Masami Agari
Nashville School of the Arts

The vocal artist I chose to use as my inspiration was Adele. Her music is full of soul, her vocal range is stunning, and she has not conformed to society’s physical and social expectations. The piece itself was made with such a variety of colors to refer to the creativity inside her songs and how she portrays them. The body positioning is open and inviting to indicate an enveloping atmosphere of her presence. The background of blue and gold symbolizes a passion, not so far as red, but a deeper depth of the unknown, similar to the midnight sky. The lyrics to some of her more popular songs such as “Skyfall” and “Rolling in the Deep” strongly influenced my work, ensnaring me into a trance-like state. The bold colors of her personality flew through into the body with yarn and a bit of acrylic paint, unlikely allies. This piece was very inspired to invoke Adele’s tone and presence.

Lizardo Gomez Moreno
Cane Ridge High School

Maria Cruz
Cane Ridge High School

The person I chose for my project was Brenda Lee. She is a top-charting female vocalist of the 1960s. She sang rock, country, and pop music. Lee is known for her hits “I’m Sorry,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and “All Alone Am I.” She was known as “Little Miss Dynamite” and was just thirteen years old when she scored her Christmas hit.

The first thing I put on the portrait were some of downtown Nashville’s buildings, for example, the Batman building. I put them on there because, besides Elvis Presley, she was one of the biggest recording artists in Nashville. At first I wanted to make it the color royal blue, however the color didn’t pop out well against the black and white. So I went over it twice with gold, which worked much better.

I also chose to have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame logo on there because I thought it was cool that she was inducted in 2002. I chose to put a baseball to represent her dad, who played baseball in the army. I made it with sequins so that it would pop out. I also put a bow of sequins in her hair. The bow was green and red, to represent her Christmas hit. And lastly, I sewed in dynamite exploding to represent her nickname: “Little Miss Dynamite.”

In conclusion, it was a great experience working on this project. Obviously, it was very challenging. However, it was helpful in teaching me not to give up when something gets hard, and it helped with my creativity.

Vanessa Guzman
Cane Ridge High School

I looked at Carl Smith’s top five most popular songs. The first is “Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way.” This song took the home run, it was his #1 famous song. He is known by that song. The second popular song was “Don’t Just Stand There.” This song talks about not wasting your time and love is a rare thing. I feel like some girl played him or he was heartbroken when he wrote this song. His third popular song is “Are You Teasing Me.” The song was a #1 for Smith and always a crowd favorite. His fourth popular song is called “Hey Joe.” People get confused that this song was recorded by Jimi Hendrix. The fifth most popular song by Carl Smith is “Loose Talk.” It was later released by a country singer, Carlene Carter (Carl Smith’s daughter), in 1995.

Mr. Country Carl Smith was one of the most popular honky-tonkers of the 1950s, racking up more than thirty Top Ten hits over the course of the decade. Smith maintained that popularity into the late 1970s, during which time he had a charting single every year except one. Smith had a talent for singing smooth ballads which polished the rough edges of hardcore country. He could sing pure honky-tonk with the best of them, and his hardest country was made tougher by the addition of a drum kit. Smith was one of the very first country artists to perform regularly with a drummer, and though it earned him criticism at the time, the hard-driving sound of those up-tempo numbers proved to be influential.

The green on the guitar is the meaning of the state of Tennessee since he is from there. The brown represents something antique, and the color brown is used a lot by country singers. The pins on his shirt signify when he was in the army, including his navy blue hat. Because he used to be in the military I did a little of navy and country mix up in the image. On the pins I used gold and on the navy hat I put blue sequins, and on the side I used grey thread as well. The songs he wrote were sad so I used a heart split in two and each side there was a broken heart. I did use red thread on it since hearts are red and would be more noticeable. Lastly I put red beads on the tie representing one his songs called “Red Carpet.”

Carl Smith was truly a dreamer. What I mean by that is that even though he had done so many things he still kept chasing his dreams. Even if he used to fight for our country with other great people, he had a backup and wanted to be known for who he was and what he’s done. He became famous by putting in so much hard work and effort to overcome his struggles. He still went for what he wanted to become. He just knew what he was doing with his life and I really liked that about him.

Abigail Anderson, Soleil Cantarutti, Kaitlyn Harrell, and Oliver Jackson
Nashville School of the Arts

Our group chose Carrie Underwood for our project. We chose her because of her iconic style and her bubbly personality. She can be seen in anything from elegant ball gowns to jean shorts and a tank top, which makes her the perfect candidate for Manuel and his bold style. We chose to use the colors black, blue, and gold. We chose the blue and gold colors on her dress to represent her ties to Nashville.. The colors blue and gold were chosen specifically to represent her husband, Mike Fisher, who plays for the Nashville Predators hockey team. For her jacket, we chose black to coincide with her regular performance choices. This is an outfit that she would be able to perform in at any awards ceremony. The dress is something familiar to her stage presence, while the jacket provides some of the Manuel flare. The accents on her jacket sleeve are related to her music career, and show a few music notes swirling up her arm. The shoulder has the Nashville Predators logo, again a reference to her husband. On the back, there would be two large guitars, similar to the plaza to the Grand Ole Opry.

Ephrem Tegegne
Cane Ridge High School

Dareen Abdulrahman
Cane Ridge High School

The legend I chose from the Country Music Hall of Fame was Cindy Walker. Cindy Walker was an American songwriter as well as a country music singer and dancer. As a songwriter, Cindy Walker was responsible for a large number of popular songs recorded by different artists. Walker is known for her popular songs “Dusty Skies,” “It’s All Your Fault,” and “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again.” Walker wrote her first hit when she was just twelve, called “Dusty Skies.”

The first item I put was a cloud and used the color brown to represent “Dusty Skies” as her first hit. I put a green cactus because Walker was born in Texas. I also put music notes on my portrait to show that she was a songwriter and also a singer. Lastly, I put an old microphone to show that Walker was a singer.

In conclusion, doing this project was stressful and hard but I learned a lot about my legend, Cindy Walker. She was a talented woman who was known for being an amazing songwriter. Although this project took long to complete, I loved how I experienced something new. The lesson I learned from this project is don’t give up when things get hard.

Paulina Rios Ortiz
Cane Ridge High School

The reason why I used embroidery yarn in this art project was to show a little bit of Manuel’s work. Other materials used in this project are sequins and embroidery beads. The famous country artist I chose was Cindy Walker; she was an American songwriter as well as a dancer. Cindy Walker was not just a songwriter and a dancer she also wrote poetry. She was born in Mexia, Texas, in 1918. She was mostly known for her ability to capture complex emotions in thirty-two bars. As you can see in my art piece I added a blue moon with a little touch of gold because one of her Top Ten songs was “When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again.” As you can notice, I also added a red music note to show that she was a songwriter. On the left side corner I made a cotton plant because her dad was a cotton picker. The pink sequins and flowers were just to add a little taste of Manuel’s work. Last but not least, the ink feather pen was to inform that she was a poet. I was trying to show and inform visually by using symbols and images.

Andrea Avila Rivera
Cane Ridge High School

I choose Constance June Meador, known as Connie Smith, as my artist legend for Manuel’s project. She was born August 14, 1971, in Elkhart, Indiana. Smith grew up in West Virginia and Ohio with her family. She was always so entertaining, she would always listen to the radio, especially the Grand Ole Opry. At a young age she learned to play the guitar and started doing local events. She won a competition that got her a spot at the Grand Ole Opry; she came to Nashville and became a solo artist. Smith made songs that consist of jazz, gospel, and country. Her top three songs where “Then and Only Then,” “Nobody but a Fool (Would Love You)” and “Once a Day.” She astonished us by her amazing emotions, tone, and her power phasing during each performance. With that said, the image I have created for my legend is simple. The image on the right of her is the seal of her birth place, Elkhart, Indiana. On her left you can see records that I set for her top three songs, as said above. On Smith’s shirt I added 5 flowers and a cross. She always had a big heart for her family and had her religion with her at all times. And with the inspiration of Manuel I had decided to add sequins on the images that are unusually bright and catch the attention on the eye.

Sierra Shay
Cane Ridge High School

Connie Smith has had a huge impact on country music. Many regard her as one of the best voices they’ve ever heard. Her songs tell about heartbreak and moving forward after you are hurt. She had a rough childhood and teenage years, but she never let it hold her back. Each time she lost love she wrote about being hurt and down but after not too long she came back even better. To represent that and her growing up in the country I used purple flowers. A stitched heart is the most recognized symbol in my mind for coming back from lost love and surviving a broken heart. No matter what she went through she always came back the same beautiful person.

Joshua Rodas
Nashville School of the Arts

David Bowie is a legendary singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned nearly five decades. His first hit was the 1969 single “Space Oddity.” I believe that Bowie would have had an outfit with the intricate and complex, yet simple, pattern of space. The main color scheme of the outfit would be violet and blue because of how those colors are used mainly to portray space. This would have paid tribute to what made him a hit all those years ago. The pattern would need nothing more than just the pattern and complexity of space. David Bowie was a colorful and vibrant artist as he was one-of-a-kind in his time. No one was like him in a sense of how he wrote his music. The cosmos is a wondrous place and is what some might consider the birth of something great. I chose space because in a way it symbolizes him and the depth of his music and life.

Antonio Fitts
Cane Ridge High School

Devon Hawkins
Cane Ridge High School

Susmita Rai
Cane Ridge High School

Wendy Susmita
Cane Ridge High School

Katie Velasquez-Ruiz
Cane Ridge High School

I chose Dolly Parton as my legend because she went from having nothing at all to becoming one of country’s biggest, best-known legends. She also looked at butterflies as a sign of freedom and hope. So on my piece, I decided to show that in a way of “rags to rhinestones” with butterflies around her. My left side of the paper is her looking into the mirror with just rags on and the right side is her now with rhinestones, to show that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you can be anything if you set your mind to it. The way I used Manuel’s techniques is the stitching rhinestones on it and the thread to make a design. People that have come from nothing and are now well known amaze me, that’s why I picked Dolly Parton.

Jocelynn Buford
Nashville School of the Arts

Eartha Kitt was an American singer, actress, and voice actress. Her two biggest hits were “Santa Baby” and “C’est Si Bon.” She also starred as Cat Woman in Batman in 1966. Kitt had a difficult childhood, mostly because of her mixed race; her father was white and mother was African American. Later she moved to New York and enrolled in a performing arts school and got a scholarship. By age sixteen she was dancing with Katherine Dunham Company. After a few years of traveling she went solo in Paris and became a popular nightclub singer. Her career started when she was discovered in Europe by Orson Wells he called her “the most exciting woman alive.” I can agree with him; Kitt captured everyone’s attention no doubt. I based my design on Eartha Kitt’s seductive side and the way she showed any woman can be sexy even while aging if you do it gracefully. Her growls and purrs were iconic not just because she was Cat Woman; it was part of her. Even though she died, her legacy will live for eternity. The true sexiest woman that ever lived was indeed Eartha Kitt.

Jessica Smith
Nashville School of the Arts

For this project I chose Ed Sheeran because his music and character are very inspirational. I took inspiration from his earlier years in music and things that stand out to me personally when I think of him. That includes his red hair, a guitar, London, and lastly, songwriting. I designed a T-shirt logo from those four things and wove yarn through the board and also hot glued yarn down too. I wanted it to have his face in a profile view and in the silhouette and also to have the four things that stood out to me in there. Also I wanted it to have a solid black background to make colors that I used, which were red, yellow, orange, and even some white and grey to stand out more and all the details in the artwork too. I had a lot of fun with this project and am very proud of the outcome of it too.

Shoshanna Green
Nashville School of the Arts

My piece was on the musician Ella Fitzgerald. She was known as the Queen of Jazz. So I wanted to represent her through different means of symbolism. I used a river coming out of a crown that represents her title. The river is supposed to be based off her famous song “Cry Me a River,” that now is a catch phrase. The flowers at the bottom right corner are state flowers from Virginia, where she was born, and California, where she died.

Blanca Bonilla
Cane Ridge High School

The famous country legend that I chose is Elvis Presley. Even though he is no longer here to keep his legacy going, he will always be remembered as the rock & roll king. That is one reason why I decided to put a crown at the bottom because he was so iconic. Another thing that I added on the design was a halo of hearts because he was a ladies man and known for being such a flirt. I made a building out of sequins with windows and another heart on the door because of one of his many famous songs, “Heartbreak Hotel.” I picked him because I already knew some things about him and his life and he seemed really interesting to me. He will always be a legend.

Kevonte Coleman
Cane Ridge High School

Roshila Taman
Cane Ridge High School

I chose Elvis as my legend because he is one of the most influential musicians in the world. I was attracted to him because of his performing style and his extraordinary costumes. I started off with his hair, I wanted it to look like it was on fire, because his hairstyle became the style of the time. I have this cross next to him because he was a born-again Christian. I wanted to show his famous collared shirt so I took white sequins placed them all over the collar so it would shine and stand out. I took some small red beads and sewed it all over his shirt because whenever he was out on stage he was always shining and he stood out.

Tiara Lewis
Cane Ridge High School

I chose Elvis Presley because he is one of the most powerful rock & roll artists. Knowing that his past wasn’t as bright as his style of fashion and moves as a young man, I wanted to try to see his version or his side of his life.

Girls loved him when he started performing on stage. His first love was Priscilla, and they got married on May 1, 1967. I feel like the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” was for Priscilla. His mom died on August 14, 1958. His mom had done all she could to provide for Elvis. So Elvis decided to take a break from his career as an artist to be alone for a while.

Some of the greatest songs he did were “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Hound Dog.” He was a great songwriter and he knew how to bring in the energy.

Jennifer Lopez
Cane Ridge High School

I chose as my legend Emmylou Harris because she was really into clothing with flowers or something simple like a dress with roses at the ends. Manuel inspired me to do what my artist likes and how I should use sequins on clothing to make it pop. What I’ve learned about Manuel is that he didn’t do what he did because he was good at it but he saw it as having fun. Emmylou Harris inspired many songwriters and her fans, but she inspired me because she’s very passionate with her work and with animals, too.

Vanessa Padron
Cane Ridge High School

I chose Emmylou Harris as my country legend. Choosing between so many artists was very hard, but I chose her because her style caught my eye. Harris was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and I got my inspiration from her music. She could take traditional country to a pop audience. I chose love and happiness as my idea. I put flowers, doves, and a broach to give a flower-child kind of look and the broach was a way to represent Manuel, to show his shine and amazing stitch work. I love how I got a feeling of doing work like he did. My work might not ever reach his level but it was such a great experience for me.

Emily Settles
Nashville School of the Arts

My work of art was inspired by the band Foster the People. I used different components from numerous album covers to create my piece. The main element is a poem shown on the album of Supermodel. I shaped the poem into a woman’s figure, using red paint to show shading and detail. The figure is malnourished and boney. This relates to the band’s focus on the media, body image, fame, hypocrisy, and more. This work of art is meant to be simplistic, powerful, and give an accurate representation of the feeling that Foster the People’s music gives.

Bridget Curtis
Nashville School of the Arts

This work of art, inspired by the idiosyncratic musician Frankie Cosmos, reflects the whimsical dream-like nature of her music. She has a unique sound to her music and look to her style. The use of bold eye catching colors emphasizes the childlike nature of Frankie Cosmos’s aesthetic. The juxtaposition of organic shapes and geometric patterns creates interest and a conflicting mood, which evokes a similar feeling as her music.

Azul Rubi
Cane Ridge High School

Born in Tioga, Texas. on September 29, 1907, Gene Autry was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. Discovered by humorist Will Rogers in 1929, Autry was billed as “Oklahoma’s Yodeling Cowboy” at KVOO in Tulsa. He gained a popular following, a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929, and soon after, performed on the National Barn Dance for radio station WLS in Chicago. Autry first appeared on screen in 1934, popularized the musical western, and starred in ninety-three feature films. In 1950, Autry became the first major movie star to use the television medium.

In 1942, at the height of his screen popularity, Autry had a string of rodeo stock based in Ardmore, Oklahoma. A year later, he became a partner in the World Championship Rodeo Company. Always a man of vision, Autry excelled and for the next five years through his Flying A Pictures he produced and starred in ninety-one half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS.

Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. Entertainer Gene Autry joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 and became a sergeant. Autry’s great love for baseball prompted him to acquire the American League California Angels in 1961. Active in Major League Baseball, Autry held the title of Vice President of the American League until his death. For all the things he was known for I decided to thread and decorate a picture of him to dedicate some of the big events in his life

Mayra Andrade
Cane Ridge High School

Gerardo Alegria
Cane Ridge High School

I chose as my legend Grandpa Jones because he looked gnarly. I also chose him because he reminds me of my Grandpa’s friend who plays a guitar in Mexico. Another reason I chose him is because anyone who wears suspenders is so cool. I also thought it was so neat that he had a banjo with his own nickname on it. That to me shows that he was really talented to have his own nickname engraved on his instrument. I just think Grandpa Jones has a rad nickname and he is my legend.

Autumn Porter
Nashville School of the Arts

I chose this artistic style because the piece of art spoke to me like any piece of art should. What inspired me to do this was the artistic mash-up of Manuel, fashion designer, and Hozier, music artist. The collaboration of each artist made my piece into what it is today. The laid-back tone of Hozier’s songs made me think in a way it was easy to make my piece, and the style of Manuel’s art was incorporated because I appreciate his way of thinking.

Javon Lane
Nashville School of the Arts

I did my design on the rapper and director Ice Cube. I mainly decided to do him because of the movies written by him, but some of his raps changed pop culture. For my piece, I did a design of squares as representation of his name. To complement it I used orange and decided to use orange dots on the design. I wanted to give the design a cool, calming flow. I used acrylic paint and fabric in my piece. This is my design for Ice Cube’s clothes.

Kimmie Lewis and KiKi Savely
Nashville School of the Arts

He’s a classic man, who embodies a true gentleman. His music style is an elegant and funky version of hip hop, also known as “Swank.” Manuel’s clothing demands attention; the same goes for Jidenna. He wants to push the “Dandy Movement,” which is modeled after how men dressed in the seventies. Manuel is bringing back the traditional American style and making it popular again. This is the reason we chose Jidenna. The solid colors with a pattern keeps the outfit from not being too busy, but edgy at the same time. We chose maroon, olive green, and blue to add a modern twist and of course we had to add floral embroidery to add Manuel’s style.

Ezekiel Poole
Cane Ridge High School

My name is Ezekiel Poole and the legend that I chose was Johnny Cash. I chose Johnny Cash because as a country music star who was nicknamed “The Man in Black” he stood out among all the other stars. The type of songs he wrote really appealed to my taste in music as well.

Jackie Gonzalez
Cane Ridge High School

My project was centered on country music legend Johnny Cash. He is known for his country music, even though he also wrote songs for different genres of music such as rock & roll and gospel. He was a singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and author. He rose to fame by performing at prisons from time to time. Some of his signature songs include “Ring of Fire,” “Man in Black,” and “I Walk the Line.”

I placed water in the back and foreground of the picture to represent his song “Five Feet High and Rising,” and to represent how his family’s farm flooded. I also placed a ring of flames around him to honor his famous song “Ring of Fire” and to highlight the time his camper caused a forest fire. The last thing I added was black sequins on his collar to emphasize that he is the “Man in Black.”

Jesus Garcia
Cane Ridge High School

Isabella Orozco
Nashville School of the Arts

I chose Johnny Cash as my musician because he is my favorite traditional country music star. Although I do not listen to the country music that comes on the radio today, I will always have a place in my heart for traditional country stars such as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and of course Johnny Cash. My dad and I have been listening to Cash for as long as I can remember. Cash had such a kind heart and such meaningful lyrics that my dad and I love singing along to. In almost every photo you see of Cash, he is wearing a black or dark grey suit. That is how he gets the nickname The Man in Black. I wanted to recreate his plain black suit to something with a little more texture and depth. I wanted to add some bling as well, inspired by Manuel. So, I used aluminum foil to create swirls on the collar. I added a bolo tie to symbolize the country in him. As the gem in the center of the tie, I cut up blue pieces of carpet samples because blue was his favorite color. I hope my art means a lot to others as it does to me. I enjoyed this project very much and look forward to creating more art about things that mean a lot to me.

Ruby Locknar, Haleigh Johnson, Molly Duke, and David Torres
Nashville School of the Arts

When it comes to current country stars, Kacey Musgraves is dominating the business. Her classic country style with a twist is the perfect image for a collaboration with the one and only, Manuel. Since Kacey is young and incorporates current styles into her “throwback country” wardrobe, we decided to design a two-piece outfit. The top half of the outfit is sheer, pastel yellow, low-cut top with a pastel purple bustier underneath. The outfit then continues into a pair of bright pink, high-waisted shorts, with pink stitching on both the front and back pockets to add some additional details. The yellow, sheer top will ideally have a thin line of detailed embroidery on the outside of the sleeves, and the bustier top will incorporate pastel purple fringe. We chose these specific colors because Kacey is all about a youthful color scheme and we wanted to make sure that it also complemented her skin tone and hair.

Jasmine Bell
Cane Ridge High School

My legend is Kitty Wells. I chose Kitty Wells because her name caught my attention. When I did more research, I was shocked to see that she was actually the Queen of Country Music.

Kitty Wells was born in Nashville where she learned how to play guitar at the age of fourteen. Wells started singing on local radio stations, and became the backup vocalist for Johnnie Wright, who chose her name from a song called “Sweet Kitty Wells.” Kitty Wells married Johnnie Wright and later on made hits like “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.”

As the Queen of Country, Kitty Wells was well known for her country music. Her most popular songs were “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” and “Making Believe.” The thing that’s unique to me in her music is the lyrics themselves that catches my eye. Hearing“Making Believe” makes me wonder how she can make a song that sounds and feels in a way sad but in a way feels uplifting.

For the wings, I used white sequins to give it an angelic look. The idea came to me when I listened to “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” For the cat on her scarf, I used black sequins. The cat was meant to be a logo to fit Kitty Wells.

For the crown, I used golden thread. For the handle of the guitar, I used brown thread. The guitar is to represent the time that Kitty Wells spent playing guitar.

This project made me really think about the history of an artist you don’t really get to learn about in school. The people that we picked all have an amazing story behind them that’s really interesting to look at. Learning more about the artists makes you feel kind of close to them seeing how much you got to know them as a person.

Valerie Castaneda
Cane Ridge High School

For my Country Music Hall of Fame legend, I chose Kris Kristofferson. I decided to choose him out of all of the artists because I haven’t heard of him before and his name caught my attention. After researching him, I learned that he was very motivated to get his music out and influenced many with it. The United States flag on his jacket represents patriotism. He was a son of an Air Force major general, and he planned on being a military officer. The flowers represented the songwriting style that was inspired by romantic poets. The yellow strings represented him being an activist that spoke on many topics, such as social justice and human rights issues. He also spoke about the value of personal freedom. The sequins on his jacket represent how motivated he was. He landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s yard to pitch one of his songs. The design was similar to Manuel’s style with bright colors, sequins, and meanings for every design.

Kessie Lowrie
Cane Ridge High School

Alissa Lowry
Cane Ridge High School

I chose Lorretta Lynn for the simple fact that I have always been interested in her since I watched a movie on her a few years ago. When I saw it I was practically glued to the television. Something about her amazing story fascinated me, from her beginnings as just a coal miner’s daughter to becoming the first woman of country music. I placed a canary bird on her shoulder to symbolize her father, since he never saw her success because of his death before she ever became famous. The canary bird was used in coal mines to warn miners of carbon dioxide in the mine. Considering she was called the coal miner’s daughter I chose the canary not only to symbolize her father always being there for her but also to symbolize “Coal Miner’s Daughter” the song. The flower over her heart is a symbol of love and family and God. The guitar neck is a symbol of her success through music the gold strings represent success. The music notes on her head are a symbol of the many songs she has written and performed.

Matalyn Newbury, Shoshanna Brustin, Faith Ponce, and Sydney Darden
Nashville School of the Arts

Loretta Lynn is an American country singer and songwriter who resides in Hurricane Mills, TN. The reason as to why our group has chosen her is not just because of Lynn’s iconic music, but also her unforgettable style. Her clothing style consists of anything that makes her stand out including lace designs, layered ruffles, and typical country gingham. Manuel would be a perfect fit for her because her style is classic country with a unique girly twist. We chose to include elements such as red gingham, thick denim-like fabric, lace, embroidered roses, and a depiction of Loretta’s beloved cabin from back home in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. This outfit is perfect for the Coal Miner’s Daughter.

Allison Day
Nashville School of the Arts

The musician I chose to illustrate is Louis Armstrong. He is one of the world’s most famous trumpeters and jazz artists. I chose Armstrong solely because I wanted to do something special, unexpected. I figured that no one would choose him, and most kids my age have never even heard of the brilliant musician. The dark red acrylic background represents his favorite color, which coincidentally is my favorite color as well. The golden trumpet, of course, is made from watercolor and ink and was his chosen instrument. The black glittery path streaming from the trumpet represents jazz itself. It’s a satiny, velvety, smooth type of music that rejuvenates the soul. The glitter was an important aspect because looking at some of Manuel’s designs, he has bright, shiny, glittery pieces incorporated, so I decided I would take this approach. The gold acrylic stitching around the piece is supposed to represent the kind of look that a sewing stitch would provide. The lettering “Satchmo” is placed atop the black stream as Armstrong’s nickname. It is short for ‘Satchel Mouth,’ a name coined due to his trumpet playing. Lastly, the white dots are spread across the painting to fill in negative space and to give the impression of beads or sequins.

Enzo Lederer
Nashville School of the Arts

For my project I chose Lux Interior, singer of the band the Cramps. Lux Interior was basically Elvis from hell. The Cramps were a psychobilly band, which is bluesy, rockabilly, and punk. There was a psychobilly scene in the UK but it was incomparable to the Cramps. I could’ve chosen Poison Ivy, the guitarist but, I felt that Lux was more iconic to represent the band as a whole. I chose the Cramps because it is definitely one of my favorite bands. I think they have a really cool aesthetic and imagery. For the eyeball button and the bones I used oven-fired fimo clay. I took a gold felt-tip marker to paint a pinstripe pattern on the red fabric. I also cut out two bats from black felt

Mileena Sagarra Milano
Cane Ridge High School

I chose my legend because her name caught my attention. When I looked at pictures of her, she looked interesting. I also really liked her style. She didn’t resemble any of the other legends. Her style was very unique and vintage.

Minnie Pearl’s real name is Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon. She appeared on the Grand Ole Opry for over fifty years as an American country comedian. She worked on a television show called Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991. I found out that she battled cancer through aggressive treatments and later on became a spokesperson for cancer research. Minnie Pearl graduated from Belmont College, her major was theater studies and dance was her particular interest. Her catchphrase was “Howdee! I’m just so proud to be here!”

Minnie Pearl’s style of music was country. Some of her most popular songs were “Giddy-up Go Answer,” “How to Catch a Man,” and “Looking at Fellers.” What made her so popular was her catchphrase. Her appearance affected her career in a positive way.

For my artwork, I outlined Minnie Pearl with bright pink thread. I thought her style looked very refreshing. Also, knowing that she was a stand-up comedian helped me. She was very energetic and full of life; I attempted to put some flowers on the left-hand bottom because her style looks vintage to me. She had flowers going around her straw hat, with a little price tag hanging down. When I saw that, I figured, why not bring something in the image that reflects her signature look. I also attempted to add balloons because of her personality and making people laugh.

How this impacted me was pretty good. As soon as I spotted Minnie Pearl, I wanted to do her as my legend. I guess the reason why is because she’s outgoing and original to herself. I thought she put out a good image, which I very much like; in fact, that impacted how I thought about what people see in you. I could say that my legend impacted me in a great way so far in this project.

Ashley Greene
Nashville School of the Arts

Nightmare is a Japanese rock/metal band. The design is envisioned for the back of a black leather jacket for the lead singer Yomi. Gold and silver are Yomi’s favorite colors. The kanji, Japanese characters, for nightmare are incorporated into the design. I chose this band for its unique positioning with culture and language. I used pencil and copic markers in producing the design and, though ultimately destined for fabric, the design is initially implemented on paper as I work through the complexity of the image and its textures. Nightmare is not a run-of-the-mill Japanese band. They composed the opening credits theme for the ground-breaking anime hit Death Note. In the show, the red apple is a central image and the black wings are part of the character design for the demonic anti-hero Ryuk.

Erica Yeik
Nashville School of the Arts

The artist I chose to create a piece based on is a London based alt-pop duo called Oh Wonder. The duo consists of Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West. Oh Wonder continue to produce amazing music with equally amazing meanings behind each song. In my piece there is a consistency of flowers throughout the piece; to me, their music is lively and free. I feel that they express their message very clearly when they sing and write, therefore allowing me to use the concept of flowers and growth. It shows also growth for humans around the world. The flowers represent the love and passion and growth that they have in their production as singers and songwriters.

Noely Najera
Cane Ridge High School

My country artist is Patsy Cline. She is no longer alive however she is still remembered. Her famous songs were “Crazy” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.” “Crazy” was about a heartbreak and how she was crazy in love and crazy for believing the guy and everything he said. That is the reason why I put a broken heart in the back, to represent one of her biggest hits. To represent her other famous song “Walkin’ After Midnight” in the bottom I put a path and a moon. The song is about her walking after midnight thinking about her lover. Inside the path I put piano tiles to represent that she played the piano. On Patsy’s jacket I outlined most of it with colors that Manuel would also do to his work that made it stand out. I included sequins as well similar to some of Manuel’s work to make it shine and pop out on what she was wearing.

The last thing I have on my work is a bell tower behind her on the left to represent the bell tower in Virginia in memory of Patsy Cline. She passed away near Nashville in an airplane accident. Although that happened here she was born in Virginia and the bell tower is still there in memory of her. Cline is still remembered dearly for her love songs. I chose her because her music was different than other country music. Some songs are slow and some are fast; I’ve never listened to country music like hers. However, I don’t often listen to country music. Patsy’s music caught my attention. I also chose her because I noticed there weren’t many females that were famous back then as country artists. Since she was one of the few I decided to choose her.

Andrea Alvarez
Cane Ridge High School

Patsy Montana, real name Ruby Blevins, was a successful country artist in the 1930s. She was recognized as the first female performer to have a million-selling single. Her aspirations were to be as successful as her role models. She looked up to artists such as Jimmie Rodgers. Once she dropped out of the University of Western Louisiana, she went to find her purpose. She was later discovered in a singing competition.

In my artwork, there’s a lot of use of color, design, and contrast. I wanted to portray Patsy Montana by monumental times in her life that made her who she was. I didn’t just want to throw things on a canvas; I wanted to integrate my interpretation of her with how people remembered her, someone who worked diligently and had an iconic smile. Her big hits were “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and “Back on Montana Plains.” The most logical but creative way to have these two songs on this canvas was to have them sing to the spectators without direct dialogue. So that’s why there are hills and plains behind Patsy Montana. I also transformed her hat and made it part of her. I made hearts that represent the word sweetheart.

Montana grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, so she was around a lot of water and other interesting geographical features. Her birthplace was really important in her life, so I chose to have water waves that flow quite well the background.

Music is the common denominator of all the high points in Montana’s life. She loved cow print so recreating it on her preferred instrument, the guitar is the best fit. Outlining the guitar in gold serves a purpose because I wanted this to stand out. All of these key components affiliate with her highest achievements.

Patsy Montana stood out to me because she was living proof that you don’t necessarily have to have a higher education to be successful and to pursue what you want to do.

Odalis Carrillo
Nashville School of the Arts

Pedro Infante has been a big part of Mexican culture for as long as I can remember. He has inspired entire generations with his movies and songs. In this piece I’ve chosen a black and white scheme to pay homage to his several black and white films. I’ve also explored the theme of flight as he was fascinated with flying ever since he was a small boy. I’ve added a quote of his on his tie which translates to “It must be beautiful to die like birds,” in an unfortunate turn of events he would die in a plane crash on April 15, 1957. Yet to this day he is considered one of the biggest idols in Mexican history.

Jamal Smith
Cane Ridge High School

Manuel Campos
Cane Ridge High School

My art was on the famous Pee Wee King who hangs in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Pee Wee King is known for bringing western style music into a spot in country music. Pee Wee King knew how to play a number of instruments but, one he played through most of his performance as a singer and performer was the fiddle. The fiddle is a main element, so I placed it in my art. Reason why it’s so important was because it was the first instrument he learned how to play. King’s father had also been the one who taught him how to play the fiddle. King’s first band he ever played with was the “Log Cabin Boys,” in which he had great success but had parted and then later formed the “Golden West Cowboys.” Which is why the log cabin in the background of my art is golden, a mix of his successful bands. Pee Wee King beside that fact having brought a new genre of music to country music, he also wrote his own music. This is why I put a music sheet on his hat, as if his lyrics and notes came out of his head, because they did!

Bria Butler, Zoë Jones, and Aneika Sanders
Nashville School of the Arts

Our artist of choice was Prince. We chose Prince because he had a very dynamic sense of style and he is an iconic legend. Our main inspiration was “Purple Rain,” one of his most popular hits. We believe our design is worthy for the Country Music Hall of Fame because it’s very 3-Dimensional and well put-together. Our main color was purple with a hint of white. We chose a sparkling black and a floral design to fit Manuel’s infamous designs.

Kelly Nguyen
Nashville School of the Arts

The piece I created, inspired from the work of Manuel and his fashion career, is based off an artist I have adored for some time named Puppet. He has released music under this alias since December 2014, from then on his music evolved but still maintained his signature style and creativity. He lives in New York City, but travels a lot around the world; occasionally in Japan. Though through his music he formed a serious and mystifying persona, his personality is shown to be outgoing and charismatic. In this work, I expressed his songs into three different parts: the first three tracks he debuted, his first EP Soft Spoken, and his most recent EP Fear Is Fleeting. I chose Puppet because his music and style are outstanding. He appears to be a person of joy and happiness, yet can tell a deep cut tale through his songs. He’s inspired many and led to a growing supportive fan base.

Michelle Melchor
Cane Ridge High School

Ronnie Milsap is the country artist I picked. This country music artist is unique which is why I chose him. Milsap was born blind and went to a school for the blind. Instead of taking this disability and looking down on himself he learned to play instruments, piano and guitar, and write songs. I also chose him because I know there are very few blind people who had hit songs and he would also sing in church at a young age.

Looking at my artwork I put a sun behind him to represent his hit song “Never Had It So Good.” He talks about waking up every morning with the best girl he could’ve had and the sun also represents him always finding the bright side of things. The eyes have hearts because he was always singing about love and how he was in love. There is also a big guitar at the bottom to represent the instrument he mainly played. Also there are crosses on his shoulders to represent the days he would sing in his church. There are music notes to represent him singing and songwriting.

Samantha McCrary, Tanner Johnson, and Ariona Fanning
Nashville School of the Arts

Rihanna is an amazing person inside and out with an incredible fashion sense. She is very unique and original. Manuel would love to work with her because she is very bold and loves dynamic designs. He creates eye-catching designs for the audience, never does he have boring, plain clothing. Colors go a long way; we chose the colors baby pink, black (leather), and a touch of green. We based the colors and designs on the artist we chose. She is a very appealing person so we designed a very sparkly and interesting leotard. And the boots show off a very stylish vibe. So in all we combined the different but amazing styles together to make a baby pink silk covering with a leotard and high fashion boots.

Jessica Cardona
Nashville School of the Arts

Selena Quintanilla-Perez was a singer and is often called the Queen of Tejano Music. Her career was tragically cut short when she was killed at the age of twenty-three. My design consists of white roses and a purple background. The purple background is an allusion to the well-known jumpsuit that Selena wore during her last concert. The white rose was her favorite flower. It became a symbol that was associated with Selena after her death, representing her blossoming career that was prematurely ended.

Ashley Izquierdo
Nashville School of the Arts

The artist I was inspired to do my piece on was The Beatles. Their music makes me feel tranquil and puts my mind at ease. I also love the crazy interesting style they put into each and every song. For my piece I chose the song “Yellow Submarine” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” because it brings back childhood memories. I took elements from the songs that stood out for me. I painted two women floating and behind them a yellow submarine made out of embroidery thread. I also made Lucy’s dresses with flower petals and attached a chain with a key in the middle to represent how attached I am to these songs.

Cher Von Tiedemann
Nashville School of the Arts

Ismel Penate
Nashville School of the Arts

This piece was inspired by the famous designer Manuel. This artwork represents a piece of fabric that would contribute to a famous country musician’s wardrobe. In my artwork, I like to incorporate many different aspects and be able to give the audience a questionable yet creative work of art. I feel like I accomplished my goal with this piece. The country musician that was symbolized is the one and only Willie Nelson. The thought process behind this patterned design originated from Nelson’s guitar strap seen in various images and at live shows. The red, white, and blue stripes really symbolize his true American spirit and freedom. On either side of the piece, there are two braided pieces of multi-layered rope to represent Nelson’s famous long hair braids. The red and blue strings sitting atop the white ribbon material was just used to give the aesthetic a more modern twist. Overall the piece achieved the meaningful and aesthetic design that was planned.

William Witt
Cane Ridge High School

The reason why I picked this legend is because he is the only legend that I could relate to. We both have high goals for ourselves and we won’t let anything hold us back from our goals. Willie Nelson was born in Abbott, TX, on April 29, 1933, during the Great Depression. He started writing when he was seven years old. Willie Nelson got his first guitar at the age of six, the first song he wrote was the famous gospel song “Family Bible.” Willie Nelson has seven children, and he was married four times. His current wife is Annie D’Angelo. The design I picked for Willie Nelson was a Texas flag in the background, the state of Texas on his hat with a seven in the middle because that’s when he first started writing. I added the sequins on his shirt because of the Manuel designs I saw in the Country Music Hall of Fame.