Artistic Vision: CASS Contemporary Set To Open In Nashville’s Wedgewood-Houston Neighborhood
Jake and Cassie Greatens, Founders of CASS Contemporary. Photo by Brandon Lee.
Fall of 2025 is set to mark a new wave of contemporary art in Nashville, Tennessee, as the Wedgewood-Houston area welcomes high-end art consulting and management services, CASS Contemporary, to the neighborhood. Led by founders Jake and Cassie Greaten, the highly anticipated gallery opening will take place on September 12, 2025, kicking off with debut exhibit CTRL CNTXT.
Following the public grand opening, the gallery will be open Wednesdays through Saturdays, tentatively from 12-5 p.m. Additional appointment times for collectors will also be available. In conversation with the Greatens, we learned more about their incredible partnership and about the artistic vision they are bringing to the city of Nashville, the place they now call home.
About CASS Contemporary
CASS Contemporary (also referred to as CASS) is a nationally recognized, high-end art consulting and management company founded by the Greatens over a decade ago. The foundations of CASS were first laid during a 3-week trip to Europe, during which Jake and Cassie were greatly inspired by the smaller galleries they frequented.
“There was something there—this feeling. And we wanted to bring that home with us,” shares Cassie, “So we started our own gallery.”
CASS first began as a studio space and gallery in Tampa, Florida, and eventually transformed into the full-service art consulting and management company it’s known as today. They specialize in large-scale activations and acquisitions of works by iconic artists like Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Andy Warhol, in addition to promoting emerging and established artists from all over the world.
Now expanded well beyond a brick and mortar gallery space, the company assists commercial clients with instilling art programming and managing residential art collections. A successful pillar in the creative world for more than 10 years, the goal of the company is to remain both artist and client driven, no matter the scale or the project:
“We operate like a machine. We are very hands on with every single thing,” the Greatens emphasize. “With some bigger establishments, you don’t get that one-on-one. Of course we’ve had project managers and such in the past, but it’s hard to copy Jake’s eye. So having him in on projects is important. We want to be hands-on with our clients just as much as we want to be hands-on with our artists.”
High-profile clientele of CASS include celebrities, athletes, restauranteurs, and developers who utilize the company’s curation expertise in order to build, manage, and elevate their art collections. Artists, many of whom have worked with the Greatens for years, range from well-established names to up-and-coming talent from all over the world. Beyond traditional curation, CASS engages the community by supporting interactive projects that tell the stories of brands, artists, and individuals through ever-evolving collaboration.
Photo by Brandon Lee
“We’re constantly trying to grow CASS to get more exposure for the artists,” says Jake, who, beyond being a highly sought-after curator, is an artist himself. “We’ve done book collaborations, wine and spirit labels, annual projects—just different types of ways of pushing the envelope, giving a longer shelf life for artists to get exposure, as opposed to just hanging work in a gallery space.”
The bottom line remains: art is for everyone. “Art can be very intimidating to people. They think it’s so intellectual and you have to be on a certain wavelength to understand it. But I enjoy seeing someone who is intimidated, or doesn’t really like art come in and fall in love with something they would never expect to,” shares Cassie, whose business savvy supersedes a critical eye for artistic technique, the side of the company that comes most naturally to Jake.
CASS, and its clients, are served well by the Greatens’s particular recipe of greatness. The couple compliments each other extremely well, building off of each other’s strengths. Jake has keen artistic vision; Cassie has a knack for creative business. The couple credits much of their company’s success to this dynamic: “Staying in our own lanes while listening to each other is what has worked for us. That’s what makes CASS so special, because we have both. If you only have one of those strengths, you can’t really optimize what the company should be.”
Artwork by Allison Hueman
Grand Opening: CTRL CNTXT
CASS Contemporary will host its opening night on September 12, 2025. The event will include music, drinks, and the opportunity to meet the Greatens. This premier event is set to mark a new, exciting chapter for Nashville’s visual art scene, as CASS becomes a part of the city’s expanding collage of contemporary and fine art spaces.
The centerpiece of opening night will be the gallery’s debut exhibit, CLTRL CNTXT, a highly-anticipated show that will introduce CASS’s artistic vision to Nashville. CLTRL CNTXT will feature 7 artists—Florian Eymann, Michal Mraz, Joram Roukes, Kim Byungkwan, Allison Hueman, Nicholas Romero Escalada, and Fintan Magee—each of whom represent their 7 different home countries. Each artist will contribute 2-3 original paintings to the opening exhibit. The combined display of their individual work explores how shared cultural references bridge gaps across national borders and life experiences.
Speaking to this, Cassie explains, “Jake put together this theme for the show that really explores cultural references. What we live in now is such a global community. It’s been interesting because we told each of the artists the theme of the show and it’s been fun to see what all these countries believe are the things that bring us together—or the symbols we recognize—whether it’s our history, pop culture, food, sports, or something else.”
CLTR CNTXT poses the question, In a world that’s so hyperconnected but often fragmented, what still brings us together? The exhibit is carefully curated and serves as an agent of visual and cultural dialogue. This inaugural exhibition reflects CASS’s overarching mission of spotlighting voices across borders, sparking the kind of universal engagement that is made possible through art.
CLTRL CNTXT will run from September through November, beginning at the grand opening on September 12. The debut event will be open to the community.
Waterlicht: Courtesy of CASS
New Frontiers In The Art World
CLTRL CNTXT will be followed by a plethora of incredible upcoming exhibits, all of which will bring new and exciting works to Nashville, more often than not featuring artists who have never displayed here.
“We’re constantly trying to reinvent to stay fresh, constantly engaging. It’s never stagnant,” shares Jake.
The world of contemporary art is one that is constantly evolving. Leaning into this constant evolution, the Greatens are passionate about highlighting new voices and bringing non-typical patrons into conversations about art and its cultural significance.
A pioneering force in this mission of accessibility in art is public art installations, which often take the form of street art or commissioned murals:
“Public art brings everyone into it. Besides beautifying city spaces, it can be an investment for companies, so their building can be a recognizable spot. So, from a business standpoint it can be very beneficial. Our public art, we always say, is like fine art on a wall,” Cassie explains, calling to mind some of CASS’s most successful Tampa exhibits.
Alongside art in public spaces, creative use of technology has expanded the art experience in exciting and engaging ways. CASS is well-versed in this technology, and has partnered with Augmented Reality (AR) to create installations such as interactive, app-activated murals. In 2023, the company supported the 3rd U.S. installation of Waterlicht, an esteemed installation which utilizes humidity pumps and lasers to create a surreal, immersive experience that mimics the feeling of being underwater. Spanning 2 city blocks in Tampa, the seascape ran from October 27th to the 29th and attracted more than 11,000 visitors.
Through the use of public space and technological tools, art becomes accessible and engaging, even for those who consider themselves creative novices. Kids, also, are impacted by this accessibility, an affect the Greatens—who have 4 children of their own—are passionate about.
“Something we see in the community is that kids typically stop being artists around 8, you know, when coloring isn’t cool anymore. But when people bring their kids to exhibits like Waterlicht, it remains an avenue for kids to express themselves,” says Cassie. “And when people come, parents especially, have an image of a ‘struggling artist,’ but our artists aren’t struggling. They work on huge campaigns. We want people to see that there’s ways to be a practicing artist as your full time career.”
Many of the artists the Greatens work with have had great success working with huge brands, sports teams, musicians, and more. Showcasing the reality of this success is sure to have a ripple effect, inspiring future generations of artists. “It shows them different avenues for an art career, too,” shares Jake. “There are tons of different avenues to that career path.”
CASS is a company that tangibly showcases art as both a creative endeavor and a lucrative career. Their reoccurring exhibit, Paint it Forward, promotes artists careers to the nth degree. During these events, CASS hand picks 10 to 20 artists who are big names in the industry. Each established artist then selects an emerging artist to work with and display alongside. In the past, this exhibit has also been tied to a charity. Paint it Forward, Volume 3 is set to exhibit in Nashville in May of 2026.
Wedgewood-Houston: Nashville’s Newest Artistic Hub
Wedgewood-Houston, is an up-and-coming area of Nashville marked by innovative, cosmopolitan spaces and creative commerce. Lovingly referred to as “WeHo” by some, the neighborhood is quickly growing into a top destination for arts, fashion, and culture in Music City. Currently, construction in the area is heavy, promising incredible new development. Wedgewood Village, the area where the gallery will reside, will be the final product.
“It feels like home here. Once the new village is built, it’s really going to feel like a borough in New York City. It has an artsy flair to it, and we just knew that’s where our brand belongs,” the Greatens agree.
Alongside the art galleries and studio spaces taking up residence in WeHo’s former warehouses, established and incoming restaurants, bars, and clubs add to the modern, artistic landscape, ultimately making it a perfect spot to spend an afternoon or evening. The area is set to be extremely walkable and, through continued growth, is projected to be a popular, versatile spot that can accommodate both local and tourist traffic.
Hot Spots in Wedgewood-Houston:
- Start your day with a coffee from Barista Parlor, Humphreys Street Coffee, or Cafe Babu.
- Grab a drink at Jackalope Brewing Company, Diskin Cider, May’s (the part of Soho House open to non-members), or Americano Lounge.
- Dine-in at Pastis, Bastion Nashville, Dicey’s Pizza & Tavern, or iggy’s.
- Spend a night out at Bastion’s Big Bar , Flamingo Cocktail Club, or Never Never.
- Catch a Nashville SC Game at Geodis Park.
- Bonus: global member’s club Soho House’s Nashville location is in Wedgewood-Houston.
- Stay tuned: luxury Parisian brand Hermès is set to open a storefront in the area.
Nashville, Tennessee: A Creative Haven
Nashville continues to grow as one of the top cultural destinations in the United States. Although currently most well-regarded for its vibrant music scene (a reputation likely to stick around), Nashville’s creative landscape is multi-faceted.
Music City was even once referred to as “The Athens of the South,” a nickname that pointed to the city as a beckon of education and innovation. With movements towards a more vibrant visual art scene, instigated by the arrival of CASS Contemporary and other local entities, Nashville continues to be a promising place for creatives of all kinds, welcoming artistry and industry with open arms.
Here in Williamson County, our close proximity to Nashville gives us a front row seat to the city’s exciting new developments. To further immerse yourself in the local art scene, you can also check out the incredible Art Galleries in Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee.
If you’re interested in exploring Music City like a local, visit our guides to the 12 South neighborhood, The Gulch, East Nashville, and Broadway. Wedgewood Village is set to be an exciting new central point of Nashville culture, adding an elegant, creative edge to the Southern roots we know and love. The addition of CASS Contemporary as part of Wedgewood-Houston’s vibrant new landscape marks an artistic renaissance here in Middle Tennessee, proving that the creative spirit of Nashville is alive and well, no matter what shape it takes.
