Thacker's involvement with the visual arts isn't confined to a classroom or gallery. For seven years he served on the Tennessee Arts Commission visual arts panel. Three of those years he chaired the panel, working to affect where monies for the arts are allocated throughout Tennessee. His house, which he has spent the last year and a half renovating, bears his special touches, from the poured-concrete countertops to the handpainted kitchen floor. Thacker says it's only natural that he became immersed in artistic pursuits.
All children make art.
They like to make marks or whittle on things, and I've always done that. I guess I just never grew up. Some people learn to use sports to assert themselves, others learn to use words, and for some reason, making things was the way I felt I could assert myself most clearly. Thacker grew up in a primarily blue-collar neighborhood where three residents had master's degrees in fine arts. Being in the presence of real artifacts woke me up.