Dogwood Arts Festival (Knoxville) - Events & Exhibitions

Events & Exhibitions

Nexus
The Dogwood Arts Festival’s newest feature exhibit, Nexus, was developed in 2012 to showcase artists working in the field of contemporary sculpture. Small indoor sculptures encompassing all styles and genres from emerging and established artists will be selected for exhibition. We are honored to announce noted sculptor, Durant Thompson, as the Juror for NEXUS 2013!

Durant Thompson is an Associate Professor of sculpture in the Department of Art at the University of Mississippi. In 1997, Durant received a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and in 2001 he earned an MFA in Sculpture from Louisiana State University. He has also worked at The Johnson Atelier School of Technical Sculpture in New Jersey and at the University of Southern Mississippi as a technician and instructor before accepting his current position.

Durant has been actively showing at exhibitions across the region over the past decade. His exhibition resume includes group or solo shows in several states including North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee. Thompson has been an active member of the arts community serving as a presenter, panel moderator, steering committee member, and guest lecturer for arts organizations throughout the southeast. He is also a recipient of the 2011 Mississippi Arts Commission Fellowship through funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A Very Special Arts Festival
A Very Special Arts Festival is a unique event that celebrates the artistic endeavors of Knox County school-aged students having diverse abilities. The event is not a competition, but an event that provides an opportunity for students with disabilities to share their talents, works of art, and accomplishments with an interested audience.

The event includes a wide variety of activities in music, dance, drama, and visual arts. Workshops of “make and take” arts and crafts, demonstrations, exhibits of art work, and performances by individuals with disabilities are all elements of the festival. Students will enjoy numerous local character “walk abouts”, an exhibit from the Knoxville Zoo mobile, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a DJ, and a variety of other activities. The main purpose of the event is to encourage and stimulate feelings of self-worth and to provide opportunities for students with disabilities to get together and express their creative talents in areas where there are no handicaps… the arts!

Supported by AKIMA women’s Club of Knoxville, Pilot Club of Knoxville, West high School, and West Knoxville Civitan Club, the event is a united effort between the Dogwood Arts Festival, the University of Tennessee Departments of Art and Special Education, and Knox County Schools.