Big Ears Begins + All the FREE Art, Music and More This Week
It’s Thursday and I’ve just picked up Michael from L.A. from the airport. I don’t know what his last name is — he’s saved in my phone as “Michael from L.A.” — but he’s our friend....
Culture
Pilot Light Answers ‘What For?’ With Free 3-Day Festival
Since the Pilot Light first kicked open its dark, nondescript door on May 22, 2000, the Old City nonprofit venue has been committed to a singular mission: providing “a place for new ideas.” Its goal was...
Krutch Park Extension Springs to Life with New Art Installation
The Big Ears Vibe begins to permeate downtown Knoxville . . . Krutch Park embraces splashes of color year-round in the form of sculptures replaced each summer by the Art in Public Spaces an ongoing exhibition...
Wayne White Brings Double-Header of Music, Art to Big Ears
I don’t know how you hang onto a southern accent after living in L.A. for 35 years. I’d scrubbed mine by sophomore year of college. I thought I had to, to be taken seriously. Chattanooga born-and-raised...
10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do at the Downtown Library
In our household, which includes a kindergartener, we burn through at least 14 library books a week (because my squirrelbrain can’t stand reading any bedtime book more than once). Let’s lowball it and say each book...
Knoxville Jazz Orchestra Celebrates 25 Years of Playing World-Class Jazz
On April 15, 2025, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra will celebrate a quarter century with its Silver Anniversary Concert. Vance Thompson, the orchestra’s Executive Director, recently reflected on the organization’s 25-year journey. Thompson, a native of East...
Introduction Knoxville Is a Crash Course in Civic Engagement
Every great city needs people who know what’s going on, who care about their neighbors, and who are willing to step up when it counts. Knoxville is growing fast, and as much as we all love...
Between the Lines of Jered Sprecher’s ‘Under the Branches’
Jim Maples wants to know what I’m doing, standing in his Chapman Highway liquor store parking lot, staring at a brick wall. Jim, owner of Southland Wine & Spirits, puts two and two together when I...
Violins of Hope Brings a Message of Hope As It Returns to Knoxville
Violins of Hope returns to Knoxville this week for a month-long series of events aimed at educating the community about the Holocaust through the powerful stories of restored violins from Jewish Holocaust victims. The story of...
Regency Ball Transports Knoxville to the Early 19th Century
On a recent, foggy Saturday evening, two Knoxville communities came together with the University of Tennessee English department to travel back in time to early 1800’s England. Just across World’s Fair Park, the University of Tennessee’s...