Having experienced years of arts writing and teaching, Sara Lee Burd wanted to share her love of art with the public. She co-created an arts tour company, Curated Art Tours, with artist Jennifer Richardson to celebrate the urban art sprinkled throughout Nashville.
Courtesy of The Tennessean
“We wanted to provide a unique art experience for people living in and visiting Nashville,” Burd says. “We design our tours each month to highlight the changing exhibitions in museums and galleries, plus we include walking and bicycle tours to see murals, contemporary, historical, and public art, as well as architecture.”
Both Burd and Richardson have master’s degrees in art history and have built careers in the arts, yet they don’t lead their tours from an ivory tower. These forays are open to all ages and are designed for all levels of art experience.
“The tours are meant to be lively, informative, and fun,” Burd says. “Not stuffy.”
Some tours are designed to explore vibrant arts neighborhoods that feature art that can be seen on foot or by bike in a short span of time. A downtown Nashville tour includes public art, the exhibitions at 21c Museum Hotel, murals, and 5th Avenue of the Arts. A tour through the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood includes visits to galleries, public art, and local shops.
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21c Museum Hotel Exhibit
Burd and Richardson also encourage guests to engage in art through “See & Create” tours that give participants a foundation in the history and artistic significance of a place and then encourage them to make art. A Dragon Park tour includes a watercolor study, and a Parthenon tour includes charcoal figure drawing; supplies are provided.
Due to their extensive connections within the arts community, Burd and Richardson offer custom VIP tours that can include transportation.
“If someone wants to go shopping for art around town or see work by female artists in the galleries, we can do that,” Burd says. “If someone wants to take a driving tour of murals, we can arrange that. If someone wants to do a dining and art tour, we can design that. We are flexible. We'd love to design a tour to meet special interests.”
Prices range from $15 for a group tour to $400 for a VIP tour.
Mary Meeuwis, a former teacher, launched Nashville Mural Tours to take guests to see public art —and capture photos for their Instagram feeds —in a 15-passenger Ford Transit van.
These tours focus on art in Nashville’s coolest neighborhoods, including The Gulch, 12 South, West Nashville, East Nashville, downtown and The Nations. Murals seen on the tour include the wings from Kelsey Montague’s #WhatLiftsYou campaign and “I Believe in Nashville” by Adrien Saporiti. Tour tickets start at $20 each and a private tour is $350.