Clarksville, TN – It’s time for pumpkins and falling leaves and time to get out and experience First Thursday ArtWalk in Downtown Clarksville.
Produced by The Downtown Clarksville Association, First Thursday Art Walk is a free, self-guided tour spanning a 5-block radius that combines visual art, live music, engaging events, and more in the heart of Downtown Clarksville.
The October Art Walk will be held on October 7th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at the shops and galleries on Public Square, Franklin Street, and Strawberry Alley. The participating businesses are listed below as well as a description of the work they will be exhibiting and services they will be offering during the event.
The Customs House Museum (200 S. 2nd Street)
The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is Tennessee’s second-largest general interest museum. It features fine art, history, and children’s exhibits.
Museum Events
First Thursday Art Walk
October 7th, 5:00pm–8:00pm
The Museum will have free admission during First Thursday Art Walk Clarksville from 5:00pm–8:00pm. Cousins Maine Lobster Food Truck will be set up in the Museum courtyard serving decadent snacks.
Museum Exhibitions
Interactions: Paintings by Judy Lavoie
October 5th – January 2nd | Jostens Gallery
A wide variety of themes inspire Judy Lavoie to paint. Interesting textures inspire her, as do delicate colorful flowers and brightly lit landscapes. “By exaggerating colors, or sometimes altering them from reality, I aim to preserve a moment in time, recreating the subject in my own way.”
Still: Ceramics by Anne Beyer
Through November 28th | Harvill Gallery
Anne Beyer’s work is inspired by the relationship between the natural world and the human psyche. In this exhibit, she explores the relationship between handcrafted wood-fired ceramic forms and digitally designed 3D-printed objects.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Through November 7th | Lobby
Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th and pays tribute to the history and culture of the Hispanic and Latin American communities. This year’s national theme is “Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future.” This exhibit features a variety of Hispanic and Latin American cultural objects, clothing, and traditions.
Familiars: The Art of Beverly Parker
Through October 27th | Crouch Gallery
Beverly Parker’s background in darkroom developing and printing provided a bridge to experimenting with other photography processes. Parker taught advanced darkroom and alternative processes at APSU through the Community School of the Arts. She is a co-founder of the Downtown Artists Co-op.
Start Your Engines! A Celebration of Racing in Montgomery County
Through October 31st | Bruner, Orgain, Hand & Kimbrough Galleries
Sponsored by Tri-Star Beverage and MPG Transport
The Museum expands its Challenge & Champions exhibit with this multi-gallery exhibition showcasing Montgomery County’s auto racing history and the local legends that formed the sport. Start Your Engines! highlights race cars, art, historical memorabilia, and video footage of personal stories from locals who established auto racing in the area.
ArtLink Studios (116 Strawberry Alley)
ArtLink Studios located at 116 Strawberry Alley, will be featuring a variety art from our in-house artists.
Artist Information
ArtLink will have the elaborate fantasy fairy houses of Betty Jo Metcalf on display during the October 2021 First Thursday Art Walk.
Betty Jo Metcalf is a self-taught artist, hobbyist, and fairy cosplayer in the Clarksville, TN area.
She started creating her fairy dwellings and other whimsical enchantments in the spring of 2016 to express her love and deep appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and fantasy world.
When creating my fairy houses, I love using natural materials found in nature, upcycling found objects in and around the area, working with paper mache and other mixed media to create one-of-a-kind, magical dwellings.
I have always had a creative mind, and was constantly putting my ideas into physical form.
My whimsical fairy houses have been on display at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival and the Wilma Rudolph Event Center. I have also donated many to raise money for local charities.
All my fairy dwellings are made with love, happiness, and a little bit of magic.
It is my wish to open the door to my enchanted world and share my creations with those seeking a little bit of fairy.”
The studio is open for creating and we encourage the public to come in and get crafty!
Edward’s Steakhouse (107 Franklin Street)
Come enjoy the best steaks in Clarksville in a relaxed atmosphere with live piano on Friday and Saturday night. We also offer Clarksville’s largest wine selection in town from around the world. 10% Military and APSU discount daily
Artist Information
Edward’s Steakhouse is proud to support the October 2021 First Thursday Art Walk and will feature local artist Amanda Blount this month.
Amanda Blount is a retired veteran, writer, filmmaker, and award-winning local photographer who grew up on a tobacco and peanut farm on the east coast of NC, near the Great Dismal Swamp.
She attributes her adoration of nature, hometown, and historical photography to her rural upbringing and lifestyle.
Still, her passion also spans multiple genres, including conservation, wildlife, historic preservation, landscape, still life, photojournalism, street photography, activism, Americana, and so much more. She creates art in color and black and white.
While serving in the U.S. Army, Amanda spent her adult years traveling the world. This opened her eyes to the lives of other cultures and she spent much of her time off capturing the people and places around her (amassing a collection of thousands of unpublished photos of her travels). These photos include far-flung places such as Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Iraq, Panama, various countries in Europe, and even behind the wall in East Berlin.
One of the more exciting freelance photography opportunities Amanda is known for is the 1996 Olympic torch run in Columbus, GA.
Amanda is also a free-lance-published writer, working various times with rural newspapers to capture the American story, and more recently, her photos and story were published in the 2021 NANPA journal.
For over four decades, due to her military and federal service and raising her children, Amanda considered her passion for photography only a hobby. Retirement and becoming an empty nester have provided Amanda the opportunities needed to pursue photography full-time.
Amanda is currently working on a photography project related to the personal power of marginalized communities. She is also the Friends of Dunbar Cave Grants Committee Chair and is highly involved in the current film bringing the Dunbar Cave State Park tour to disabled communities.
As many veterans do, Amanda has made Clarksville, TN, her home, and her photography reflects her love for the area and its people.
Stop in, see the art, listen to Jackson Miller on the piano, and enjoy the Thursday night special, 1/2 priced $7.00 appetizers and 2 for 1 draft drink specials.
Downtown Artists Co-op (96 Franklin Street)
The exhibit at DAC for October is plein air work by DAC plein air painters was planned to coordinate with the city-wide 2Rivers Paint Out event. The DAC Plein Air Painters group was formed about eight years ago as an informal satellite of the Chestnut Painters for the Land with the goal of giving regional painters opportunities to paint outdoors on location in the Montgomery County and surrounding area.
Many, but not all, members of the group belong to the Downtown Artists Co-op. The group’s experience is varied with some being fairly new to plein air painting, while others have traveled out of the country to paint with well-known artists. Most members have participated in local plein air competitions, and some have competed in prestigious invitation-only events throughout the United States.
The group meets on Monday mornings throughout the year when weather permits. During the worst weather of winter, the group meets at DAC to set up and create still life paintings to keep the edge of painting from life, rather than photographs, within a very limited time frame.
Members of the group are Janet Felts, Leah Foote, Mary Hoffpauir, Henrietta Kemp, Eunice Kern, Betty Liles, Gail Meyer, Jo Putnam, and Yuson Yi.
www.dac.gallery
Twitter – @Clarksville_DAC
Instagram – @downtown.artists.cooperative
Facebook – @clarksvilleartists
Downtown Artists Cooperative
96 Franklin St. Clarksville, TN 37040
Roxy Regional Theatre (110 Franklin St)
For those who enjoy the visual arts, the Peg Harvill Gallery, located just beyond the lobby, hosts twelve shows annually featuring locally and nationally known artisans. Shows generally open the first Thursday of each month for our First Thursday Art Walk.
Artist Information
During the month of October, the Peg Harvill Gallery at the Roxy Regional Theatre will feature the photography of David Magers. Titled “Flight to Freedom,” the exhibit will feature a series of bird photos representing the freedom to which Harriet Tubman courageously led 300 slaves via the Underground Railroad, complementing the themes of Freedom Train, which will be performed on the Roxy stage October 15th through October 23rd.
David will add a special ambiance to his Art Walk show on October 7 by playing several songs on the piano from the Freedom Train era.
David Magers is an award-winning nature photographer, specializing in birds. His work has been shown in many venues in the Clarksville area, and he has authored several birding articles appearing in the Tennessee Conservationist magazine. Retired from Caterpillar, Inc., David also plays in the local Celtic band Red River Breeze.
For tickets to and information about our current productions of TEA FOR THREE and FREEDOM TRAIN, please visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or call the box office at 931.645.7699.
Additional gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00am – 2:00pm.
City Boy Country Life: A lifestyle Collection (120 Franklin St. Suite 114)
A curated collection of home decor, entertaining necessities, gifts & seasonal offerings.
Artist Information
City Boy Country Life: A Lifestyle Collection is thrilled to participate in the in October 2021 First Thursday Art Walk and will feature local photographer Donald LC Groves.
Donald LC Groves is a professional opera and musical theater singer based in New York City. He has been lucky enough to travel the country performing and taking pictures. His portfolio spans the country from The deserts of New Mexico to the wilds of New York City. He looks for beauty in nature as well as the manmade.
Because photography runs in his family Donald has been exposed from an early age to wonderful photography and art.
Having a grandfather and father who were both professional photographers has helped to shape his photographic eye and artistic vision. The combination of a rich artistic life through singing and performing and traveling has melded with a broad aesthetic upbringing in the world of art and photography. The result is a rich and varied portfolio of images shot with Donald’s unique perspective.
Trazo Meadery (116 Franklin St)
Experience Tennessee’s first meadery. Family-owned and operated, Trazo Mead works to bring the highest quality meads to Tennessee. Check out our tasting room in downtown Clarksville!
Artist Information
Trazo Meadery is proud to support the October 2021 First Thursday Art Walk.
Artist: Holly Pearce (Pixykist Designs)
Bio: A background in costuming, theater set/parade float design & face/body painting Holly combines her love of color & fire with ingenuity to work her magic on mixed media pieces that are uniquely whimsical. Her designs have truly been PIXYKIST.
River City Clay (115 Franklin St)
River City Clay is an art gallery and studio located in downtown Clarksville. We offer pottery classes for all skill levels with the goal of spreading our love for ceramics with our community.
Artist Information
River City Clay is an art gallery and studio located in downtown Clarksville offering pottery classes for all skill levels with the goal of spreading our love for ceramics with our community.
River City Clay combines the passion and expertise of it’s three owners with over 80 years of combined experience.
Our three owners have a history that all began with our company’s reason for existence – pottery. Ken and Melody Shipley are internationally recognized potters that have shared their love of ceramics through teaching for over four decades. It is through their teaching that Shelby Crutcher, a business student, found her talent and passion for pottery as well. She has now been making pots for almost 10 years; all the while remaining connected with her ceramics family.
The threat of the pandemic brought unique challenges to their individual journeys in 2020, but it gave them the opportunity to think about what would come next. They all had the same goal in mind; each with a unique vision. All it took was one meeting to realize that their individual visions would make one great idea. That idea would be known very soon after as River City Clay Studio – an interactive pottery studio and gallery that would bring a new avenue for creating art to our community.
The Clarksville Collection (120 Franklin St. Suite 109)
The Clarksville collection offers elevated home goods, art, and apparel that champions the Clarksville, Tennessee community.
The Clarksville Collection is thrilled to support the October 2021 First Thursday Art Walk, but will not feature an artist this month.
Be Sure To Stop In and See These Other Venues During The First Thursday Artwalk
- Mildred & Mables – 109 Franklin Street
- Couture Crush – 101 Franklin Street
- Downtown Commons – 215 Legion Street
- Hudubam Booktraders – 110 Franklin Street
- Journey’s Eye Studio – 131 Franklin Street
- Sanctuary on Main – 334 Main Street
- DBO Gallery – 106 N. Second Street
