Construction Destruction Worries Cancel Frist Rome Exhibit

NASHVILLE, TN -- There's just too much It City happening for items from the Eternal City to stay.

Booming (literally) New Nashville caused too much consternation for the custodians of the antiquities from Ancient Rome on display at the Frist Art Museum, forcing the early closure of an exhibit originally scheduled through the end of May.

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In a statement issued late Monday, Frist officials said that though San Diego-based Southwest Value Partners worked diligently to lower vibrations from excavation and blasting at the Nashville Yards project on the former site of the Lifeway headquarters, curators from the British Museum, which had loaned more than 200 artifacts for the "Rome: City And Empire" exhibit at the Frist, became concerned about the potential destruction of the priceless objects.

"The decision to close ahead of the scheduled closing date of May 28 has been a difficult one but was made as a precautionary step to ensure protection of the objects. Lending institutions reserve the right to withdraw objects or an entire exhibition at any time," the museum said in a statement. "Earlier this month, 13 of the most fragile objects were removed from view and placed in safe storage. No work in the exhibition has been damaged or compromised."

The Frist was the only North American venue for the traveling exhibition.

“We work with many partners and have been pleased to include the Frist among the institutions with whom we partner to deliver our exhibitions,” said Amy Dillmann, British Museum Project Manager. “We are committed to sharing the collection, but the safety and security of the collection has to be our top priority. We are delighted so many people have seen the exhibition in two months and look forward to collaborating with the Frist again in the future.”

Frist CEO Susan Edwards said "we are saddened that the opportunity for people in Middle Tennessee to learn about the impact of the Roman Empire on world culture has been cut short,” but that the decision had to be made, despite good intentions and best efforts from all involved.

“Construction in vibrant, growing cities like Nashville is a given. We are grateful to San Diego–based Southwest Value Partners, the developers of the Nashville Yards site, for working closely and diligently with us to lower the impact of construction excavation and blasting significantly below the limits set by the State of Tennessee to meet vibration tolerances agreeable to the British Museum,” she said. “And, despite efforts by the Frist Art Museum to provide extraordinary precautionary measures, it was not possible to keep the exhibition here until the end of May."

The exhibit will close Saturday, April 21, and the Frist is offering a free admission day Friday, April 20.

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