‘Almalfi Wind’ by Cassidy Cole.

Artober Nashville, a program of NowPlayingNashville.com at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is spotlighting a young Nashville artist and her work to kick off the annual month-long celebration of the arts in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Held each October, the Artober Nashville celebration highlights the depth and variety of the arts community and its many public offerings while encouraging participation in the arts from residents and tourists alike.

Amalfi Wind, a painting created by Nashville artist Cassidy Cole, is this year’s official backdrop for Artober Nashville.

“It’s important for us to continue featuring local artists,” said Erin Holcomb, manager of NowPlayingNashville. “In our planning for 2019’s celebration, my husband and I visited galleries specifically looking for something that resonated with me and would complement the Artober brand. When I saw Cassidy’s work, I knew it was a perfect fit. The colors were bold, and the abstract painting strokes had depth and character to them.”

Cole earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and theater from Belmont University and has since taken painting classes at the National Academy of Art in New York City and at Watkins College of Art in Nashville. Her work has been added to private collections around the world, including the United States, Mexico, Japan, and South Africa.

“Painting is how I make sense of what I’ve experienced,” Cole was quoted on the website of Nashville’s Fifth Avenue of the Arts gallery The Arts Company, where her work is displayed. “I see color, lines, and textures all around me, and by trying to recreate them with my own perspective is how I understand their true nature.”

NowPlayingNashville interviewed Cole about her process and painting style:

Although NowPlayingNashville.com has been an organizer and presenter of Artober Nashville since its creation by the Metro Arts Commission in 2011, this marks the online arts and entertainment website’s third year operating the program. Visitors to ArtoberNashville.com will find hundreds of arts and cultural events – many unique to the month of October – in every discipline, including visual and performing arts, music, festivals, crafts and film. For more information or to add your event, visit ArtoberNashville.com.

Artober Nashville is funded by NowPlayingNashville as well as Ryman Hospitality Properties Foundation and the Tennessee Arts Commission.

NowPlayingNashville.com, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, is Middle Tennessee’s comprehensive event guide for Where to Go and What to Do, with information about music, theater, arts, sports, dance, museums, family fun, dining and more. Since its launch in 2007, the website has collaborated with hundreds of community partners, providing detailed information to support arts and entertainment organizations and enrich the Middle Tennessee community. For more information, visit www.NowPlayingNashville.com.

The Community Foundation exists to promote and facilitate giving in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee and beyond. It does this by accepting gifts of any size from anyone at any time and by empowering individuals, families, companies, nonprofits, and communities to respond to needs and opportunities that matter. The Community Foundation works with people who have great hearts, whether or not they have great wealth, to craft solutions that reflect their intentions and goals. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or visit www.cfmt.org.