Art—like rainbows, waterfalls, and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile—is one of nature’s finest gifts to the eyes. Gift your eyes with the gift of that gift with today’s Groupon: for $45, you get a year-long Contributing Friend membership at Frist Center for the Visual Arts (a $100 value). Visitors age 18 and under get in free. A year-long membership comes with a number of benefits:

• Two adult admission to the exhibition galleries and Martin ArtQuest for a whole year
• Four single-use guest passes
• Four one-time use parking passes
• Free admission to the 2011 Frist Friday concert series
• Access to members-only events
• Discount at the gift shop
• Audio guides to select exhibitions
• Subscription to the Frist Center’s newsletter
• Special shout-out on the Frist Center’s website

Located in the former main post office of Nashville, the Frist Center is an architectural feast of classicism and Art Deco style containing more than 24,000 square feet of gallery space. The non-profit museum hosts an ever-changing array of exhibits that pop in and out of its halls each 10-12 weeks, so commitmentphobes and the easily bored will always have something new and fresh to run their eyeballs across. Fashionistas frustrated by their failure to institute Really Formal Fridays at the office will want to flee to the Frist Center's current Golden Age of Couture exhibition (June 18–September 12, 2010), with its collection high-glamour vintage wares, while fans of ornate glass sculptures can check out the Chihuly at the Frist exhibition (May 9–January 2, 2011).

The Frist Center’s marble and granite facade and intricate interior grillwork is as visually stunning as the artwork that the building houses, and it's twice as visually stunning as your life-size, Lego replica of Angkor Wat. The Frist Center hosts live music in the lobby on Thursday and Friday evenings, as well as a bevy of additional educational events and lectures, allowing you to stretch the value of the deal like the first loving bite of your breakfast Slim Jim. Spend time with your niece or little bro at the Martin ArtQuest Gallery, where visitors of all ages are encouraged to learn and create their own art at one of several fully equipped art stations within the colorful gallery space.

Valid for new members only. Only two guest passes may be used per membership during The Birth Of Impressionism.

Reviews

Yelpers give the Frist Center for the Visual Arts a 4.5-star average, and Citysearchers also give it 4.5 stars on average:

• Finally -- a visual arts hall worthy of a city of Nashville's size. They [sic] designers did a great job keeping the old deco feel from the old post office while incorporating [sic] new elements into the Center. The collections thus far have been interesting and look forward to even more as the Center becomes established. – PatrickRains, Citysearch
• The greatest part of the Frist Center is the hands on art projects. This is a wonderful place to bring your kids and let them experience art in its truest form. – jrminor1, Citysearch

Center Image: Dale Chihuly. Ethereal Blue Macchia with Lime Green Lip Wrap, 2001. Photo by Scott Mitchell Leen. © 2010 Dale Chihuly. Far left and right photos by Timothy Hursley.