Promoting and Celebrating the Art, Culture, and Natural Beauty of Our Region Since 1955
By Shannon Herron, Dogwood Arts Marketing & Creative Director
Hello, spring!
Spring in Knoxville is synonymous with Dogwood Arts. What began as a neighborhood beautification project in 1955 has blossomed into one of the longest running nonprofit organizations in our area.
The story of Dogwood Arts began in 1947 when a visiting journalist wrote, “Knoxville is the ugliest city I ever saw in America, with the possible exception of some mill town in New England.” Upon reading this disparaging account, the Knoxville Garden Club, led by Betsey Creekmore, Martha Ashe, and Betsy Goodson, decided they would prove him wrong by showcasing the natural beauty of the city they loved so much. Thus, the seeds of the very first Dogwood Trail were planted!
By 1961, so many visitors were flocking to Knoxville to see the spring-blooming Dogwood trees along the designated trails that area businesses and community leaders felt more springtime public entertainment was needed, and the very first Dogwood Arts Festival was born.
From the very beginning, Dogwood Arts has been a community-driven initiative. Today, from their office and gallery space on Jackson Avenue in the Old City, they continue to promote and celebrate the art, culture, and natural beauty of East Tennessee with more than 20 annual events and programs. Keep reading for just a taste of what Dogwood Arts has planned for this spring, and visit DogwoodArts.com for full details about each event.
Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival
May 11
Southern Skies is the newest addition to music programming at Dogwood Arts. Curated by hometown favorites The Dirty Guv’nahs, Southern Skies is an authentically-Knoxville celebration of music and community featuring a lineup of local, regional, and national talent. This year’s event will feature Americana legends Old Crow Medicine Show alongside The Dirty Guv’nahs, Maggie Rose, Amythyst Kiah, Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge, and Wyatt Ellis.
A new collaboration with the Tennessee Distillers Guild will bring the top distilleries from across the state to Southern Skies this year also. The Tennessee Whiskey Experience is an added enhancement available for purchase to music festival ticket holders.
Dogwood Arts has a 69-year history of arts advocacy, environmental stewardship, and economic impact in East Tennessee. They celebrate nature, create opportunities for artists, and make Knoxville a more vibrant city. With the financial support of corporate sponsors, grant funding, local government investment, and private donors, they are able to produce numerous year-round events and programs that help make Knoxville a great place to live, work, and play.
Art in Public Places: Mural & Sculpture Program
Year-Round
Art for everyone. Dogwood Arts brings art outside, adding character and beauty to our city streets and public spaces through the Art in Public Places Program. Find inspiration around every corner, down every alley, even on the sidewalk! Dogwood Arts is honored to be part of a large group of art & culture nonprofits located in Knoxville that are working to enrich the lives of local residents and enhance the experience of visitors to our area. Our Art in Public Places program is an important part of that effort, bringing art out of the gallery and into the streets.
Sculptures: Large-scale outdoor sculptures are on display throughout Knoxville and surrounding counties as a part of this annual juried sculpture exhibition. Artists from across the country travel to Knoxville to install and share their works of art with our community each year.
Murals: Focused on connecting local and regional muralists with property owners interested in offering their buildings as canvases, the Dogwood Arts mural program makes art visible to the entire community.
Art Kits for Kids
Annually
Dogwood Arts provides free art supplies to thousands of kids in our area each year through the Art Kits for Kids program. Started during the pandemic, Art Kits for Kids has evolved into an annual program focused on delivering an Art Kit to every 5th grader in Knox, Anderson, and Blount counties. This is the last year in the school curriculum when every child has art class before it becomes an elective. By providing these art supplies to thousands of children at this critical point of development, we hope to inspire kids to stick with art as a healthy way to express themselves, seek creative problem solving, and relieve stress and anxiety.
Dogwood Arts Events
• Art in Public Places: Sculpture & Mural Programs
• Art Kits for Kids: Education and Art Supplies
• First Friday Art Walk Exhibitions
• Chalk Walk
• Dogwood Arts Festival
• Regional Art Exhibition at the Emporium
• Youth Art Programs: Synergy, Epiphone Guitar Design Contest, A Very Special Arts Festival
• Bazillion Blooms: Tree Planting Campaign
• Dogwood Trails – 90 miles in 13 neighborhoods
• Spring Featured Gardens
• Wellness Programs: Bikes & Blooms, Hikes & Blooms, Walking Trials
• House & Garden Show
• Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival
• Maker Exchange
Your donations help continue these wonderful programs!
Dogwood Arts
123 W. Jackson Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37902
865.637.4561
DogwoodArts.com