Downtown Knox ArtWalk

Start your First Friday ArtWalk in the Old City at the First Friday Block Party with special guests from Knoxville Community Street Dance! From 5 PM to 8 PM, the community-centered dance club will be taking over West Jackson Ave. with performances and beginner-friendly lessons, celebrating street dance culture and bringing neighbors together through the joy of movement!

5–8 PM.

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

6—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!

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

5 PM—9 PM.

Join the Tomato Head as they'll be hosting Vinyl Vibes with DJ Soularia. Stay for some great food and drinks!

6–8:30.

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.

This month's featured artists:

Lynn Straka, Jewelry
Lynn Straka is a Cleveland, Ohio native, avid Buckeye, and Arrowmont School Of Arts And Crafts volunteer. She received her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University. She is a self-taught jewelry artist that enjoys the art of technique and texture. While she has always been a maker in some form, she began making beaded jewelry which lead her to explore the art of metal working. Daily problem solving and using small hand tools as a veterinarian has helped her with mastering jewelry fabrication.. She will be teaching community classes at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN in February 2027. Her work can be found at the Cliff Dweller’s gallery in Gatlinburg, TN, Ijams Nature center, the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville, TN, the Arrowmont showcase gallery, and Etsy.com 

Julie L. Rabun, Mixed Media
Julie L. Rabun creates evocative mixed media work that celebrates the natural world. Her landscape paintings on reclaimed wood echo the textures, colors, and patterns found in nature. Some of her paintings are crafted with parallel bands of wood that form her Striations series, others emphasize the natural woodgrain, thereby adding a tactile, organic dimension that enhances her imagery. Her bird series brings a whimsical and detailed element to her work. She strives to capture the individual personality of each bird, fostering a sense of conversation and distinctiveness within each little bird environment she creates. Growing up in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Rabun’s deep-rooted appreciation for natural beauty shines through in her artwork. She also serves as Professor of Art in Graphic Design at Carson-Newman University, where she has dedicated 25 years to inspiring and mentoring students. Explore the marketplace of more than 50 juried-in East TN artists.

5:30—9 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.

RED Gallery presents Inner Landscape curated by Josh Collins; Cherry East.

Inner Landscape blends narratives of past, present, and future identity. A space derivative exhibition viewing the landscape from bottom to top, creating a rising of Appalachian spirit through the use of sound, movement, and nuanced forms. Iriamu, Katie Murphy, LaKesha Lee, and Rachel Sevier Dallery offer a rendition of stories from fellow artists of the Southeastern Tennessee region. Imbuing poetic contrasts between artists starting from the mystical nature of the ground to the transcendence of the sky. From the radiant fluorescent-red paintings to the gritty common form of surfaces wrapping elements of the body into the moving landscape. Cherry East is excited to extend a welcome to embark on the infinite unknown. 

5—8 PM.

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.

Join Dogwood Arts for the First Friday opening reception of 'Fragile,' a group ceramic exhibition featuring work by 62 local and regional artists. 

5—8 PM.

Enjoy live jazz music from Denin Slage-Koch Trio. Great spot for dinner and cocktails.

8—10:30 PM.

Enjoy live music from Front Porch. (21+ Free)

9 PM.

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

This month experience the November tradition of an Able Trade members’ showcase! Join in celebrating the diversity and talent of this incredible community that we have at Able Trade.

5:30—8:30 PM.

Join the UT Downtown Gallery for the opening of Bound by Soil by Rashaun Rucker and Jamaal Barber.

Jamaal Barber and Rashaun Rucker invite viewers to journey through the rich landscapes of North Carolina, their birthplace, exploring deep-rooted connections to family, sacred spaces, and the poignant memories of the South. The show delves into the complexities of their shared heritage, harnessing the power of nostalgia and the struggle for identity through the lens of personal and communal histories. Both artists draw inspiration from their familial ties and the echoes of the past that resonate within their lives.

5 PM—9 PM.

For over 22 years, the Pilot Light has been the go-to for independent and experimental music. On Friday, join them for performances by Deceit with Reject Life, Cancer of Gods, and WHIT3CORSET.

11 AM – 12 AM.

The musical guest for First Friday Live will be Cheap Souvenirs.

6—7 PM.

Enjoy live music from Duck & Maddie outside of the Tavern from 7—9 PM! And don't miss new work in the Curio by Ryan Blair, Nick DeFord, and John Phillips. 

5—9 PM.

Join Arrowmont Gallery for the opening of “Places Known and Unknown” by Hannah Langer.

“Places Known and Unknown is a presentation of multiple ceramic sculptures brought together as I explore how I define where I come from, both the place I grew up in and the one I could only imagine. Answering questions of race, family, and belonging, my work draws from my lived experience as a transracial adoptee who grew up with two white parents off the coast of Massachusetts."

Hannah Jun Langer was born in Anhui, China and raised in Massachusetts after being adopted as a baby. She is currently living in North Carolina, where she is exploring local clays and materials. Borrowing from nature, her work takes inspiration from the ocean, as she thinks about how her transracial adoption has shaped her identity and sense of home. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Master’s in Fine Art with a concentration in ceramics.

5—9 PM.

This month's featured maker at the Visitor's Center will be Art for Saving Grace by Debby Hall.

5—7 PM.

Masks and Reveals by Ken McMahon
Ken McMahon was born in Knoxville, TN, 1955. Studied at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. I then studied at the State University of New York in Buffalo, receiving a Master of Fine Arts Degree. Following graduation, I taught for a brief time at SUNY in Buffalo, and then moved to New York City, working as an artist, for the next fifteen years. I then relocated to Knoxville, and in the past few years I have established a studio and have been able to devote myself full time to making work. McMahon has had four solo exhibitions of work and participated in various group and juried exhibitions. My work is in multiple corporate and private collections.

Enigma by Lois Trader
Lois Trader is a self-taught mixed-media sculptor and assemblage artist based in Loudon, Tennessee. Her work has appeared at the Knoxville Museum of Art, McGhee Tyson Airport, the Mythus National Juried Exhibition at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Novum Artis Magazine, as well as in exhibitions in California, Virginia, and Hawaii. Honors include a Certificate of Excellence at the Tennessee Juried Open Art Show; Second Place from the Tennessee Artists Association in 2024 and 2025; two years in a row, Honorable Mentions from the Oak Ridge Art Center Annual Juried Exhibition.

Feathered Spectrum: A Colorful Avian Array by Roberta Smashey
Roberta Smashey is a stained-glass artist creating both nature-themed and abstract works using the glass foiling technique developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. By utilizing hand-made glass sheets of various colors and textures, she produces dynamic depictions of the beauty found in nature. The variations in artisanal glass give a unique feeling of depth and movement with this challenging medium. Using the Tiffany technique coupled with the beauty of glass and a lifelong study of wildlife, Smashey seeks to evoke appreciation of our natural world in all who view her creations. Whenever possible, she adds antique glass repurposed from old church windows and often incorporates at least one feature made from the older glass. 

State of Flow by Kira Evans
Kira Evans’ collages are influenced by the clothing and drapery of Old Master portraits; using luxury fashion magazines, she hand-cuts and assembles abstract pieces that reimagine the luster of historical textiles. After growing up in an oil town in West Texas in the 1980’s, Kira Evans studied Advertising/Public Relations and graphic design. She left Texas for Atlanta, GA later moving to Los Angeles where she ran a boutique graphic design business for over 10 years. Her clients included the major film studios, top PR firms and event planners. After moving to Washington, DC, she worked as a Project Manager for a multi-disciplinary firm to open the Ritz-Carlton Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico. She went on to produce creative for one of the largest lobbying firms in DC. Many years of studying art, craft, design and history have developed Kira’s eye and her aesthetic. Now Kira is pursuing fine art in the area of mixed media collage. She was selected for a residency program in Scotland and has shown in Atlanta, New York and Tennessee where she now lives. 

5—9 PM.

Union Ave Books is excited to present a poetry and fiction reading in celebration of First Friday. Featuring Daniela Summerlin, Mark D. Baumgartner, Shelby Hansen, and Chloe Philpot. RSVP for this FREE event by visiting unionavebooks.com/events.

6—7:30 PM.

Casa HoLa invites you to the debut of their Dia de los Muertos Collaborative Exhibit featuring Héctor Saldívar, Pachi, Gabi, Susana Esrequis, Paulina Marchant y Aliya Alewine.

The exhibition will remain available until the end of the month inside The Emporium (Suite 112).

5—9 PM.

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 "Viscera"; three dimensional works examining embodiment, autonomy, and resistance by Raquel Riemer, Willow Avery Stevenson, and Kayla Jean Smith.

5 PM—9 PM.

Bliss is excited to be featuring ORC Collections for this month's First Friday artist! Olivia is a young entrepreneur who loves expressing her creativity. Her products range from apparel to buttons to watercolor and even jewelry. Here's a little bit from Olivia herself: 

My name is Olivia Roddy. I started ORC in July of 2023 when I picked up stitching sweatshirts over the summer. I love creating, especially when it is meaningful for my customers. I started my Instagram page, and my side hustle became my small business. What started with just stitched sweatshirts has expanded into doing an array of items. Thank you for letting me share a bit of my love for creating with you!”

5–9 PM.

Live music all night from King Ghoul with Big Pink. Tickets at door.

8 PM.

Get ready to dance with music from DJ Andres Tapia.

10 PM.

Live music from Starchild. Tickets at door.

8 PM. 

Join Jackson Terminal for an art pop-up show, "Art, Unexpected" by Lila Holdenried.

An unexpected space. A curated mix of artists with distinct perspectives in bold form, color and texture.

5 PM–9 PM.