CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Govs Creative Arts Festival returned in 2026 on Sept. 12, bringing together community members of all ages at the Clarksville Downtown Commons.
The event was a collaborative effort between the College of Arts and Letters, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, the Community School of the Arts (CSA) and Clarksville-Montgomery County Parks and Recreation, according to previous reports. This year’s festival featured performances by The Governors Own Marching Band, Red River Breeze, Music for Mercy, the Department of Music’s Folk Ensemble, Arts Alliance and more. Community partners also hosted booths.
Other organizations involved in this year’s Arts Festival included the:
- APSU Event Planning Committee.
- APSU Art Club.
- Clarksville Community Clarksville Association.
- ArtLink.
- WonderSense Puppets.
- Arts for Hearts.
- Customs House.
- Roxy Theater.
‘We think it’s important to allow the arts to be accessible to all’
Kevin Loveland told Clarksville Now they’re the assistant director of the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA), and the Govs Arts Festival was their brainchild because of a grant received two years ago.
“We have continued this event ever since because we think it’s important to allow the arts to be accessible to all,” Loveland said. “We always want to ensure that whatever we do, people will have access to art supplies and music. And everything is without a fee, because we do not want a barrier keeping the arts away from people.”
“The humanities are important. We want to make sure that we are developing well-rounded individuals through the arts by attending this event to appreciate the arts and culture. That is the focal point for this. It is not just about creating art, there are many different aspects that go into the humanities. We love the arts!”
Grayson Nicholson told Clarksville Now, “The humanities are important. We want to make sure that we are developing well-rounded individuals through the arts by attending this event to appreciate the arts and culture. That is the focal point for this. It is not just about creating art; there are many different aspects that go into the humanities.”
Christian Brown contributed to this report.
| DON’T MISS AN EVENT: For more Clarksville things to do, check out the Summer fun guide or the Clarksville Events calendar.