Buchanan Arts fosters a love of creativity through classes

In 2020, Nashville-based artists Alex Lockwood and John Donovan dreamed up an ambitious plan.

Lockwood, a self-taught sculptor and owner of Elephant Gallery in North Nashville, had assembled a prefabricated building behind his gallery but was rethinking his original plans for it. Donovan, a ceramic artist, college art instructor, and owner of Tenure Ceramics, had recently resigned from his tenured position at MTSU. Both were concerned about the disappearance of art education from Nashville’s K-12 schools, especially those located in under-resourced neighborhoods. The city’s shortage of art classes outside of university spaces bothered them, too.

“Access to artmaking and self-expression is vital to both individuals and the communities around them,” says Lockwood. “We wanted quality art education to be accessible to anyone in Nashville without financial barriers. So we thought, why don’t we set up an art school for the kids in our neighborhood?”

Soon thereafter, while honing their mission statement and applying for nonprofit status, Belmont University purchased Watkins College of Art. A rush ensued to salvage the school’s art equipment before the building was demolished. Someone from Watkins gave Lockwood and Donovan the entire ceramics department–wheels, kilns, slab rollers, clay mixers, and glazes. With that fortuitous influx of supplies, Buchanan Arts was born.

Located behind Elephant Gallery, Buchanan Arts believes that cities with opportunities for meaningful, equitable art education “are better places to live”, according to the organization’s mission statement. Its goal is to create“positive art experiences for students of all ages, abilities, and income levels” led by professional artists and university level instructors. Lockwood serves as secretary of the board of directors and Donovan is the studio director. They brought on Nashville-based artist and art educator, Virginia Griswold, as the executive director at the beginning of 2023. Programming includes year-round continuing adult education classes, open studio sessions, seminars, and summer camp for kids, all offered with financial aid options, including payment plans or course fee reductions. The organization’s cornerstone, however, is its Young Artists School, a free after-school program for kids ages 5-14. Yes, you read that correctly: free. Any family is welcome to apply, but priority registration is given to those who live in North Nashville.

“Artmaking can be a life-changing experience for kids,” Lockwood says. “It’s a route to self-expression and self-understanding. We want to be an outlet for that in our community.”According to Griswold, clay is a great medium for kids to work and learn with.

“It’s a very responsive and affirming material,” she says. “The ability to transform something in front of you in 3-dimensional space is a powerful experience. It’s not something people do every day, and it’s not commonly taught in K-12 schools.”

Griswold was a professor of art at Austin Peay University for 13 years and recently resigned to focus on Buchanan Arts full-time. When she’s not teaching a class or running other programming, she’s connecting with families at the nearby Jones Paideia Elementary Magnet School or bringing free art activities to community events in North Nashville. She says she’s focused on spreading the word about the after-school program.

“We went to a Juneteenth event and made sock puppets with the kids. It was great to talk to people about what they want and need from an after-school program, what schedules work well, and other logistical aspects. People are excited about what we offer.”

While the programming is ceramics-focused, the goal is to teach techniques and universal skills that translate to any art form and to other parts of students’ lives. The hope is that kids will come regularly and stick with it.

“We’re not trying to make a whole bunch of artists,” says Donovan. “We mainly want to create a space where students can genuinely relax and engage in the creative process. Kids can learn that it takes a while to learn something. That kind of patience is a crucial life skill.”

Lockwood agrees but says he would love to see some of the students become “accomplished artists” through their programming and “go onto arts-focused high schools or universities.”

Griswold and Donovan are among the teaching staff, which includes Nashville-based artists Ash Atterberry, TC Carruthers, Heather Johnson, and Cesar Pita. Griswold says that providing local working artists with community, stable employment, and an outlet to make, show, and sell their work is a big part of Buchanan Arts’ mission. In addition to providing studio space, teaching jobs, and exhibition opportunities, the organization just launched a year-long Emerging Artist Fellowship for recent graduates or early-career artists. The application opened on July 16 and closes on Sept. 5. The fellowship begins on Oct. 2.

“Nashville loses a lot of really great artists to New York, L.A., and other cities where there are more creative jobs and communities,” Griswold says. “I think Buchanan Arts can help keep artists here.”

Donovan says that his experience at Buchanan Arts so far has monumentally expanded his “teaching acumen and creative practice.”

“There is so much room for experimentation here. I get to experiment in a safe space as an educator and students get to experiment with me. When you take the grade out of the equation, people are willing to be more honest and the educational experience can become more collaborative. The curriculum isn’t predetermined. When we set sail, the students help determine where we’re headed.”

Lockwood, Griswold, and Donovan all see Buchanan Arts as a work in progress with immense potential. They hope to eventually add more studio spaces and classes focused on a variety of artistic mediums. Maybe the outdoor area can become a community garden where what’s growing outside is connected to what’s being made inside. Maybe they’ll have artist residencies and opportunities for kids to learn how to curate and organize exhibitions.

Above all, Lockwood wants the organization to “establish itself as another Nashville arts institution.” He says a place like Buchanan Arts is especially important now that Watkins College of Art is part of Belmont University.

“That was a bad moment for Nashville. We lost an important art school that had been around since the 19th century. The relationship between religion and art is a fraught one, and I don’t think it's great for developing artists. We need other voices in this town.”

As frustrations simmer over Nashville’s priorities and future, Griswold wants Buchanan Arts to serve as a model.

“We’re focused on enriching the lives of the people who live here,” she says. “We want to provide a safe space for kids and adults from diverse communities to engage in the transformative power of art and express themselves freely.”

To learn more about Buchanan Arts, visit https://www.buchananarts.org/. Registration is now open for the Young Artists program and for Fall classes.

If you go

What: Buchanan Arts

Where: 1409 Buchanan St.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Buchanan Arts fosters a love of creativity through classes