When Joe Noe called Glen Biggs in 2018 with a proposition, Biggs didn't know he was about to inherit an entire arts organization.
"I love it so much, I can't imagine not having done it,” Biggs says.
That passion makes sense when you understand Biggs's history. Growing up in Franklin, Kentucky, he was deeply involved with his hometown's community arts council. When he moved to Nashville, he searched for that same sense of belonging but kept hitting walls.
"I was trying to find a home where I could belong to the community of arts. I couldn't find it in Nashville—everything [in the arts] is very professional," he says.
Arts Bellevue is for the community. Since officially launching its programs in April 2019, the organization has been providing the Bellevue region, including Fairview, Kingston Springs, and Pegram, with opportunities to engage with the arts in every possible way. Today, it’s the only community arts organization in the Middle Tennessee area.
"That can look like being in the audience, it can be about being a musician, it's about doing workshops–you can be in them or teach them," Biggs says. "It's just about building community and giving people opportunity."
The programming is impressively diverse. Their “Vue in the Round” series—a monthly singer-songwriter evening at Ford Ice Center—has become a beloved fixture.
"Our audience loves coming to hear us because it's not a typical bar setting,” Biggs says. “They can come and sit and listen to the music, and it’s very different from being in a bar space.”
At just $10 per person, it's an accessible night out where people can "shut the world out and just listen to music for two hours."
Then there's the “Vue Master” series—weekend intensives ranging from block printing to wax techniques. The organization has even partnered with Green Door Gourmet for culinary workshops.
When the pandemic hit, Arts Bellevue didn't skip a beat. They went virtual, streaming performances from living rooms, hosting script readings and poetry workshops.
"We did something every week," Biggs says. "It kept people connected to the community itself."
But there's one persistent challenge Arts Bellevue faces: space. Before the pandemic, they had a performance venue at World Music in the Kroger shopping center. When that closed, they had to scramble. Theater productions are especially difficult.
"The resources it takes to do theater is a lot, but we want to bring it back," Biggs says, noting that theater engages more people than any other art form. "You can be on stage, backstage, costumes, props, stage manager, director, music director, there are so many different aspects."
They've got the talent—including Janet McMahan, a Bellevue playwright who toured with Roy Orbison back in the day. But without a permanent home, mounting productions remains a struggle. So, add lending space to the list of ways to support the organization.
Despite navigating spatial challenges, Arts Bellevue keeps growing. Community memberships start at just $5 a month, and grants from the Bellevue Community Foundation and Tennessee Arts Commission help pay artists fairly– nobody works for free.
"We're always looking for volunteers and for people to get involved. There's always something open for someone interested."
If workshops, memberships, performing on stage, or clapping along in the audience don’t entice you, perhaps this will: each December, Arts Bellevue hosts a Santa-themed pub crawl to raise funds for the local food bank.
For a guy who just wanted to help a fellow arts aficionado, Glen Biggs has built something remarkable: a place where everyone in Bellevue can find their artistic home. For more information on events and opportunities to get involved, visit ArtsBellevue.org.
"We're always looking for volunteers and for people to get involved."