1. Support Innovative Teaching at USN – University School of Nashville, Innovation and Excellence since 1915. All proceeds raised during Artclectic go to an endowment established in 2008 that funds the amazing ‘outside the box’ teaching happening at USN every day.
2.  ”Cupcakes and Columns” – To commemorate Artclectic’s 15 years as one of the Southeast’s finest art shows, famed Nashville artists Jim Sherraden and Julie Sola of Hatch Show Print have created 15 unique multi-dimensional original pieces entitled “Cupcakes and Columns.” These 15 original works are offered in a silent auction available exclusively to Patrons Party attendees.
3.  Buy yourself a present – I do every year. Well, sometimes I buy two. But seriously – you will fall in love with something! Of the 51 artists displaying this year (27 new to the show) there are 5 jewelers, 5 ceramic artists, and 4 fiber artists. Gifts galore not just for you but for your family and friends.
4. Toast the leaders who’ve made the event possible – In 1997 the first of a long list of dedicated chairs gave countless hours to bring Artclectic into being. Each chair brought her own personality to the event and we salute their dedication - 1997 – Ann Fundis, Susan Kistler, Susie Ries; 1998 – Marcy Eskind, Ann Fundis; 1999 – Susan Kistler; 2000 – Susan Brown, Susan Kistler; 2001 – Susan Brown; 2002, 2003 – Elizabeth Fox, Brooks Mathews, Lee Ann Merrick, Libby Page, Robinson Regen; 2004, 2005 – Ann Fundis; 2006, 2007 – Luci Crow; 2008 – Loren Elliot, Ann Kloeppel; 2009 – Loren Elliot; 2010, 2011 – Ursula Norris
5. Weekend is free – Saturday and Sunday, drop by anytime and you pay nothing to meet artists and enjoy amazing art. It’s a great time to bring your friends and neighbors to one of the finest art shows in the region. And if it rains – no mud, no straw, no mess!
6. Fall in love with the work of featured artist Charles Brindley – Don’t miss Trace and Transformation, Charles’ exhibit in the Tibbott Center Gallery with over 50 of his paintings and drawings.
7. Make art – Kids of all ages can make art for FREE in the new Art Factory. On the 2nd floor of the Tibbott Center, escape and create. You’ll emerge relaxed, refreshed, and in touch with your inner artist.
8. Meet artists about to be discovered – Every year a handful of our artists are ‘emerging’ and nearly every one of them goes on to a gallery as a result of the show. Some are young and some are young at heart. Don’t miss the chance to collect their work before they make it big.
9. Eat well – Whole Foods donates ALL the food for the two fabulous parties. Then on Saturday Mas Tacos arrives just in time for you to catch lunch. Indulge in a Cupcake Collection treat both Saturday and Sunday. What’s not to like?
10. Travel to SoHo without leaving Nashville - Sure, you can pay several hundred dollars to fly to New York, several hundred more to stay in a hotel, and then spend some luscious moments strolling from gallery to gallery: Far be it from us to say that’s not a good way to spend your money and your time. But by spending both nights at both fabulous parties at Artclectic, you will enrich your senses at least as much, perhaps more, and at a fraction of the cost.
11. Visit our mid-town  campus – This is not a USN only event. People come from all over the southeast every fall to experience all that is Arclectic. We welcome you!
12. Turn off your TV and visually indulge – We say it every year – “you won’t believe it’s a gym!” But seriously – you won’t believe it’s not an art gallery. A stunning transformation not to be missed.
13. Not just one, but two great parties – Thursday, October 20th be the first to see the art and purchase art at the always popular Patrons Party. Patrons come to the Friday Community Party for free, and everyone else pays a mere $10 at the door. A perfect night for a group, and the bigger the better!
14. Learn – Talk to artists, ask questions about their work, watch some of them demonstrate their techniques. We are never too old to learn (or too young).
15. Art matters – as Elizabeth says in her 2008 blog post, “…the #1 reason to go to Artclectic is to consider how important art is to our world. Art captures both the beautiful and the disturbing, sometimes in one breath, but ultimately art is created by real people with real inspiration. What a fantastic way to celebrate creativity, invention and beauty.”

Over and over people exclaimed, “This is the best show ever!” Juror Susan Knowles thoughtfully brought together the perfect mix of media, price points, and quality to celebrate 15 years of bringing art and artists to our school. In the hour before the Patrons Party, she quietly walked through the gallery to select artists worthy of high praise and an invitation to the 2012 event. And the winners are . . . .

• Best in Show – Courtney & Rommel Ricaurte
• Best Emerging 2D – Christina Justiz
• Best 3D Wearable Art – Sadie Wang AND Ruby Ballard Harris
• Rising Stars – Emily McGrew ’03 AND Matt DeFrain
• Most Creative Booth Environment – Lori Nichols

2011 Featured Artist – Charles Brindley 

2010 Award Winners

Nancy Gardner – Best in Show – Oak Park, IL
Edward Ross – Best 3D – Marquette, MI
Chuck Douglas – Honorable Mention – College Park, GA
Angie Pickman – Honorable Mention – Atchison, KS

The following artists were selected by juror Susan Knowles to join the award winners this October for artclectic 2011 -

Ceramics
Anderson Bailey* – Chattanooga, TN
Jimmy Liu* – Ballwin, MO
Susan Moore* – Cookeville, TN
John Sellberg – Smithville, TN

Fiber Decorative
Lori Nichols* – Birmingham, AL

Fiber Wearable
Ruby Ballard-Harris – Indianapolis, IN
Eva May* – Chicago, IL
Dorren Robinson – Nashville, TN

Jewelry
Lindsay Farrer* – Nashville, TN
Patty Lindbloom* – Champaign, IL
Evy McPherson* – Nashville, TN
Charles Pinckney – Athens, GA
Sadie Wang – Silver Point, TN

Metal
Ben Caldwell – Nashville, TN
Janet Miller* – Antioch, TN
Courtney & Rommel Ricaurte* – Lawrenceburg, TN

Mixed Media 2D
John Hung Ha – Brooklyn, NY
Aaron Hequembourg – Monticello, GA
Staci Maney* – Lexington, KY
Yvonne Miller* – Snellville, GA
Lisa Norris – Chattanooga, TN
Lesley Patterson-Marx – Nashville, TN
Lindsey Pearson* – Nashville, TN
Anna Velez* – Indianapolis, IN

Mixed Media 3D
Emily Allison* – Primm Springs, TN
Matthew DeFrain – Marietta, GA
Eric Nye* – Chicago, IL
Delia Seigenthaler – Nashville, TN

Painting
Joseph Bradley* – Greenville, SC
Christina Justiz* – Old Westbury, NY
Lisa Kesler* – Champaign, IL
Wade Lincoln* – Nashville, TN
Emily McGrew – Houston, TX
Melanie Morris – Birmingham, AL
Benedict Oddi* – Cookeville, TN
Vicki Sawyer* – Franklin, TN
Camille Torchon – Nashville, TN
Cindy Walton – Asheville, NC

Photography
Kate Cauthen* Nashville, TN
John Chumack* Dayton, OH
Libba Gillum Miller* Nashville, TN

Printmaking
Kent Ambler – Greenville, SC
Jim Sherraden – Nashville, TN
Julie Sola – Nashville, TN

Wood
Joel Hunnicutt* – Siler City, NC
Helga Winter* Port – Townsend, WA

* denotes artists showing at artclectic for the first time

Eight years ago the Tibbott Center opened its doors to a world of possibilities for our students. But after the school day ends, what happens in those “state of the art” studios? If you’ve been lucky enough to drop by on a Monday or Thursday for the last six years, you will have found adults working with a dedicated, patient, welcoming teacher and mentor.

Who are these students? They are parents, alumni, faculty of USN and members of the Nashville community. These lifelong learners gather in our studios to learn from a master teacher much as our own students gather in classrooms throughout the school year to learn math, science, English, theater, and more from the master teachers who comprise our faculty.

In the small town of Adairville, just an hour south of Bowling Green, Charles enjoys a quiet life. Most days you will find him cloistered in his studio working on paintings and drawings inspired by the natural world. Charles’ work depicts a variety of symbol-laden subjects including giant deciduous trees, panoramic landscapes, prehistoric ruins, and rock formations. “I moved to Adairville in 2004 to be surrounded by the karst landscape–a countryside defined by rich top soil underlain by limestone that yields beautiful and dramatic land forms.”

In 2007 the Evansville Museum organized an exhibit spanning twenty years of the artist’s work. Director John Streetman shares his observations – “Although meticulously representational, Charles Brindley’s work contains lush and multi-layered abstract elements that satisfy widely-varied artistic tastes. A celebrant of the artfulness of nature, Brindley brings together with a mature and arresting skill a variety of subjects resonant with symbolism. He is equally at home recording architectural subjects and still lifes with a master draftsman’s skill.”

Charles’ exhibit “Trace and Transformation” opens to the public on Sunday, October 9 and remains on display until November 6. Please join us for an opening reception on October 9 from 5:30 – 8:30.

Artists may apply beginning February 28th at ZAPP!

Dates for the show – October 25-28, 2012.