11 Must-Visit Contemporary Art Galleries In Nashville

Founded in 1996, The Arts Company is a vital aspect of Nashville’s arts scene. Housed in a 6,000-square-foot historic building, The Arts Company is host to numerous artists; from Edward Belbusti to Brenda Buffett and Thornton Dial. The Company has built up strong rapports with many businesses in the area to sustain their high level of cultural work, and as a result, are able to put on 12 vastly varying exhibitions annually. These include the First Saturday Art Crawl Downtownpresented by 5th Avenue of the Arts on the first Saturday of every month. This is a collaborative exhibition between the art galleries and museums of Nashville. Monthly, the galleries open their doors to the public for free to create a shared appreciation of art and culture.

The Frist Center is one of the most important destinations for contemporary art in Nashville. Housed in a beautiful Art Deco building, the venue offers a new show every six to eight weeks, busying itself with displaying the works of local as well as international artists working across many media (renowned artist Vik Muniz, for example, exhibited his still life art of garbage materials). At the Martin ArtQuest gallery inside the Frist Center, the visitor becomes the artist – 30 stations are available for onlookers to create paintings, sketches, and collages – a learn-by-doing approach that will enrich anyone’s knowledge of artistic practices.

A former family mansion belonging to the Cheeks, who had built their wealth from marketing an especially favored blend of coffee, the Cheekwood Museum of Art’s permanent collection comprises exquisite examples of American and British decorative arts, as well as contemporary artworks by the likes of Andy Warhol and Larry Rivers. Unique to the museum is the 100-acre woodland surrounding the mansion; paths that run across the woods are dotted with sculptures by international contemporary artists, which together form a collection named the Carell Woodland Sculpture Trail. Nine beautiful botanical gardens are also part of the estate, each one characterized by its own arrangement and selection of plants and flowers. The blend of art and nature is a highly distinctive feature of Cheekwood, and makes it a must see destination in Nashville.

Primarily a commercial gallery helping artists market their works to collectors and public venues, Tinney Contemporary also has an exhibition space and presents several shows throughout the year. The gallery prides itself on its unique selection of avant-garde contemporary artists that it brings to the public’s attention. Although it is open to all art forms, it often focuses on painters and artists working with mixed media. Among the gems of Tinney Contemporary’s portfolio are the paintings, prints and drawings of Peri Schwartz, a faithful student of color, light and shapes; the works of Bruce Munro, a British artist who chose light as his primary medium and creates striking light based installations; and Eric Zener, an exponent of contemporary realism in painting.

27 inches (approximately 68 centimeters) wide and 37 inches tall, the Smallest Art Gallery is an exhibition space consisting of a single display case hung on a public wall. There is no admission for the gallery and no opening hours – all visitors have to do is get to 21st Avenue in the heart of Nashville’s Hillsboro Village at any time during the day for a look. It’s hard to believe, but this is a fully-functioning gallery with curators, a program of rotating, month-long exhibitions, and illumination powered by solar energy. In addition to being the smallest gallery in Nashville, Smallest Art Gallery is also one of the most eccentric and must-see art corners in the city.

Located in a two-floor, red brick building in the heart of Green Hills, the Bennett Galleries is a family-run exhibition space and business showcasing works – mostly paintings and sculptures – by both national and international artists. Bennett Galleries displays a somewhat modest yet still interesting selection of works, and deserves the attention of those looking to enrich their art collection. Worthy of note are James Garrett’s paintings of woods, made with polished Venetian plaster on board; the abstract compositions of Kris Prunitsch; and the elongated figures in Leszek Sokol‘s paintings.