A special event became a part of the Third Friday Reception for three arts shows at the Artisan Depot Gallery last week.  Mark Ledbetter, the Mayor of Cowan, announced that the Pollinator Garden just outside the gallery featuring its “Art Lives Here” mural by Karen Ingle is now certified and registered as an official Monarch Way Station by the Monarch Watch Organization (www.monarchwatch.org).  The event also included music by Cara Kitzrow.

The Pollinator Garden was originally established by long time gardener Alida Morgan who lead the rehabilitation and planting of the grounds around a pass-through pedestrian walkway between buildings in Cowan.  Over time it has become a pollinator haven for many species of bees, friendly wasps, and butterflies.  After two years of Monarch butterflies sightings the gardeners (also gallery artists) decided to create a Monarch Way Station.  Any garden can become a waystation by taking some very deliberate steps to support monarchs. Monarchs require plants that supply nectar for the adults as well as plants for laying eggs and nurturing monarch caterpillars through spring and summer. Adult monarch are not particular about nectar sources.  High-energy nectar sources include: almond verbena, basil, bee balm, echinacea, fennel and many more. But monarch butterflies require the milkweed plant to lay eggs and to feed the resulting butterflies. 

​Luckily Tennessee has 14 native species of milkweed!  Additionally, to maintain the best plants for monarchs, the garden needs to have at least 6 hours of sun each day and soil should be low clay and have good drainage. Plantings need to be close together in places to provide shelter from predators and the elements.  The garden must also have places for butterflies to rest, to drink, and to dry their wings.  The Pollinator Garden has a butterfly house, a number of ceramic tower sculptures that provide places for them to get water and to rest.  The garden also has a herb garden to serve as a place for egg laying and caterpillar feeding for other butterflies. And no insecticides!
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The Monarch Watch provides free milkweed seeds and assistance in creating monarch habitats for schools and educational non-profits  (see website above).  Our communities are invited to take a break in the Pollinator Garden and enjoy one of nature’s most dazzling creations. 

“The process of creating art allows me to play with yielding and yearning. One of my life’s lessons has been to yield and let go. I am growing into a new kind of yielding. One of a releasing into creation and connection, the Green. This is my yearning.
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More important than the finished pieces, is the gladness creating art gives me. I invite you to share in my joy and I am full of gratitude for your presence.”

Tanya has been a life-long creative and artsy dabbler. She thrives surrounded by the natural world and the diverse human community. Tanya weaves images from nature and feminine figures into her art. Recently, her dog, Irie, has also become a subject. Primarily, Tanya paints with acrylics and in this show she experiments with mixed media. 

Love to recycle, reuse, re-purpose? We do too! And we want to see what you are making out of those recycled, reclaimed, reuse pieces of found goodies. Only requirement is that it must be a majority recycled items and you must be a member of Franklin County Arts Guild. Show will run from March 5 - April 26. Reception will be March 20th. All receptions will be on third Friday of each month.
Interested in becoming a member? ​

​SPECIAL Offer -VIP Tickets $40

• Early Bird Entrance. Party before the Party! Come in at 11:00 to sample a special beer and food pairing event hosted by a local chef. 
• VIP gift bag with VIP Bling 
• Bobbing for Beer (VIP Drawing- All VIPs win!)

2020 Community Shows
ALL RECEPTIONS WILL BE THE 3RD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Community: Big (Piece MUST be at least 24") | January 16 - February 2
Intake| January 6 - January 8 (between 10am-2pm)  | Reception January 17 

Beertopia  | February 6 - March 29
Intake | January 30 - February 2 | Reception February 21

Earth Day | April 2 - May 31
Intake| March 26 -  March 29 | Reception April 17
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Rainbow Connection | June 4 - July 26
Intake | May 28 -  - May 31 | Reception June 19

Snow Village by Diane Lamb

Attention all Gallery Members
Studio Tour December 7th & 8th
This was a great sales opportunity for all of our Gallery members that had art in this sale last year. The one complaint was there wasn't as much there as in years past.
Bring everything to Pippa Browne's Studio by Friday between 1:00-2:00 and you must come and picked any left over art by 4:00 on Sunday afternoon or make arrangements to have it picked up. We will set up everything and we have volunteers to do the sells you just need to get it there. Everything must be labeled and priced. We appreciate all our artist and this is an opportunity for you as an artist to get your art out there!  Let all your friends know about this!
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There is something new and exciting happening at the Artisan Depot in Cowan, TN this summer!
The Franklin County Arts Guild is hosting a summer Art Camp for Kids the week of June 24-28, 2019 and there are still spots available!

This camp is geared towards kids ages 8-12 who are interested in getting their creative juices flowing and having fun! The theme for the week is Natural World, Natural Me. Campers will develop observation and imagination skills while learning art techniques that include papier-mache, drawing, painting, printing, mixed media and weaving. To celebrate our time together at camp there will be a Camper Art Show on the last day for families and friends to come support the kids and see their work.

Two local artist/art educators will be leading this camp, Pippa Browne and Tanya Ingvoldstad Otero. 

Pippa Browne is a Fine Artist who has exhibited paintings nationally and internationally for the last 30 years. She taught Art to Middle and High schoolers in Zimbabwe for 10 years and, since coming to the USA, she has designed and lead creativity workshops for adults and young people at schools, libraries, galleries and festivals.

Tanya Ingvoldstad Otero is a creative artist who has taught art to young children through adults in formal classes, workshops and camps over the past 20 yrs. In addition to having fun, her desire is to encourage kids to find joy and meaning in their own creative expression. 

Our hope is to connect with area youth and families and encourage art and creative expression in our community! Please help us share this information!

Camp details are as follows: 
Who: Kids ages 8-12
When: June 24-28, 9am-12noon
Where: Artisan Depot, 204 Cumberland St. E, Cowan, TN 37318

Click here for registration.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bags may be dropped off at the Artisan Depot during regular hours: Thursday, Friday, Sunday Noon to 5:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Meetings for this project will take place at the Artisan Depot on Wednesdays beginning in May at 10:00 am.

Something most of us probably never think about is how uncomfortable it can be for people forced to sleep outdoors. Bedding materials get wet, and people get wet and cold. In the summer, pavement gets really hot. These conditions can be dangerous for people who already struggle and may have health problems, too. 

A dedicated group of ladies at the Franklin County Arts Guild have been crocheting mats that can be used by anyone who sleeps outdoors. The mats are made from “plarn,” plastic yarn made from plastic grocery bags. The mats are easy to make, are lightweight and waterproof, and provide cushioning as well. 

To expand their efforts, the Franklin County Arts Guild group is starting an ongoing workshop to create more mats. The community at large is invited to participate, and there is no charge for the workshop.

APRIL 
Gathering Materials – During the month of April, the Artisan Depot (the gallery of the Franklin County Arts Guild) is gathering plastic grocery bags of the type given at Kroger, Walmart and Dollar General. The bags should be clean and dry, right-side out, sorted by color, folded neatly (to be as flat as possible), and placed in the yellow recycle container located under the Intake Table in the Art Supply Corner at the Artisan Depot. All who plan to participate should bring approximately 100 bags to be used for their sleep mat and, if you crochet, a size Q (15.75 mm) crochet hook, scissors or a cutting board, a straight edge and rotary cutter for construction of their sleep mat.

MAY and forward… 
Beginning Wednesday, May 1, there will be a series of “mini-workshops” at the Artisan Depot to begin constructing the sleep mats. It is highly recommended that anyone who would like to participate in the project attend the first sessions in May. These sessions will run concurrent with the Guild’s “Art Wednesday” group, also open to anyone.  Everyone will learn to do the following steps:

1. Straightening the bags
2. Cutting the bags into strips
3. Looping the strips to make “plarn”
4. Crocheting the mats with a single crochet stitch.

The sleep mats will be distributed to a homeless mission in Nashville by the Harmony Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Winchester, the Belvidere Family & Community Education (a program of the University of Tennessee Extension Service) and The Journey Church in Winchester. Pastor Kelly May of The Journey Church opens its doors to the homeless during freezing weather. 

In addition to being very useful to homeless citizens, making the mats takes plastic grocery bags out of the waste stream. The odd pieces (like handles) left over from the plarn-making process will be taken back to Wal Mart for recycling. 

If you’d like to participate in this project, please contact Joyce Adams at 931-962-0280, a volunteer at the Franklin County Arts Guild and The Artisan Depot Gallery & Gift Shop. There is plenty to do for everyone. Even if you don't crochet, you can collect bags, make "plarn," etc.

The Artisan Depot is located at 204 Cumberland Street East in Cowan, Tennessee. For questions about the Franklin County Arts Guild, the gallery, or this project, please click here to email us.

“Between the Rocks” Exhibit
April 18 through June 2, 2019
at the Artisan Depot
Opening Reception:
Friday, April 26, 5:00 to 7:00 pm

Andy Gay has spent most of his life in southern middle Tennessee where he has been fascinated by the natural beauty of wildflowers, rocks, and woodlands. Now in retirement, he has been free to again pursue his passion for watercolor. He has twice had paintings in the Tennessee All State Exhibit at the Parthenon Gallery in Nashville, an exhibit of a judged competition sponsored by the Watkins Institute.

Although Andy began with acrylics and some pastel chalks, he long ago gravitated to transparent watercolor. Having utilized digital media in local church publications and web sites, he continues to use digital photography for design and reference. But it is the unique capacity of watercolor – to surprise and reveal – that draws him.

All the work in the "Between the Rocks" exhibit seeks to recreate some aspect of the experience of places Andy Gay has been. Two such places where he spends a lot of time are the trails of the South Cumberland, especially Shakerag Hollow in Sewanee and Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. Whatever the setting, he looks between the rocks, and all the other “between” places where the great and the tiny, the hard and the delicate, co-exist in beauty, illumined by the multivarious moments of changing light and texture.

Andy Gay is a Tennessee native, living and working in Sewanee, Tennessee. The public is invited to the opening exhibit of his show at the Artisan Depot. The gallery is located at 204 Cumberland Street East in Cowan, Tennessee. For more information about the Franklin County Arts Guild and the Artisan Depot, click here.

​Once again, the community turned out in force to support the arts in Franklin County and beyond. Over 300 people attended Arts & Ales 2019, making it a big success. Proceeds from Arts & Ales continue to fund the Franklin County Arts Guild's scholarship program, the Artisan Depot gallery space for local artists, and art workshops for the community.

Nancy Wallace, president of the Guild, said, "We appreciate the excellent coverage of the event given by our hard-working local media," including The Tullahoma News | Sewanee News | The Herald Chronicle | Busy Bee Trader | Chattanooga Free Press | LightTUBe of Tullahoma | Thunder Radio of Manchester | WZYX Radio, Cowan | VisitCowan.com

Food vendors for Arts & Ales made the event a tasty one: Floyd's Farm Food Truck of Fayetteville, TN | Sweet Ellie's of Cowan, TN | Dirty South BBQ

​She continued, "The Guild is made up of members who give their time, creativity, and financial resources, not only to Arts & Ales but to the many other projects that make the arts an enriching part of life in our community." 

The Guild would like to give a special shout-out to the following individuals for their work at Arts & Ales:

Pippa Browne, Artisan Depot gallery coordinator 
Margie Gallagher, former gallery goordinator and current Guild secretary
Joe Butler, Guild vice president
Denise Miller, Guild Treasurer
Patricia Richards, public relations and social media
Kim Phillips, website and email marketing
Dwain Adams, craft beer server
Mary Ann Morrison, queen of efficient check-out for art sales
Tanya Otero, newest Guild member and check-out helper
Mark Ledbetter, Mr. Arts & Ales, for all of the little and big things he does to put the event together

Thank you to all the talented artists that did demonstrations during the event:
Ken Gould, woodworking
Frances Perea, fairy mob art
Denise Miller, acrylic painting
Melanie Villegas, painting on F\furniture and other neat things
Pat Richards, hollow log making
Margie Gallagher, book making and creating fairy housing with natural materials
Joyce Adams, crocheting bags and moisture mats to be donated and used by the homeless of Franklin County

There were also many people who jumped in and volunteered to help with: setting up tables and chairs and, afterward, cleaning up, sweeping, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, and sorting recyclables.

Thanks also to all the volunteers and members who brought art and sold tickets, checked ID's, gave out glasses, greeted guests, and did all the other things that made this event so much fun for everyone.

A party wouldn't be a party without live music and, once again, The Secret CommonWealth and Patton James and The Synchromatics entertained the crowd mightily.

Last, but in no way least, the Guild wishes to thank everyone who attended Arts & Ales. You make it possible to give a $1,000 scholarship to a Franklin County student and have put the Guild well on its way to endowing the scholarship fund in perpetuity. You also help to keep our gallery, The Artisan Depot, the wonderful place it is that serves our community in so many ways.

Arts & Ales is the annual fun-raising event for the Franklin County Arts Guild, so of course there is art -- great art by local artists -- and you can get some great deals on art you will love. And while you are shopping the art and watching local artisans do their thing, you'll be sippin' samples of craft beers from brewers here, near, and far.

Among the brewers bringing their wares to Arts & Ales 2019 are:
Samuel Adams | Lagunitas Brewing Company | Terrapin Beer Company | SweetWater Brewing Company | Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales | Ballast Point Brewing Company | Highland Brewing Company | Fat Bottom Brewing | Singin' River Brewing Company | Chattanooga Brewing Company | Catawba Brewing Company | Yee-Haw Brewing Company | Sierra Nevada... and Tullahoma' very own Ole Shed Brewing.

Making their first appearances at Arts & Ales are Stone Brewing and Gypsy Circus Cider Company. And, the Backwoods Car Boys will be on hand with samples of home brews and a display of steps in the small-batch brewing process.

Arts & Ales 2019
Saturday, March 9 
Noon to 4:30
Monterey Station, Cowan TN

Did you ever look at a piece of art, or a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and think, "Wow. How'd they do that?" Now you can find out. Several of the creative people in the Franklin County Arts Guild will be plying their trades at Arts & Ales on Saturday, March 9 from noon to 4:30 at Monterey Station in Cowan. You can watch them, and some may even let you try your hand!

​Acrylic pouring is very popular, and it's just one of the mediums that artist Denise Miller works in. It is a technique that produces spontaneous, flowy, soothing images. Said Denise, "I enjoy watching colors swirl around me, making patterns. I find it all intensely satisfying." Come watch create this fascinating art.

Since Arts & Ales is, after all, about craft brewing, the Backwoods Car Boys will be there again this year, demonstrating the art of home brewing. They will also have samples of their creations for tasting. These guys are have a wealth of information about making your own beer, and they have generously supported Arts & Ales for several years. Be sure to stop by to see how they do it.

Melanie Villegas painted and sold furniture in Winter Park, Fl. prior to moving to the Tennessee Plateau with her husband, Tom, in 2006. She will be giving a demonstration of “Charmed Horseshoes” decorative painting at Arts & Ales.

And, Frances Perea, Pat Bishop, and Margie Gallagher will be demonstrating how to create a whimsical fairyland, complete with fairies, fairy logs, and fairy houses. You will be charmed and amazed. Read more about that here.

There will be much more to enjoy at Arts & Ales 2019. There will be two bands, lots of art to shop from, dozens of local and craft beers to sample, Floyd's Farm food truck* and Sweet Ellie's ice cream* ... don't miss it! Your good time will support an arts scholarship and arts participation in and around Franklin County.

​One of the unique things about Arts & Ales is demonstrations by local artists. As you sample the dozens of craft beers, listen to the bands, and shop for original art, you can also watch as artists create their work; in some cases, you can even help. On March 9, at Monterey Station in Cowan, TN, you can meet the Fairies of Lullymore.

The Fairies of Lullymore are the creation of Winchester artist Frances Perea. Come meet these enchanting fairies from Lullymore, County Kildare, Ireland and find out how they came to live in America. They are currently are boarding at the Artisan Depot Gallery, 204 E. Cumberland Street, Cowan, TN, and are seeking forever homes.

​Frances will be offering Arts & Ales attendees an opportunity to make fairie artist trading cards as part of the "mob art" activity, with all materials provided. Also, Artisan Depot gallery member Margie Gallagher will be creating a blue tape "mob art" tree and participants who make the artist trading cards will have an opportunity to show them off by pinning them to the “tree.” Margie will also be demonstrating how to make fairy houses from natural materials and Pat Richards will demonstrate how she creates fairy logs.

This year's Arts & Ales is sure to be a magical event. Don't miss it. Reserve your tickets today. Your good time will make possible the scholarship program of the Franklin County Arts Guild, as well as other arts activities in and around the community.

Monterey Station is located at 104 Monterey Street in Cowan, TN, just off the main road (Cumberland Street/41A) that runs through Cowan. Click here for a map.

​Overcoming Objectives to Promoting Your Work
"Build it and they will come" sounds great, doesn't it? Put your artwork in a gallery and boom! Sold! It's a lovely fantasy. If only life were that easy.

It's pretty safe to make this generalization: artists hate to do marketing. Here's what we say:

"I'd rather be in the studio." Who wouldn't?
"I don't have time." Yes, you do.
"I am not technically inclined." Not necessary.
"Marketing is expensive." It can be, or it doesn't have to be.

Let's address each of these impediments to doing marketing.

"I'd rather be in the studio."
If you're an artist, you probably would rather be in the studio than pretty much anything else. But you have a life. In fact, you probably have another job, because you don't sell enough art to pay all the bills. If you sold more, you might be able to be a full-time artist and, sure enough, that is HARD. But even if you only make enough from your art to pay for a fancy trip every year, or a new car now and again, wouldn't that be great? Selling more art pays for your hobby/supplemental income/art job and, to sell more, you need some marketing. Stuff doesn't sell itself.

"I don't have time."
Can you carve out 10 minutes a day for marketing your art? 30 minutes? An hour once a week? Maybe the time you spend on Facebook, looking at funny cat videos (guilty here) or reading political rants could be redirected to promoting your art. How much time marketing takes depends on what types of marketing you choose to do, and how labor-intensive each marketing method is. 

"I'm not technically inclined."
Let's face it, much of life takes place in the digital world today, advertising most especially. You don't have to be Bill Gates to do online marketing (social media, a decent website, etc.) but you should have at least a comfortable acquaintance with your computer, tablet, and/or smart phone. With the ability to work a little bit with images (sizing, cropping and so on) and knowing how to upload those images to your website, Facebook, and Instagram, you're already pretty far down the pike (and farther than artists who don't promote themselves).

"Marketing is expensive."
First ask yourself, what is the cost of not marketing? Lost opportunities are incalculable, but it's a no-brainer that no investment in marketing means fewer sales. There are many ways of marketing that carry no out-of-pocket cost but do cost in terms of time. There are other ways of marketing that cost something; how much you can afford to spend depends on what you can expect to receive in return.

We will cover some of the more cost-efficient ways of marketing your artwork in the next installment of this blog. In the meantime, be thinking of how much you want to sell your artwork, and why.

Happy (and successful) creating!