Art has always been my first love. I began taking drawing lessons as a child and spent my shy teenage years hiding behind a sketchpad. For me, art was always something personal, magical.
I came to Nashville for graduate school in art history and spent two years with my nose in a book, unaware of the vibrant arts community in this city. I was attracted to art history because of the communicative capacity of art. We can read whole narratives, tell broad histories through the power of images.
Writing for Nashville Arts Magazine has been a great awakening for me. It has opened my eyes and my heart to the diverse and compelling culture in my own town. I have discovered that no one has to travel the world to find active and important art communities. They are literally in our own back yards.
I feel our beautiful magazine is special. Our readers can enjoy and discover art within driving distance while enjoying art at their fingertips. These pages teem with bright images and the quiet, often previously untold histories behind them. Thumbing through these glossy pages is sure to take readers on a journey. You may end up in nineteenth-century Paris, a lonely hilltop in China, or a farmhouse in Leiper’s Fork, but surprisingly, you will still be enjoying Nashville art. It is my honor as a writer to help take you on that journey.
Deborah Walden
Writer
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