ARTIST BIO
I was born and raised in Nashville, TN. As a child, I was constantly drawing, working puzzles, building tree houses, or playing in the sandbox. That creative force was my saving grace. Raised in a strict Southern Baptist household, I found solace not in what the preacher had to say but, in the church’s, colorful, vibrant stained glass windows.
Taking art classes in middle and high school was the highlight of my education. I majored in art at Middle Tennessee State University. After graduation, I moved to southern California and took stained glass classes. After returning to Nashville, I became a partner in Emmanuel Stained Glass Studio, Inc., where we fabricated commissioned work for churches.
After hours, I worked in my home studio and exhibited work in the Nashville art scene for over 30 years, including local collectives and commercial galleries. Seven art galleries represented my work, and I owned Bryant Gallery in East Nashville from 2009 to 2013.
Retiring in 2019 and the 2020 pandemic caused me to re-assess my creative process. I had the opportunity to go on a psilocybin retreat. The experience was the reset I needed to take my art in a new direction. For the past 3 years, I have been creating two bodies of work: Trapped (mixed-media assemblages) and Music Series (mixed-media paper and digital collage).
During my formative years, I witnessed the threat of the Cold War, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War. These events have had a significant impact on my life and my art. In recent years, the rise of hate and intolerance, often supported by those claiming religious authority, has continued to shape my perspective.
I live in East Nashville with my partner, Andrew, and our dogs, Sookie and Paco.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2013 Baggage, Bryant Gallery, Nashville, TN
2012 Tide Pools at Halibut Point, Bryant Gallery, Nashville, TN
2008 Urban Frescoes, Art & Invention Gallery, Nashville, TN
2007 Bill Brimm at Home, Home Gallery, Nashville, TN
2006 Bill Brimm at Home, Home Gallery, Nashville, TN
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 LP Canvas: Vinyl Art in Music City, Chauvet Arts, Nashville, TN
Untitled, Pop Up by Untitled Collective, Nashville, TN
2023 Fast Fluid Field, Pop Up by Eastside Artists Collective, Nashville, TN
2007 Resurrection, Position East Collective, East Nashville, TN
1998 Elvis, Chicago, IL
Living Color II, Nashville International Airport, Nashville, TN
1995 Guys on the Outskirts, AKA Gallery, Nashville, TN
1994 Position East Crosses the River, Art Synergy, Position East Collective, East Nashville, TN
Clearly Balanced, Position East Collective, East Nashville, TN
Untitled, AKA Gallery, Nashville, TN (three person show)
Spring Fever, Position East Collective, East Nashville, TN
1993 Mirror Image, Position East Collective, East Nashville, TN
Heavenly Bodies, Vaanguard Gallery, Nashville, TN
Central South Art Exhibition, Tennessee Art League at The Parthenon, Nashville, TN (juried show)
Juried Regional Exhibition, Visual Artist Alliance of Nashville, Vaanguard Gallery, Nashville, TN
COLLECTIONS
Fanblade, Nashville International Airport
REPRESENTATION
2007 – 2008 Art & Invention Gallery, Whitefish, MT
2000 – 2010 Art & Invention Gallery, Nashville, TN
1998 – 2000 Finer Things Gallery, Nashville, TN
1994 – 1998 Zeitgeist Gallery, Nashville, TN
1993 – 1994 Raymond Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
Katzman-Werthan Gallery, Nashville, TN
1992 – 1995 Local Color Gallery, Nashville, TN
CURATORIAL
2012 Shelby Park’s Centennial Celebration, Shelby Park Nature Center, Nashville, TN
1998 Living Color II, Nashville International Airport, Nashville, TN
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Artist in Profile: Bill Brimm,” The East Nashvillian, Heather Lose, July/August 2013
"Tidepools at Halibut Point," Nashville Scene, 2012
“Furniture artist opens new gallery in East Nashville,” The Tennessean, MiChelle Jones, 2009
“Riddle Me This,” Nashville Galleries Examiner, Chuck Beard, October 15, 2006
“Urban Frescoes Features the Photography of Bill Brimm,” Nashville Skyline, October 12, 2006
“Queen Anne Contemporary,” Designer Builder, Jonathan Malcolm Lampley, Summer 2001
“Talking with Bill Brimm,” Visual Arts Alliance of Nashville, Kaaren Engel, January/February 2001
RELATED WORK
1985 - 2024 Stained Glass Artist & Co-Owner, Emmanuel Stained Glass Studio, Inc., Nashville, TN
EDUCATION
1977 Bachelor’s Degree in Art, Middle Tennessee State University, TN, USA
billbrimm@gmail.com
+1 (615) 476-0704
Nashville, TN