CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Downtown Clarksville hosted for the monthly First Thursday ArtWalk this week, with local artists and businesses opening their doors to showcase creative work across the downtown area.

Participating locations included Mug Shot Coffee Co., Tattoo Technique, ArtLink, the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, Humble Universe Books, The Crossroads Tavern, Tap This, Visit Clarksville, Annabelle & Ollie Vintage Goods & Marketplace, the Downtown Artists Co-op, First Presbyterian Church, River City Clay, Edwards Steakhouse and The Clarksville Collection.

Potter shaping a gray ceramic mug with a sculpting tool in a pottery studio
A-frame sign on a sunlit brick sidewalk advertising First Thursday ArtWalk, 05PM–08PM, featuring art, music, local business, and food/spirits.
People enjoying a social moment at an art gallery: woman in a yellow t-shirt with glasses holding a cup and smiling, man in a patterned shirt points playfully toward the camera.
Group of people gathered outside a brick storefront on a sunny downtown street with an art gallery sign.
Two women converse at an indoor event; woman in blue smiles as she talks to a woman in yellow with her back to the camera.
Smiling couple poses with a small white poodle in a bright jewelry shop, with display cases and accessories nearby.
Tattooed woman in a paint-splattered apron shapes a ceramic mug in a pottery studio.
Large glazed ceramic vase with blue-green swirls sits on a carved wooden slab, surrounded by smaller bowls, against an exposed brick gallery wall.
People browse art and jewelry displays in a wooden-floored bookstore/gallery, with a large white banner on the right that reads a book title and subtitle: 'A Love Letter to Nature, Photography, and Healing Words.'
A row of small framed photos in colorful frames (purple, pink, yellow) hanging along a white gallery wall, photographed with a shallow depth of field.
Two young women sit at a purple-clothed table outdoors, drawing with markers; a colorful 'First Thursday Art Walk' sign stands nearby.
Woman outdoors blowing bubbles beside a purple-table art booth in front of a storefront, holding a bubble wand and bubble solution cup.
Smiling elderly man with white hair and glasses, standing beside a rack of greeting cards near a wooden staircase in a shop or gallery.
Two older men chat in an art gallery; one in a blue t-shirt and light shorts, the other in a plaid shirt and dark cap, framed artworks on the wall behind them.
Group of people socializing at an art gallery with framed pictures on walls and a display table in the center.

At the Downtown Artists Co-op, visitors viewed Lisa “LAH” Harden’s exhibit, Auroras & Sad Prose, which features Polaroid emulsion transfers with poetry displayed throughout the gallery. Harden said the collection shows her experiences from the past several years and served as a way to process grief, heartbreak and personal growth. “It’s a very therapeutic and meditative process,” Harden said.

Rather than traditional photographs, Harden creates each piece using Polaroid emulsion transfers. After taking a Polaroid photo, she carefully separates the thin image emulsion from its backing, soaks it in water and transfers it onto watercolor paper. Harden said the artwork on display represents pieces she has created since 2020. The exhibit also includes poetry she wrote, along with song lyrics, and a playlist that visitors can hear while exploring the gallery.

Other featured artists included Doug Hill, Joe McLain, Aubrey Derryberry, Sydney Meyer, Andrew Ross, Larry R. Richardson, Brit Dewey, David Jones and Tracy Bettencourt.

The First Thursday Art Walk is held monthly and gives the everyone an opportunity to explore galleries and businesses in downtown Clarksville.

| DON’T MISS AN EVENT: For more Clarksville things to do, check out the Summer fun guide or the Clarksville Events calendar.