Knoxville Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1961 |
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| Location | 1050 World’s Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States |
The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) is a cool art museum located in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's a special place that shows off amazing art from both the past and today, especially focusing on artists and artworks from the East Tennessee area. The museum's main goal is to celebrate the art and artists of East Tennessee, share new art and ideas, teach people of all ages, and help make Knoxville a better place to live.
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History of the Museum
The museum first opened its doors in 1961. Back then, it was called the Dulin Gallery of Art. It was located in a house called the H.L. Dulin House. This house was designed in 1915 by a famous architect named John Russell Pope. It was built in a style called Neoclassical Revival.
However, the Dulin House was quite small. It also didn't have the best security or climate control. Because of these reasons, the museum couldn't get special approval from the American Alliance of Museums.
In 1984, the museum's leaders decided to build a brand new building. They chose a spot at the former site of the 1982 World's Fair in downtown Knoxville. In 1987, the museum's name officially changed to the "Knoxville Museum of Art." The new building was designed by another well-known architect, Edward Larrabee Barnes. It was a large space, about 53,200 square feet. The new museum finally opened on March 25, 1990.
The Museum Building
The modern building was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes. It is named after Jim Clayton. He gave a lot of money to help build it. The outside of the four-story building is made of steel and concrete. It is covered with beautiful pink Tennessee marble. This marble was dug up right there in Tennessee!
The museum has five art galleries. It also has two large outdoor garden areas. In 2013 and 2014, the museum got a big makeover. They spent almost $6 million to clean and fix everything. The Tennessee marble on the outside was cleaned and restored. The entrance area and the third-floor terrace were rebuilt. They were repaved with pink and gray granite from Vermont. The North Garden was also redesigned. New native trees and bushes were planted there.
Art Collection
When the museum first started, it mostly showed art from traveling exhibitions. But over time, its collection changed. Now, it focuses more on art from the Southern Appalachian culture. It also highlights artists from the East Tennessee region.
Permanent Exhibitions
- Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee: This is a permanent exhibit. It shows works by famous local artists. Some of these artists include Lloyd Branson, Catherine Wiley, Joseph Delaney, Beauford Delaney, and Bessie Harvey. It also features major artists from outside the region who created important art in Knoxville. Examples are Ansel Adams and Elliot Porter.
- Currents: Recent Art from East Tennessee and Beyond: This exhibit is part of the museum's goal to show new art and ideas. It features art from many different artists. Some of them are Gordon Cheung, Ori Gersht, Red Grooms, Wade Guyton, Robert Longo, Loretta Lux, William Morris, Ulf Puder, Hiraki Sawa, Kenneth Snelson, Robert Stackhouse, and Anne Wilson.
The museum also has a new permanent exhibit of modern and contemporary studio glass. This is an area where the museum's collection is growing stronger. It includes important works by Harvey Littleton, Karen LaMonte, Andrew Erdos, and William Morris. In the spring of 2014, the museum showed a permanent glass artwork by Richard Jolley. It is called Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity. This amazing piece was made possible by a gift from Ann and Steve Bailey. It is the largest glass artwork with figures in the whole world!
The museum also has a collection of nine Thorne miniature rooms. These are very special tiny rooms. They were designed by Narcissa Niblack Thorne in the 1930s and 1940s. The biggest collection of Thorne miniature rooms is at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Special Exhibitions
The museum adds to its main collections with many temporary exhibitions. These shows explore different parts of regional culture. They also look at how local art connects to art from other parts of the country and the world. The museum has shown solo exhibitions by modern artists like Anne Wilson, Jun Kaneko, Candida Höfer, Maya Lin, Jim Campbell, Anton Vidokle, Johanna Billing, Eva Zeisel, Chuck Close, and Ai Weiwei.
The museum also likes to give new and promising artists their first solo museum shows. This includes artists from the local area and from further away. The KMA has organized solo exhibitions for artists such as Liz Collins, Tam Van Tran, Oliver Payne and Nick Relph, Clare Rojas, Sarah Hobbs, Michael Raedecker, Timothy Horn, Seonna Hong, and Tomory Dodge.
Museum Programs
The Knoxville Museum of Art focuses a lot on education. They offer many programs, including:
- Museum tours
- Workshops where you can create art
- Artist residencies (where artists work at the museum)
- Outreach programs that go into the community
- Lectures and concerts
- Classroom programs for students
- Fun activities for families
Each year, over 60,000 people visit the KMA. They come for museum visits, special events, concerts, and other programs. The museum's money comes from many places. These include people and companies who donate, museum memberships, and money from renting out spaces. They also get grants from local, state, and federal governments. Plus, they have special fundraising events each year. The KMA received its special approval from the American Alliance of Museums in 1996. It was approved again in 2005.
Gallery
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East side of the museum and its grounds
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Inside a gallery space
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Another view of a gallery space
