Nashville: Shaping Our Visual Art Future

Nashville’s visual arts landscape continues to evolve. Join the conversation with those who are shaping what comes next!

Nashville: Shaping Our Visual Art Future brings together artists, gallerists, and curators for an evening of networking and dialogue about the state of our city’s visual arts community. Together, we’ll explore what local artists need to thrive, and how we can strengthen Nashville’s visual arts ecosystem for the future. Fuel the dialogue with light bites and drinks while connecting with fellow creatives.

Evening Program
5:45 p.m. — Doors Open
6:00–7:00 p.m. — Networking and Interactive Experiences
7:00–7:45 p.m. — Featured Panel Conversation
7:45–8:00 p.m. — Audience Questions and Panel Response
8:00 p.m. — Closing Remarks and Farewell

Lead Conversationalist

Téa Chura is a Creative Producer and Promotional Strategist specializing in the art world and other creative projects.

She has worked with set designers, fine artists, performers, writers, and galleries. Her approach is human-centered, amplifying artists’ voices to strengthen audience relationships and open doors to new opportunities. Her mission is to help people value art by revealing the human behind the work, supporting artists in sharing their stories with clarity and individual nuance. She hopes to deepen the way people engage with art by connecting audiences to the artist’s humanity.

On the promotional side, Téa supports clients with the full scope of art-world visibility needs, including catalogs, portfolios, opportunity support, strategic outreach, and online presence. Her production work includes video, podcasting, and social media.

With a background in marketing, creative development, and artist support, she leads each project with informed strategy, intentionality, and a collaborative approach.

She has supported clients in promoting exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles, securing placements in publications such as American Theatre, creating highly viewed social content, and producing projects ranging from video documentation to podcasts.

Téa is a Chicago native, currently based in Nashville, and works with clients in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and other cities.

In her pastime, she explores singing, acting, sculpture, sewing, and trying new art forms.

Esteemed Panelists

In alphabetical order by first name.

Ashley Layendecker, Director at Red Arrow, oversees daily operations, curates exhibitions, and drives the gallery’s strategic direction. A former practicing artist, Ashley discovered her passion for curating after earning her BFA from the University of Tennessee in 2016. Since joining Red Arrow, she has curated over 60 exhibitions in Nashville, New York, Mexico City, and Miami. In addition to her role at Red Arrow, Ashley is on the board of The Warhol Society at The Frist Art Museum in Nashville and previously served as Art Club Host for Soho House Nashville. Her curatorial work for Red Arrow has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Galerie Magazine, and W Magazine.

Together, Katie Shaw and Ashley Layendecker lead Red Arrow with a shared commitment to advocating for artists in the South and beyond, providing a dynamic platform for contemporary art and a welcoming space for community.

Clay Williams is a sculptor from Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Birmingham-Southern College for 3 years and graduated in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Samford University in Birmingham, AL. He now lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee, in the Arcade Arts Residency Program.

Omari Booker, a multidisciplinary artist based in Nashville, TN and Los Angeles, CA, began his journey as an artist in his senior year of high school at Montgomery Bell Academy. While attending Belmont University, Omari studied Mathematics and other more traditional curricula before he finally focused on studio art and graphic design. He later earned his B.S. in Graphic Design from Tennessee State University. Oil paintings are Omari’s predominant medium, but mixed media including charcoal, ink, and found objects are essential building blocks of his work, and are used to create finished pieces. Large scale work has been a constant creative outlet for Omari, and murals have also become a consistent part of his creative practice. Storytelling in the form of poetry, prose, and children’s books are also creative outlets.

Omari takes a process-oriented approach to his art, embracing it as a therapeutic modality through which he is able to express his passion for the freedom and independence that the creative process allows him to experience. His art is his personal therapy, and his desire is that those viewing it will have personal experiences of catharsis. The philosophy that undergirds Omari’s work is FREEDOM THROUGH ART and he aspires to create work that communicates to his audience their unique and intrinsic ability to be free. 

Sai Clayton (she/her) is a Nashville-based visual artist and independent curator. Clayton’s work situates self-portraiture and cultural icons as representations of transcultural paradoxes. Her recent solo exhibitions include: [Freeze Frame], OZ Arts (2025), neutral zone, The Forge (2024); Game of Two Halves, Electric Shed (2024); and HĀFU, Random Sample (2023). Select group exhibitions include Flux, Haley Gallery (2025), Summer Break, Sheet Cake Gallery (2025), and Rise Above, Zeitgeist Gallery (2024). Residencies include the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, State Gallery, Stove Works, and the Hamblet Artist-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University. She currently serves on the board of COOP Gallery and is their Curatorial Director. She was the 2021-22 Curatorial Fellow at the Frist Art Museum and is currently the Programming Director at Arcade Arts Nashville. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from Middle Tennessee State University.

About the Salon Series

The Arts & Business Council’s Salon Series is designed to spark conversation, gather insight, and build community across Nashville’s creative sector. Each gathering spotlights a different area of the creative economy, such as fashion, film, or design, through interactive experiences and thoughtful dialogue with local leaders. It’s a space to connect, share ideas, and shape the future of the arts in our city.

The Salon Series is made possible by funding support from the Tremaine Foundation. Special thanks to our host, JE Dunn Construction, for providing their remarkable event space for this Salon.