Image Source: Pennyweight

Gracey May

Pine Street Makery

Simon and Ruby

Shutters and Shuttles

Tina Eva Renee

Oh My Deer Handmades

Simon and Ruby

Peaces of Indigo

Acorn and Archer

Instead of giving into my urges to stay inside bundled up on the couch watching movies (it was a cold, damp day yesterday) I drove over to Green Hills to check out the much anticipated West Elm Nashville + Etsy: We Love Handmade Art event, which was curated and co-hosted by my friend Elise Yetton of Pennyweight. Elise has impeccable taste and it certainly showed through the work of the hand selected Tennessee Etsy sellers. I took a few photos of the items that caught my eye but check out all their shops for a little Sunday splurge.

I had the honor of being asked to shoot the Belcourt Theatre’s nD Festival fashion show that took place last night. Jamie and the Jones, Bodkin and Steven Alan unveiled their fall collections, each of which was introduced by a beautiful short film ( Kristin Barlowe for Jamie and the Jones, David McClister for Bodkin, James Clauer for Steven Alan) setting the tone right before the catwalk. Nikki Lane, Gabriel Kelley and Holly Williams also provided lovely acoustic mini-sets in between the shows.

While the national spotlight is becoming more and more focused on Nashville, the quality of work being showcased here will blow any expectations or preconceived notions out of the water when it comes to what this town has to offer.  From the items donated for the silent auction to the local artists who were asked to participate I was more than impressed with the results.

Last night during the Nashville monthly art crawl, I had the chance to chat up Nashville based artist and curator Herb Williams at The Rymer Gallery where he was debuting his newest series, Sound Spectrum. The series focuses on the connections between social networking and the top breakthrough of his own generation, the mix tape. His use of mixed media including crayons, cassette tapes and an old-fashioned piano that provided the evening’s music was inspiring while his individual look was a kind of memorial to a classic piece of technology that changed the way the world listened to music, long before digital downloads and iPods ever existed.

The reality of it all is that we’re living in a digital generation where Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and all those other Silicon Valley masterminds are ruling the air while keeping us addictively in the know. What do you think will be the next big thing that has an impact on the way we communicate socially and experience all forms of media? Hard to imagine.

While crawlin’ along on the art crawl, I also got a sneak peek of Nashville based mixed media artist, John Ha and his new gallery Ha Factory Gallery & Lounge. The gallery doesn’t officially open until around January, but I’m already looking forward to it. Hand-built marble ping pong tables and the promise of summertime mixers on multiple floors are just a few of the reasons why I will be coming back for more. However, his bright, Chinese Zodiac pieces (pandas, rabbits and pigs wearing 80s inspired shades) already had an obvious opening day lure to them. Just ask Will Ferrell or Queen Latifah who are listed as collectors, among others.  His studio and individual style represent the perfect mix of Nashville and Brooklyn and I’m excited to see what he comes up with next.

When I saw Photographer Alex Prager’s images in her series “Week-End” I couldn’t avoid the entrancing sense of nostalgia and mystery in her doll-like subjects. To boot, from the interviews I’ve been reading she seems quite charming and has an interesting story. She’s an untrained photographer who has found her niche simply through determination and trial and error. It just goes to show that if you want something bad enough, you’ll get it. Stay tuned at www.alexprager.com