Entry No. 32 — the Nashville file — filed under: outdoor
Elephant Gallery
A self-taught Seattle artist's curatorial project turned this North Nashville storefront into a gallery-and-studio hub known for shows that lean hard into the strange: 200-piece wooden "cryptid" figure installations, giant paper-mâché figures with tiny people swimming inside a resin-bowl belly, and a still-running "Unbannable Library" project that popped up around Middle Tennessee. It sits alongside NKA Gallery as part of a working artist enclave, not a polished commercial row.
The story
Alex Lockwood—a self-taught artist who relocated from Seattle—set up shop on Buchanan Street in 2016, converting a North Nashville storefront into working studios before opening Elephant Gallery in 2017. You won't find white-cube sterile quiet here, nor the polished commercial sheen of downtown. Elephant sits alongside NKA Gallery, anchoring a working artist enclave where work gets carved, cast, and built right behind the exhibition space.
The gallery's programming leans directly into the bizarre and tactile. Sculptor Brett Douglas Hunter inaugurated the space with a horde of nearly two hundred hand-carved wooden "cryptid" figures. A later show by Halle Ballard, titled *Insider*, featured massive paper-mâché figures with resin-bowl bellies housing tiny resin people suspended mid-swim. The gallery has also hosted the roaming "Unbannable Library" project, which popped up around Middle Tennessee to keep challenged books in circulation.
Instead of operating as a traditional commercial art dealership, Elephant functions as a neighborhood sanctuary for experimental solo shows, grief-driven community projects, and immersive installations. Shows regularly stretch the physical limits of the storefront, filling the room with raw energy rather than market-driven decor.
What it's like
Time your visit for the first Saturday evening of the month, when Buchanan Street's small cluster of galleries stays open late. The block turns into a genuine, neighborhood-driven art crawl where people spill out onto the pavement. You'll walk straight off the sidewalk into a space that often smells of fresh timber or resin, surrounded by artists who actually live and work in the surrounding zip codes.
The move: Catch an opening on the first Saturday of the month, when Buchanan Street's small run of galleries stays open late and the neighborhood feels like a real art crawl rather than a staged one.
- 📍 North Nashville / Buchanan Street Arts District
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1411 Buchanan St, Nashville, TN 37208
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Jefferson Street Sound Museum — Head less than a mile south to trade contemporary sculpture for a grassroots archive of North Nashville's mid-century R&B and soul heritage.
- Green Hour — Head 1.2 miles east into Germantown after the art crawl for a traditional absinthe drip ritual inside a chocolate shop that turns into a lounge after dark.
- The Red Arrow Gallery — Cross the river to East Nashville to continue an offbeat art tour through a storefront gallery known for burnt, wax-sealed sculptures and surrealist drawings.
Good to know
Who founded Elephant Gallery?
Artist Alex Lockwood established the studio spaces in 2016 and opened Elephant Gallery inside the North Nashville storefront in 2017.
What kind of art can I expect to see?
The space hosts solo and group exhibitions in any medium, leaning heavily toward offbeat sculpture, large-scale paper-mâché, carved wood installations, and community-driven art projects.
When is the best time to visit?
The gallery is liveliest during the North Nashville art crawl on the first Saturday of each month. Because exhibition schedules vary, confirm current gallery hours before planning a weekday trip.
Where is Elephant Gallery located?
It sits at 1411 Buchanan Street in North Nashville's Buchanan Street Arts District, operating alongside companion spaces like NKA Gallery.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: burnaway.org · Official site
last checked: 2026-07-20