Monthly Art Crawl in Downtown Franklin to be the Year’s Largest Yet
FRANKLIN, Tenn.—Franklin Art Scene sponsors are asking the public to help them ring in the event’s one-year anniversary at its 30-plus participating locations on Friday, Sept. 7 in Historic Franklin’s downtown core.
A group of small business owners launched the art crawl last year, in conjunction with the Downtown Franklin Association, to promote local talent and community relationships. Since its conception, the free 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 turned wood to original art and live music.
More than 1,000 patrons came out for the free event in August, with many of the galleries and working studios serving food and drink and some offering live music. Trolleys circulate among all the stops, and $5 buys an unlimited wristband to jump on and off at will from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Locations are dispersed throughout downtown Franklin, and include the antique district and The Factory at Franklin.
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.
Highlights of the September event include:
Heart and Hands, the “Made in Tennessee” shop on Main Street, is featuring live woodcarvings with Ralph Isenberg, who crafts incredibly detailed figurines with little more than a pen knife. Also, owner Carol Bennington will showcase her punch-needle embroidery pieces, each a frameable work of art. Heartandhandsonline.com
The Heirloom Shop on Main Street is a new addition to the crawl, and is featuring local artist Jade Reynolds. Reynolds, who gained a reputation locally for hand-painted children’s furniture, is now also known for her fine art pieces that include still life, abstract and animal subjects. Theheirloomshopfranklin.com.
Carpe Diem Photography’s shotgun-house gallery on South Margin Street will offer both the captivating images of everything from music to nature by owner Will Jordan, as well as the popular rusted-iron sculpture of local artist Kris Nethercutt. If you’ve seen the 20-foot “Rusty” standing guard over The Factory at Franklin, you know Nethercutt’s work. It’s been seen in folk art shows and galleries around the nation. Carpediem212.com.
O’More College of Design on South Margin has kicked off the fall semester with a newly installed campus gallery, located in the ca. 1866 Abbey Leix Mansion. This month, the spotlight shines on adjunct professor and furniture-maker Doug Regen, who utilized materials from the renovations to craft uniquely beautiful pieces. Omorecollege.edu.
Damico Frame and Gallery on East Fowlkes Street will present the never-before-seen-here New England photography of local artist and writer Donna O’Neil, who grew up on the coast of Massachusetts. You can feel the salt air in O’Neil’s raw images of working waterfronts, rocky surflines and life in the tiny fishing villages that dot the Atlantic seaboard. Damicogallery.com.
Imagination Gallery of American Fine Art & Objects at The Factory at Franklin will commemorate the anniversary by offering guests professional portraits taken by photographer Elle Bailey. In addition to Imagination Gallery, the retail complex offers 11 different art crawl locations on its “Artist Row.” Factoryatfranklin.com.
From The Factory to Main Street, Columbia Avenue to the Second Avenue Arts and Antique district, many of the 30+ locations feature artists working during the crawl. To learn more, visit www.franklinartscene.com.
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