A space for everyone!
Martin ArtQuest® is the Frist Art Museum’s inclusive and interactive art-making space where guests of all ages get creative with activities that delight and inspire. This award-winning space in Nashville’s premier destination for interactive art experiences—and with good reason.
In ArtQuest, accessible art-making stations—where visitors can draw, animate, make prints, paint, and more—help people discover their unique talents and voices, celebrate their creative energy, and just have fun!
What’s on in ArtQuest?
ArtQuest activities change three times a year to coincide with one of our exhibitions. At this time, we are featuring activities relating to our upcoming exhibition Venice and the Ottoman Empire, opening on Saturday, May 31. Try your hand at drawing a self-portrait, inspired by the powerful Venetian doges, with a helpful template to guide you. Use gold scratch paper and radial symmetry to design your own shield. At the shipwreck scene on the Wonder Wall, imagine what might be hidden underwater and add your discoveries using dry-erase markers. In the Book Nook, enjoy paging through picture books about Venice and the Ottoman Empire, then build an ancient Italian city at the block table or trade goods at the interactive magnet wall. You can also create a shimmering painting using gold watercolor, and help weave a collaborative sculpture using rich, textured fabrics. And don’t miss the chance to sketch a mannequin dressed in an elaborate Doge’s outfit!
Go wild with color!
Watch local Watkins College of Art at Belmont University student Frank Kirk talk about the creative process behind her new interactive installation Color Theory, currently on view in ArtQuest.
Know before you go
- ArtQuest is open the same hours as the museum.
- A visit to ArtQuest is included with museum admission (visitors ages 18 and younger always receive free admission!)
- ArtQuest is designed for individuals and families. However, we welcome group visits to ArtQuest by advance reservation only; availability is limited. For more information, visit our group tours page.
- ArtQuest welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. Staff members are available to assist with accommodations. For more information, visit our accessibility page.
- Children ages 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times in ArtQuest.
- For tips on visiting the museum with your family, see our visitors with children page.
“Take a Break” Sensory Kit
In an effort to make ArtQuest a more comfortable and welcoming experience for all of our guests, we are pleased to offer our Take A Break sensory kits. These kits are geared toward those with sensory challenges but are available to anyone who needs a little help calming and focusing while visiting the museum. You are welcome to take the kit anywhere inside the museum—the foyers on the upper level are a great option for a quiet spot.
Each kit includes a weighted lap pad, noise-cancelling headphones, disposable headphone covers, a timer, tangle and sensory tube fidgets, and sanitizing wipes. See an Artquest staff member if you’d like to check out a kit.
ArtQuest: Art is All Around You
Videos and Art Activities
Explore ArtQuest’s concepts wherever you are through ArtQuest: Art Is All Around You, short videos that highlight art ideas and fun family activities, produced in partnership with Nashville Public Television.
Volunteer in ArtQuest!
The ArtQuest team is always looking for helpful hands and smiling faces!
The Frist Art Museum welcomes gifts of any amount to support Martin ArtQuest. Thank you!
Benefactors
The Frist Art Museum is deeply grateful to our generous Martin ArtQuest Benefactors:
- Ellen H. Martin, Charles N. Martin, and the Martin Foundation
- The Cal Turner Family Foundation
- The William Stamps Farish Fund
Supported in part by
