Eastern Tennessee is the home to thousands of visual and performing artists, in addition to being the birthplace of both bluegrass and country music. The importance of an active arts service organization to support such an arts-centered region is critical. Enter The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, created in 2001 to serve and support a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Program Manager Suzanne Cada gives us some insight into the activities of one of Fractured Atlas’s newest Open Arts Network partners.

Suzanne, would you describe the arts scene in Knoxville and East Tennessee?

In Knoxville, there is never a dull moment! An amazing variety of artists, arts, music, dance, and theater organizations as well as historical attractions all complement the area’s unparalleled natural beauty — a combination giving the region its unique character and appeal. A lively arts district flourishes in downtown Knoxville, where there are more galleries, historic landmarks, museums, and theaters than any other mid-size city in the Southeast. There are galleries and gallery gatherings on the first Friday of every month, and thousands of East Tennesseans from every artistic discipline comprise more than 25 guilds and artist associations. Greater Knoxville is steeped in pioneer history and reflects the diversity of its hard-working, proud, and friendly people. Our region’s varied past is celebrated by its historical attractions and captured in magnificent museums.

In addition to country and bluegrass music, Knoxville also proudly supports symphonic music, chorales, jazz orchestras, barbershop quartets, and opera. Knoxvillians move with a groove that spans from classical ballet, square dancing, and modern dance to traditional dance forms rooted in Scotland, Africa, and Peru. East Tennesseans love theatre, attending year-round performances at our two historic theaters, black box spaces, community playhouses, and amphitheaters. Knoxville enjoys its own opera company, free outdoor Shakespeare performances, new play readings, Broadway touring productions, and a panoply of culturally-specific, contemporary, children’s, and faith-based theater companies.

What programs and services does The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville provide for artists and arts organizations?

To our members, we provide a bi-weekly newsletter chock full of the latest industry information, commission opportunities, area events and workshops, grants, local and national news, job opportunities, and more. Each month, we program two gallery spaces within the Emporium Center to showcase new work by local artists and organizations. In addition, twice a year, the Alliance coordinates the Arts in the Airport exhibition in conjunction with McGhee Tyson Airport and rotates artwork in the City and County Mayors’ offices.

We maintain an online calendar at www.moretoknoxville.com to increase the public’s awareness of the arts and culture industry. On a bi-weekly basis, we condense these listings and distribute them. We provide networking opportunities for our members, including event openings, receptions, an annual membership meeting, community forums on the need for continued funding and other public policy issues, civic leadership programs, candidate forums, and other activities. We provide access to help with Arts Build Communities and other Tennessee Arts Commission grants, as well as Student Ticket Subsidy eligibility. We have two committees, consisting of member-elected representatives of organizations, that meet regularly to discuss needs and guide the development of Alliance programs to best serve the organizational membership. We manage a full-service box office at www.KnoxTIX.com to sell tickets for our members and enable them to capture audience information.

The Alliance provides advocacy assistance to our members, including personal meetings and receptions with elected officials, distribution of advocacy alerts, letter-writing campaigns, arranging for participation in Arts Advocacy Day, and making available mailing labels for local and state representatives. We maintain a comprehensive Publicity Guide listing paper, electronic, television, radio, and other media outlets and contacts to help members with marketing and publicity. We regularly update our website to include a membership directory of individuals and organizations; current calls to artists; exhibition information, and more. We partner with Fractured Atlas to offer our members access to low-cost healthcare plans, liability insurance, and more. We provide our members with discounted rental rates for the Emporium Annex, a community space featuring a dance studio and meeting room, and our members have access to our bulk mailing permit for discounts on mailing costs.

What is one fact about your organization that you wish was more widely known?

The Alliance exists to serve the arts and culture industry of Greater Knoxville as a whole. That value system informs all of our programs, services, and decisions.

Have you seen an increase in demand for any of your services in particular during these tough economic times?

YES!  Our members rely on us more and more to advocate on their behalf with all media and funding sources.

When and how do you know that you are succeeding in your mission?

The numbers of artists and organizations who join as members and who participate in our programs provide quantitative measures of our effectiveness, as do written evaluations and the level of financial and media support our members attract as a result of our advocacy efforts.

How can people get involved with the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville?

The best way to be involved is to show support for the rich diversity of East Tennessee’s artistic and cultural opportunities by joining the Arts & Culture Alliance as a member. Membership is open and beneficial to artists, cultural organizations, concerned citizens, educators, public officials, civic leaders, business people, and anyone else who believes in the future of East Tennessee.

Do you have any conferences, workshops or meetings coming up?

Arts Advocacy Day on the Hill will be Wednesday, March 10. Tennesseans for the Arts is planning this day to bring together members from across the state and to encourage elected officials to support funding for the arts. Participants will hear about the current economic trends in the state and how we can expect to be affected by those, as well as the importance of advocacy and the power you have to affect decision making. You will also enjoy time with your elected officials and other arts supporters in a relaxed atmosphere, with music, lunch and time to thank them for their support and remind them of the importance of the arts in our communities. During this challenging economic time, advocating for the arts is more crucial than ever. Interested individuals may register here.

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If you are an arts organization based in the United States with 50 or more members, or if you have a defined constituency of 50+ artists who you support, you may be eligible to participate in Fractured Atlas’s Open Arts Network. Contact Adam Natale (adam.natale@fracturedatlas.org, 212-277-8023) for more information.

Photos, top to bottom:
1) Kuumba Watoto Drums & Dancers perform in Knoxville’s Emporium Center.
2) A bustling First Friday at the Emporium Center.
3) A performance by Circle Modern Dance in the Emporium Center Annex.
4) High school students create a downtown mural in the Emporium.