The Arts Company

Nice little gallery we dropped in to before the madness that we assumed was coming for First Saturday Art Crawl.

This is by far my favorite art gallery in Nashville! I first walked in their doors around 2012 and was treated as if I had been a customer from the beginning. Their friendly staff take you on a well-​guided tour (ask to see the upstairs!;)) and they have an incredibly diverse collection of art ranging from traditional oil landscapes to abstract photography– they even have a collection of LIFE Magazine photographs!
The owner, Anne Brown, has actually been the pioneer of the Nashville art scene and started her gallery downtown back in 1996. Since then, over 20 galleries span across the newly dubbed «5^th Avenue of the Arts» and participate in the the monthly First Saturday Art Crawl Downtown.
I HIGHLY recommend visiting this gallery if you enjoy fresh, original & contemporary art… or just friendly people because going to The Arts Company is definitely more of an experience than it is a gallery!

As one of my go-​to art galleries in town, I visit often, especially during the First Saturday Art Crawl each month. It’s great location downtown puts you within walking distance to the other great art gallery spaces as well as dining options, hotels, bars on the strip and more. They change out exhibits each month so there is always something new to go back to. The art pieces are for sale but also, don’t miss out on some shopping opportunities for art books. They make great gifts! #shoplocal

Holy political art, Batman!
I think this place has had itself invested in the politics of the 2008 election about as long as the whole freaking election took from beginning to end. I can’t remember walking past this place since I moved here two years ago and not seen art of this sort. This is an adorable gallery, with a great space to offer the locals, but can we please let all this election stuff die already?
The horse is dead. The new President (is thankfully) in. Next topic!
If you are interested in purchasing some Obama art, prints are only twenty dollars.
That’s all I’m giving you.

Judging by the crowds of people packed into The Arts Company on Saturday night, I guessed that the Company is some kind of important Nashville arts institution. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too impressed by the art or the gallery space here. The front of the gallery was packed with political pieces by an artist with a thing for conspiracy theory. Together, the words and images in this exhibit seemed to suggest that some unnamed power (the media, maybe?) has decided who will win the presidential election, and is now telling the public who to vote for, while making us think that we are making a choice. I appreciate the Company’s efforts to be edgy and contemporary, but in my opinion there are more artful, subtle ways to achieve that.
Beyond the political room, I saw a diverse collection by quite few different artists, but nothing really caught my eye. This may have had something to do with the crowds of people (my friend said it reminded him of a high school band reception) and the somewhat haphazard arrangement of the art. Also, all of the gifts and political memorabilia made the Company feel too much like a shop rather than a space meant to encourage people to reflect on the art on display.

It’s funny; I stumbled across this little gem of an art gallery while looking for a cheap parking place downtown. It is tucked in around 5^th avenue and church street, sort of close to the Ryman.
At first glance it looked as though did not have much art on display there, but when I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised to find a cool little gallery. I’m not an expert on art, but I saw some cool looking oil paintings.
What I really liked about this place is that they had some really cool high quality photographic art. The pictures looked like high quality digital photos which had been edited in Photoshop or something.
Definitely worth checking out if you get tired of the usual downtown entertainment on Broadway.

The Arts Company is located on the Avenue of the Arts, (actually 5^th street) in downtown Nashville. They feature modern oil paintings, traditional and manipulated photographic art, sculpture, and what they call «outsider art» and special collections.
They space is always rotating artists, but in general they have great taste, in the past they have featured painting by Georgia O Keefe which were on loan to them from Fisk University. This is why this is a great gallery to visit, they have items like this in their collection alongside the modern artists’ work.
The layout of the gallery is very open and has lots of natural light from the storefront. The storefront is all glass, so it lets you glance in every time you walk by. The also have a second floor. The space is large, and allows you to explore each piece and stay out of other people’s way as you move through the gallery. They do a beautiful job with placement and lighting for all their pieces whether it is a 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional work of art.
This gallery participates in the FirstArtSaturdays, which has its opening reception 6 – 9 pm on the First Saturday of every month. Admission is free and the vibe is always really festive and celebratory. The artists are sometimes hosting in the gallery along with the gallery owners. This gallery in addition to all the other nearby galleries keep their doors open for the First Saturdays events. Usually you can find hourdevoures and wine. Hint: great thing for a cheap, romantic, and intellectually stimulating date!