APSU Names Briena Harmening 2026-2027 Artist Fellow
Nashville visual artist and high school teacher Briena Harmening receives the Tennessee Artist Fellowship from Austin Peay State University.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Painting
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Austin Peay State University's Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts has named Nashville visual artist Briena Harmening the 2026-2027 Tennessee Artist Fellowship recipient. The fellowship provides $5,000 to create new artwork.
Why it matters
The fellowship supports Tennessee artists through a faculty committee that identifies outstanding artists across the state without accepting applications or nominations. Voting members said it is important to recognize and support pre-college public educators, a focus reflected in the selection of Harmening, a high school art teacher.
The fellowship carries a $5,000 award for new artwork, and the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts has provided programming at APSU since 1985. The source does not specify how many candidates were reviewed before the selection.
The players
Briena Harmening
Nashville visual artist and high school art teacher at James Lawson High School who holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee.
Austin Peay State University
Public university in Clarksville, Tennessee, whose Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts runs the Tennessee Artist Fellowship.
Frist Art Museum
Nashville art museum hosting Harmening's free artist lecture on April 8, 2027.
The details
The recipient was chosen by an APSU faculty committee that compiles a list of outstanding artists from across Tennessee, and the fellowship does not solicit nominations or applications. Harmening holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee and teaches art at James Lawson High School, and she will present a free artist lecture at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, open on a first-come, first-served basis.
Timeline
1927: The Department of Art + Design was established at APSU.
1985: The Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts began providing programming at APSU.
November 2, 2026: Harmening was named the 2026-2027 Tennessee Artist Fellowship recipient.
April 8, 2027: Harmening's free artist lecture at the Frist Art Museum begins at 6:30pm.
Culture Shift
The fellowship continues the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts' programming that dates to its 1985 founding and extends its role in supporting Tennessee artists. It reflects a model in which a university faculty committee, rather than open applications, identifies working artists across the state for recognition.
Clarksville residents can attend the arts programming that Austin Peay State University's Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts brings to campus, including up to 100 public events a year. The fellowship's $5,000 award and faculty selection process shape which Tennessee artists the university showcases.
The takeaway
Local readers interested in the arts can follow the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts' public events, which bring as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year. Harmening's April 2027 lecture offers a direct opportunity to hear from a recent fellowship recipient.
What happens next
Harmening will present her free artist lecture at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville on April 8, 2027, beginning at 6:30pm.
Further reading
Explore more painting coverage to see how Tennessee artists are making their work.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Clarksville, TN Online.
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