Arrowmont hosted the Grand Opening of the Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville, April 1, 2022

April 06, 2022

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts hosted the Grand Opening for its new permanent, off-campus location last week. The Arrowmont Gallery, located in downtown Knoxville at 110 South Gay Street, officially opened to the public on April 1, 2022, coinciding with Knoxville’s First Friday festivities.

“It is with great excitement that we open our second Arrowmont space,” said Trudy Hughes, chief executive officer for Arrowmont. “We are so appreciative of the many artists who join us. Their creative and beautiful works of art will delight and entertain you. This new space is a reality thanks to so many who have contributed time, talent, and treasures to this success. We thank the Tennessee Arts Commission for the many years of encouragement and support, culminating in this next step in the Arrowmont story.”

The Grand Opening welcomed the community to experience the newly renovated space for the first time. A ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by Trudy Hughes and President of the Arrowmont Board, Dr. Steven Gottlieb marked the official opening of the space. Community and arts leaders attended the event, including Mayor Indya Kincannon, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance Liza Zenni, President of Visit Knoxville Kim Bumpas. The opening event saw many members of the Arrowmont community – Board members, staff, volunteers, instructors, students, Work-Studies, friends – come together to celebrate this expansion of Arrowmont’s physical presence to downtown Knoxville.

Left to right: 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

The inaugural exhibit for the Grand Opening includes artists from the Arrowmont community:

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, Kimberly Winkle.

Following the Grand Opening Arrowmont will complete the final build-out of the space, and prepare for monthly exhibitions and regular gallery hours. “The first Friday opening event reflects the vision for this exciting space, but the Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville is not yet in its final form,” said Nick DeFord, chief program officer. “The Arrowmont team is working on final improvements over the upcoming months to make the gallery a truly exceptional space. We look forward to The Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville being an integral part of Knoxville’s arts and crafts gallery community. So, for May and June, the gallery will only be open for First Friday during the evening. We hope in July to have extended hours over First Friday weekends. By Fall 2022, our plan is to expand our hours and availability for multiple weekends over the month.”