Downtown Knox ArtWalk

Addison's bookstore will be open for special extended hours First Friday!

6—9 PM.

This month's featured artists:

Marilyn Avery Turner, Printmaking
Originally from New York City, Marilyn Avery Turner received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1966. Her mediums at the time were painting and collage. For the past thirty years she has been concentrating on printmaking, specifically monoprinting and screen printing. Turner has taught art for over twenty years in a variety of settings and has been involved with the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville since its inception in 1982. In addition to having her work in the Art Market Gallery, she exhibits work in solo and group shows and participates in juried exhibitions throughout the U.S. In the past 15 years she has exhibited work in over a third of states and has received awards in nine.

Patrick Deason, Sculpture
Patrick Deason is a self taught artist drawing on talents and experiences of his life before art. He is an amateur welder and machinist, working primarily with "upcycled" (re: recycled) materials; much of it cast off metal from steel fabrication shops. Some of his works are whimsical, others surprisingly life-like. Former honors include a "Top 10" pick out of 300+ artists at the Fernandina Beach Art Festival and being selected as the "Coastal Georgia Artist of the Year", then having his works displayed as the featured artist at the Goodyear Cottage gallery on Jekyll Island.

Explore the marketplace of more than 50 juried-in East TN artists.

5:30 PM—9 PM.

Grab your gear, your friends, and your passport to experience our downtown! Meet some of East Tennessee’s most interesting amphibian residents in the form of little bronze sculptures!

Grab a passport at Mast General Store, Visit Knoxville, or download a digital version at knoxnewts.com. Study the clues, and find all 12 bronze newts hidden amid our downtown landmarks.

This permanent, self-guided scavenger hunt is free to play and open 24/7, year round. Happy hunting!

Join RED Gallery for the opening of John David Allen's show, Naturalists of Late Capitalism.

5 PM—8 PM.

Visit Able Trade for beer, bites, and local talent.

This month, see featured works from artist Sam Chumley. Sam received his MFA from Ball State University in 2020 and currently resides in Eastern Tennessee where he works as studio manager for Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

You can also explore everything the Able Trade facility has to offer, including fully equipped workshops and our monthly events.

5:30 PM—8:30 PM.

Visit Bethie Lou’s Fabulous Gift Store at their new location at 108 E Jackson Ave, Ste 1! Home of the Mermen, fun, laughter, and fabulous gifts. All 25 Mermen will be on display! Extended First Friday hours.

Open until 9 PM.

Enjoy live jazz with Denin Slage-Koch and Greg Tardy. Great spot for dinner and cocktails.

8 PM—10:30 PM.

Hot shop Glassblowing Demonstrations at nationally known Pretentious. Don’t miss this.

5 PM—9 PM.

Enjoy music from Mike McGill and the Refills (For a special all-ages FREE Happy Hour Show from 5:30–8:30) and Double Bill Hosted by Evee Andrus: "Double or Nothing" and "Collective Unit Revival Band" (21+ from 9:00–12:00).

(21+ Free)

5:30 PM.

Join Dogwood Arts for the opening reception of Resonance: a solo exhibition by Curtis Glover.

Although Glover has a long history of collaborating on projects with Dogwood Arts, this is his first solo exhibition in an indoor space. 

5 PM—8 PM.

Join the UT Downtown Gallery for the opening exhibit for Radical Chimeras by Rob Mazurek.

Artist and composer Rob Mazurek presents a new body of work with an exhibition of paintings, sound generated animations, large-format sound prints and sculpture that converge into hybrid visual forms of one another. Timed to coincide with the visionary Big Ears Festival, the exhibition extends the festival’s spirit of innovation into the visual realm, offering attendees and the Knoxville community an immersive encounter with Mazurek’s interdisciplinary practice. Light, motion, and form carry the imprint of sound’s structure and energy. The moving chimeras, captured stills, painted surfaces complete a cyclical process of transformation.

5 PM—9 PM.

Enjoy live music featuring David Slack, Shawn Turner, and Alonzo Lewis from 7—9 PM! And don't miss new work in the Curio by Chris McAdoo, Coral Grace Turner, and Douglas Lawrence. 

5 PM—9 PM.

Union Ave Books is excited to present a Poetry Night in celebration of First Fridays, featuring Thuy Phan, Shira Leah Haus, Abhay Shetty, and Sandra Dolores Gómez Amador. RSVP for this FREE event by visiting unionavebooks.com/events.

6 PM—8 PM.

Featuring a group of local, regional, and Arrowmont-connected artists, 100 & Under: Planted! showcases a variety of hand crafted work, all priced at $100 or less, including ceramic planters, garden labels, propagation stations, botanical prints, and more. As we enter a season of longer days and warmer light, 100 & Under: Planted! offers a reminder that even after dormancy, life persists. Through this exhibition, we celebrate spring not only as a shift in climate, but as a shared moment of growth. This exhibition will be on view at the Arrowmont Gallery from March 6—28, 2026, opening First Friday from 5—9 PM.

The Arrowmont Gallery is located at 110 S. Gay St in Knoxville, TN and open Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 10—5 and Friday 2—7. For 80 years, Arrowmont has been teaching a variety of arts and craft workshops to the public, hosting over 200 creative experiences each year. For more information on workshops, visit their website and discover your next artistic pursuit!

5 PM—9 PM.

For over 22 years, the Pilot Light has been the go-to for independent and experimental music. On Friday, hear performances by Weston Olencki with Everyhousun and Eunoia Close. Tickets at door.

8 PM.

Get ready to dance with music from DJ Andres Tapia.

10 PM.

Liz Lee: Soft Wounds, Loud Colors: Fragments Of A Lived Experience
The Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to display a collection of artwork by Liz Lee. Soft Wounds, Loud Colors gathers a series of digital works that reflect how I see and feel experience through pattern, memory, and sensation. These pieces are not stories with beginnings and endings – they are fragments of perception held in color, shape, and form. Some moments are intense, some are quiet; each exists as a space to enter rather than a point to explain. The work invites you to slow down and feel – to notice how color can carry emotion, how structure can hold thought, and how movement through form becomes a way of sensing rather than understanding. You don’t have to decode these images but rather just inhabit them.

Robert Felker: Patron Saints of Rock, Revival
The Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to display a collection of artwork by Robert Felker. After a five-year hiatus, Patron Saints of Rock returns to the Emporium Center for a soul-stirring Revival. It is a continuation of (and a return to) the larger-than-life portrait series Robert Felker has been creating of music’s iconic personalities since 2019.

E Pluribus Unum - Juried by Josiah Golson
The Arts & Culture Alliance announces a new juried exhibition entitled E Pluribus Unum (“Out of many, one”) which invited artists to reflect on American life and our shared history through contemporary art. This project, funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission, encourages creative reflection on American ideals and our national narrative; by bringing local artists and audiences together around shared creative expression, the project highlights Knoxville’s role as a vibrant contributor to the national conversation on the country’s past, present, and future. The exhibition encompasses all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists. Cash awards totaling $500 will be announced at a brief awards ceremony at 5:30 PM on March 6.

Laura Goff Parham: Traditional Stained Glass with a Modern Twist
The Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to display works by Laura Goff. In Traditional Stained Glass with a Modern Twist, Laura Goff Parham presents a variety of stained glass works that approach the discipline with an experimental flair, imbuing the pieces with a sense of play. Both flat and sculptural, Laura’s works invite the viewer to explore color, form, and texture and consider the expansive possibilities of glass through a contemporary lens.

5 PM—9 PM.

Original oils by Robin Rohwer and photography by Christopher Rohwer. The husband and wife artist duo has lots of new work to share!

In studio until 9 PM.

Casa HoLa invites you to the Astrid Galindo, Student Art Show & Competition.

This exhibit celebrates the creativity of talented local young artists from ages 15 to 20. During the evening exhibit on Friday, attendees will have the opportunity to cast their votes for their favorite artwork. The top three winners will each receive a cash prize. This exhibit debuts on March 6th from 5 – 9 PM and will remain on display until the end of the month at HoLa Hora Latina inside The Emporium.

Gallery 1010 is the only fully student-run, non-profit, off-campus UTK exhibition space in the state of Tennessee. Gallery 1010 provides a location for School of Art artists to exhibit their work, curate exhibitions, and collaborate with other artists or disciplines outside of the School of Art.

Join the opening reception for Global Dialogue, an exhibition showcasing how MFA First Year Students translate their cultural and personal journeys into art.

5 PM—7 PM.

Live music from Vagabond Brew with Marigol Thieves.

8 PM. 

Underground @ Mirage featuring a selection of house music. Enjoy house music all night long at this FREE event. (ID required.)

6 PM—1:00 AM.

Stop in Studio 106 Art Gallery. Located on the lower level of the Emporium Center inside suite 106, the gallery will offer specials and discounts for First Friday!

11 AM—9 PM.

Live music all night from Throwin Stones with Daisy Chain. Tickets at door.

8 PM.

Come watch the sunset from the best view in the city! For this special evening tour, Visit Knoxville invites you to enjoy refreshments, explore the Observation Deck, shop local, and watch the sun go down over our scruffy little city. Event times vary based on scheduled sunset. Head to visitknoxville.com to reserve your spot.