Who says art shows have to be stuffy to be taken seriously? Certainly not anyone who visited Julia Martin Gallery in 2025, when the space — spearheaded with community-centered vision by artist Julia Martin — took on several outside-the-box curatorial efforts that made opening receptions feel more like social gatherings of your most ambitious and supportive friends. The gallery’s May show Hall Pass was a fun and funny take on secret crushes that was guest curated by multitalented comedian Jamie Bradley; September’s Cowboy Kitchen was an example of how musician Jonny Fritz’s artsy friends gathered around him in times of need; and June’s Do You Know How Good You Are? was a showcase for Room In The Inn’s work with unhoused Nashvillians.
