Clarksville, TN – For more than two decades, the Downtown Artists Co-op (DAC) on Franklin Street has done its part to give artists a place to display their creativity and the community a way to connect with scores of talented individuals who thrive on bringing their vision to life.
DAC’s Leah Foote and Shane Moore recently took a few minutes to talk about this gem in the heart of downtown. “We’ve been around for more than 20 years,” Foote said. “Susan Bryant and Beverly Parker were part of the original group, as well as Peggy Bonnington and Shane Moore. I’ve heard there were a couple of places showing art, but there was not a large organized group at that time.”
Moore recalls DAC’s humble beginnings. “We were originally upstairs at the Front Page Deli on Franklin Street. There was a featured artist, but it wasn’t really an official gallery. At that first location, you had to go to the back of the building and go up the stairs to find us. Only those in the know caught the shows.”
In the early years, DAC would have about 20 members on its roster, now it’s pushing close to 50. “Some of them now are emeritus,” Foote said. “That allows them to be as active as they want to be. In recent years our membership has grown a lot, and we have so much more to offer them.”
At one of DAC’s early juried shows, the juror offered comments on every piece in the show. Foote and fellow member Cliff Whitaker expounded on that idea.
“Cliff and I started with just an art exhibition which included art and photography,” Foote said. “Then he suggested we have a separate show just for photographers, so we agreed to help each other and host both.”
Those shows have evolved into much-anticipated annual events at DAC. There are shows every month of the year, with varying themes. Some of the shows are open to everyone in the region, like the annual Photography Exhibition in February and the Open Art Exhibition in August. Other monthly events include DAC and Friends, the Holiday Bazaar which takes place every November and December, and the annual Members Show, to list a few.
The open shows are juried shows that offer awards and cash prizes. There is a cost to enter the juried events, but it’s a great chance for newer artists to get their work in front of an audience and for veterans to compete head-to-head with some of the best talent this area has to offer.
“Once we got a storefront, we could pursue some new ideas,” Moore said.
One of those ideas, First Thursday ArtWalk, came along a few years later. Based on DAC’s success, other businesses wanted to participate. And so they did, with featured artists, music, etc.
“We probably draw a couple of hundred people to each of our monthly ArtWalks now,” Moore said. “People come throughout the evening. The event goes from 5:00pm – 8:00pm on the first Thursday of every month. I believe there are nearly twenty places that participate each month, local shops, other galleries, restaurants, even the museum.
“It’s awesome to see it grow like it has. It’s not just art, there is music, and restaurants that offer specials, and feature artists. Now, there are four or five galleries downtown, as well as the Customs House Museum. The Roxy Regional Theatre also features art. It’s great to see it still evolving.”
Leah is also excited to see the growing perception of Clarksville as an ‘art community’. “A juror from Murfreesboro commented on how impressed she was with the art community here, as opposed to what it was at that time in Murfreesboro.”
Moore says that from an arts-perspective, DAC has led the way. But, now the Downtown Clarksville Association has taken over ownership of ‘First Thursday ArtWalk’.
“It’s not copyrighted or anything,” Moore said. “They are promoting and coordinating it. We did start it, and we are kind of the hub of it. DAC is a great place to park and visit, then walk up the street and make the loop each month. A lot of people make that loop.
“The hope is to do more and get bigger. In the last few years, we’ve had challenges. COVID-19 was tough. We lost a lot of members because people were scared to get out. But we made it through and came out the other side, and it has been a steady increase in participation – with new artists and new energy.”
Moore says that DAC currently has some incredibly talented people. Each year, some come and some go, but DAC keeps growing. He is excited to see what the future holds. “We love this space, and hope to stay here forever, but who knows.”
Foote is also excited about the diversity of the membership and their approach to art.
“One of the things I enjoy about the DAC & Friends show is that we get people who aren’t members,” Foote said. “There are so many fresh looks and fresh faces, and many of them end up joining us.”
If you’re interested in joining the DAC, go to www.DAC.gallery. There you can fill out an application form. You’ll be asked to bring in 4 – 6 pieces of your work. Everyone has to be juried in. There are dues and obligations. The Co-op doesn’t have employees, so if there is work to be done, everyone pitches in.
And, be sure to check out the DAC’s annual Fundraiser/Gala with an in-person and online auction coming up in June.
Just down the block from the DAC is ArtLink, led by Maria Haycraft. She and her team have become active in promoting ArtWalk and building on downtown’s art community.
“We wanted to help cultivate ArtWalk and give it some love,” Haycraft said. “We started working on increasing community interest and awareness more than a year ago. We went around to businesses to find out why they weren’t participating and what they needed to help them get involved.”
Haycraft discovered that it was difficult for some businesses to gain access to artists.
“There was also a lack of signage,” Haycraft said. “So. we made signs and created a spreadsheet where we can get interested parties on the list, and help pair artists and venues.
“Now we have more than twenty venues. We’ve created a committee, community wide. If you have a business or organization downtown, or if you’re an artist and you want to see this thrive, we have an open meeting where anyone who is interested can come discuss ideas with us.”
Gayla Parks, ArtLink’s board president and studio manager said, “Maria really wanted to get this uplifted and raise awareness, but this is a community event. So this is about businesses and community members and artists working together to create something awesome for everyone to enjoy.
“Traffic has increased, and now there is even a map of the various venues that you can access on your phone. We’re constantly working on new ideas to make it even better and more structured.”
ArtLink offers paid classes, as well as lots of free activities in its creative corner. Haycraft said, “There are tons of ways to create for free anytime we’re open. There are workshops available where artists can teach. That gives them revenue. We want to support artists. This allows them to work, sell their art, and teach what they do. This also provides the community with a unique experience.
“We have at least 100 people through our doors each month for First Thursday ArtWalk. We host an artist each month, and offer live music. Others are doing that too. So, it’s not just visual art anymore.
We need more help. If art is something you care about, please join us. Our email address is ArtWalkClarksvilleTN@gmail.com
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