Mike Ingram, president of the Arts Council of Williamson County, has managed art crawls in six different locations, including Indiana and Florida.
After 15 years in Franklin, one thing that sticks out is the amount of community there. Vice president Rhiannon Guppy would have to agree.
“I've never had as much community as there is here," Guppy says. “I do feel like I go into Franklin, and 100 percent I'll bump into somebody that I know.”
Art Crawl 2026
Guppy knows more business owners than most — she’s the one who pairs artists with businesses to showcase their work through the first Friday art crawl each month.
Ingram has been part of the council for 12 of his 15 years in Williamson County. When he took over as president three years ago, the group was pretty much starting from scratch post-pandemic, Ingram says. The group also had to weather the crackdown on serving wine at the event. The former art teacher of 39 years has a passion for helping artists build a successful business.
“So many creative people need help promoting themselves and their work,” Ingram says. “I mean, they're really good at creating the art, but they're not good at promoting it and selling it. That’s one of the things that I try to do.”
In the past several years, Guppy has seen the number of artists double. Recently, the council added an online form for artists to show interest, but she does much of the organization manually. She also handles the Instagram and Facebook account for the council.
Williamson County also has a lot of untapped potential, Ingram says. The entirely volunteer-run organization has its limits, but Ingram has big ideas. For example, they’d love to see a volunteer grant writer reach out.
Of course, one thing that Franklin is lacking in is brick-and-mortar galleries. Specifically, he’d like to establish one on Main Street to showcase local member art. He’d also like to expand partnerships in which a business hosts an artist’s work for a month or more at a time.
The council is also open to more businesses to host artists. The art crawl can be one of the most successful nights of the month for both artists and local business owners.
Art Crawl 2026
“The businesses are really important,” Ingram says. “We wouldn't have an art crawl if not for the business, so we try to really take care of them. The taxes and the rent are going up so fast it's hard to make a living in a small business. Anything we can do to help them out is what we're trying to do.”
Both Ingram and Guppy make their own art — watercolor and painting, respectively. They’ll pinch hit for the art crawl when needed, too. With the expanded number of artists, Guppy would like to see more people utilize the shuttle to reach each of the locations.
“The purpose of it is showcasing how much creativity there is in Franklin and the surrounding areas, and how many artists are actually residing in this area, and the diversity of the different art, as well,” Guppy says.