The University of Tennessee at Martin Department of Music, in partnership with the Weakley County Schools and Weakley Arts Can, hosted the Northwest Tennessee Arts Festival from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, April 10 at the tent near Pacer Pond. Art showcases from schools all over Northwest TN K-12 were displayed including drawings, paintings, photography, and 3D sculptures. The Northwest TN Arts Festival was created to highlight the importance of primary and higher education performances and visual arts in Northwest Tennessee.
There was also live music from our very own UTM students, UTM Choir Ensemble, and the Skyhawk Elite Dance Team, as well as performances from Westview High School Jazz Band, Northwest Tennessee Homeschool Coop, Middle School Choir, Northwest Tennessee Homeschool Coop, High School Choir, Sharon School General Music Class, Greenfield Sr. High General Music Class, Studio 5678 Dance Academy of Martin, Dresden High School Choir and the Weakley Playhouse.
Some of our very own UTM students performed original pieces written and produced by them. Erin Chandler, a senior Communications major, talked to us about the importance of the Northwest TN Arts Festival, and what it meant to her performing with fellow peer Dylan Ingram, a sophomore Communications major.
“It was a lot of fun to sing with Dylan, and I was really excited when he asked me to join him. I think the festival is really cool. It’s also so important that the arts are showcased, and it was neat bringing all types of artists in our community together at once,” Chandler said.
Make sure to follow along on their musical journey by listening to Dylan Ingram on Spotify and Apple Music.
Following COVID-19 guidelines, the event was socially distanced and masks were required. However, if you were still wary about physically going to the event you had the option to tune into 90.3 FM The Hawk and catch all of the entertainment and award-winning pieces over the radio.
