Nashville creatives are doing it for themselves

One thing that a burgeoning arts and music scene needs to thrive is space — to gather, to express their craft, to incubate creative ideas and share them.

DIY spaces are where independent musicians and creatives find home. These elusive improvised venues might be a defunct auto shop, the local VFW or a warehouse. Or, just as common, someone’s living room or basement! The do-it-yourself scene has a long legacy of punk and anarchist ideologies that are expressed through music, visual arts and literature, like zines.

But how is Nashville’s rising real estate market changing the face of the DIY arts scene? And what does it take to keep a venue, gallery or gathering place alive? Today, we talk to founders of DIY spaces across the city to hear how they do it — and why it’s worth it to them.

Guests:

• Olivia Scibelli, co-founder, DRKMTTR Collective 
• Jon Sewell, owner, The Packing Plant 
• Tracy Argiro, co-owner, Mirror Mirror Network 
• Linda Parrott, founder and director, Random Sample
• Andie Billheimer, assistant director, Random Sample

This episode was produced by Magnolia McKay.