Downtown Knox ArtWalk

New members of 2024 will be featured during the month of January! Complimentary refreshments and music. Explore the marketplace of more than 60 juried-in East TN artists.

5:30 PM—9 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents Hidden Worlds by David Denton and Adam Rowe. “Hidden Worlds” is a new exhibition based on the paper presented at Bridges 2023 and the Knoxville American Marketing Association conference, “Surface-tiling Curves.” The subject is the application of a space-filling curve segment to the faces of regular polyhedra. The work represents real-world examples of time slices in the iterative process of these curves as sculpture and print. Each piece exists as snapshot along the way from one to two dimensions. Glimpsing into these hidden worlds is a way of looking deeper without looking closer.

5 PM—9 PM.

December's featured artist is Ambrose Rhapsody Murray. Murray is a self-taught artist with roots in Florida and Asheville, NC. Through sewing, painting, material experimentation, film and collaborative projects, they create stories to investigate our relationships to the colonial undercurrents of our lives, the charged symbology of black feminine bodies, and the ephemeral and layered qualities of memory and remembering.

5 PM—9 PM.

Hot shop Glassblowing Demonstrations at nationally known Pretentious. Don’t miss this.

5 PM—9 PM.

Enjoy jazz with the Graham Monroe. Great spot for dinner and cocktails.

8 PM—10:30 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance will feature works from Stephen Phillips. Stephen has always been intrigued by the arts whether music, dance, or visual arts, and his start in ceramics can be traced to his childhood enjoyment of mixing earth with water. He learned the fundamental skills of hand building and throwing at EMCC, receiving an Associate of Arts degree. He later attended Mississippi University for Women where he began to advance his throwing skills. He has trained under a national and international ceramics artist during his enrollment.

5 PM—9 PM.

Music by Saucy Llama with Admiral.

8 PM. 

Music from Vaden Landers Band (21+).

9 PM.

Visit Bethie Lou’s Fabulous Gift Store for the Gift Store Galleria. Come in for a special experience of fun, laughter, and fabulous gifts. Extended First Friday hours.

Open until 9 PM.

Stop in Studio 106 Art Gallery. Located on the lower level of the Emporium Center inside suite 106, the gallery will offer specials and discounts for First Friday!

11 AM—9 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance will feature works by Anthony Donaldson. Anthony lives in Knoxville and is a Knoxville Area Transit bus driver. He intensely studied art in high school and continued taking classes in college. Donaldson expresses himself through art as a writer would express oneself in a book. He asks himself whether art imitates life or life imitates art, and he feels the answer is both. Donaldson aims to tell a story with his art, and the recent work he will display features many subjects such as climate change, human trafficking, Harlem Renaissance culture, political and social issues, racism & classism, and more.

5 PM—9 PM.

RED Gallery is proud to host the opening of if only in my dreams… by Melissa N. Everett. A collection of quilts, sculptural pieces, soft mixed with rigid, color used to nurture and encourage you to "be a wildflower”. The show will open on First Friday and will run through the month of December.

5 PM—9 PM.

Addison's bookstore will be open for special extended hours for January's First Friday!

6—9 PM.

Music from St Owsley (Jerry Garcia, Dead Tribute). Tickets at door.

8 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance will feature works from Diana Ferguson. Known to the art community as “DiFergi”, Diana graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Stetson University. She then taught art in the public school system for eight years before she went full time as a studio artist. Diana can now be found in her studio almost every day of the week.

5 PM—9 PM.

January features A Penny in Your Pocket: National Juried Exhibition, Part I in the permanent off-campus exhibition space.

Carrying a penny in your pocket into the new year is alleged to bring good fortune and prosperity. Kicking off the 2025 Arrowmont Gallery exhibition calendar, this exhibition explores interpretations of superstition. Held in two parts, Part I will be in January, opening to the public on First Friday, January 3rd, and Part II will be on view in February beginning First Friday, February 7th.

5 PM—9 PM.

Watch the sunset from the best view in the city! For this special evening tour, enjoy refreshments, explore the Observation Deck, shop local, and watch the sun go down over our scruffy little city. Event times vary based on scheduled sunset.

Reservations can be made at visitknoxville.com.

Underground @ Mirage 13.0 with house music from Calvin Morgan, percussion from Corey " Legend " Hodge, Kevin Nowell, Christian Ferrer, Earl Grae, and Chris Marc. 

6 PM—1:00 AM.

Kick-off First Friday at Maker Exchange! Browse work by 150+ local artists or enjoy a cocktail or bite in the Tavern. 

4 PM—6 PM.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission is partnering with the Arts & Culture Alliance to provide the tenth annual juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists and, most importantly, honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The new exhibition will feature works by local artists reflecting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have pertinence to the themes of Unity, Community, Love, Reconciliation, Social Justice, and Civil Rights. The MLK Gallery of Arts Tribute exhibition will kick-off the 2025 celebrations (January 15-20). For more information, visit mlkknoxville.com.

The exhibitions will be on display January 3-31, 2025 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 20, for the holiday.

5 PM—9 PM.