As we celebrate 20 years of championing Nashville’s creative community, our 20 for 20 series highlights the people, programs, and partnerships that have shaped the arts in Middle Tennessee. This month, twenty simply wasn’t enough.
We’re featuring all 24 artists in the 2026 Periscope: Artist Entrepreneur Training cohort. Representing disciplines from visual art and music to culinary arts, fashion, literary arts, functional art, and more, these artists embody the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that continue to define Nashville’s creative community.
Over the past several months, the cohort has participated in Periscope, the Arts & Business Council’s artist entrepreneurship accelerator. Through business training, mentorship, and hands-on learning, they’ve strengthened their entrepreneurial skills, refined their creative vision, and, in many cases, discovered new possibilities for their work.
The next step is the Periscope Pitch + Artist Entrepreneur Showcase on Wednesday, September 9, at OZ Arts Nashville, where the cohort will put their training into action. Guests will have the opportunity to meet all 24 artist entrepreneurs, explore their work during the showcase, and connect with the creative businesses they’re building. The evening will also feature the live Periscope Pitch, where eight finalists will present their ventures for a chance to win cash and prizes.
Below, you’ll meet each artist through a short bio and a reflection on their Periscope experience. Their stories offer a glimpse into the journeys that have brought them to this moment—and the creative businesses they’re building for the future.
Get to know the entrepreneurs in advance, and get your tickets below!
RSVP to Periscope Pitch
Alita Brielle Gay (she/her)
I value the intentionality of this creative community. The geniune curiosity of my peers and group leader have been a source of encouragement and reflection about what’s meaninful. I’m walking away with a clearer sense of my craft, my business values and my ideal customer.
Alita Brielle spent years as a classroom teacher before trading the whiteboard for the microphone — though truthfully, she never really stopped teaching, she just found a much more miraculous way to do it. She believes that in a world of noise, less is more, and these days, this voice actor and mom of three spends her time chasing down the perfect pause, the right giggle, and the whisper that makes ears lean in close. Whether she’s bringing a picture book character to life or narrating for grown-up listeners, Alita has a gift for finding the heart of a story — because the best stories aren’t just read, they’re felt.
Azriel Dennison (she/they)
Periscope reminded me how collaborative creating music truly is, and how much providing a creative service to others must be seen as mutually beneficial. If I could live off the joy of making music every day with artists for free, I would. But the reality of how our world works forces me to make a living from my art. Figuring out how to service others, make music, and make money is the ultimate trifecta that I’ve built during the Periscope program.
Azriel is a music artist, songwriter, and engineer passionate about helping other artists discover themselves with music. Through their mobile recording services under Ground-Work Artisans (GWA), Azriel provides professional-level recordings and mixes to any artists in Nashville and throughout the Southeast. The ultimate goal of GWA is to help independent artists pursue their music career without compromising who they are.
Cameron Kemp (she/her)
Periscope has really pushed me to take a deep dive into the business aspects of my art career and what I want it to look like in the future. It’s been intense in the best way possible.
Cameron Kemp is an oil painter whose artwork explores the everyday human experience through symbolism. They’re textured, messy, and imperfect, just like people.
Chandler Mitchell (he/him)
The biggest takeaway from my Periscope experience has been learning that clarity is not the enemy of complexity. I came into the program knowing deeply how the work is made and why it is different, but less certain how to communicate that in a way customers, partners, and investors could immediately understand. Periscope has helped me connect the artistic inquiry behind the drip table with a clearer business model and growth strategy. That has changed not only how I talk about Drip Table Co., but how I make decisions about where it goes next.
Chandler Mitchell is a Nashville-based furniture designer, maker, and founder of Drip Table Co., a studio creating materially expressive furniture at the boundary of function and sculpture. Best known for the drip table, he develops new forms through direct experimentation with material, structure, and custom tooling, allowing the process to shape the finished work. His current focus is building the partnerships and systems that can bring this work to a broader market without sacrificing its integrity.
Dave Isaacs (he/him)
Periscope made me look at my business from a different perspective, and made my vision and message much clearer. It’s also been revitalizing and inspiring creatively to meet and work with such a highly motivated, dynamic and creative cohort.
Dave Isaacs is a musician, educator, and writer. After nearly forty years of teaching guitar and twenty years coaching artists and songwriters in Nashville, his thousands of former students perform on stages around the world or strum happily in bedrooms.
David Guido (he/him)
Periscope has provided an incredible opportunity to look at my business through the eyes of other artists and industry professionals, allowing me to build a clear understanding of where I stand today and what is important for my future. Collaborating with other driven, like-minded entrepreneurs has fostered invaluable connections and lifelong friendships. And the weekly classes provided the structure and confidence to balance my artistic vision with a disciplined business mindset, preparing me to handle my next phase of growth.
David Guido is the artist and designer behind Well Lit Woods, a Nashville-based studio creating luminary sculptures that integrate the warmth and soul of nature into modern living. Drawing on a degree in Industrial Design and a decade in high-precision manufacturing, David builds these glueless, interlocking forms to foster spaces that calm and ground us in our daily lives. Beyond the studio, David is an active member of the Arts and Business Council, Tennessee Craft, and The Forge, where he shares his expertise in digital fabrication to educate and collaborate within the Nashville community.
Emily Taubman (she/her)
Periscope has helped me grow as an artist by giving me the confidence to explore new creative paths and embrace opportunities I may not have pursued before. It has encouraged me to look at my business through a new lens, build meaningful relationships with other artists, and find inspiration through collaboration. Most importantly, Periscope has helped me realize that I belong in this creative community and that the different disciplines I explore all contribute to a larger, more connected creative practice.
Emily Taubman is a multidisciplinary artist who follows curiosity wherever it leads. Working across murals, window painting, illustration, and community art, she embraces a variety of mediums and loves creating work that brings everyday spaces to life. Armed with a paintbrush and a wandering imagination, Emily is always chasing the next creative spark.
Haley Bagwell (she/her)
I’m excited to show people how much my business plan has grown and developed since joining Periscope. I hope everyone else will be just as passionate about the direction we’re going in! Hopefully we’ll meet some new artists looking to join a class or are just interested in keeping up with me on the adventure!
Haley Bagwell is a sculptor, baker, and sewist who teaches pop-up art workshops as The Sleaze & Slime Gallery. Her dream is to put casual makers on the pedestal that elite museums and galleries reserve for the formally trained, and to make the act of creation more accessible to those without arts backgrounds. By building a maker space and arts community in Nashville, Haley hopes to give everyone the space and resources they need to call themselves an artist.
Jenna Marotta (she/they)
I am mesmerized by how well put together this program is. Periscope has given me the opportunity to really hone in and focus on what works best for my brand, and the results are already showing there’s proof in the pudding!
Jenna Marotta, known professionally as jennapple, is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and Executive Director of the Tennessee Songwriters Association International (TSAI). As the creator of jennapple’s House Party, she is building a business that brings artists, audiences, and communities together through unforgettable live entertainment experiences. jennapple is passionate about creating opportunities that help creatives connect, collaborate, and thrive.
Jennifer Carland (she/her)
Periscope has helped me see my artistic practice not only as a creative pursuit, but as a sustainable and scalable business. Through the program, I have gained greater clarity around my value, strengthened the way I communicate about my work, and developed more confidence in pursuing licensing, wholesale, public art, and corporate opportunities. It has also connected me with a supportive community of creative entrepreneurs who understand both the challenges and possibilities of building a career in the arts. Most importantly, Periscope has encouraged me to think bigger about what my work can become and the impact I can create through it.
Jennifer Carland is a visual artist and founder of Carland Cartography LLC, known for creating colorful, highly detailed abstract maps that explore the emotional connections between people and place. Drawing from her background in fine art and urban planning, she transforms familiar cities and neighborhoods into vibrant works that blend structure, color, memory, and imagination. Her work has been exhibited and commissioned for museums, corporate spaces, hospitality projects, and private collections across the United States.
Keith Benion (he/him)
Periscope helped me see my work in a new way. I now approach Keep Heritage Alive not only as a documentary project, but as a sustainable creative enterprise that can preserve community stories for future generations.
Keith Benion is a documentary storyteller, media artist, and founder of Keep Heritage Alive, where he transforms oral histories, archival materials, and community voices into films, exhibits, and immersive storytelling experiences. His work preserves the cultural legacy of Nashville’s historic Jefferson Street while creating innovative ways for communities to capture, share, and celebrate their own stories. Through Periscope, Keith is expanding Keep Heritage Alive into a scalable creative enterprise that empowers communities to preserve their heritage for generations to come.
Kenieha Boren (she/her)
Periscope has helped me to feel more confident about my artistic career. I am a visionary, and I have big ideas, and through the program, I learned practical skills that I can use to reach my goals. I enjoyed learning from other artists’ journeys, and I have to say they picked the best mentor for me.
Kenieha Boren is a visual poet and experiential curator whose work transforms poetry into immersive installations and participatory experiences. Through blackout poetry, collage, and storytelling, she explores memory, identity, and belonging. Her work invites audiences into spaces of reflection, connection, and collective care.
Kymberlee Stanley (she/her)
Biggest take away: I really need to create processes for my business, and work from a left brain sometimes. Getting organized and professional is hard, and I have had to delegate when i am out of my strengths. I can’t do it all.
Kymberlee Stanley is a contemporary oil painter who describes her work as “color invitations” of wonder and beauty to inspire hope. Her bold brushwork and expressive style reflect her mission of bringing joy and healing as a psychotherapist, community builder, and expressive arts workshop leader. Inspired by the color palettes of her native California coast, she channels that vibrance into landscapes and waterscapes across Tennessee and beyond.
Rhiannon Guppy (she/her)
Periscope has helped me focus my energy in the right places of my business, each week it built the information in a really logical way and its made me take a step back to look at the my art business in a big picture way, I already know I’ll be revisiting the lessons in the coming months, I’m so excited to work with my mentor.
Rhiannon Guppy is an English abstract artist based in Franklin, Tennessee, creating atmospheric cloudscapes on raw canvas that explore themes of home, memory, and belonging. Guided by the natural movement of pigment, her paintings embrace both intention and unpredictability, capturing moments of time, gesture, and emotion. Inspired by her experience of living between countries and the enduring connection between England and America, her work evokes openness, reflection, and unseen ties. Rhiannon’s work has been placed in Soho House, developed in collaboration with Birkenstock, and is available through Herron Home and Onyx & Alabaster in Nashville.
Richard Isaac Griggs (he/him)
The biggest takeaway from my Periscope experience has been the people I’ve met through the program. My artwork is all about connection, so having the opportunity to build relationships with other artists, mentors, and creative professionals across Nashville has been incredibly meaningful. Periscope has also helped me grow as a creative entrepreneur by giving me new perspectives on how to sustain an art practice, understand and connect with audiences, and think more intentionally about my career. Beyond the workshops and resources, the relationships I’ve built have been the most valuable part of the experience, and I know they’ll continue to shape my artistic journey long after the program ends.
Richard Isaac Griggs is a process-driven figurative artist whose work provides emotional infrastructure and visual anchors for meditation and flow state. Fascinated by the natural abstractions of the human form, he explores shared experience, subjectivity, and connection through minimal line, limited color palettes and deliberate negative space. Rich is the finishing specialist at Chromatics, a Violist in the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra, and a lifelong learner.
Riley Lazuli (she/her)
Periscope helped me get organized and take intentional action in regards to establishing my creative career. This program helped me lay a solid foundation with practical knowledge that allowed me to turn my creative endeavors into a lucrative and sustainable business model.
Riley Lazuli is a creative director, visual artist, and founder of GOOD FRUIT Creative House. She and her team at GOOD FRUIT utilize photography, videography, graphic design, and strategic planning to create memorable and impactful marketing campaigns for their clients online. GOOD FRUIT creates visuals and develops client relationships with an emphasis on purpose, connection, and an understanding that artistic development is essential for ongoing success.
Rob Wilbanks (he/him)
I am most excited to Share the scale of my Art and where it could lead to. As well as my intentions on scaling a manufacturable product.
Rob Wilbanks aka Davinciscopes is a multi-disciplinary kaleidoscope artist that creates heirloom quality jewelry, manufactured optic products and large scale installations, leaving individuals joyful and inspired.
Robert Jones (they/them)
When I came into the periscope programme I had a clear plan, but after working through every aspect in so much detail, I think my vision has really changed in a way that feels much more sincere to what I want to be doing.
Robert Jones is a London-born artist and picture framer, and the founder of Nashville-based Mangoe Arts & Framing, established in 2018 to platform the independent workshops who keep traditional craftsmanship in picture framing alive. Eight years of development have carried the studio to its 2026 expansion into Wedgewood-Houston, supported by an ongoing research programme to document and formalise the exemplary practices of the craft. Robert’s ambition for Mangoe Arts & Framing is to practise the traditional techniques the studio showcases: to research, design and build historical frames in house, and to pass them on to the next generation.
Roselle Rodríguez Vallejo (she/her)
The Periscope program allowed me, as an artist, to experience deeply accelerated growth by helping me ground my artistic identity within a brand-new regional community. It gave me the business tools to bridge my background with my current practice, while teaching me how to pitch my multi-medium work effectively. Because of this, I am now actively putting these skills into action by stepping out of studio solitude to present my practice cohesively to curators and clients, building an interactive showcase, and utilizing my new professional connections to open doors for my career.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, full-time artist Roselle Rodríguez Vallejo holds a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. Now based in Springfield, Tennessee, her current art practice captures the quiet stillness of wildlife and serene landscapes encountered during her travels. Working primarily in oil alongside mixed-media experimentation, her immersive scenes invite viewers to slow down and reconnect with the overlooked calmness of our world.
Samantha Zaruba (she/her)
Periscope has given me a reality check on the gaps in my business practices and actual clear cut plans on how to succeed plus momentum.
Samantha Zaruba is the founder of Paint Your Noodz, an award-winning art empowerment experience that uses nude figure painting to foster body acceptance, creativity, and connection, transforming traditional paint-and-sip culture into a space for vulnerability, embodiment, and self-expression. Through both her studio practice and Paint Your Noodz at-home kits and live workshops, Zaruba’s art challenges shame, sparks dialogue, and reconnects people to their creative power.
Sandra Lee Chandler (she/her)
Periscope has helped me put clear words to what I make and why it matters, so I can talk about my quilts in a way that gains believers, not just admirers. The nine weeks of training pushed me to build an actual business plan, set prices I stand behind, and pitch my work without shrinking. It has made me a steadier entrepreneur without touching the art itself, which is exactly the balance I wanted.
Sandra Lee Chandler is a contemporary fiber artist, who builds large-scale art quilts from repurposed denim and reclaimed textiles, stitching poetry and cultural history into every piece. After forty years of teaching and raising four children, she leads workshops and lectures that welcome every level, from first-time stitchers to seasoned makers. Her narrative quilts are made for walls where people stop, read, and stand with the work a while.
Sarah Budeski (she/her)
More than anything, Periscope has connected me with a community of creative entrepreneurs I would never have met otherwise. From the instructors and my peers to my mentor and the extended programming at ABC, I feel surrounded by people who genuinely believe in my growth and success as a first-time business owner.
Sarah Budeski is a letterpress printer, designer, and illustrator based in Nashville, Tennessee. By day, she works as a Designer/Printer at Hatch Show Print, creating letterpress posters. She recently launched Bitter Root Press, a small letterpress studio specializing in custom stationery and live printing experiences.
Sarah Saeed (she/her)
Periscope has helped me grow by giving me the space to both zoom out and zoom in on my creative business. Zooming out has allowed me to step back and better understand my intentions, vision, and mission, clarifying what Paper Pomegranates is truly about and where I want it to go. Zooming in has helped me to embrace the details and decisions that shape a sustainable creative business, seeing them not as separate from the creative process, but as a way to intentionally design the path forward. Through this process, I have moved from seeing Paper Pomegranates as a creative dream to recognizing it as a sustainable opportunity to create meaningful resources and experiences that help families and communities celebrate their stories, see themselves reflected, and support a greater sense of belonging
Sarah Saeed is a human-centered strategist, designer, and founder of Paper Pomegranates, a creative studio that creates joyful experiences through illustration and storytelling to help children and families explore identity, belonging, and culture. With a background in architecture, community development, and place-based design, her work brings together creativity and community voice to foster meaningful connections between people and place. Through books, interactive resources, and creative experiences, Sarah designs tools that spark curiosity, conversation, and connection across generations.
Wil Merrell (he/him)
Periscope has helped me think beyond being an artist and embrace the mindset of a creative entrepreneur. It’s given me the tools, language, and confidence to build sustainable opportunities that connect my work in music, education, and business into one clear vision. I’m leaving this experience with a stronger sense of purpose and a practical roadmap for turning creative ideas into lasting impact.
Wil Merrell is an internationally touring vocalist, creative director, educator, and entrepreneur who has performed and recorded with globally celebrated artists, including touring currently as a featured vocalist with disco legend Gloria Gaynor. Bridging performance, education, and entrepreneurship, Wil is passionate about developing the next generation of creatives while creating artistic experiences that inspire and transform audiences. His firm, B.A. Creative Consulting, provides coaching, workshops, and career development programs that empower artists and creative entrepreneurs to build sustainable, purpose-driven careers.
www.wilmerrell.com