Humans and four-legged companions were equally welcome at the East Nashville Arts Fest. Several booths had water bowls and treats for the pups.
This entire collection of intricate collages and cards came from Chattanooga's Made By One Girl.
All right, I know some of you didn’t leave the house this past weekend because you were brushing up on six years of Lost in anticipation of the long-awaited final episode. (Why do you think we’re posting this on Tuesday instead of bright and early Monday morning?) Plus it was hot – oh, so hot – outside. But those of you who were brave and ventured out to Five Points on Saturday or Sunday probably noticed that the 1100 block of Woodland was closed for the first annual East Nashville Arts Fest.
Both sides of the street were lined with tents, and selected artists were able to hawk their wares from 11am-7pm Saturday and Sunday. Festival planner Maria Mariottini, a Chicagoan, put the event together at the request of some local artists who know her from their participation in other festivals. I think it’s safe to say that Maria’s hard work was well worth the effort, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event (same approximate time, same approximate place).
Maria Mariottini, East Nashville Arts Fest planner.
Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress from Knoxville - what a variety of cool stuff! If you didn't buy that t-shirt or poster you wanted, no worries... they have a store on Etsy.com.
There are so many successful art festivals around town that I didn’t think this one would be any different, but the vibe of the East Nashville Arts Fest was fresh and exciting. It differed from the recent and well-established TACA Craft Fair and our beloved local Tomato Art Fest in that it was smaller (I have a hunch that once it’s established it will grow significantly) and the merchandise was eclectic and well rounded without a particular theme or heaviness on one artform.
Tiffany Ownbey has figured out a way to elevate papier mache to a new level. Her background in ceramic sculpture is evident in the surface textures and intricate forms - this ain't your typical coat-a-balloon mache.
We at East Nashville Blog are animal lovers and were drawn to the cute faces and trippy colors of Michelle Mardis' dog paintings.
No matter which art festival I go to, I enjoy seeing the same artist in the same tent location year after year; familiarity is comforting. And while there were some local artists with recognizable artwork in the East Nashville Arts Fest, many participants were from other states, which provided festival-goers an unexpectedly new and fresh supply of artwork to see and purchase. Of course we like to support our local artists, but I think we can all smile at the fact that our side of the city is happenin’ enough to attract artists from far and away, and our reputation as a city that celebrates the visual arts is growing ever stronger.
How about a stained glass window for that salvaged antique door you've been meaning to install? Artist: Alexander Roskowski, LX&R Studios.
Another exciting aspect of this festival was that it was made up of equal parts fine art and fine craft – which pleases me, because East Nashville Blog celebrates all things creative with no regard for the high-art/low-art dichotomy. The art/craft distinction was made even fuzzier with this festival because everything on display was of the highest possible quality, no chintz. There were beautiful things to wear, to hang on the wall, to put in your lawn… all made with care and great creativity.
Hella-cool pillows made from hand-dyed fabric brought to you by Hooey Batiks.
For a complete list of artists who participated, including contact information and website addresses, visit the East Nashville Arts Fest Facebook page.
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