Dr. Anne Brown has been a pioneer and influential arts leader in Nashville for over five decades. Since moving to the city in 1968, she has played a pivotal role in shaping the region’s creative and cultural landscape through her work as an educator, arts administrator, nonprofit leader, and gallery owner.
After earning her doctorate in comparative literature, she began her career in Nashville teaching at Fisk University, later leading theatre programs at both Belmont and Vanderbilt Universities. Her early commitment to arts education set the foundation for a career marked by innovation and impact.
From 1973 to 1975, Dr. Brown served as Director of Development and Information at the Tennessee Arts Commission, followed by leadership roles at the Nashville University Center and the Nashville Institute for the Arts. At the Institute, she collaborated with the Lincoln Center Institute in New York to integrate aesthetic education into public and private school curricula, developing a groundbreaking artist-in-residence program that brought artists into classrooms across the region.
From 1982 to 1992, she was Executive Director of the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, where she launched a number of influential initiatives, including Arts at the Airport, the Summer Lights Festival, a public art grants program, and three municipal art galleries. During this time, she also contributed to the development of the Music Consortium of Nashville and was instrumental in the founding of the W.O. Smith Community Music School and the Southern Festival of Books.
In 1996, with only $500, she opened The Arts Company, a visual arts gallery on 5th Avenue in downtown Nashville. At a time when the area was underdeveloped and lacked foot traffic, her bold vision transformed the space into a dynamic venue for art exhibitions. Drawing on her background in theatre, she curated immersive, ever-changing installations that redefined the gallery experience. Over the next two decades, she used her space as a platform to promote Tennessee and Southern artists, host community initiatives, and collaborate with arts organizations.
A strong advocate for civic engagement through the arts, she helped launch the First Saturday Art Crawl in Nashville, which brought thousands of visitors downtown each month and played a crucial role in establishing the 5th Avenue Arts District. One of her most notable collaborations was with Janet and Jim Ayers in curating The Art of Community at FirstBank, acquiring nearly 200 works by Tennessee artists and generating significant economic support for artists statewide.
After more than 20 years of operating the gallery, she sold The Arts Company in 2018. She is currently writing a book chronicling the evolution of Nashville’s arts community, a story she has lived and helped shape.
Dr. Brown’s legacy is one of innovation, collaboration, and passion for the arts. Her leadership has left an indelible mark on Tennessee’s cultural heritage, and her ongoing commitment continues to inspire generations to live creatively and support the arts in their own communities.
