Knoxville Museum of Art
Since 1990, the Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) has greatly enriched the area with its exhibits, tours, lectures, events, and workshops. The beautiful $11,000 million, 53,200-square-foot building was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and built on the 1982 World’s Fair site. The KMA replaced the Dulin Gallery of Art when popular demand created a need for a larger space.
The KMA has over 700 two- and three-dimensional pieces of art in its collection, portions of which are displayed as permanent exhibits. In addition to these objects, the KMA schedules exhibitions featuring regional artists as well as those from all over the world. Past exhibitions have included rare Rembrandt etchings, David S. Allee’s photographs, Tomory Dodge’s paintings, and Jean-Pierre Gauthier’s sound designs. Current and future exhibits include Jun Kaneko’s ceramics and a multi-artist exhibit, New Directions in American Drawing, which promotes drawing as an important contemporary art form.
In addition to its permanent collection and schedule of exhibitions, the KMA hosts a variety of educational programs which are geared toward promoting “first-hand involvement with the visual arts.” For students, there are teacher-led programs and field trips. For adults (and sometimes students, too!) there are concerts, such as the popular Alive After Five series; tours, such as the Annual Holiday Home Tour; fine arts and craft auctions, such as the annual Artscapes Art Auction; and workshops such as The Design Lab series which allows the public to interact with artists as they explore “what design is and how it affects life.” For example, a recent lab featured C.A. Debelius’ building designs. The KMA also offers a program for those interested in becoming docents.
As the public’s support for the KMA has grown, the museum has been able to give back to the community. For instance, the KMA recently created a grant program to cover the cost of bus transportation so that children attending qualifying schools are able to visit. Also, the museum participates in the area’s Ticket Subsidy Program which helps underprivileged children gain access to area museums. These are but two of many programs the KMA supports with the intent of bringing world class art and culture to the community. Museum memberships are available but are not required to visit. The cost for non-members is $5. Admission is free on Tuesdays.
