- From the rhythm of the music created here to the natural beauty of our parks and greenways, there is a spirit of connection, celebration, and resilience at the core of Nashville’s identity. This city is a dynamic place where history is created and preserved, where innovation thrives alongside tradition, and where Nashvillians—old and new—are the beating pulse of a thriving and changing city.
The Soundwaves Gallery: THE HE(ART) OF NASHVILLE is a celebration of place, people, stories, and community spirit at the core of Nashville’s identity as a uniquely creative city. Meet the artists!
Courtney Gatewood- Anna K. Betts is a multidisciplinary artist currently located in Gallatin, Tennessee, where she earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Art in studio art from Middle Tennessee State University. Her work spans over a variety of mediums, reflecting the unbounded curiosity and a commitment to creative exploration.
Currently, she is immersed in the world of fiber art, captivated by the rich vibrancy and tactile beauty of fabrics. Through this medium, she explores the interplay of patterns, textures, and colors, blending disparate materials into harmonious compositions. Her work is a celebration of unity, where each piece of fabric tells its own story while contributing to a greater whole. By melding contemporary techniques with traditional concepts, she invites viewers to engage with art that is both visually striking and deeply meaningful. Her fiber art serves as a metaphor for connection, diversity, and the beauty that emerges when different elements come together to create something new.
- Artwork: Nashville in Color, Fabric on wood board
- “This piece celebrates the lively soul of Nashville through a kaleidoscope of colors. It brings the vibrant Nashville skyline to life through texture, color and pattern, reflecting the city’s rich creative spirit. Each carefully selected fabric represents a layer of Nashville’s story. As a city shaped by collaboration and community, Nashville thrives on the interplay of different voices, much like the patchwork of fabrics that form this artwork. This piece invites viewers to explore the energetic essence of the city and celebrate the many threads of shared creativity and resilience that make Nashville a place of beauty and belonging.”
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Janet FeltsA native of Tennessee, Janet Felts earned her Associate’s Degree in Advertising Art and her BFA in Art Education from Austin Peay State University. She earned her Master’s Degree in Art Education from Georgia State University. She now creates original artworks from her studio in La Vergne, Tn, since her retirement from the Georgia school system where she taught High School Art. She has had her work juried into shows throughout the southeast and is an award winning artist. She is a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, The Chestnut Group, and the Nashville Artist Guild.
- Music continues to be a recurring theme in her artwork as well as the landscapes and people of her home state. “I celebrate the beauty of life here in Tennessee through my artwork. People don’t take the time to look at their world, therefore, they just don’t see it. I want my art to get people to really see. I want them to feel my love and appreciation of the land, the people, and our way of life, here in my home state of Tennessee. I want to ‘Celebrate Tennessee through my eyes, my art’, to share what I love.”
Artwork: Touch Riff, Watercolor
“As a native of Tennessee, music is a part of who I am. Growing up in Middle Tennessee, everyone I know sings and plays an instrument of some kind. I was blessed with three siblings and we spent hours singing in the third seat of our Volkswagen bus. When I married and moved from Tennessee, I had no idea how I would miss the sounds of Nashville music, it had played a big part in my life. Music continues to be a recurring theme in my artwork as well as my home state of Tennessee.”
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Will Maddoxx
- Will (he/they/she) is a Nashville artist working with 2D media. His work deals with the body and divinity, using paint as worship and investigation. Will graduated with a BFA from Belmont University, and has worked with Elephant Gallery to show his work.
- Artwork: Petrichor, Acrylic on canvas
“This work was made by combining images I had taken while out dancing at queer spaces in Nashville with references specific to painting – the central figure of Fragonard’s “The Swing,” a vertical line similar to how Cecily Brown structures her compositions, moments of controlled chaos that were inspired by Joan Mitchell. This work was shown at Elephant Gallery in Nashville, and was part of A Garden of our Own, a series of works that focused on the importance of community and belonging in places like Nashville, especially for those who come from outside of the city.”
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This unique exhibition features 44 artworks by 44 local artists selected by the Nashville Soccer Club and the Arts & Business Council in collaboration with a three-person curatorial committee comprised of local arts leaders Michael J. McBride, Artist, Illustrator, Printmaker, Painter, and Instructor of Art at Tennessee State University; Amanda H. Hellman, Director of the Vanderbilt University Museum of Art; and Michael Mitchell (aka mikewindy), Artist and Art Education Coordinator at Tennessee State University.
The artwork will remain on display in the Soundwaves Gallery at GEODIS Park through the end of the Nashville SC 2025 Season.
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