News

Commission Visits Columbia, TN

Columbia Arts Building

From Nieya Murray, Executive Administrative Assistant –

The Commission’s winter quarterly meeting was held on December 5 on the Columbia Community College campus in the Waymon L. Hickman Building. Prior to the meeting, members enjoyed a talk about the current show at the Pryor Art Gallery by Curator Michele Wilkinson.

Guests at the meeting included Dr. Ron Woodard, Assistant Superintendent from Maury County School District who brought along some of his educators. They shared their experience as an Arts Integration school and showed us samples of their students’ work.

Kathleen Nolte from the Lyndhurst Foundation was also a guest and she spoke to the Commission about their creative placemaking work with Thrive Regional Partnership in Chattanooga.

The day before the meeting, the Commission toured Columbia’s arts and culture hotspots, noting creative placemaking installations and new businesses growing in the Columbia’s innovative arts district. We are very grateful to Tony Massey, Columbia City Manager and Kellye Murphy, City of Columbia’s Tourism and Marketing Director who hosted our tour. Stops included the W.7th Company Vintage Photo Gallery, the James K. Polk Home and Museum, the Mural at Firefighters Park, Row & Co and the Columbia Arts Building.

Commission members and staff learned a great deal about Columbia’s creative sector and were impressed with the energy and innovations that are drawing young families and new residents to the city through the arts. Columbia is home to Commission board member Joe Kilgore and we thank him for bringing us to his hometown. Also, thank you to all the wonderful people we met at City Hall and at the venues we visited. Columbia is a great place for the arts.

#tnarts4Columbia.