Alumni Beyond Edgehill: Grant Garmezy ’03
In this feature, we check in with PDS/USN alumni in all walks of life, all over the world for a look at all that life beyond Edgehill can entail.
By Sierra Smith, Communications Specialist
Nearly 20 years after leaving 2000 Edgehill, Grant Garmezy '03 is an entrepreneur and artist creating unique handmade blown glass animal art based in Richmond, Virginia. In the summer of 2022, Garmezy was invited to demonstrate and teach hot glass sculpting at The Toledo Museum of Art, The Glass Furnace in Istanbul, and the prestigious Museum of Glass in Vimbodi, Spain.
He will return to University School of Nashville’s campus in late October as the first alumnus selected as Artclectic’s featured artist. Before catching one of Garmezy’s live glassblowing demonstrations during the show, take a moment to learn a little more about this extraordinary alumnus.
Q: Please share a favorite memory from your time at 2000 Edgehill.
A: In eighth grade, I went on a bike trip to Moab, Utah with [Retired Naturalist Teacher Cynthia] Lee. It was the first time I’d ever traveled with a group of friends to do something so adventurous.
Q: How did your USN education prepare you for the work you’re doing today?
A: USN worked with me to nurture my love of art and creating. They allowed me to have a schedule flexible enough to take on an apprenticeship with local coppersmith and USN alumnus Ben Caldwell ’88. Working with Ben was the foundation of my education in sculpting and the business side of being an artist. I don’t think any other high school would have been so flexible and willing to make allowances for me to pursue this formative opportunity.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you have for USN students?
A: USN is just the beginning. Be flexible and open to new opportunities. Don’t be so focused on what you think you want to do with your life that you miss out on a path you haven’t discovered yet. I didn’t know anything about glassblowing until college, but my experiences at USN led me there nonetheless.
If you or someone you know is doing great work beyond Edgehill, please complete the form here to be considered for future installments of this series.
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Horizons at USN celebrates its 12th year
University School of Nashville’s free academic enrichment program was featured in The Tennessean this summer. Horizons includes daily swim lessons and studies in math, reading, science, and writing to reduce summer learning loss among 124 scholars.Read More -
Nashville’s HBCU Fair returns to USN on August 23
University School of Nashville invites all public, private, and charter high school students and their families to meet admissions officers from historically Black colleges and universities, a co-author of "The Guide to College for Black Families," and the founder of a financial aid app. Register at usn.org/HBCUfair.Read More -
Ava ’26 recognized by National Council of Teachers of English
Congratulations to the rising senior, who has been selected for a 2025 Achievement Award in Writing by the National Council of Teachers of English.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.