As part of this year's Soundwaves Gallery: Global Voices, Local Heart, we're excited to continue spotlighting the local artist whose work brings this collection to life.
Our next round features works by Nadine Shillingford, IMGRNT, Nancy VanReece, and Omari Booker—four artists whose distinct perspectives reflect the creativity, connection, and community spirit at the heart of Nashville.
Presented in partnership with @nashvillesc , the Soundwaves Gallery at @geodispark features 39 works by 32 local artist and remains on view through the 2026 season.
Learn more about the artists, shop the collection and shop available works through the links in our bio.
A time-lapse of April’s art crawl night as seen from studio 59 at @arcadeartsnash . Thanks everyone for coming out, tag yourself in the comments! Shout out to @sofestofbooks . See you all in May! Who knows what new wonders are in store 🤷🏽♂️ #nashvilleart
What a week! First, astronauts are peeping things rarely (if ever!) seen on Monday, and now you are invited to do the same on Saturday.
That's right, get a look at this year's Festival poster in the midst of its creation.
We're thrilled to announce that IMGRNT is this year's Southern Festival of Books poster artist! As part of his process of creating this year's work, IMGRNT is inviting you into the magic as it happens.
Stop by IMGRNT's studio (at @arcadeartsnash downtown) this Saturday during the free art crawl (6pm-9pm) to meet the artist, chat, discover, engage, question, and throw your thoughts into the art-in-progress.
A couple weeks ago during the Nashville ice storm, I had the opportunity to sit in my studio with @revealnews and talk about my perspective as an artist on the impact of the trump administration cuts to arts funding and the effect this is having across the country, and especially in the south. I am just one of the many voices shared in the episode, but of course being an Iranian #inthesetimes my story got a bit of a highlight. Call it a blessing and a curse! Appreciate that I’ve been given a platform to highlight the importance of the arts and to be able to call out the parallels between the road we are currently on in the US and the road the Iranian people have been stuck on for the past 47 years.
I don’t really make a habit of posting fam on main, but yesterday was the Iranian new year and today is the first day of spring 🌸, and this year more than any other in recent times, the Iranian people are really going through it. They say if you put 10 Iranians in a room, there will be 11 competing visions for the future of the country, which really bodes well for the future 🤘🏽☺️🔫. So much so that depending on who you ask, we are either celebrating the year 2585, or 1405. So all we (I) can do is just wish for health, peace, and prosperity for all in this new year. Peace & Love y’all! ☮️ Norouz Pirouz!
If you are out tonight, stop by the arcade and the rest of the downtown art crawl. I’m showing a recent anthology of my print works, including a brand new piece that I’ll put up, if I can make it presentable in time. Just have to get off my phone first! #screentime
Documentation of my latest performance/installation “Coffin for Heads of State” as performed on 2/14/2026. During this 3 hour long performance, I attempted to say as many names as I could have of those whose lives were taken too soon by the hands of the state, In my birth place of Iran, and my adopted land of these United States. Make no mistake, what you are seeing in Iran now is a culmination of the consolidation of power behind an authoritarian figure(s), using the guise of morality and religion to impose their will on you, take your rights away, and to punish you while they self serving-ly gather power for themselves. In other words, you, as an American know exactly what is going in Iran right now. It is Trumpism today + 47 years of fine tuning. I bet some of you would welcome a foreign invasion right about now too 🙃. Anyways, I was definitely tired after standing up and reading names for 3 hours, but not as tired as waking up everyday to some new bull. #مرگ_بر_دیکتاتور
A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity be a visiting teaching artist and to lead a week long Lino-cut workshop at Goodlettsville Middle School, in partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools. In the project, I helped students learn the basics of printmaking by making a block that represented themselves, and then for the class to join their blocks together to create a flag that represented their community! We chose the American flag motif because it is my goal to continually stress that being an American is not a privilege of birth or certain paperwork, but an idea that welcomes all, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Plus who is gonna say no to hanging an American flag in the school?! I want to thank the team at Arcade Arts and MNPS for the opportunity. I’m still not a teacher, but at least now I can comfortably play one on tv.
Hope you can join me for a special presentation of my newest performance “Coffin for Heads of State” on Saturday 2/14 (Valentine’s Day lol) at the Nashville Arcade from 6-9pm. As many of you are aware, my birth place of Iran has been under the occupation of a brutal regime that is hell bent on slaughtering as many of its people on its inevitable way out. Iranians always like to say we are the best at the world at everything, but one thing for sure is that nobody is better than killing our own people than us, baby! Conservative estimates put it at over 6,000 murdered, with some figures going into 40,000+ range, in about a month. But who truly knows in a state of complete media and internet blackout. This is very close to me as knowing my personality and lifestyle, if I was still living Iran, there is little doubt I would part of that figure. Join me as I attempt in those short 3 hours to say the names of as many of our fallen brothers and sisters, both in Iran, taken by the hands of the IRGC, as well as here in my adopted land, with lives taken by the hands of ICE (what is it with secret police???). We definitely won’t get through all of the names, but may we begin to indict these soulless ghouls and chant “death to the dictator” as we hope for a more free future, for me, for you, and for every powerless person lucky enough to see the sun tomorrow. Peace ✌🏽
An allegory on the immigrant experience through the story of an alien invasion, IMGRNT’s “War & Beat” explores the rage & resilience within the foreign-born. Come see the next performance on Saturday 11/8/25, during the Downtown Art Crawl at @arcadeartsnash . You will have 2 opportunities to see the show, at 7pm & 8pm. It’s in my own space too so it is FREE and super site-specific. Space is mega limited tho so you gotta RSVP. Either through the link in my bio, the sticker in my stories, or just dm me and I’ll send you a link. See you there! Note: this performance contains heavy strobe lighting effects.
