ReTune Nashville's Community Home

It all started with a donated guitar from Ed Beaver that was water damaged and destined for the trash. Graphic Design Coordinator, Bruce Stanley took the challenge to his Graphic Design II class. Designers: Melissa Bullers, Clarisa Doll, Seth Fentress, DeAndrea Gaines, Marcella Hollowell, Michael Nordstrom, Phylicia Sadler, Max Szczublewski were all committed to the project.

The concept was to transform the guitar into a bird house by taking the neck and repositioning it as a perch to the opening in the guitar body. A trip to Home Depot and Pet Smart was next for design assets.

Cutting up art from magazines and using bird seed for design accents came natural for the graphic artists. Etching into the guitar wood, the students had fun carving subtle art elements as a patterned background.

Giving the piece a Nashville look, the addition of glitzy elements like rhinestones and painted star seemed appropriate. The birdhouse a name, "Songbird" came from a brand of birdseed and the graphic art was found its seed bag packaging. Using the seed from the from the packaging came in handy to give the Nashville skyline some texture and conceptual depth.

In the end, the students learned collaboration and how to make relative design decisions, giving the piece of art tie in to the city of Nashville and the musicians that suffered from the flood.

The finished donation made its appearance at the Student Portfolio Review where it was handed off to Sheri ONeal by Coordinator Bruce Stanley and Nossi herself.

To purchase the "Songbird" piece or other ReTune Nashville artist creation be sure to attend the ReTune Nashville Anniversary Celebration: A Music and Art Event on May 3rd in Nashville at Soundcheck!

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