OZ, Nashville's First Contemporary Arts Center, Opens with Lighting Gear from 4Wall and UsedLighting.comOZ, Nashville, Tennessee's first institution for contemporary performing and visual arts, opened last month with a renovated lighting package provided by UsedLighting.com. The groundbreaking venue, established by Cano and Tim Ozgener as a gift back to the city, region and country, adds to the cultural landscape of Nashville and aims to inspire curious audiences of all ages. Housed in the warehouse that was once the headquarters of the Ozgeners' former business, CAO Cigars, OZ is a flexible and column-free establishment perfect for artistic productions spanning theater, spoken word, film, music and dance, as well as visual art installation and other events. Theatrical consultant Lorrie P. Snyder, production manager Rus Snelling and technical director Michael Mauren, were responsible for the lighting renovation of the venue. They set out to find not only a base package for the venue, but also a relationship with a local vendor that could support future events. UsedLighting.com and parent company 4Wall, with its new Nashville location, was a perfect match for the project. OZ purchased a combination of new and used equipment as a base package from both entities which will be further supplemented and supported by rentals and service from 4Wall Nashville. Snelling and his team began the process by determining the needs for the blank canvas of the venue. Flexibility was a must, as the plan for OZ was to be able to adapt to any type of event -- including any possible lighting design. "We installed rigging points throughout the facility," said Snelling, "which led to us adding CM ½ ton hoists. We also wanted a completely free-standing truss system that would be movable and allow us to create our own focal points anywhere in the venue." Tomcat 20" and 12" truss was added to the package to accommodate this need. Next came dimming and fixtures. "Choosing ETC Sensor Racks was a no-brainer, as ETC dimming is such an industry standard. For the fixtures, we wanted to invest smartly in gear that could provide clean looks. We needed the ability to wash from any angle and also have a large amount of gobo capability." Source Four Ellipsoidals and Pars were a must, as were at least one set of LED fixtures. The 4Wall Nashville team assisted the OZ crew in making their decision on the LEDs by providing demonstrations of various fixtures. "4Wall was great, inviting us into the shop to see the different technologies firsthand. In the end we chose used Chauvet COLORado Quad-Tours which were a great value and provided the accent look we needed. These, coupled with the City Theatrical Showbaby Wireless DMX system further assisted us in maintaining flexibility." A user-friendly ETC Ion console and an iRFR app were added for control. With everything in place, the team had created a lighting rig possessing the flexibility to create many diverse looks within one venue, just as the founders and executives of the OZ project had imagined. Snelling spoke of 4Wall's overall role in the project, saying: "We were thrilled with the service we received from 4Wall and UsedLighting.com, and more importantly we are glad to have found a local partner to work with going forward. When we need expendables, moving light or LED rentals, soft goods, whatever it may be, it's great to know 4Wall can help us to light the many amazing performances and events that will take place within OZ." See 4Wall at PLASA Focus: Nashville, February 18 - 19. 
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