When Dolly Parton died last month, it hit local artist ShenShen harder than she anticipated.
She always appreciated Parton because her mom was a big fan, and working in Williamson County, she met many who had worked alongside her. She always assumed she’d meet Parton one day.
“It was just a much bigger loss than I could have anticipated, I think,” ShenShen told Williamson Scene.
Parton’s death also led to a pivot in the curator’s plans for her quarterly exhibit at The Factory at Franklin. On Friday, she’ll unveil an exhibition entirely of Dolly-inspired work as part of the Arts Council of Williamson County’s monthly art crawl.
“I just had this impression that I wasn't the only artist grieving that really wanted to pour her heart into creating something in this season to remember her,” she said.
She opened submissions for Dolly-themed art, and in the meantime, added four more paintings of Parton to her repertoire, including one in collaboration with John Carter Cash.
ShenShen received 50 submissions from other artists, too — not all of which she’ll be able to fit on the small gallery wall near Liberty Hall. In the future, she’d like to travel with an expanded version of the exhibition.
For the past two years, she’s curated the space wall near Liberty Hall in partnership with the Arts Council of Williamson County, typically featuring up to three artists per quarter.
“This area really draws creatives,” ShenShen said. “They love it for so many reasons, and I would love to see more citizens collecting art. I think it's a great way for emerging and mid-career artists to have a place to show their work that really increases awareness of the local community to people that may not go to an art gallery.”
Art has always been a way to process grief for ShenShen, who started as a teen graffiti artist in California. She often paints portraits of bygone musical greats, and also painted a portrait of Charlie Kirk, the founder of right-wing advocacy group Turning Point USA, who was killed in September 2025.
She had plans to work with the group at the time. In the past, art has helped her process difficult relationships with her family as well as miscarriages and other struggles, she says.
“No matter how much grief counseling you do, you can't avoid going through the process of grief yourself when it hits,” ShenShen said. “I go to the studio, and I try to create something to deal with that pain.”
A professional artist for 41 years, she recently opened GalleryHouse in Madison, which offers classes, workshops and retreats. Her work incorporates spray paint, acrylics and oil, layering a detailed portrait over more abstract bursts of color.
“I think by incorporating a lot of different colors into the paintings, they really represent all the different emotions that we go through in life, and that we can be at peace with all of them,” she said. “We don't always have to be living in that place where the bright yellows and the bright reds and the bright pinks are talking about a win. We have to be just as much at peace when things are difficult, and we're living through the blues and the violets.”
The show will run through Dec. 31 at the art wall near the big chair near Liberty Hall at the Factory in Franklin.