The Scene's Favorite Photos of 2023

Those of us who cover news for a living certainly had plenty to work with in 2023 — from political turmoil at the state and local levels to a deadly school shooting and a devastating cluster of December tornadoes. But there were the uplifting moments as well, and fortunately for us, the Scene's wonderful team of staff and freelance photographers was there to capture the action.

Below find 15 of our favorite photographs from the year, as selected by Scene art director Elizabeth Jones — with some context and commentary from yours truly.

At the beginning of the year, the family behind Arnold's Country Kitchen announced that they would be closing their iconic Nashville meat-and-three. After a deal to sell the site apparently fell through, news came down just this month that Arnold's will reopen for a spell come January. Nevertheless, dedicated patrons lined up for what they thought might be one last meal in early 2023. Our own Eric England was at Arnold's this year to get some shots.

Tennessee's Republican-dominated state legislature passed a number of laws targeting the LGBTQ community during this year's legislative session. (More on that in a bit.) In March, a slew of acclaimed artists — including Maren Morris, Allison Russell, Jason Isbell, Hayley Williams, Ruby Amanfu and Shea Diamond, among many others — gathered for the Love Rising benefit concert at Bridgestone Arena, speaking out against Tennessee's "slate of hate" and raising funds for LGBTQ causes. Our own Hamilton Matthew Masters and Brittney McKenna were there to cover the proceedings.

Most Nashvillians will never forget the tragic events of March 27, 2023, when a shooter entered the Covenant School in Green Hills and opened fire, ultimately killing three students and three staff members. The days that followed saw an outpouring of support from the community, with Nashvillians showing up to create memorials and hold vigils for the victims. Reporter and photographer Hamilton Matthew Masters was on the ground at the Covenant School, and photographed a makeshift memorial for victims Katherine Koonce, Mike Hill, Cynthia Peak, Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

But community action in the wake of the Covenant School shooting was not limited to vigils and memorials. Scores of parents, teachers, students and other Nashvillians took to the state Capitol calling for gun reform. The legislative session ultimately ended with virtually no action on guns, as did a special session in August. But gun safety advocates' calls for change continue — which is why we recently selected three of the movement's prominent representatives as our Nashvillians of the Year.

Tennessee's Republican supermajority made national headlines when they moved to expel Democratic Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson for leading anti-gun protests on the House floor in April. Jones and Pearson (who are both Black) were ultimately expelled, while Johnson (who is white) was not. Nashville lawmaker Jones and Memphis Rep. Pearson were ultimately reinstated after public outcry. But the Tennessee GOP's actions — which effectively made the so-called Tennessee Three national figures and brought state Democrats millions of dollars in donations — earned them a prominent spot in the Scene's 2023 Boner Awards.

What else did Tennessee Republicans do with this year's legislative session, aside from not passing gun reform legislation? They targeted the LGBTQ community with laws designed to, for instance, ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors and restrict drag performances on public property (the latter of which has been blocked by multiple judges). In the face of those actions as well as outcry over Pride celebrations throughout Middle Tennessee, Nashville's LGBTQ community and allies still came out in June to march and celebrate. 

This year, contributor Danny Bonvissuto launched a new Scene series called Date Night — "a multipart road map for everyone who wants a nice evening out, but has no time to plan it." It's been a delight to edit. (But I have to remember to edit the column after I've eaten lunch, otherwise shots like the above photo from Germantown restaurant Jacqueline by Angelina Castillo leave me feeling immensely hangry.)

Due to workforce issues, cost burden and many other factors, Nashville is facing a child care crisis. Scene health care reporter Hannah Herner took a close look at that issue in an August cover story, which also featured the above shot of local mother Cortnye Stone.

If you can believe it, 2023 was also a local election year, with the mayor's seat, vice mayor's seat and every Metro Council seat up for a vote. And the council elections had a historic outcome: An all-female slate of at-large councilmembers was elected, including Metro's first transgender councilmember, Olivia Hill. Also elected to an at-large seat was former district Councilmember Delishia Porterfield, pictured above.

After what felt like an eternity, Nashville's mayoral race came to a close in September when progressive Metro Councilmember Freddie O'Connell bested longtime local conservative Alice Rolli in a runoff.

In the wake of the Covenant School shooting, Gov. Bill Lee called a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly, ostensibly to pass legislation related to gun reform. Ultimately, virtually no meaningful laws were passed, and Lee has said he will not take up legislation related to what are known as red-flag laws at next year's session.

It was a big year for Bully. Alicia Bognanno's home-grown rock 'n' roll outfit put out the critically acclaimed Lucky for You and landed a well-deserved spot on the cover of the Scene's Year in Music issue earlier this month. Bully also happened to play a killer homecoming gig at Brooklyn Bowl in late August, where longtime freelance photog Diana Lee Zadlo snapped a number of incredible shots.

More than a dozen tornadoes touched down in Middle Tennessee on Dec. 9, killing three people in Montgomery County and three more in Madison. With chaotic scenes of destruction in Nashville and beyond, the community was reminded of past severe-weather incidents, including a devastating cluster of tornadoes in March 2020 that left two dead in Nashville and many more throughout the Midstate.