Tennessee native Kristen Thompson doesn’t just have an eye for art—she has a talent for marketing, creating opportunities, building relationships, and advocating for artists at every stage of their career. While Nashville has no shortage of exceptional artists, what it's been missing is someone in their corner: thus, Thompson Studio Agency was born. With her mother being an artist and her father working in clay, Kristen has been around the art scene her whole life. With a background spanning the gallery world and corporate marketing, Kristen brings a rare combination of creative instinct and strategic advocacy to artist representation.
“I took a little bit of a corporate detour, but I found my way back to the art world and this time, it's building something of my own, rather than just admiring it from an outside perspective,” Kristen shares.
Kristen launched Thompson Studio in May of this year after recognizing a recurring challenge among artists: they feel overwhelmed by the business side of their careers—having to market themselves, navigate the industry, and figure out the right strategic moves to reach their goals. The constant pressure was exhausting and often pulled their focus away from what they truly wanted to do: create. At Thompson Studio, it is their goal to act as the space between artists and audience—someone to handle the calls, navigate the contracts, open the right doors, and ensure artists are represented fairly. They pursue placements across hospitality, editorial, private collections, and interior design with thoughtful strategy and long-term career growth in mind. Their representation is rooted in both advocacy and transparency.
“We represent visual artists exclusively—so painters, sculptors, photographers, etc.,” Kristen explains. “I like to think of it as we're opening doors that wouldn't otherwise be open. It's really all about being additives to the artists’ already existing opportunities, not a replacement for anything that they've been doing thus far.”
The specific focus of their services are broken into three paths: press and editorial placements, hospitality and commercial commissions, and building and expanding their collector relationships. When it comes to architects, designers, and developers sourcing art for their projects, Thompson Studio aims to be their go to, offering them direct access to a curated roster of established and emerging Nashville artists, managing the process from first conversation to final delivery. Kristen knows how to open doors, negotiate terms, and advocate for the people she represents using skills she's sharpened over the years of working across both creative and business industries. This experience allows her to navigate opportunities with intention. At the heart of it all, Kristen sees art everywhere and is passionate in creating a meaningful connection between artists and opportunity.
“It’s the lens that I see everything through. For example: how a room is arranged, how a brand tells its story, how a city presents itself… even everyday stuff—small stuff, like how a table is set, how a space feels when you walk into it—it all carries the same instinct for composition and story that shows up in the work that I do professionally,” Kristen explains.
Born and raised in Chattanooga, Kristen has watched Nashville evolve over the years and quickly earn its title as one of the country’s most sought after cities. Now residing in Music City, she is passionate about bringing art to life while also nurturing the creativity and individuality of the artists behind it.
With the creative landscape constantly evolving with new hotels, developments, collectors, and audiences, the demand for meaningful, original art has never been higher.
“Nashville is definitely proving it's more than music,” Kristen says. “There's hospitality, design, new real estate developments, boutique restaurants… It’s really cool, the growth that's happening. Having the original local, true roots of artists here is still very much in demand and I believe that boutique agencies, like Thompson Studio, can help shape how that boom plays out.”
For more information on Thompson Studio Agency, visit thompsonstudioagency.com or follow them on socials @thompsonstudioagency.
“I didn't want Thompson Studio to feel like any agency… I wanted it to feel very specific, warm, direct, and human with a little bit of edge and playfulness.”