DUNCAN MCDANIEL OF ART UP NASHVILLE

Written by Britt Steele / Photographed by Michael Scott Evans

Art is a beautiful, subjective journey. It surrounds us all but, as one’s soul is the sole interpreter, it speaks to each of us differently. Just as there is an infinite amount of mediums and vehicles from which art is cast and created, from canvas to clay, there is also an unquantifiable amount of ways in which an individual connects with art, whether simply triggering a huge smile to prompting deeper self-reflection. However, for one Nashville entrepreneur, Duncan McDaniel, art is every part of who he is to the core, personally and professionally. Not to mention, as a result of turning his passion into his profession, it is also what sparked the introduction to something even more precious, his now-wife, whom he met while working on an installation for the exhibit of famed British fiberoptic artist Bruce Munro at Cheekwood. I recently at down with McDaniel, and the way in which his eyes genuinely lit up when discussing the above was both unavoidable and incredible.

In 2007, McDaniel started freelance installing art at the Frist Museum after moving to Nashville post-graduation from SCAD, Savannah College of Art & Design at the age of 24. As word of his skill, talent and precision spread among the art community, along with the simultaneous growth in need for art handling and installation, McDaniel knew he was onto something and, in 2012, Art Up Nashville was formed.

In 2018, an impressive assignment given to his company would have sent shivers full of angst down the spine of any person but McDaniel was ignited by the overwhelming task bestowed upon him by the Tennessee State Museum to move all of the objects out and into storage. Not tens, not hundreds but 20,000+ priceless and prized historical items, ranging from paintings, flags, sculptures, costumes, even the chandeliers were to be cataloged, organized, individually wrapped, packed, and safely transported to storage. The project took three months and four full-time employees to complete.

“Failure or messing up isn’t an option,” McDaniel calmly remarks. When asked how he’s able to tackle such massive undertakings, as there have been many over the past thirteen years, he notes “communication is key as it takes time to devise a plan unique to each project and implement a fluid process that my team and I can execute daily towards completion.”

The hardest, yet most satisfying, element in all of this for McDaniel is adaptability as, by nature, art changes. Sometimes a structural engineer needs to be involved or plan “C”, not “A” put into effect, but the collaboration process is both crucial and rewarding.

While sitting down with McDaniel, a popular ideology struck me- six degrees of separation. This idea believes that all people are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. However, I began to think (and smile) as McDaniel certainly outdoes this theory- as I am certain all Nashvillians have crossed paths with his work at least once. Whether you’ve seen the installations executed at Nashville International Airport, The Frist Museum, or Cheekwood, we have all been beautifully subjected by his touch on Nashville.

While his clients include huge Nashville intuitions, half of his business is private individuals. Local interior designers will bring him in to hang private art collections and commissioned work. But the above is only half of the story as McDaniel not only handles and installs art but produces it as well being an artist himself.

With mediums ranging from sculpture to canvas to murals, to even being commissioned by the Metro Arts Commission and the city of Franklin to design bike racks, it is almost as if there is not an opportunity he will turn down to make this beautiful world an even more beautiful place to be, in every sense.

McDaniel is represented by The Red Arrow Gallery, located 919 Gallatin Avenue, Suite #4, Nashville, TN. 37206. Tuesday - Saturday, 11 AM -3 PM. www.thrredarrowgallery.com