I visited the Knoxville Museum of Art for the first time last weekend.
My husband and I had tickets for an evening performance of the Knoxville Symphony and decided to extend the trip so that we could see some of the city sights. The art museum was one of the places that I’ve had on my list since I first heard about it a year ago. So, after an unhealthy southern breakfast at the Waffle House, we drove to the museum.
The morning was cold and gray – a perfect Saturday for spending indoors looking at artwork—yet we were early enough to find lots of available parking. The building is an impressively modern concrete and glass structure that overlooks the site of the 1982 World’s Fair, which is now a convention center with open space for people and dogs. There are two outside statuary exhibits accessed by a gate from the parking lot but it was locked so we ended up going through the building to see them.
We were greeted at the front desk by a young woman who gave a brief introduction as she pointed out various directions we could explore on three floors. I peeked into the children’s area behind the desk before turning to the first downstairs exhibition, a collection of drawings and paintings by Tennessee highschoolers. My eyes naturally tuned in to the works in graphite, charcoal, and colored pencil, some of which were so impressive that I took photos.
From there I wandered into a modern art exhibit across the hall. It had an absolutely amazing sculpture of a full sized kimono…IN GLASS! The folds were so perfect and the detail was so exquisite that I was absolutely in awe. There’s no way I can describe it, so I’m including a link to the website and pictures of this gorgeous work called Chado by Karen Lamonte. If you like it, check out the other amazing sculptures she’s created in iron, bronze and ceramic. I love the kimonos!
I finished the large hall of modern art and descended to the ground floor to see a small ongoing exhibit of contemporary glass, then made my way to the top floor to view paintings by Tennessee artists. There are several paintings by Catherine Wiley housed here that are quite lovely, as well as a silver print by Ansel Adams of the Smokey Mountains.
But the most impressive work in this collection is a mural by Marion Greenwood. It spans 30 feet and tells a story of Tennessee’s history in a geographical progression, starting with the rhododendron and gospel music of the eastern Appalachians, then moving through the tobacco fields and country music of Middle Tennessee, and on to the riverboats and jazz of Memphis. The artwork’s history has it’s own story to tell: although it was on display at the University of Tennessee since 1955, it was vandalized in 1970 and removed from the public until 2006. After extensive restoration, the Knoxville Museum of Art received it in 2014 on a long term loan.
When I look at the painting, I see everyday people working, playing, singing and telling stories. It makes me think that, even though we dress differently today, we still do the same activities that our grandparents did. I don’t farm or spin my own yarn, but I’ve gardened and I knit, and many people living around me are farmers or avid spinners. The mural creates a connection between me and the past. And I think that it’s good to be reminded that, as humans go, we really aren’t any different from what we’ve always been. We’ve just learned to make our lives more complicated.
So I’m glad that the mural was restored and hope that everyone who sees it will have a positive connection.
My husband and I finished our visit with a trip to the outside gardens, which didn’t have much to offer in January. Then we strolled over to the Sun Dome and took the elevator up to the viewing platform for a grand 360 degree view of Knoxville.
All in all, it was an enjoyable morning.
originally posted at annettezimmerman.com
