What Is Artclectic?

Artclectic is one of Nashville's premier juried art shows, welcoming nationally recognized artists and visitors from across the city to USN's Sperling Gym turned art gallery. The weekend features exceptional artwork, artist demonstrations, student experiences, family activities, and special events that celebrate creativity, with proceeds benefiting USN. Click here to buy tickets to the Patrons Party October 22, 2026.
By Anna Cramer, Artclectic Co-Chair
 
What Is Artclectic?
Mark your calendar for October 22–24, 2026. Artclectic turns 30 years old this year. 
 
If you are new to USN, here is the short version: Artclectic is a three-day art show on our own campus. A jury of working artists and art collectors reviews over 160 applications and selects 65 professional artists from across the country, including painters, potters, weavers, woodworkers, printmakers, jewelers, and sculptors. Then Sperling Gym is draped, floor to ceiling, in black cloth, and the art goes up on the walls.
 
People who walk in for the first time tend to stop in the doorway. It does not look like a gym. It looks like a gallery, because for three days that is exactly what it is.
 
Thirty percent of every sale comes back to USN
This is the part worth understanding, because it changes how you might think about walking through the show.

For every piece of art sold during those three days, 30% comes back to the school. That means the painting you fall in love with on Friday night does two things at once. If you buy a $400 piece, $120 of it goes to USN. Buy a $1,500 piece, and $450 stays here. You take home original work by a professional artist, and the school is funded by the same transaction.
 
The proceeds have gone to the Endowment for Innovative Teaching every year. Last year alone, Artclectic contributed more than $87,000 to that endowment. Across its thirty-year history, the show has raised over $1 million for USN.
 
And that figure is only part of the story. Artclectic also keeps families connected to this school long after their children graduate, and those connections are what keep people giving for decades. The fundraising you can count is real. The fundraising you cannot count may be larger.
 
Why we do it
Education. Friday belongs to the students. The artists arrive at 8 a.m., before the show opens to anyone, so that every Lower School class can tour the gallery, hear from the artists, and ask questions. Middle and High School students come through during their electives. Our featured artist spends the entire week on campus making art alongside our students. For many children, it is the first time they meet someone who makes a living as an artist, and the first time it occurs to them that this is a thing a person can do.
 
Community. It is a genuinely fun weekend for current families. It is also how alumni families stay tied to USN. One parent, whose child graduated in the 1990s, told us that Artclectic is the one time a year she comes back to campus. That is not a small thing.
 
Great art. The artists come from all over the country and work in every medium you can think of. If you need something for your home or your office, you will find it here.
 
New this year
Twenty-five artists are new to Artclectic this year, joining 40 returning favorites. We are also launching the first Artclectic Juried Student Art Show, open to students in K–12, with an awards ceremony Saturday at 3 p.m.
Discovery Day has grown considerably: three hands-on workshops (watercolor painting, linocut printmaking, and embroidery), four live demonstrations (pyrography, natural dye, metalsmithing, and ceramics), and all-day community weaving. New this year, you can also speed date an interior designer. Bring a photo of a room from home and spend fifteen minutes walking the gallery with a designer to find the right piece for it.
 
The weekend
  • Thursday, October 22 — Patrons Party, 6:30 p.m. The one ticketed event of the show. Click here to buy tickets. 
  • Friday, October 23 — Education Day and Alumni Parent Coffee. Students tour the gallery and interview the artists, while parents of USN graduates gather for coffee.
  • Friday, October 23 — ARTbash, 6 p.m. Open to the entire Nashville community.
  • Saturday, October 24 — Discovery Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. All ages, hands-on, food trucks, and a gallery full of things to try.
How to be part of it
Buy your Patrons Party tickets. Sign up to volunteer here. We need help at the cashier table, with artist hospitality, with gallery prep and load-in, and as docents for the student tours. And follow @artclecticnashville on Instagram, where we are introducing the artists between now and October.
 
Then come walk through the gallery and find your new favorite piece.
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School News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Eighth graders practice their Chinese during a field trip to Sichuan Hot Pot & Asian Cuisine.

    Through play, Josephine Huang teaches Chinese and molds lifelong learners

    Middle School and High School Chinese Teacher Josephine Huang has been involved with USN as a volunteer, a parent, and a teacher. Now in her 20th year as a faculty member, Huang's innovative lessons and belief in relationships continue to instill in students a lifelong love of learning.
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  • Stokes earns Excellence in Auxiliary Award

    Director of Auxiliary Services Rebecca Stokes was given the Summer Programs and Auxiliary Revenue Collaborative’s award for her work including students in the selection of a new playground, transitioning the school bookstore, refining registration systems and processes for summer camps & enrichment activities, and expanding the school’s cultural and holiday celebrations to be inclusive of USN’s diverse student body.
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  • Preview USN on November 14

    University School of Nashville welcomes prospective families to tour the Edgehill Campus, speak with students, faculty, and administrators, and learn about our K-12 school's academic, athletic, and arts offerings. Sessions will take place at 9:30 a.m. for Middle & High Schools and 1 p.m. for Lower School. Let us know you are coming at  usn.org/preview.
    Read More
Archive

Athletics News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Mountain Bike Team Takes on Winged Deer Trails, HS Makes Podium Appearance

    Steve Smail
    Winged Deer Park and trails in Johnson City hosted our 4th race on Sunday October 11th, and despite a bit of hurricane outwash winds and showers - and reduced team numbers due to fall break and distance from Nashville - our racers utilized all available skills and speed which helped “wing" Sophomore Claire Dehner to a 4th place podium spot, our first podium appearance and medal for the season.
     
    Read More

  • HS athletics recaps for September 11-17

    Tiger golfers have officially qualified for the region tournament, and our other teams are not far behind. Volleyball sits near the top of the district, finishing up regular season play next week with Senior Night. Girls soccer continues to hold first place in the district after another 9-0 win, and our cross country runners are chasing after some school records. To round it all out, our mountain bike team traveled to Oakfield to continue to improve on their times for the season. There’s plenty more where that came from- so be sure to come out to the River Campus, Sperling Gym, or out on the road to cheer on our Tigers before their seasons end.
    Read More

  • MS athletics recaps for September 11-17

    Middle School volleyball and tennis teams are nearing the final games of their seasons, with the competition heating up while the Tigers play to determine their HVAC rankings. Cross country was finally able to race at the River Campus despite the heat, and our mountain biking team traveled to Oakfield, Tennessee, for a high-temperature race weekend.
    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

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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.