Vadis Turner and Matthew Parker are two artists, originally from Nashville, that live in New York and watched helplessly the flood that took over Nashville in May. They had been thinking about writing a Nashville counting book for Children for a very long time but not until the flood did their idea become action. The two started gathering artists from all over Nashville to come together and write this book, Nashville Counts!.
The book celebrates the culture and life of the music city while showcase work from some of the it’s finest artists, including, Alan LeQuire, William Edmondson, and Jim Sharraden of Hatch Show Print. Other rising stars include, Emily Leonard, Lesley Patterson-Marx, and Kelly Williams. The story depicts the two Nashvillian’s favorites things about the city in a number form, including, Titans Football, The Parthenon, and spicy chicken!
Chapter 16 Blog interviewed Vadis Turner and asked her, “Apart from the money you hope to raise from both book sales and the art auction, what’s the best thing that has come from the experience of putting together this book?” Turner replied, “I think that the wildest part about it is that Matthew and I still haven’t met many of the people who have contributed to the book. Most of the collaboration has occurred over the phone or via email. It is incredibly powerful when strangers work together to make something happen for the sake of a good cause. We can’t wait to meet everyone at the launch at the 27th. Name tags will be crucial.”
What a cool idea?! To get local artists together to write a simple children’s book to raise money for Nashville! So many people have come up with different ideas to benefit Nashville’s Flood Relieft!
The opening reception for Nashville Counts!, will be held at the Rymer Gallery in Nashville on November 27th at 6:30pm. All proceeds from both book sales and a silent auction of the original art depicted in the book will aid in flood relief through Hands On Nashville.
More from the interview.