung explains through a translator. “He was a great monk, and well-known. He wanted me, as his son, to continue that legacy. I said to myself that I would — but only for a month or two.”He laughs as he remembers those younger years, and his own childish folly. “Obviously, at the age of 14, there are a lot of distractions in your life,” he continues.

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

“I describe it as a flesh-and-breath sculpture.”Faye Driscoll: Weathering April 24-26 at OZ ArtsFaye Driscoll is a total original. Her work defies tidy descriptions simply because it is unlike just about anything you’ve ever seen before. And Weathering, which comes to OZ Arts April 24 through 26, might be her most original work yet. It’s a multidimensional sensory experience that’s part theater, part art installation.