Eagerly Anticipated Arrowmont Gallery Grand Opening!

Posted Apr 14, 2022 | Posted in: News

By Krishna Adams, Director of Visual Arts, Craft, Media, and Design –

L to R: Arrowmont Chief Executive Officer Trudy Hughes, Youth Education Programs Manager Kelly Hider, Chief Program Officer Nick DeFord

In celebration with Knoxville’s long-running First Friday art crawl, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts opened its doors and welcomed guests to the grand opening of their new gallery space on Knoxville’s historic Gay Street. While at first glance, the Gallery gives off an industrial aesthetic vibe through the visible air vents, pipes, and paint flaked wall sections, that in no way diminishes the exceptional work on view from established and up-and-coming artists. The energy of the evening was enthusiastic, and smiles were aplenty. Attendance was near to overflowing, and the cacophony of voices was almost overwhelming after the many months of social distancing and small group gatherings.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is a community of individuals who seek meaningful arts and crafts experiences. The community includes people of all skill levels, ages, and backgrounds. It includes makers, aspiring makers, skilled artists and craftspeople, appreciators of arts and crafts, and any individual who wants to be part of a dynamic and welcoming community.

Located next to the UT Gallery and connected to the Arts and Culture Alliance’s Emporium building, this first permanent off-campus space will further enhance the downtown area by showcasing important works from artists that are creating through the Arrowmont experience. The Gallery will expand the reach of Arrowmont by offering rotating exhibitions that complement workshops and programs taking place at the Gatlinburg campus. Additionally, this Gallery provides an opportunity to give much-needed visibility to artists.

L to R: Arrowmont Chief Executive Officer Trudy Hughes, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance Liza Zenni, President of Visit Knoxville Kim Bumpas

Inaugural artists included Jonathan Adams, Jennifer Allen, Erin Anfinson, Adam Atkinson, Barbara Bullard, Tina Curry, Chandra DeBuse, Bill Griffith, Dani Guillen, Chris Hoehle, Everett Hoffman, Jeana Eve Klein, Maia Leppo, Ashton Ludden, John Polly, Justin Rothshank, Joshua Shorey, ᎺᎵᏔᎻᏏᏂ, Mary Welch Thompson, Katherine Wagner, and Kimberly Winkle.

Learn more about Arrowmont and their workshops at https://www.arrowmont.org/.