It’s that time again: escape the gloom of this past week (the weather’s supposed to be great!) with our monthly community celebration of the arts this Friday, June 5 during the Franklin Art Scene–a free event that allows our friends to better appreciate Williamson County culture…. every first Friday of the month.
Coordinated by the Downtown Franklin Association (that’s us!), our art crawl boasts dozens of participating spots, with locations dispersed in and around downtown—including the Second South District and Bridge Street, as well as up and down Columbia Avenue. If you’re out and about, don’t forget to tag us on Facebook, or hashtag #FranklinArtScene (find our Twitter account here).
Friday’s locations are slated to offer a variety of magnificent work, including the following highlights:
- Head to Gallery 202 on Second Avenue South to see the breathtaking works by Kelly Harwood, who just also happens to be the owner of the gallery in addition to being a wonderful artist. Puckett’s Trolley will be set up outside for some good eats!
- The new Jamba Juice on W. Main Street will feature artist Megan Whittier, whose Home Sweet Tennessee and other state prints are local favorites and ready to frame.
- The Visitor’s Center on Fourth Avenue is excited to have Robbie Lasky with them on Friday. She uses oil paints and has developed a passion for creating subjects that are varied, bright, light-hearted, and positive.
- Hope Church on Fourth Avenue South is hosting the folk art of Tonya Crawford, who calls her work the “comfort food” of the art world.
- Pedego Franklin on E. Main Street will provide viewing for James Lambert‘s paintings. With faith in Christ at her core, she hopes her paintings inspire others to pursue their own journey of grace, love and trust.
- The Historic Presbyterian Church at Five Points will showcase the intriguing works of Traci Fowlers this Friday evening, who “uses investigations in craft to create small-scale installations and set up visual Venn diagrams in which multiple disparate parts (be they family heirlooms, live plants, or domestic artifice) [to] maintain individuality, yet simultaneously meet in the middle.”
- Savory Spice Shop on Main Street is featuring works by “Mertlemay,” a jewelry line inspired by nature, shape, color and texture that creates simple but unique items.
- Bagbey House will host Debra Sheridan of In The Raw Photography. Her magnificent ability to enhance the raw beauty, texture and character of life appreciates the moments or scenes that would otherwise be missed by the casual observer.
- Boutique MMM will display the crafts of Judith-Ann Ward, whose funky and fashion-forward designs interest a range of ages. Her designs are one-of-a-kind including sterling silver, semi-precious and precious stones, as well as quality costume jewelry at prices most anyone can afford.
- Yacoubian Jewelers will host Emily McGrew, an accomplished painter who works in oils. The store will also have live sax music by Chaz Williams.
- And more! These are a just a few highlights from the dozens of participating sites.
Many of the galleries and working studios serve complimentary refreshments during the evening, and some offer live music. Free trolley rides, provided by Williamson Source, circulate among all the stops, and patrons can 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.
In 2011, a core group of local artistic influencers gathered to discuss the launch of an art crawl in downtown Franklin. Since then, hundreds of artists have been featured, and organizers say that they believe thousands of patrons turn out for the event each month–indicating steady growth for the Art Scene.
For more information on the event or to download maps and applications, go here. For more info on participating artists this month, be sure to “like” our Facebook page!
