An Art Lover's Guide to Knoxville
Though primarily known for excellent breweries and easy access to the Smoky Mountains, Knoxville also boasts a rich and vibrant arts community. From fabulous museums to iconic venues, world-class festivals to inspiring performance arts, Knoxville’s cultural landscape is attracting international acclaim under the stewardship of passionate East Tennesseans.
And whether you’re a longtime local or a visitor to the region, Knoxville’s art scene delights art lovers of all persuasions. Here, we highlight a handful of the many museums, institutions, events, and highlights of Knoxville in the hope it inspires a beautiful experience – whether it’s on your next vacation or day on the town.
MUSEUMS
KNOXVILLE MUSEUM OF ART
EDITOR PICK | 1050 Worlds Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN | @knoxart | The Knoxville Museum of Art is a place of energy and excitement that provides an ideal environment for your students to connect to the culture of the region. Over a century of artworks and exciting special exhibits will inspire creativity in students and encourage understanding in a variety of disciplines. Learn more…
BECK CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER
1927 Dandridge Ave, Knoxville, TN | Beck is the storehouse of African American history and culture and is designated by the state as a primary repository of Black history and culture in East Tennessee. It is a truly special destination to learn, discover and experience the rich legacy of African Americans inside a vibrant Cultural Corridor, the Beck Cultural Corridor.
MCCLUNG MUSEUM OF NATURE HISTORY AND CULTURE
1327 Cir Park Dr, Knoxville, TN | @mcclungmuseum | The museum participates in implementing the university’s central mission: to cultivate and enrich the human mind and spirit through teaching, scholarship, artistic creation, public service, and professional practice. McClung always has fun exhibits for the whole family plus admission and parking are free!
MUSEUM OF EAST TENNESSEE HISTORY
601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | The East Tennessee Historical Society’s Museum of East Tennessee History is an invitation to explore and learn about the region through award-winning permanent & visiting exhibits of artifacts, art & Civil War items.
GALLERIES
DOGWOOD ARTS GALLERY
VOLUME 7 MEMBER | 123 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN | Dogwood Arts is a non-profit arts organization in Knoxville, Tennessee that promotes & celebrates the art, culture, and natural beauty of our region. The Dogwood Arts Gallery is an extension of the initiative featuring monthly rotating exhibitions by local and regional artists.
MAKER EXCHANGE
VOLUME 7 MEMBER | 710 Clinch Ave, Knoxville, TN | Curated by Volume 6 member, Dogwood Arts, Maker Exchange is the cultural hub of East Tennessee’s Makers. From the furniture gracing the space to the coffee in the mugs, every piece is a celebration and tribute to the Makers in our region. The Maker Exchange offers space to gather, eat, and shop, all within steps of the Tennessean and Marriott Hotels.
LILIENTHAL ART GALLERY
VOLUME 7 MEMBER | 23 Emory Pl, Knoxville, TN | Combining modern with traditional elements, the artists represented by Lilienthall push the visual boundaries of life. The gallery showcases internationally acclaimed artists compromising a mix of mediums, including acrylics, sculpture, mixed media, collages, and oil paintings.
BENNETT GALLERIES & CO.
5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN | Located in the heart of Bearden in Knoxville, TN, Bennett first opened its doors as a custom frame shop in the 1970s. Since 1976, Bennett has provided a welcoming space to shop, relax, and aspire, featuring local, regional, and nationally renowned artists with an emphasis on hand-crafted and small production items. Their 40,000 square-foot showroom includes heirloom quality furniture, specialty gifts, art, custom framing, tabletop finds, and accessories.
CANDORO MARBLE BUILDING
4450 Candora Ave, Knoxville, TN | The historic Candoro Marble Building – the location of TSG Knoxville’s Volume 6 launch and an artwork in itself – serves as the headquarters for Tri-Star Arts. Candoro hosts the Tri-Star Arts gallery, which features a revolving collection of exhibitions.
DISTRICT GALLERY
5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN | Providing everything from excellent custom framing to one-of-a-kind works of art, the District Gallery is home to hundreds of original art pieces from local, regional, and national artists. From fine art to fine jewelry, Bennett delights in their thoughtfully curated collection and fabulous client service.
EMPORIUM CENTER
100 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | The Emporium Center is Knoxville’s first true arts center, which re-opened following renovations in 2004. The 28,000 square feet of flexible use space houses multiple art galleries showcasing local and regional artists, the administrative offices of the Arts & Culture Alliance, and offices for five other arts and cultural organizations. Additionally, the building houses studio for fifteen individual artists.
EWING GALLERY OF ART & ARCHITECTURE
1715 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN | The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture is named in honor of C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing who initiated the art curriculum at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1948. In its effort to illustrate both the historical and current attitudes in art and architecture, The Ewing Gallery has developed and maintained a permanent collection for scholarly research and enrichment. Additionally, The Ewing Gallery sponsors events that augment the curricula and expand students’ awareness of art and architecture via artists’ workshops, student critiques, public lectures, and films.
PIVOT POINT FINE ART GALLERY
15 Emory Pl, Knoxville, TN | Pivot Point Gallery represents over 30 contemporary North American artists across all mediums and styles. Located in a 130-year-old, nationally historic building, Pivot Point Fine Art Gallery offers a stunning backdrop against which to view all mediums of contemporary art.
UT DOWNTOWN GALLERY
106 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | The UT Downtown Gallery is a contemporary art gallery exhibiting professional work through funding and support from The University of Tennessee. Expect events, works from their artists in residence, and exhibits of internationally-acclaimed artists.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
DOGWOOD ARTS CHALK WALK
EDITOR PICK | April 1, 2023 | Thousands of art lovers head downtown each year to experience this live art competition in Market Square. Chalk Walk features over 150 artists and collaborative teams working on-site from 8am-5pm to complete their artwork. Cash prizes and ribbons are awarded to select artists who have created imaginative and inspiring works in their age division.
DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL
EDITOR PICK | April 28 – 30, 2023 | Established in 1961, the Dogwood Arts Festival is one of the most celebrated cultural events in Knoxville! The festival is held on the beautifully redesigned Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park and features over 100 fine art vendors, live music, entertainment, children’s activities, food & beverage vendors, and more.
ARTIST ON LOCATION BY KMA
EDITOR PICK | April 2023 | Artists from across the country flock to Knoxville for this Plein Air Painting Event, painting in open air during the week-long event. All works are showcased, juried, and sold in a culmination event on Saturday. Learn more about the event…
KNOXVILLE FIRST FRIDAY
EDITOR PICK | Every First Friday | Home to a diverse community of artists, arts organizations and cultural institutions, Knoxville comes together on the first Friday of every month to celebrate the arts. Since its inception 15 years ago, the celebration has extended throughout the city. A growing number of galleries and venues feature a variety of artists’ displays and live music. Downtown anchors include The Art Market, The Emporium and the downtown Visitors Center, home of the WDVX Blue Plate Special – all conveniently located on Gay Street. Stroll, sip and shop throughout the evening! Meander to Market Square and the Old City for more art, entertainment, and dining options.
BIG EARS FESTIVAL
March 30 – April 2, 2023 | Described as “one of the most quietly earth-shattering, subtly luminous festivals the world over,” Big Ears Festival takes place throughout downtown Knoxville in more than a dozen venues. There’s much to explore and discover throughout the four-day festival: more than 100 boundary-crossing performances, as well as discussions, interactive workshops, installations, and surprise collaborations. Big Ears draws robust contingents of both intrepid Tennessee residents and visitors from around the world.
KNOX FILM FESTIVAL
September 16 – 18, 2023 | The Knoxville Film Festival has become the largest and most complete film festival in the region. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Keith McDaniel, KFF has been held at Knoxville’s Arthouse theater, the Regal Downtown West Cinema 8.
SOUTHERN SKIES MUSIC FESTIVAL
May 20 – 21, 2023 | Curated by hometown favorites, The Dirty Guv’nahs and in conjunction with Volume 6 member, Dogwood Arts, the two-day event will feature musical acts across two stages, food trucks, craft beer, wine, specialty cocktails, a Maker Market, and more.
TENNESSEE TRIENNIAL FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
January 27- May 7, 2023 | The Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art is Tri-Star Arts’ much-anticipated statewide art event. Founders of Tri-Star Arts have partnered with an internationally famed curator to curate exhibitions across Tennessee’s most notable institutions, including Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Vanderbilt University Fine Arts, Knoxville Museum of Arts, and more. It’s a buzz-worthy event set to showcase the importance of Tennessee in the art world.
ORGANIZATIONS & SOCIETIES
DOGWOOD ARTS
VOLUME 7 MEMBER | Dogwood Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a 67-year history of arts advocacy, environmental stewardship, and economic impact in East Tennessee. The organization produces 20 annual events and programs that help make Knoxville a great place to live, work and play.
EAST TENNESSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
EDITOR PICK | 601 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | @easttnhistory | The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) specializes in finding creative ways to introduce all ages to the fascinating world of history. ETHS provides a variety of student and education programs, including guided activities, class trips, and special events and exhibitions. More than 900 makers belong to The Maker City, the directory grew to more than 190 makers, and more than 600 met and mingled at maker meetups.
ART HOUSE KNOX
1050 World’s Fair Park Dr, Knoxville TN | An auxiliary group of The Knoxville Museum of Art, Arthouse Knox, connects a newer generation to the KMA by providing exclusive opportunities to learn through art. Offering an “eclectic roster” of social gatherings and experiences, Arthouse is for anyone and everyone seeking to become more engaged in art.
MAKER CITY
17 Market Square Suite #101, Knoxville, TN | The Maker City is the greater Knoxville-area community of makers, artists, creatives, and small-scale manufacturers and supporting entities. Led by the appointed Mayor’s Maker Council, they create collaborative partnerships, programming, and opportunities in support of Knoxville’s maker community.
TRI-STAR ARTS
4450 Candora Ave, Knoxville, TN | Tri-Star Arts cultivates and spotlights the contemporary visual art scenes throughout Tennessee, region while fostering a unified state-wide art scene. Their initiatives include a gallery space and artist studios at the historic Candoro Marble Building, as well as Current Art Fund grants, state-wide exhibition projects, a speaker series, digital content, the forthcoming Tennessee Triennial, and the LocateArts.org web resource.
PERFORMANCE ARTS
TENNESSEE THEATRE
VOLUME 7 MEMBER | 604 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and honored as the Official State Theatre of Tennessee, Tennessee Theatre is a Knoxville icon and a must-see for visitors and locals alike. It hosts a wealth of live performances, from Broadway shows to concerts by today’s hottest musicians. View upcoming events…
APPALACHIAN BALLET COMPANY
215 W Broadway Ave, Maryville, TN | The Appalachian Ballet Company is East Tennessee’s premier classical performing company.Chartered in 1972, ABC’s talented company of dancers performs an annual three-program season, providing the region with the highest quality dance performances. ABC offers a wide repertory from traditional classics to creative contemporary ballets and regularly performs with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. The company also collaborates with other area performing arts groups and is active in educational outreach.
BIJOU THEATRE
803 S Gay Street, Knoxville, TN | With a storied and colorful past, the Bijou Theatre has been gathering and celebrating the arts in East Tennessee for over a century. Providing a platform for arts of all kind, from musicians to comedians to live performances, the scene at the Bijou is always lively.
CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE
714 Andy Holt Ave, Knoxville, TN | Located on the University of Tennessee campus, Clarence Brown Theatre is named in honor of the legendary filmmaker and 1910 alumnus, Clarence Brown. It is a touchstone for the University and region, offering national and international artistic exchange among teachers, students, and professional artists through contemporary and classic productions.
CENTRAL CINEMA FESTIVAL
1205 N Central St, Knoxville, TN | Central Cinema is a community moviehouse located in the heart of North Knoxville’s Happy Holler neighborhood offering a homegrown alternative to the corporate multiplex experience. The initiative keeps your moviegoing money in the hands of a team dedicated to celebrating both film and local culture.
KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY
604 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN | Formally established in 1935, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra is the oldest continually performing symphony orchestra in the Southeast, reaching over 200,000 people annually. Today, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra continues to develop and sustain a symphony orchestra of the highest artistic standards and to reach all of East Tennessee audiences with excellent musical performance and education programs.
Did we miss your favorite aspect of Knoxville’s rich and vibrant arts & culture landscape? Let us know via email so we can Scout them for Volume 7!
