Statements
Mission
The Forge is a 501c3 organization and maker space that provides people of all ages and backgrounds with the opportunity to discover their creative potential through affordable access to professional tools, studio space and our thriving maker network.
We are crafters of culture, a home for artists, and a champion of the arts. A community of makers, doers, creative thinkers, welders, woodworkers, and spray painters. They give this city character, our community gives it life. We know how to tinker with an idea, sand it down and weld it together anew. We know how to build a business and then fuse it to the soul of this city. We are The Forge. And we were made to make art matter.
Background
In 2011, a 6400 square foot Makerspace named Fort Houston provided the two most essential requirements for Nashville's visual artists to flourish: affordable studio space, and access to professional equipment. Founded by two young Nashville natives, Ryan Schemmel and Joshua Cooper, and enabled by a $250,000 contribution from JET Tools/JPW Industries, Fort Houston pioneered the development of the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood alongside a handful of other arts organizations.
As the resulting artist culture flourished and Nashville's overall industry boomed, the demand for creative space increased dramatically. Fort Houston, with the aim of expanding its ability to serve the rapidly growing arts community, responded by reallocating all community spaces and resources from a traditional business to a 501c3. That 501c3, which encompasses our Makerspace, Shops, Gallery, Studios, Creative Offices and all community initiatives, is today known as The Forge.
Today we have a large fine art gallery for our STATE Studio Scholarship artists, studios for the artists, the best-equipped wood shop and metal shop of any maker space in the southeastern US, a growing array of workshops and tools for the digital age and a robust educational program for the entire Nashville community. We remain a beacon of support and accessibility for artists of all disciplines and skill levels to express themselves, grow, and-- for the entrepreneurs among us--to grow their own businesses. Over the past nine years, we have nurtured the development of over 300 small businesses, drastically shaping the landscape of Nashville's economy to support creative industry, and helping to maintain the culture that gives our city life.
Impact
Our space supports 145 studio members of 25 different artistic disciplines, spanning a wide range of racial and gender diversity, education, and ages. We offer 12 full scholarship recipients a year based primarily on need and artistic merit;100% of our 2023/2024 scholarships recipients, chosen from a pool of over 100 applicants, are from underserved communities.
As Nashville grows, and rates of development are at an all-time high, creatives in Nashville are being pushed out of the neighborhoods they helped to develop. By subsidizing space, resources, and tools we create an opportunity to let this community of makers thrive sustainably and with longevity. We initiate the ripple of creative placemaking. Over 300 new creative small businesses have been incubated by the Forge as a direct result of having access to affordable space and collaborative resources. We invest not just in visual arts but creative businesses that contribute to the economic diversity and vibrancy of Nashville.
1. We have helped dozens of artists me the transition from part-time, "struggling artists" to professionals with full-time, sustainable practices. We have incubated and helped over 225 artisans make the transition from dreamers to successful owners of small businesses.
2. We have given people in Nashville a place to experiment and discern whether their passion for creative expression as painters, sculptors, woodworkers, metal workers, luthiers, decorative concrete artists and more could become a pathway to a more rewarding career..
3. We have enabled hundreds of Nashvillians to rediscover the satisfaction of creating and making things with their own hands.
4. We have introduced thousands of Nashvillians to the new and emerging artists in our community through our gallery and a variety of public events.
5. Our community service projects have ranged from building 100 ventilators for St Thomas Hospital at the start of the pandemic to 25 Little Free Libraries to a beauty bar for Transgender youth at the Oasis Center.
6. We have "broken the mold" of galleries and maker spaces by making The Forge a truly diverse place where everyone feels welcome.
7. We have formed the first partnership in the US between a public art gallery and a football team (the Titans) to promote local artists.
8. Across Nashville, hundreds of homes and businesses are graced by paintings, sculpture, household items, furniture and more that the owner points to with pride as an object of beauty made by hand right here in Nashville.
Needs
Without The Forge, a lot of the creative community in Nashville would be without a space to create. Since our founding in 2012 the rising cost of real estate and turnover of neighborhoods has caused us to move locations 5 times. With our space being so integral to our work, it is important to identify that 32% of our annual operating budget goes to just supporting our space both in rent, utilities, and insurance, a challenge that is truly unique to what we do.
Support for the Forge serves a critical need in the operational health of our organization. While we continue to find innovative ways to sustain our space and support our staff, base level operational costs continue to increase. While we push our programmatic offerings forward, increasing our current funding efforts is crucial. Our impact in Nashville extends beyond providing a physical space. We are a community and resource center, an incubator for makers and artists of all kinds, an educational resource for the whole community and a public event space. Together we heal the fractured arts community by supporting artists and makers at every stage.
CEO Statement
Jonathan Saad became the Executive Director of the Forge Nashville in June of 2024. As a team, we are committed to take the Forge to a new and higher level of community service, community engagement and diversity. We believe that Nashville should be known as a place where artists and artisans thrive because the community supports and engages with them.
Board Chair Statement
Along with Chairing the board of directors at Forge Nashville, I currently sit on a number of non-profit boards that serve marginalized and under-represented communities in Nashville. Having spent my professional career as an advocate for our elderly population, I am attuned to the importance of supportive programs that address the needs of under-served communities.
During my involvement with the Forge, I have personally seen how the Forge has changed people's lives. I am particularly proud of the growing gender diversity in our wood shop and metal shop, and the growing racial and class diversity expressed in our entire organization.
I can assure the grant committee that the Forge is scrupulously attentive to spending every dollar of public support in efficient and accountable ways.
With growing support from our community, we will be able to continue providing opportunities to people and groups historically excluded from artistic economic life.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts & Culture |
| Secondary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts Education |
| Tertiary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Arts Services |
Areas Served
The Forge Nashville primarily serves makers, artisans and aspiring/current creative business owners in the Nashville area. Although we have only one location, among warehouses in the Railyard District near Hermitage and Second, our members and participating artists routinely expand from our building on Willow Street to their own locations all over the city. We also serve people from Middle Tennessee by introducing them to new artists.
| TN - Davidson |
| TN |
