Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville opening on Friday, April 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM. A free gathering with the exhibiting artists will also feature live music by Robinella and friends.

This new collection of 2D works invites viewers to examine the fragmented perspectives of memory. With subtle shifts in color, texture and line, each artist peels back the layered visions of the unseen.

S. Alexandra Simental (b. 1994, West Virginia) is a Mexican American painter and multidisciplinary artist. Through the usage of paint, sound, and installation, she investigates the intersection of art and psychology. In 2021, Simental earned a BFA in visual art, with a specialized focus on sculpture, from Marshall University. She also completed a minor in psychology to delve deep into the complexities of the human experience. After discovering the surreal possibilities with paint in her final year of undergraduate study, Simental embarked on an enriching journey to Alfred University and their joint studio facility in Düsseldorf, Germany. There, she completed an MFA in painting in 2023. Currently, Simental serves as a Studio Technician at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg. Her artwork has been in a multitude of national and international exhibitions. Notably, her work has displayed in the 13th Annual Best of West Virginia Open Juried Exhibition in Beckley, WV and Minimum Capacity in Atlanta, GA. Overseas, her paintings were displayed in Kunst Jetzt Weltweit in Essen, Germany and in CENSOR/SENSOR in Düsseldorf, Germany. For more information, visit studio-simental.com or Instagram @s.alexandra.simental

Carla Taylor is a multi-media artist based in Johnson City. Her practice spans printmaking, textiles, ceramics and collage. She has shown in both solo and group exhibitions, regionally and nationally, notable of which include From These Hills: Contemporary Arts in Southern Appalachian Highlands at the William King Museum in Abingdon, VA and Woman’s Work in Woodstock, IL. In 2023, Carla curated an exhibition titled “Good Grief” featuring 22 artists expressing unique perspectives on loss, which was a part of the Tennessee Triennial. Her work has also been featured in Art Seen Magazine and several editions of the Hand Magazine, a publication dedicated to alternative photographic processes and printmaking techniques. Taylor is currently represented by the Grand Bohemian Gallery in Greenville, SC, and maintains a studio at Atelier 133 in downtown Johnson City. She holds an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and a BS in Psychology from John Brown University. For more information, visit carlataylorart.com or Instagram @ctaylor.art

The exhibitions will be on display April 4-26, 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; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and additional hours TBA. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, April 21, for the holiday. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.