Clarksville, TN – Produced by The Downtown Clarksville Association, First Thursday Art Walk is a free, self-guided tour spanning a 5-block radius that combines visual art, live music, engaging events and more in the heart of Downtown Clarksville.
With 10+ venues, bars and businesses participating each month, the First Thursday Art Walk in Clarksville is the ultimate opportunity to savor and support local creative talent.
The March Art Walk will be held March 3rd from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at the shops and galleries on Public Square, Franklin Street, and Strawberry Alley.
The participating businesses are listed below as well as a description of the work they will be exhibiting and services they will be offering during the event.
The Roxy Regional Theatre – Peg Harvill Gallery
100 Franklin Street
The Roxy Regional Theatre’s Peg Harvill Gallery is proud to feature the art of local artist, Peggy Bonnington during the March First Thursday Art Walk.
Peggy Bonnington gravitates toward the unfettered creativity of unconsciously wandering lines, an intuitive stroke of color and impulsive shading. Peggy taught special education with Fort Campbell Schools. She retired in 2008. Peggy is an active member of the DAC (Downtown Artists’ Co-op.) According to the artist, “I seek to become more comfortable and adept with paint and brush, but lately I am enjoying exploring a merger of painting with drawing.”
Additional gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 2:00pm.
For tickets to and information about our current production, “The Cat in the Hat”, please visit www.roxyregionaltheatre.org or call the box office at 931.645.7699.
Edward’s Steakhouse
107 Franklin Street
Edward’s Steakhouse is proud to feature local photographer, David Smith during the March First Thursday Art Walk.
David Smith is a retired U.S. Army Still Photographer, who came to the Clarksville area in 1976 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He returned to Clarksville with his family after his retirement from the military. Most of the photographs are of Landscapes and scenery but he also tries to photography the City of Clarksville. ”I feel that it’s important for a photographer to help preserve the history through photographs.”
Edward’s Steakhouse will also be participating in “United We Dine” that evening. A percentage of their food sales that evening will go back to the United Way.
Stop in, see the art, listen to Jackson Miller, live, on the piano and take in their Thursday night special, 1/2 priced $7.00 appetizers and 2 for 1 draft drink specials all while supporting the First Thursday Art Walk & the United Way!
Downtown Artists Co-op
96 Franklin Street
The DAC is an association of talented local artists and interested patrons dedicated to promoting the visual arts in the Clarksville/Montgomery County area.
Our objectives are to sponsor art exhibitions of work by Co-op members and regional artists, to provide continuing support for the Co-op and its membership through the sale of art work, to encourage arts education with outreach programs and scholarship fundraisers, and to develop membership services which directly support the arts community.
Artist Information
The Downtown Artists Co-op is proud to host local artist, Billy Renkl during the March First Thursday Art Walk. Billy Renkl grew up in Birmingham, AL, and attended Auburn University and the University of South Carolina. He has taught drawing at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN, for 26 years.
Renkl’s collage work features fragments of old texts and diagrams, exploring the relationship that art has to information graphics, as well as the qualities inherent in paper ephemera.
Billy Renkl’s exhibit is entitled Rock, Paper, Scissors, & Wood.
“The simple fact of the matter is that I love paper, especially paper that has been around the block. There is no substitute for endurance. A lot of vintage and antique paper is beautiful, and the way that it carries its history with it is really moving. It is almost like a body, the way that it ages, gets scarred, bears the marks of what has happened to it, who has owned it and how they used it. Sometimes I have an idea for a piece first, and often that comes from something I’m reading. I then start hunting through my studio for the right fragments to give it form. Often, though, I’m struck by how lovely or strange or moving a particular scrap of paper is, and it will suggest a direction for a new piece of work.”
Customs House Museum
200 South Second Street
The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is Tennessee’s second largest general interest museum. It features fine art, history, and children’s exhibits.
Artist Information
Join us for the March First Thursday Art Walk and enjoy free admission!
Exhibits
A Woman’s Touch: Celebrating Tennessee Crafts
March 4th – April 30th
The Customs House Museum rounds out its Tennessee Crafts celebration with A Woman’s Touch. This exhibit features female artisans from across the state of Tennessee. Sponsored in part through grant funding from National Endowment for the Arts.
James Alexander: Sculptural Thinkings
March 10th – May 1st
Trained as both an architect and as a sculptor, James Rodger Alexander utilizes form to articulate and delineate space. Both his large scale sculptural installations and small scale sculptural pieces focus primarily on one reoccurring issue: the resolution of the conflict between opposing forces.
These opposing forces may be literal and physical or conceptual and philosophical. The recognition of dualities and the quest for a resolution is the consistent element in his work. James Rodger Alexander is currently Professor of Ceramics at Alabama State University at Birmingham.
He earned his MFA in Sculpture and Ceramics from Louisiana State University, and also holds both the Bachelor of Architecture and Masters of Architecture in Urban Design degrees from Cornell University.
Elizabeth LaPenna: Expressions in Color
March 1st – May 1st
An abstract artist working in acrylics and mixed media, Elizabeth LaPenna approaches each piece from an intuitive perspective, inspired by spirituality and nature. LaPenna is an award winning visual artist whose work is held in both private and corporate collections throughout the United States. A Chicago transplant, raised in upstate N.Y., she is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.
School Days: From the Collection
March 4th – May 8th
What was it like to attend the Clarksville Female Academy? Items from our collection take a look at the schools and graduations of Montgomery County from the late 1860s to the 1930s.
Photographs, diplomas, graduation dresses, and school related documents are on display to give insight into the lives of locals such as Carrie Wyatt and Mabel Ray Edmondson.
Couture Crush
Couture Crush is proud to support the March First Thursday Art Walk and host local artist Jane Olson. Jane’s art brings a fresh approach to watercolor pieces in a variety of sizes. Some of her favorite subjects are waterscapes, landscapes and floral compositions in the impressionistic and abstract styles.
Couture Crush will stay open late and serve light refreshments.
Its not too early to think about Spring, so stop in and find some new additions to your wardrobe during the March First Thursday Art Walk!
The Framemaker
705 North Second Street
For over two decades, The Framemaker has offered a unique selection of frames and art services to the Middle Tennessee area.
Artist Information
The Illuminating Past – New Work by Amy Dean
The Framemaker proudly presents new work by artist Amy Dean. This exhibit is part of Clarksville’s First Thursday Art Walk on March 3rd, 2016. An opening reception will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. The exhibit will remain on display at the Framemaker throughout the month of March during normal business hours (Monday through Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm).
Amy Dean lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, and and attends Austin Peay State University. Amy writes, “I am making work that responds to earlier, historically important, artwork. By studying and conversing with these artist, I find my own work is brought to life. In this critique I am exposing , them turning them inside out and allowing their story to mingle with mine”.
The Framemaker is located at the corner of North Second Street and Georgia Avenue, across from the Clarksville Academy.
Hops Road
101 Strawberry Alley
Good Morning Coffee-Espresso & Lattes – Signature Roast & Dark Roast – open at 7:00am Croissants- Scones & Pastries- Gourmet Sandwiches, Wraps, Salads – Burgers & Craft Beers
Hops Road, located on Strawberry Alley in Historic Downtown Clarksville, is proud to support the March First Thursday Art Walk. Stop in, grab a bit to eat and check out some of the great local artists that Clarksville has to offer.
Hops Java & Juice
100 Strawberry Alley
Hops Java & Juice is proud to support the March First Thursday Art Walk in Historic Downtown Clarksville. Stop in and enjoy the artwork displayed throughout the shop, pick up locally sourced products and food and grab a cup of coffee to keep you warm as you enjoy the March First Thursday Art Walk!
Rogate’s Boutique
You are sure to find something new and exciting each time you visit Rogate’s Boutique! Our store offers all the latest amazing fashion trends, while remaining focused on timeless style. And we know how much fun shopping should be, so you can always expect to have a great time here.
Rogate’s Boutique will not feature an artist during the March First Thursday Art Walk, but will be open for business until 7:00pm. Stop in an find a a few new pieces to welcome Spring into your wardrobe!
Mildred & Mable’s
109 Franklin Street
Mildred and Mable’s will stay open late during the March First Thursday Art Walk. Stop in and check out all of the great gift and clothing options offered in Historic Downtown Clarksville.
