Mosaic artwork by Carol Neal
On Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the section of the Murfreesboro Greenway that passes through Old Fort Park will be a great place to take a walk. Why? Because that’s where the Greenway Art Festival will be taking place. The path will be lined with booths featuring local artists (and a few from farther afield) offering their work to view and buy.
Jewelry by Michelle Beshears
Many of the artists who will be present also offer commissioned work, which can be requested at the festival. Some of the jewelry artists, says Melinda Tate, the Greenway Program Coordinator and organizer of the festival, can even produce simple pieces while you wait. Some artists also offer classes, whether private or in groups, so those interested in learning a new means of creative expression can explore different styles and see what these teachers have produced themselves. Many of the artists will be demonstrating their work for festivalgoers, whether making jewelry, painting, or even spinning wool to make into cloth.
“Hold Me Back’ by Jessica Rose Maraschiello
This year’s festival is the 13th annual, and it’s been getting bigger and better every year. This year there will be 75 booths in total, both along the Greenway path and within the nearby pavilion. In addition to visual artists displaying painting, sculpture, drawing, jewelry, fiber art, pottery, woodworking, and much more, the festival will for the first time be featuring musicians, as well. Some will play acoustically at different spots around the pathway, while the Emerging Artists tent will feature two special performers. Larry Pinkerton, a veteran of the Grand Ole Opry, will take the stage from the festival’s opening at 10 a.m. until noon. He will be followed by Rik Gracia, a well-known local performer.
Sheila Smith
If you’re worried that looking at so much talent will make you hungry, never fear! This year’s festival will also host food trucks, with vendors including The Flying Pig, Dan’s Gourmet Mac & Cheese, Bradley’s Curbside Creamery and Miss Pokey’s Lemonade and Kettle Corn. For the kids, there will be face painting and a special craft organized by the Parks and Recreation Cultural Arts Department. Previous years’ crafts have included making and decorating paper puppets and painting on one of the most challenging surfaces—a rock.
by Tristan Whitley
All of the artwork and artists featured at the Greenway Arts Festival have been selected by a jury from hundreds of submissions. “All of the artists are very excited,” says Tate. All artwork will be original, not mass produced, and work produced by a stencil or mold is forbidden. The one-day festival allows Murfreesboro’s local artists a chance to exhibit their work in their own hometown, as well as an opportunity for local residents to get a taste of the talent and variety our city’s art community has to offer. MTSU’s student art organization will also be participating, giving college students a chance to put their work on exhibit, often for the first time.
“It’s a good way to get a little culture,” says Tate. Moreover, she adds, many of the artists sell work at very affordable prices—much lower than artwork at a gallery, and sometimes even more affordable than mass-produced pieces from a retailer. Plus, it’s a great way to support local art.
Old Fort Park is located just off of Old Fort Parkway, near Salem Road.
