Friends of the William Edmondson Homesite Park & Gardens

Established in 2018 as a coalition to save this site from sale by the city, we're a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) community non-profit.

Our mission is to preserve, protect, enhance, and activate the William Edmondson Homesite Park and Gardens as a living legacy to trailblazing African American artist William Edmondson, and to foster a creative, vibrant, and safe public space for all of Nashville to enjoy.

Our values are community, culture, and passing along legacy as inspiration to future artists and the public.

Edmondson, guided by a Divine calling he received, was a self-taught limestone sculptor who became the first Black artist to earn a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937. His former homesite is now part of a seven-acre public greenspace that is owned by Metro Schools and cared for and supported purely by our dedicated mission-driven volunteers.

Our vision is embodied by the Higher Vision Master Plan proposal, a grassroots proposal developed by the community, with volunteer experts and Metro partners, that calls upon the Metro Nashville government to create a dynamic “living landmark” to William Edmondson at this priceless historic landmark and civic greenspace site.

Anchored by a new William Edmondson Arts and Culture Center and Museum, it would include a new Edgehill Public Library, historic archives, interpretive displays, park improvements, and an art education space. It’s designed to honor Edmondson at the very site where he created his acclaimed sculptures, and to serve and inspire current and future generations of artists.

We advance our mission and values through events, advocacy, greenspace stewardship, historic preservation and education, and arts programming and enrichment for adults and youth.

We create in-person and digital programming and educational opportunities to learn and be inspired by the example and the art of William Edmondson, and to uplift the memory of many other "Edgehill Heroes" historic figures connected to the neighborhood, such as original Grand Ole Opry pioneer, the "Harmonica Wizard" DeFord Bailey.

We steward the greenspace and maintain its amenities. The Edmondson Homesite features a multipurpose playing field, a walking trail, and a fitness track. The park is maintained by solely by neighborhood volunteers, as Metro Nashville does not recognize or maintain it within the park system.

Since 2020, with the help of the Nashville Tree Foundation and volunteers from Belmont and the community, we’ve planted dozens of unique tree species, earning a Level-2 Arboretum status from the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council.

We Advocate: as a grassroots organization, we mobilize the neighborhood, and all who believe in our mission, to help us advocate for the ongoing needs of the park and the future vision outlined in the Higher Vision Master Plan proposal.

We activate: Every October, we put on The William Edmondson Arts & Culture Festival (WE Fest), which is the only festival in the U.S. honoring groundbreaking sculptor William Edmondson. This free, family-friendly outdoor event takes place at his former homesite and celebrates Nashville's diverse artists by providing an opportunity to showcase their talent and sell their work. 

WE Fest features live music, art demos, food, and a variety of activities to engage all ages. We bring artists to the public and the public to artists. Volunteers are the lifeblood of this, and all of our events.