Franklin Art Scene Enters Its Third Year

The Franklin Art Scene will enter its third year on Friday, Oct. 4. The first-Friday art crawl, which boasted a record attendance last month, will feature 30-plus participating locations in Historic Franklin’s downtown core.

It was estimated that more than 2,000 people came out for the free event in September, with many of the galleries and working studios serving food and drink. Some locations offer live music, as well.

To add to the spirit of fall festivity, the event’s planning committee is encouraging merchants to participate in a scarecrow contest to be launched the evening of Oct. 4. Each Franklin Art Scene site has been asked to “scare up a scarecrow” near its front window or door. The public will vote on its favorite one leading up to Pumpkinfest, October 26 through the Downtown Franklin Association social media channels.

A group of Downtown Franklin Association members started the art crawl in 2011 to promote local talent and community relationships. Since its inception, the monthly event has been a unique experience for both the art novice and the connoisseur. A sweeping variety of magnificent work ranges from blown glass and mixed media pieces to original paintings and handcrafted jewelry.

Locations are dispersed throughout downtown Franklin, and include the antique district and spots up and down Columbia Avenue. There is no set starting point; Art Scene guests are encouraged to begin at any map location. Trolleys circulate among all the stops throughout the night, and $5 buys an unlimited wristband to jump on and off at will from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

In addition to an online map and QR code, a Franklin Art Scene smartphone application is now available on Google Play. The download gives users up-to-date information on the upcoming art crawl and its locations.

For more information on the event or to download maps and applications, visit www.franklinartscene.com.

Some highlights of the October event include:

  • On Second Avenue North, antiques store T. Nesbitt & Co. is offering guests a chance to see the work of Laine Barley. The artist often works in palette knife to incorporate textures.
  • The Coffee House at Second & Bridge on Bridge Street is displaying work by local artist Maribeth Bibb. The fledgling painter just picked up the medium again after a 30-year hiatus, and her style ranges from the abstract to fantasy. She is also a first-time author of a fiction novel, soon to be released.
  • Barn Do Co. just off South Margin Street is hosting local artist Kris Marks Friday evening. It is also providing live music by Laura Hill, wine and a fire pit for visitors!
  • At Foyers and Beyond on W. Main Street, Cynthia Birdsong will display her mixed-media pieces. As an artist, she has taught adults and children at Cheekwood Botanical Garden for nearly 20 years.
  • Also on W. Main Street, Stites & Harbison law firm is hosting visual artist Maia Ketterbaugh.
  • Regions Bank on First Avenue will be hosting two local artists on Oct. 4, as well as live music. Sharon Cort will display her hand-adorned gift cards, which boast custom-inked imported papers that reflect the natural beauty of our beautiful state. Lou El Oso, who mostly works in oil, will display paintings that convey great intensity, color and movement.
  • Boutique MMM on the Public Square is hosting Middle Tennessee artist Teresa Townsend Hargis, an award-winning painter who uses an oil medium to depict her favorite subjects: landscapes, street scenes and the occasional painting of a loved pet.
  • The WCCVB Visitor Center on 400 Main Street is featuring work by Jason Duran, an artist and book illustrator who specializes in faux and decorative interior finishes in homes and businesses. Duran painted the mural in the Visitor Center’s office.
  • Bob Parks Realty on Main Street will showcase work by Dorsey McHugh, a local artist who uses oils to paint French countryside landscapes.
  • Down Main Street, Heirloom Shop will exhibit pieces by Craig Greene, an oil painter who displays the relationship process among the human likeness, the realm of abstract and the representational in the world.
  • Village Real Estate on Church Street will display work by several of its realtors, all local artists. Paintings will include pieces by Vicky Crigger, Bobbie Noreen, Donna Brevard, and Sarah Stark.
  • Down the street from Village Real Estate, Arbor Antique Mall is hosting Chazz Williams, a saxophonist and percussionist with a cool Chicago jazz sound. The antique shop will also feature metalworkings by artist Robert Cortner.
  • O’More College of Design on S. Margin Street is launching a new exhibit in its fine art gallery for the month of October, entitled “Outsider Art: The Spiritual and Mysterious Folk Art of the Self Taught.” Gallery curator David Braud says highlights of the display will include pieces from the late Howard Finster and the late Moses Tolliver (Mose T). Braud is also inviting regional folk artists to take part in the show.
  • Bagbey House on Fourth Avenue North is hosting Jean Davis, a fine artist who often works in acrylics to paint nostalgic seascapes and still life objects. In addition, it is the store’s annual “witches night out,” where patrons are encouraged to wear their favorite Halloween hat.

From Columbia Avenue to Main Street, Second Avenue to the Antique district, many of the 30+ locations feature artists working during the crawl. To learn more, visit www.franklinartscene.com.