What’s New and Stylish in Nashville This Summer … Arcade Arts, of course!
July 2, 2026 No Comments
Read More » 
THE BIG IDEA
Founded in 2023 in the historic Nashville Arcade, Arcade Arts is building on the well-established presence and history of Nashville’s Arts District to create and sustain a well-supported home for the visual arts in the heart of downtown Nashville. Home to a collection of 12 working artists’ studios and galleries, visitors can engage with artists actively creating their work in a variety of media during open hours and frequent curated art events.
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
Arcade Arts’ Artist in Residence is home to 12 rent-free working artist studios located upstairs in the newly renovated Nashville Arcade. We host an open call to artists with a juried selection panel. Participating artists will remain in residence for ten months. In addition to covering the cost of rent for these studios, Arcade Arts will organize and promote curated art events including workshops and demonstrations, artist talks, monthly Art Crawls, gallery shows of participating artists, and other programming that engages and fosters a robust arts community.
The goal is to create a diverse community of emerging and established artists who support and champion one another.
We will open the Call to Artists for our 2026-2027 Artist in Residence on May 1, 2026.
To stay up to date, please sign up for email notifications and/or follow us on Instagram @arcadeartsnash.
"This residency has been a wonderful blessing for me and my artistic practice. I have become very close with several artists in the program and have lifelong friendships now. This incredible studio space has allowed me to display work, hone my artistic process, and engage within the Nashville community in ways I had not imagined."
"Being in this beautiful, historic building with all my tools and the other artists-in-residence feels both familiar and thrilling. This residency has meant focused time for my art-making practice that I haven't had in over a decade; it's meant built-in avenues for growth and introspection. The programming that Mollye and Sai arrange for the cohort is expansive and full of opportunity. This residency is much more than just a studio space, and I've loved my time here!"
"I have never felt more connected to the community of Nashville through my art-making practice than I did while participating as an Artist in Residence with Arcade Arts. Each time visitors stepped into my studio, they were invited into my inner world of making, thinking, and exploration. Occupying that liminal space before a work reaches its finished state can be a vulnerable position for an artist. Yet I found the community willing to meet me there, engaging in thoughtful conversation and offering insight and support that deeply enriched my process."
"My time at the Arcade has gifted me with invaluable time, space, and relationships that have enabled me to commit more deeply to new directions within my work. This residency feels like an incubator…open studios, critiques, and conversations folding back into the work, sharpening my sense of what I’m actually doing and why. There’s a generosity here in the exchange with other artists and with the community, where questions about process and uncertainty serve as shared ground. Each and every individual in my cohort has helped shape my work and ethos in ways I never could have predicted. "
"Connecting more to Nashville and the art community was a goal I set for myself, and Arcade Arts created those opportunities for genuine connections. The art crawls, open studio hours, critiques, studio visits, and community engagement as well as the constant promotion of resident artists via the website, email newsletter, and social media platforms have provided a level of exposure I could not have achieved by myself. As a result of this program, I feel more seen and acknowledged as a Nashville-based artist."
"The Arcade Arts Artist in Residence opportunity has been a once in a lifetime chance to pursue my creative practice in a completely unique space, context, and community. I have had the gift of witnessing the creation of the amazing work of my peers in the 2025-26 cohort. I have seen their resilience, their joy of making, and their generous spirits. In turn, they have given me helpful feedback, encouragement, and a sense of belonging to a meaningful, like-minded community. I am forever grateful for these ten months at The Arcade and am so excited for the future cohorts of artists!"
"Amazing experience, with amazing people, in an amazing place. I couldn't think of a better stepping-off point after undergrad, and to do it alongside such a great group of artists!"
"I remember at the first art crawl for my Arcade Arts Residency, a member of the previous cohort pulled me aside and told me this residency would change my life. Not in some grand way, but that my relationship to art making and my practice would radically shift during this experience. The programming provided by Arcade Arts has given me so many opportunities to gain experience in areas I did not have. The fellowship I have built with my cohort has been a joy to nurture and the shared conversations have had a positive impact on my practice. As I reflect back on my time in this residency, I too agree that this opportunity can be life-changing!"
"For practicing artists, exhibition and studio space is increasingly less affordable as our city grows. Arcade Arts providing free studio space is an incredible service to artists! Once an artist finishes the residency, the programming provided creates a path for sustainability beyond the residency. With workshops on grant writing, fellowships, and art business, Arcade Arts assures that artists have the tools to navigate a creative career beyond the residency."
"A magical experience and a dream come true! I've felt a sense of community with kindred spirits like never before while working in one of the most beautiful buildings downtown. 3 book publications, 2 solo shows, supporting collectors and a ton of new friends: Arcade Arts has been amazing to me. A once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"This residency has provided a beautiful space for creativity, collaboration, and cultural storytelling. It has helped elevate my work as a fiber artist, educator, and advocate for repurposed fashion and quilting as contemporary art. Being part of such a creative and supportive community has allowed me to grow as an artist, connect with people from around the world, and share the story of sustainable textile art. The Arcade has become more than a studio space for me — it has become a place where art, community, and history intersect in a powerful way. I’m honored to be part of its creative legacy."
