Art

While not exactly a gallery, Hatch Show Print (316 Broadway, 615/256-2805) is one of Nashville’s [1] best-known places to buy art. Hatch has been making colorful posters for decades, and their letterpress style is now one of the trendiest looks in modern design. They continue to design and print handouts, posters, and T-shirts for local and national customers. Visitors to the shop can gaze at the cavernous warehouse operation, and buy small or large samples of their work, including reproductions of classic country music concert posters. This is a great place to find a special souvenir of your trip to Nashville.

At All Fired Up (21st Ave. S., 615/463-8887), choose a piece of unfinished pottery for between $5 and $50, then pay an additional $6 “painting fee,” and choose from hundreds of different paints and glazes to finish your piece. This is a great way to spend a rainy afternoon or have fun with a date.

Transplanted New Yorkers Theo Antoniadis and Veta Cicolello opened Ovvio Arte (42 S. Chestnut St., 615/256-8756, www.ovvioarte.com [2]) in 2008. This art gallery and performance space is a venue for the unexpected. It offers regular theater, dramatic readings, and art shows.

The Tennessee Artists Guild operates TAG Gallery (83 Arcade, 615/429-7708, www.tagartgallery.com [3]), one of the best galleries in Nashville [1]. Founded in 2000, the TAG specialized in selling affordable art to up-and-coming collectors. They offer a regular diet of unique shows.

Garage Mahal (1106 Woodland St., 615/226-2070), also known as the Art and Invention Gallery, is an East Nashville institution. Proprietors Meg and Bret MacFayden put on between five and six shows each year, including their signature Tomato Art Show, part of the annual Tomato Art Festival.

Also in East Nashville, Plowhaus (211 S. 17th St., 615/349-3777) is an artists’ co-op with a gallery and lots of community outreach activities.