Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from September 3-24, 2021. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, September 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features an outdoor concert by Knoxville Opera musicians. All visitors to the Emporium are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturdays, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM (NEW!). CLOSED Mon Sep 6.

Chroma is a new exhibition featuring work by two local artists who both use intense color.

Diana Ferguson, known to the art community as ‘DiFergi’, is an internationally recognized and awarded visual artist. Graduating with a degree in Fine Art from Stetson University, she taught for eight years in the public school system before she went full time as a studio artist. One of the highlights of her career was being invited to and attending a month-long artist residency in Hungary. She has shown on multiple continents and has had work shown at the United Nations Building in Switzerland. Her work has been featured in national and international shows and in multiple publications, and she is an active advocate for the arts today in East Tennessee. DiFergi’s paintings are whimsical and spiritual. The images are simple yet profound. They are narratives that create small worlds of enigmatic moments. Strong emotional colors imbue the canvas with layered meaning, and combined with a dash of silliness, her work requests that you stop, reflect, and experience her world.

Facebook: DiFergi's
Instagram: difergiart
https://difergi.blogspot.com

A staple in the Knoxville Arts community, Kit Hoefer has shown her work in Knoxville for almost two decades beginning with a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Over the years, her paintings have evolved into a rich exploration of color theory and composition. She juxtaposes natural forms with manufactured patterns while considering the delicate balance of loud, expressive colors. Her paintings attempt to nullify the associations attached to the objects depicted, juxtaposing them with fantastical elements and a touch of absurdity. One might recognize the mundanity of everyday life while being swirled into the hypnotic patterns inserted into the composition. This element of escape mirrors the artist’s practice of managing life as a working artist, full time nurse, and single mother.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.