The Franklin arts community is inviting people to come out and spend a little time on the porch this Friday night.
Local musicians will be performing live in intimate open-air concerts. People can watch dancers under the stars and hear literary readings as night falls over the downtown area.
Artists, set up in the public view, will allow the public to see the creative process unfold in real time.
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Porchtober is a brand new gathering being staged on porches, patios and yards throughout downtown Franklin. Organized by the Creative Council of Franklin, the event offers artists of all kinds an opportunity to show off their talents to the community, while giving people a safe, distanced form of entertainment.
“In the performance industry, so many of them are just desperate to do their craft. The cool thing for us is, we’re just trying to provide a space where these people can come and exercise their gifts and feel excited about who they are, at a time when we’re being told to kind of stay away from it,” said Patrick Tisdale, president of the Creative Council of Franklin.
The idea for Porchtober first bubbled up at the end of 2019 among members of the Creative Council of Franklin. The organization is a nonprofit that encourages creative people from all disciplines to educate the public about the value that art brings, to make art and to connect people to creative work.
In its discussions, the council wanted to plan an event after its popular Art to Finish celebration held during the summer. In a normal year, the organization would host an artist showcase around November.
While the artist showcase is skewed toward visual artists, the council was hoping to plan an event to cater to musicians, particularly after the pandemic made many performances impossible, Tisdale said.
“We were at a loss as how to serve our creative community during these last few months of the year,” he said. “This idea came back up as a safe way to do something.”
Musicians were the initial inspiration for Porchtober, but the scope has grown to include all types of creative endeavors. Performing artists, singer-songwriters, a DJ, hula-hoopers and visual artists have all signed up to take part.
The Creative Council has lined up 10 porches or other outdoor locations to stage the events. All locations will be around or blocks away from the courthouse square. Businesses such as Toodleydoo Toys and Madison & Main will feature music and art demonstrations, including one by Greg Potter, known for his murals throughout downtown.
To celebrate the written word, participants will be reading selections at the Johnson County Public Library services center.
Residents have offered their large porches as performance spaces. In front of the Franklin City Hall, the council will revive its Night Lights display — projecting a large message on the side of the building while a musician performs. Four other artists will have tents set up showing their work.
“The entire thing kind of reads as a music event, that’s kind of the lead for our marketing, but it really will be a little bit of everything,” Tisdale said.
To help people navigate the event, the Creative Council has created maps that double as punch cards. Participants can mark each location they stop at, and after turning in the punch cards, organizers will draw one for a $100 gift card, Tisdale said.
Being able to do this for the community, and for artists yearning to show their work to the public, is particularly satisfying for those on the Creative Council, Tisdale said.
“Our mission is to encourage creativity,” he said. “Playing music live, for some people, it’s a compulsion similar to my compulsion to paint. It may be hyperbolic, but I always say that my need to paint is equivalent to breathing. It’s the same for any other creative people.”
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Porchtober
What: An event with local musicians, artists and performers featured on porches, patios and other outdoor venues.
When: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Downtown Franklin
Who: Organized by the Creative Council of Franklin
How to find the performances: Maps will be distributed by the Creative Council at Franklin City Hall.
Information: facebook.com/CreativeCouncilFranklin
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