Our August Happenings begins with a message from our Exec Director Jeff Lyscczyn, who says
August is a season of fresh starts—and at the Rutherford Arts Alliance, it's also one of our favorite times of year because it marks the opening of applications for our RAA K–12 Needs-Based Scholarship Program.
If you're the parent, grandparent, teacher, or mentor of a young person with a passion for the arts, I hope you'll help us spread the word. Thanks to the generosity of grant partner, The Christy-Houston Foundation, Inc., as well as our donors, we have the funding to help 10x the number of students this year as we were able to in 2025. Whether a child’s family struggles to afford music lessons, dance classes, band, theater, painting, photography, creative writing, or other artistic supplies, we want cost to be less of a barrier to participation. Sometimes all a young artist needs is for someone to say, "Yes—I believe in you." Visit the scholarship page on the RAA website to learn more.
August also happens to be International Peace Month, National Wellness Month, and—perhaps most importantly to many of us—National Dog Month. While those observances may seem unrelated at first glance, they share something in common with the arts.
Art invites us to slow down. To listen. To notice. To imagine another person's perspective. To collaborate rather than criticize. To express emotions that words alone can't quite capture. We often think of the arts as entertainment, but they're also powerful tools for personal wellness and for building stronger, more compassionate communities. In a world that can sometimes feel loud and hurried, creativity offers a different path—one marked by curiosity, empathy, and connection.
Click image to explore available specialty plates.
As Tennessee residents, we have another simple way to support the arts that many people don't know about. Purchasing a Tennessee specialty license plate helps fund the Tennessee Arts Commission, and those plate sales provide roughly 80% of arts grant funding across our state. It's a small decision that creates an impact for artists, arts organizations, schools, and communities for years to come. If your license plate is up for renewal, I hope you'll consider a specialty plate.
Here's to a school year filled with creativity, curiosity, kindness, and the courage to make something beautiful.
Peace and Love,
Jeff
Read on for events in many genres, calls for artists and vendors, and much more!
Arts & Arts Advocate Spotlight: Gregory Lannom
Thank you, Gregory for dedicating your time and talents to champion the Rutherford County arts community. To learn more about Gregory please visit The World of Woohoo on his Facebook page HERE!
Banner image of dog in sunglasses Mollie Sivaram on Unsplash
