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Artville Builds Nashville’s Future as an Art City, Downtown and Beyond
Now in its fourth year, Nashville’s nonprofit public visual arts festival returns to Walk of Fame Park and expands into Wasioto Park on the East Bank, September 24–27. Every event is free.
NASHVILLE, TN — September 2026 — Artville returns to downtown Nashville’s Walk of Fame Park September 25 through 27 for its fourth annual celebration of public art and creative culture. Anchored in the heart of the city, the festival brings together more than 100 artists across public installations, contemporary visual art, American craft, after-dark light experiences and live music. Every event is free and open to the community.
Artville is a nonprofit with a civic charge: to activate Nashville with art. As a 501(c)(3), it funds public art projects by local and national artists in the places where people already gather. Since 2023, Artville has distributed more than $450,000 to over 50 artist and community projects and drew more than 25,000 people to its programming in 2025, turning a September weekend into year-round support for the artists who shape the city’s creative life.
Artville looks different each year partnering with developers, parks, cultural institutions and businesses to bring art projects to new parts of the city. Over four years it has activated the Wedgewood Houston Neighborhood, Germantown, Downtown and the 5th Avenue Arts District with mural projects, public art installations, projection mapping, artist parties, collector conversations, curated art shows, gallery collaborations and more. This year’s activation is Artville Afterdark at Wasioto Park on Thursday September 24 from 6-9 pm , a new partnership with Eastpoint by Fallon that draws locals and visitors across the pedestrian bridge to the growing East Bank. The anchor festival stays downtown, at Walk of Fame Park, where visitors and locals alike convene, and where the idea of art as placemaking is most visible.
“Artville has always been about putting art in the neighborhoods and parks where people gather, and to do so in unexpected ways, creating more art lovers and making art more accessible,” said Samantha Saturn, Artville co-founder. “Downtown is our anchor, but the real vision is citywide. We want to partner with arts organizations, developers, parks and businesses to build a Nashville festival and long-term footprint where visual art, sculpture and events are essential to how we gather, grow and experience the city.”
The ambition for these temporary projects is eventually to leave a more lasting mark. A 2025 Artville installation by Nashville artist Maggie Sanger will become part of the new Tennessee Titans art program when it opens in 2027, carrying a festival piece into Nashville’s permanent landscape. Artville aims to find more partners interested in collaborating with the goal to place more sculpture or murals permanently, providing more long-term opportunities for public art projects to live beyond the festival throughout the city,
This year’s public art program brings artists from across Nashville and around the world to Walk of Fame Park, including the New Orleans–based Milagros Collective, co-founded by Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre, Toledo architect and educator Gerard Nadeau, Nashville artist KEVPOP and Singapore-based artist Stephany Zoo. Their work joins the contemporary craft and fine artists exhibiting at American Artisan Festival, a Nashville tradition since 1972, alongside the city’s own local galleries and creative organizations.
“The time to establish Nashville as an art city is now,” said Jack Davis, Artville co-founder. “We have studied how other cities do it, and it always starts with a citywide festival and a real commitment to public art, giving people free access to unique immersive art experiences. We have built a lot in four years, and we intend to keep going.”
Artville 2026 At a Glance
September 24–27 · Free and open to the public
Thursday Kickoff: Artville Afterdark
Thursday, Sept 24 · 7:00–10:00 PM · Wasioto Park, East Bank Downtown
Just across the pedestrian bridge from Walk of Fame Park. A nighttime celebration of art, sound, light and movement.
Featuring strangehandle, G, John Holmes and Rachel Steward, with DJ Amy Darling.
Presented by Eastpoint. Free; registration required at [LINK].
At Walk of Fame Park · Friday–Sunday Downtown
Festival Hours
Friday, Sept 25: 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Saturday, Sept 26: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Sunday, Sept 27: 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Artville Public Art Installations (all weekend)
Site-specific installations from five public artists: the Milagros Collective’s Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre, Gerard Nadeau, KEVPOP and Stephany Zoo.
American Artisan Festival (all weekend)
A juried celebration of contemporary American craft and fine art, a Nashville tradition since 1972, with more than 65 artists showing work for sale all weekend.
See the full list of participating artisans HERE.
Live Music on the Artville Stage
Friday, Sept 25: 12:30 Eva Cassel · 2:00 Rachel DeeLynn · 3:30 Corduroy Cadets · 5:00 Genoese Speed
Saturday, Sept 26: 11:00 Bach to Rock · 12:30 Sarah Gargano · 2:00 Chaley T · 3:30 Ishani · 5:00 Construct Breakdancing
Sunday, Sept 27: 12:00 Safari Room · 1:00 Annie Scherer · 2:30 Nikki Morgan · 4:00 Whitney Monge
Free Kids Art Activities
Saturday, Sept 26 · 11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Hands-on art for all ages with Bach to Rock, Construct Breakdancing, the Frist Art Museum, Groovy Print Strokes, Nashville Public Library and Turnip Green Creative Reuse.
Supported by The Nashville Downtown Partnership, Visit Music City, Eastpoint, Bearded Iris Brewing, State Farm, 6th Man Movers and the Nashville Scene.
For more information, visit Artville.org.
Media Contact
Tracie Hitz · Tracie@goodneighborfestivals.com · 615.900.4489 * Media Inquiries and Media Kit Requests
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ABOUT ARTVILLE
Artville is Nashville’s first and only annual public visual arts festival, dedicated to Nashville’s creative culture through site-specific installations, immersive experiences and art-collecting opportunities, all free to the public. Founded by Samantha Saturn and Jack Davis, Artville is a 501(c)(3) which was created to build a nationally recognized citywide visual arts festival that supports Nashville’s artists, galleries and cultural institutions while bringing exceptional contemporary art into the public realm. Now in its fourth year, Artville uses public art and creative placemaking to help shape how Nashville grows and how people experience the city as a place for visual art.
Artville After Dark Highlights Wasioto Park - nFocus Magazine
Artville events are free to attend.
Artville 2026 Returns to Walk of Fame Park September 25–27 with Public Art Installations, Murals and The American Artisan Festival
Celebrating its fourth year, Nashville’s only citywide visual arts festival partners with the Nashville Downtown Partnership on a new slate of downtown murals and immersive public art activations.
NASHVILLE, TN — July 30, 2026 — Artville, Nashville’s only citywide public visual arts festival, returns for its fourth year September 25–27, 2026 at Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville, featuring new large-scale murals and public art installations alongside the American Artisan Festival, live music, food, family activities, and more — all free to the public.
For 2026, Artville is providing public art grants to five public artists to create new site-specific works and installations for Walk of Fame Park, and is today launching a call for muralists to apply to receive a grant to paint a new mural at Walk of Fame Park, in collaboration with the Nashville Downtown Partnership. The partnership deepens Artville’s mission of making visual art visible and accessible across the city, turning downtown’s central gathering space into a canvas for residents and visitors alike.
This year’s public artists selected bring five distinct voices and concepts to the program. Milagros, the New Orleans and Miami based collective co-founded by Felici Asteinza and Joey Fillastre, creates exuberant, immersive site-specific installations. Gerard Nadeau, an architect and educator from Toledo, builds temporary, participatory structures that treat space as a catalyst for civic change. Nashville’s KEVPOP stages large-scale, playful public installations and viral art experiments. And Singapore-based Stephany Zoo works in ephemeral, natural materials to explore nature and community. What unites them all is a shared commitment to working in public spaces, as each is an established public artist whose work has appeared in museums, festivals, and civic exhibitions across the world.
Artville, in collaboration with the Nashville Downtown Partnership, will help facilitate the selection and creation of a new mural concept to help reimagine the parking structures and park fixtures at Walk of Fame Park—one of Nashville's most visited and photographed public spaces. The project will aim to help create an iconic public art mural that celebrates Nashville's creative spirit, while honoring the legacy of the Music City Walk of Fame. The muralist application is online through August 12th and interested artists can apply online today or learn more at artville.org. The mural artists selected will paint and install the work leading up to the Artville weekend September 25 - 27, 2026.
“Artville began with a simple belief that world-class visual art belongs in Nashville, and should expand each year during the annual city-wide event, and be free and available for everyone to enjoy,” said Samantha Saturn, Artville Co-Founder. “Returning to Walk of Fame Park for our fourth year and working alongside the Nashville Downtown Partnership to bring new murals and public art to the heart of the city, is exactly the kind of program Nashville needs more of. We can’t wait to engage with the community to share these experiences both with locals and tourists alike this fall.”
Returning to Walk of Fame Park, the festival once again brings together the American Artisan Festival, a Nashville tradition since 1972, with dozens of contemporary handcraft and fine artisans selling work across a range of mediums — from fine jewelry, ceramics, and glass to photography, printmaking, leather goods, custom hats, and more. Artisans from all across the US will be attending this year, a list of exhibitors can be found here.
This year’s Artville weekend will kick off with Artville Afterdark presented by Eastpoint taking place at Wasioto/Cumberland Park on Thursday, September 24th from 6 - 9 pm. Artville Afterdark will feature a nighttime celebration of light, sound and movement. Expect DJ sets, light sculptures, immersive art projects and projection mapping installation, and the event will be free to the public.
Artville 2026 is supported by Nashville Downtown Partnership, Visit Music City, Eastpoint, Bearded Iris Brewing, State Farm, 6th Man Movers and the Nashville Scene.
The 2026 Media Kit can be found here.
ABOUT ARTVILLE
Artville is Nashville’s first and only annual public arts festival dedicated to highlighting Nashville’s creative culture through site-specific art installations, immersive experiences, and art collecting opportunities — all free to the public. With a vision of building a nationally recognized citywide art festival, Artville aims to drive arts-related tourism and support Nashville’s growing community of visual artists, galleries, art museums, and cultural institutions through an annual event. Co-founded by Samantha Saturn and Jack Davis and supported in part by The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation, Artville has become a major annual event that celebrates and amplifies Nashville’s vibrant artistic community.
Media Contact:
Tracie Hitz | Tracie@goodneighborfestivals.com | 615.900.4489
Artville is Back! Meet Nashville Artist Keavy Murphree
Some artists find their calling right away; others take the scenic route (with a few costume designs, iPad cases, and production gigs along the way). For Nashville ceramicist Keavy Murphree, clay was always waiting in the wings, ready to spin back into the spotlight. Now, with her latest installation debuting at Artville, she’s inviting us to play with color, form, and community.
Click here for the full StyleBlueprint article.
