Laura Hutson Hunter

Nashville, United States

Arts Editor at Nashville Scene

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Articles

Book review of Wild Dyeing by Céline Philippe

1 month ago | bookpage.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

With Wild Dyeing: From the Garden to Color—An Introduction to Natural Vegetable Dyes, Céline Philippe provides both a beginner’s guide to plant-based dyeing and an accessible study of the science of the craft. She breaks down complicated chemistry, like how the aluminum content and the pH of any given plant will affect its ability to dye. At the same time, her instructions for making dyes are as straightforward and easy-to-grasp as you can get.
Arielle Gray Is Making Intimate, Innovative Photography

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

In the middle of a Zoom call with the Scene, Arielle Gray’s twin sister steps into the camera’s frame and kisses her on the cheek, then walks away. It’s a quick moment, but an effective one — the 28-year-old photographer immediately drops her shoulders and pushes a braid behind her ear, visibly relaxing a bit. See more photography by Arielle Gray at ariellegray.studio“I see her as a soulmate,” Gray says of her sister, Iyana.
Book review of Spatial Alchemy by Olga Naiman

1 month ago | bookpage.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

Olga Naiman calls her particular niche the intersection of interior design, psychology and manifestation. That’s on full display in the handsome and inspiring Spatial Alchemy: Design Your Home to Transform Your Life. “When you design your home to align with your deepest intention for yourself, you are deciding to call this intention forth,” Naiman writes in the book’s preface.
NEA Withdraws Funding From OZ Arts

1 month ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

At 7:44 p.m. on Friday night, OZ Arts CEO Mark Murphy got an email: The National Endowment for the Arts was withdrawing the nonprofit arts organization's $45,000 grant. “I've been dealing with getting and managing NEA grants for almost 40 years,” Murphy tells the Scene, “through the culture wars in the ’90s and through the previous Trump term and several presidents and congresspeople who said they wanted to gut the NEA.
‘Replanted in a New Land’: Inside East Nashville’s Cambodian International Buddhist Temple

2 months ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

In the Cambodian tradition, people invite monks to their homes to bless the spirits of their family members. Because there tend to be fewer monks in American communities, the tradition evolved into a communal blessing ritual. Every year, members of the Cambodian community from all around Middle Tennessee — and sometimes from other states — gather at the Cambodian Buddhist Temple in East Nashville for a special memorial service.
'Replanted in a New Land': The Venerable Han Hoeung

2 months ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

The Venerable Han Hoeung didn’t always want to be a monk. “In the beginning, I didn’t want to be a monk at all, but my father was a monk,” Hoeung explains through a translator. “He was a great monk, and well-known. He wanted me, as his son, to continue that legacy. I said to myself that I would — but only for a month or two.”He laughs as he remembers those younger years, and his own childish folly. “Obviously, at the age of 14, there are a lot of distractions in your life,” he continues.
Faye Driscoll Understands the Importance of Provocation in Art

2 months ago | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

“I describe it as a flesh-and-breath sculpture.”Faye Driscoll: Weathering April 24-26 at OZ ArtsFaye Driscoll is a total original. Her work defies tidy descriptions simply because it is unlike just about anything you’ve ever seen before. And Weathering, which comes to OZ Arts April 24 through 26, might be her most original work yet. It’s a multidimensional sensory experience that’s part theater, part art installation.
Interiors of a Storyteller

2 months ago | bookpage.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

Stephanie Sabbe’s Interiors of a Storyteller is as much a memoir as it is a book about design. Sabbe is from West Virginia, but she built her career as an interior designer in Nashville, Tennessee. Her affinity for Southern storytelling is clear: Woven throughout the photographs of beautiful homes are personal stories about an absentee dad, a dying mother, even an FBI raid of an uncle’s marijuana crop.
Menswear Company Savas Celebrates Its 10th Year

Mar 27, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

Savas has a lot to celebrate. The menswear label, now in its 10th year, has evolved to become a globally recognized powerhouse, all centered on a singular product that’s edging toward iconic: a simple, immaculately produced leather jacket. Savannah Yarborough, who started the company out of her apartment in East Nashville, credits a dedication to quality for the unique position Savas has in the luxury menswear market.
Live Above Makes Affordable Streetwear With Style

Mar 27, 2025 | nashvillescene.com | Laura Hutson Hunter

Darin Wyly and Adrian Winston started Live Above in 2013, when both men were students at Tennessee State University. “That’s when we learned that we had similar stories,” Wyly says. Both had played basketball at different universities before transferring to TSU, and both had lost a parent to cancer. “We were kind of going through the same emotions,” Wyly says. “We understood that if we can make ourselves feel good, we can do it for other people too.