Community Partners

Since 2000, the Frist Art Museum has partnered with local organizations to provide art educational programs to Nashville-area communities, offering the Art Trunks Program to groups of all ages throughout Davidson County and featuring collaborations with trusted community institutions to serve preschool and after-school youth, English Language Learners and adult-basic-education learners, families, and older adult groups.

Outreach partnerships enable our community partners to become ambassadors of the Frist Art Museum. Ambassadors are entrusted with facilitating other unique programs that give community members the ability to see their world in inspiring ways through art. Partners can apply for a transportation subsidy to make it possible for them to visit the Frist and experience its historical building, its exhibitions, and the many programs offered.

Community Partner Tours

Community Partner groups can make reservations for self-guided, docent-guided, or online virtual tours.

Community Art Teachers (CATs) Lead Off-Site Art Trunk Activities

As roving art ambassadors, our CATs have been all over town expanding art education outside of our museum walls. The current team of experienced teaching artists—Hannah Einhorn, Joshua Lewis, and Ashley Mayfield—work with community partners off-site and lead Art Trunk activities, which include mobile art-making kits and lesson plans. Community Engagement Director Shaun Giles says the goal is to break down the barriers that impact art accessibility in a changing city by providing enriching art opportunities for all: “The CATs initiative allows us to strengthen our partnerships with local libraries, parks, and social service organizations who do such important work. Working with them, our hope is for the Frist to have a greater presence in the community and for everyone in town to feel more connected to the museum.”

And by the numbers alone, the impact is already impressive! Since November 2024, the CATs have worked with 38 community partners and taught approximately 630 participants in more than 50 workshops, with many more scheduled! On a typical outing, the CATs visit a community partner location equipped with all the materials necessary to complete a 1.5-hour art activity connected to a current exhibition. Shahnaz Lighari, assistant educator for community engagement, explains, “Our CATs facilitate discussion of exhibitions such as Journey through Japan and Farm to Table to find connections between the art and participants’ own experiences. The art-making portion is accessible to all skill levels, with the CATs offering step-by-step instructions, support, and encouragement throughout.”

Supported by

Frist Community Partners 2025–2026

Sustaining

Casa de la Cultura Latino Americana
Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville
Conexión Américas
Daybreak Arts
FiftyForward J.L. Turner Center
FiftyForward Madison Station
Healing Arts Project Inc.
Hispanic Family Foundation
Oasis Center
Preston Taylor Ministries
Salama Urban Ministries
Thistle Farms
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
YMCA of Middle Tennessee/Y-CAP

Core

Aspiring Youth Enrichment Services
Bethlehem Center of Nashville
Black Lemonade
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville
The Contributor
Dismas House
Down Syndrome Association of Middle TN–DSAMT
Easterseals Tennessee
FiftyForward Bordeaux Center
FiftyForward Donelson Station
FiftyForward Knowles Center
FiftyForward Martin Center
Free Hearts
Friends Life Community
Global Outreach Developments International
Gordon Jewish Community Center
InspiCare Homes, LLC
Martha O’Bryan Center
Metro Parks Bellevue Community Center
Metro Parks East Park Community Center
Metro Parks Hermitage Community Center
Metro Parks McCabe Regional Center
Metro Parks Old Hickory Community Center
Metro Parks Parkwood Community Center
Metro Parks Sevier Park Community Center
Metro Parks South Inglewood Center
Metro Parks Southeast Community Center
Metro Parks Visual Arts Centennial Art Center
Nashville Public Library – Bordeaux Branch
Nashville Public Library – Donelson Branch
Nashville Public Library – East Branch
Nashville Public Library – Edgehill Branch
Nashville Public Library – Edmondson Pike Branch
Nashville Public Library – Green Hills Branch
Nashville Public Library – Hadley Park Branch
Nashville Public Library – Hermitage Branch
Nashville Public Library – Inglewood Branch
Nashville Public Library – Main Library
Nashville Public Library – North Branch
Nashville Public Library – Old Hickory Branch
Nashville Public Library – Pruitt Branch
Nashville Public Library – Richland Park Branch
Nashville Public Library – Southeast Branch
Nashville Public Library – Thompson Lane Branch
Nashville Public Library – Watkins Park Branch
Nations Ministry Center
Native American Indian Association of Tennessee
Nashville International Center for Empowerment (NICE)
Project Return
Room In the Inn
Safe Haven Family Shelter
Soul’d Creative Collective
St. Luke’s Community House
The Mary Parrish Center
The Salvation Army (Nashville Area Command)
Youth Encouragement Services

Criteria to become a Community Partner:

1. The partner organization should have a strong foundation of programs, staff, and financial support. Community partners should have longevity and stability, and be firmly rooted in Davidson County.
2. Frist Art Museum partner organizations collectively represent the geographical, ethnic, cultural, and age diversity of Davidson County. In an effort to reach diverse communities, it is our priority to partner with organizations located within or serving all parts of Davidson County. The Frist Art Museum also seeks to develop partnerships that reflect the ethnic, cultural, and age diversity of Nashville and Davidson County.
3. Whether or not the partner organization has art programming in place, the Frist Art Museum’s activities should be a natural fit for the organization’s mission and goal.
4. Visiting the Frist Art Museum is essential to forming successful community partnerships.
5. Complete the Community Partner Application.

Interested in becoming a Community Partner? Complete the application above or contact Shaun Giles, community engagement director, at 615.744.3254 or sgiles@FristArtMuseum.org.