Artwork by Justyna Kostkowska, photos courtesy of Greenway Art Fest
Local artists will gather along the Greenway trail of Old Fort Park on Saturday, Sept. 15, to display, sell and celebrate their best and most unique art pieces during this year’s Greenway Art Festival.
With original artwork including oils, acrylics, watercolors, pottery and more, the free, juried event will provide ample opportunity for residents to browse the work of artists and have fun in a family-friendly setting. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Greenway organization and Cultural Arts Murfreesboro, will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The festival will also include music, food vendors and kids’ art activities.
Artist Mark McMeen has been participating in the event for the last three years and will be back again this year.
“Before we [apply] to be a vendor at a show or festival, we attend the show just to see what we think,” McMeen said about Murfreesboro’s Greenway Art Festival. “We were impressed and wanted to be a part of this one.”
McMeen’s “Crooked Willow Forge” items are all created from repurposed metal.
Crooked Willow Forge by Mark McMeen
“Some items are whimsical representations of animals,” McMeen said. “Some are useful items like jewelry holders and bookends . . . People enjoy being able to recognize the various components of a piece and appreciate that they have been repurposed.”
McMeen said that the Greenway Art Festival is special because it allows the Murfreesboro community to come together and share a common appreciation for creativity.
“We have reduced the number of shows in which we participate in recent years,” McMeen said “We have continued to apply for this one and appreciate being invited to be a part of the Greenway Festival.”
Kaitlin Savage, a Murfreesboro pottery artist, has been working a booth at the festival since 2015. At that time, she was still a student in the ceramics program at MTSU.
Kaitlin Savage Ceramics
“I wanted to see what it was like to sell my work in my community because I knew I would be doing that in the future,” Savage said.
Savage, who graduated from MTSU in 2016 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics and has been working to grow her business over the last couple of years, said that the festival helps to establish her art in the community.
“I enjoy participating in the festival because it is well-established with a fun environment,” Savage said. “I like connecting with the community through my work and seeing all the other artists that live in our area.”
Another participant in this year’s festival is Nashville artist Julie Brown, who creates “bloom-inspired” accessories from fabric.
1220 Bloom Street, Julie Brown
“As a seamstress I have been doing all kinds of projects and commissions over the last 20 years, but the fabric flowers were born from my imagination and love for design a couple of years ago,” Brown said.
Brown said that the festival is critical for local artists who are still working on building a brand.
“Doing shows like The Greenway Art Festival is what I enjoy the most about being a craft artist,” Brown said. “Having a brick-and-mortar establishment is expensive, especially when you are still in the process of establishing your brand. So events like these allow you to set up a temporary ‘store’ for the day. You get to welcome people into your world and share more than just product.”
To see the creations from these artists and many more, stop by the Greenway Art Festival at Old Fort Park on Saturday, Sept. 15.
View more from this year’s participants:
