We make space for our communities to discover and engage through the arts
Since September 2004, the UT Downtown Gallery has been a founding art organization of the downtown Knoxville art scene. The gallery’s presence has contributed significantly to the revitalization of this area into a thriving, creative neighborhood filled with arts and music venues. We are the only public-facing University of Tennessee professional arts organization located within the community.
Our location makes us a distinctive cultural resource for the City of Knoxville and the East Tennessee region. As a community-embedded space supported in part by an R1 research university, it is imperative for the gallery to be a reflection of the communities we serve and a portal to the world. We welcome all while recognizing the importance of equitable access to the arts. Our primary audiences are underserved communities in the Knoxville region who may have previously felt excluded from traditional art spaces— in particular, Knox County students attending Title I middle and high schools.
We foster artistic curiosity and support inquiry by creating diverse cultural experiences to serve the our communities and the university through free, public lectures and workshops by exhibiting artists, participating in First Friday events, and presenting to varied community organizations and K-12 classes —attracting over 7,100 visitors annually.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- ACCESS | We value all facets of accessibility. Extending the concept beyond physical accessibility, we strive to be culturally, intellectually, and educationally accessible for our audiences.
- CARE | As stewards, we not only protect our physical collections but also care for the well-being of our staff, the educational experiences of our students, the connections with our communities, and the artwork and narratives entrusted to us by our exhibiting artists.
- CAPACITY | We acknowledge our capacity and recognize that declining certain opportunities is essential to being good caretakers of our resources. This enables us to focus on delivering exceptional service and programming.
- COMMUNITY | We appreciate the diverse communities that contribute to the cultural landscape of Knoxville. We purposefully reach out to and build partnerships with these communities in an effort to foster a welcoming environment and encourage access and engagement. Our active collaboration with these groups is crucial for sustaining an impactful art program.
- EXPERIMENTATION | We believe experimentation is vital to research and educational growth. We encourage a culture of creative exploration for student and professional artists, and embrace the lessons inherent in failure, understanding that this is an indispensable part of the experimental process.
Julie Lohnes
Director, Curator
phone: 865-974-3199
email: jlohnes1@utk.edu
Gallery Manager
phone: 865-673-0802
email: mberry8@utk.edu