Friends of the Edmondson Homesite Park & Gardens
Programs
Budget
$22,000.00
Description
The William Edmondson Arts and Culture Festival (WE Fest) celebrates Nashville artists, craftspeople and makers as a living legacy to Nashville's most honored African American historic artist. It's held the last week in October. The festival is held in the South Nashville neighborhood of Edgehill, in the park that includes the historic former homesite of William Edmondson, self-taught sculptor who in 1937 became the first African American to earn a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.
The outdoor art fair features dozens of artist booths, demonstrations, performances of music, dance and spoken word, food trucks and kids activities. We actively encourage Black artists and others from underrepresented communities to exhibit. We work intentionally to create a platform for emerging artists to gain sales and exposure without financial barriers, while providing a fun, inclusive, family-friendly experience. Admission is free to the public, supported by gifts and grants.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities - Celebratory Events
Beneficiaries
Black/African American
Families
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Long-term Success
The festival was founded in 2022, and we saw over 1000 attendees, over 50 artist exhibitors, a dozen performers and demo artists, and over 15 non-profit partners. 2023 kicks off our second annual event. Our goal is to grow the festival year-by-year, to become Nashville's premier art and craft fair that focuses primarily on African American artists and art. We strive to grow to 10,000 visitors or more to the event, with 100 or more exhibiting artists and other vendors.
Beyond providing a high-quality free community event, our goal is to create a vehicle to promote and celebrate the legacy of William Edmondson and the rich history of Edgehill, and provide a launching pad for new generations of artists. It is designed to raise awareness citywide and nationwide for Edmondson's compelling story. We also use the festival as an preservation advocacy tool to ask the city to build a William Edmodnson Cultural Arts Center, Museum and Library on the site as a permanent "living legacy".
Short-term Success
Our goals for 2023 festival are to solidify and build on the success of our inaugural 2022 festival, including doubling the attendance, increasing the number of participating artists, vendors, and non-profits, continuing to improve attendee experience, We intend to expand promotional and marketing outreach and partner with African American historians as well as museums, universities and other partners to strengthen the educational impact.
Program Success Monitored By
Success will be monitored by participant surveys, attendee surveys, interviews with attendees and artist participants, and direct observation on festival day.
Program Areas Served
Nashville-Davidson County.
$22,000.00
Description
The William Edmondson Arts and Culture Festival (WE Fest) celebrates Nashville artists, craftspeople and makers as a living legacy to Nashville's most honored African American historic artist. It's held the last week in October. The festival is held in the South Nashville neighborhood of Edgehill, in the park that includes the historic former homesite of William Edmondson, self-taught sculptor who in 1937 became the first African American to earn a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art.
The outdoor art fair features dozens of artist booths, demonstrations, performances of music, dance and spoken word, food trucks and kids activities. We actively encourage Black artists and others from underrepresented communities to exhibit. We work intentionally to create a platform for emerging artists to gain sales and exposure without financial barriers, while providing a fun, inclusive, family-friendly experience. Admission is free to the public, supported by gifts and grants.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities - Celebratory Events
Beneficiaries
Black/African American
Families
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Long-term Success
The festival was founded in 2022, and we saw over 1000 attendees, over 50 artist exhibitors, a dozen performers and demo artists, and over 15 non-profit partners. 2023 kicks off our second annual event. Our goal is to grow the festival year-by-year, to become Nashville's premier art and craft fair that focuses primarily on African American artists and art. We strive to grow to 10,000 visitors or more to the event, with 100 or more exhibiting artists and other vendors.
Beyond providing a high-quality free community event, our goal is to create a vehicle to promote and celebrate the legacy of William Edmondson and the rich history of Edgehill, and provide a launching pad for new generations of artists. It is designed to raise awareness citywide and nationwide for Edmondson's compelling story. We also use the festival as an preservation advocacy tool to ask the city to build a William Edmodnson Cultural Arts Center, Museum and Library on the site as a permanent "living legacy".
Short-term Success
Our goals for 2023 festival are to solidify and build on the success of our inaugural 2022 festival, including doubling the attendance, increasing the number of participating artists, vendors, and non-profits, continuing to improve attendee experience, We intend to expand promotional and marketing outreach and partner with African American historians as well as museums, universities and other partners to strengthen the educational impact.
Program Success Monitored By
Success will be monitored by participant surveys, attendee surveys, interviews with attendees and artist participants, and direct observation on festival day.
Program Areas Served
Nashville-Davidson County.
Budget
$5,000.00
Description
The Edgehill Heroes Arboretum is a program that combines environmental stewardship with historic remembrance and education. Started in 2019, we have planted over sixty trees in addition to the mature trees on site, bringing the total specimens to over 150, representing nearly 50 unique species. We are a Level 1 Arboretum certified by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, and new plantings will result in achieving over 60 species for Level 2 certification in 2024.
Since its inception, we have dedicated specific trees to Edgehill historic figures of local and national note, with a focus on its African American history. Inductees include William Edmondson, African American pioneering architect Moses McKissack, Grand Ole Opry first Black star DeFord Bailey, and civil rights 19th century activist Callie House. "Edgehill Heroes" are periodically selected by a panel of historians, and mediallians inscribed with their accomplishments are affixed to the trees in a public ceremony.
Beneficiaries
Black/African American
Families
Adults
Long-term Success
Our goal is to nurture and expand this Arboretum for future generations, providing all the practical benefits of trees and providing opportunities to inspire curiosity about the wonder of nature. We hope to expand into educational materials and curriculum for children and adults, both in digital (web platform) and physical form, and forge partnerships with the Nashville Public School system and Nashville Public Library. Eventually, we hope that the capsule biographies of the Edgehill Heroes inductees can be expanded, archived, and displayed in a future William Edmondson Cultural Arts Center on the historic site adjacent to the arboretum.
Short-term Success
Immediate goals include upgrading our website to host a database and interactive map of the arboretum and the Edgehill Heroes biographies, including hiring temporary staff or contractors to facilitate and execute the necessary research, writing, and coding. We also plan to upgrade our signage to include QR codes to directly link to the online database.
Program Areas Served
Nashville-Davidson County
$5,000.00
Description
The Edgehill Heroes Arboretum is a program that combines environmental stewardship with historic remembrance and education. Started in 2019, we have planted over sixty trees in addition to the mature trees on site, bringing the total specimens to over 150, representing nearly 50 unique species. We are a Level 1 Arboretum certified by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council, and new plantings will result in achieving over 60 species for Level 2 certification in 2024.
Since its inception, we have dedicated specific trees to Edgehill historic figures of local and national note, with a focus on its African American history. Inductees include William Edmondson, African American pioneering architect Moses McKissack, Grand Ole Opry first Black star DeFord Bailey, and civil rights 19th century activist Callie House. "Edgehill Heroes" are periodically selected by a panel of historians, and mediallians inscribed with their accomplishments are affixed to the trees in a public ceremony.
Beneficiaries
Black/African American
Families
Adults
Long-term Success
Our goal is to nurture and expand this Arboretum for future generations, providing all the practical benefits of trees and providing opportunities to inspire curiosity about the wonder of nature. We hope to expand into educational materials and curriculum for children and adults, both in digital (web platform) and physical form, and forge partnerships with the Nashville Public School system and Nashville Public Library. Eventually, we hope that the capsule biographies of the Edgehill Heroes inductees can be expanded, archived, and displayed in a future William Edmondson Cultural Arts Center on the historic site adjacent to the arboretum.
Short-term Success
Immediate goals include upgrading our website to host a database and interactive map of the arboretum and the Edgehill Heroes biographies, including hiring temporary staff or contractors to facilitate and execute the necessary research, writing, and coding. We also plan to upgrade our signage to include QR codes to directly link to the online database.
Program Areas Served
Nashville-Davidson County
