Our Approach
At Daybreak Arts, our approach begins with how we see people: for their strengths, creativity, and potential—not simply the circumstances they have experienced.
We have built a creative ecosystem designed to make creative opportunity accessible and create pathways for artists to grow. Within that ecosystem, artists can access creative space, explore disciplines, develop their skills, build relationships, share their work, gain recognition, and pursue economic opportunity. There is no single path or expected outcome; artists choose the opportunities that are meaningful to them and determine what comes next.
This ecosystem is grounded in a set of principles that guide how we design our programs, support artists, and connect our work to the broader community:
Center Strengths
We begin with what people bring: their creativity, talents, experiences, interests, and potential. Seniors and adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity are not defined by their housing status or circumstances. They are artists, creators, teachers, performers, makers, and contributors with something meaningful to offer. By centering those strengths, we create opportunities for people to be recognized for what they can do.
Make Creativity Accessible
We believe creative opportunity should not depend on formal training, a portfolio, income, or previous experience. We provide free creative space, supplies, learning opportunities, resources, and community so artists can participate without traditional barriers. Artists can come as they are, explore new interests, return to an existing practice, and participate at their own pace.
Follow the Artist, Not a Formula
Artists have different goals, interests, abilities, and definitions of success. We do not require everyone to follow the same path or achieve the same outcome. Instead, We honor an artists’ choice by provide a ranging of opportunities and giving artists the freedom to decide what is meaningful to them, where they want to grow, and what they want to pursue next.
Create Pathways To Opportunity
Our programs create pathways of access that allow artists to participate in creative opportunities in ways that build over time. An artist may begin with access to a place to create, explore a new discipline, develop their skills, build relationships, share their work through exhibitions or performances, and pursue opportunities to earn income. Each opportunity can open the door to the next, while artists choose the path that aligns with their interests and goals.
The pathway can include:
CREATE — Explore interests, make work, and build a creative practice.
DEVELOP — Build skills, confidence, knowledge, and professional experience.
CONNECT — Develop relationships with peers, mentors, cultural organizations, businesses, and the broader community.
SHARE — Exhibit, perform, teach, and contribute to Nashville's creative life.
EARN — Pursue income through artwork sales, commissions, performances, teaching, creative services, and other opportunities.
Artists may enter at any point, move forward at their own pace, return to earlier stages, or focus on only the opportunities that are meaningful to them.
Build Connections Across Communities
We believe creative opportunity becomes more powerful when it extends beyond the walls of Daybreak Arts. We connect artists with museums, galleries, cultural organizations, businesses, schools, event organizers, other artists, and community members throughout Nashville. These connections create opportunities not only for artists to build relationships and gain experience, but for the broader community to encounter people for their creativity and contributions.
Extend Creativity Across Generations
We believe access to creativity matters at every stage of life. While our Artist Collective centers seniors and adults experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, Daybreak Arts also extends creative opportunities to young people through Gigi’s Creative Corner, as well as the broader community through exhibitions, performances, partnerships, and public experiences. Across generations,, the goal is the same: create opportunities for people to participate, contribute, connect, and be recognized through creativity.