Knoxville has a long tradition of artisanship and now, that tradition is nationally acknowledged.
An article in Popular Mechanics national magazine detailed the most tinker-prone urban centers in the country.
According to writer Tim Newcomb, the specifics of what constitutes a maker may differ. But what is common among these cities and their respective maker members is “(dedication) to craft, working with raw materials and, often, working in a community focused on a spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity.”
The list identified cities such as Boston, Providence, Louisville, Minneapolis, Oakland and — of course — Knoxville.
A number of other cities in the South and Appalachia made the list, including Asheville, Charleston and Nashville.
Knoxville is home to creators of all types; whether the craft is welding or watercolor, the city has a niche for it.
This city regularly attracts world-renowned creatives, due in no small part to UT itself. Only last year, Adam Savage of Tested.com and Mythbusters came to UT’s campus and celebrated the maker movement in Knoxville and throughout the country.
Harold Duckett, arts writer for KnoxTNToday.com, commends the performing arts in Knoxville but wishes the visual exhibition aspect were held to the same standard.
“The galleries that exist here are mostly picture frame shops, or they’re decorating businesses. They’re not pure exhibition galleries,” Duckett said.
Duckett observes, nevertheless, that the city attracts many talented people.
“It’s a phenomenal place to live …, Duckett said. ”A number of profession types lives here because it’s a great place to live, but their work is worldwide.”
The Arts and Culture Alliance in Knoxville is dedicated to furthering Knoxville’s status as an artist-friendly town. Founded in 2001, the non-profit supports local artists through exhibitions at the Emporium on Gay Street, advocates annually to state legislature on behalf of all creators, hosts professional seminars to impart industry wisdom and sponsors many other initiatives to foster the arts and maker community.
Liza Zenni, executive director of the Alliance, said that the creative community in Knoxville is an economic, as well as cultural boon.
“Knoxville’s arts and culture industry is the region’s sixth largest employer. It presents more than 4,200 events annually and generates millions of dollars in business that local vendors, restaurants and stores rely upon,” Zenni said. “And that doesn’t count the millions of dollars in sales tax that the industry spins into government coffers.”
As far as arts are concerned, Zenni said that Knoxville distinguishes itself in the region.
“No other mid-size city in the Southeast has an arts and culture landscape to compare to Knoxville’s … If you were a maker, where else would you rather be? Cost of living low — opportunity high,” she said.
Knoxville has a dedicated organization for more engineering-minded creatives, as well: KnoxMakers, a non-profit focused on supporting the tinkerers of the region.
In recent years, KnoxMakers and the Arts and Culture Alliance have enjoyed a partnership that has helped the former to grow.
For Zenni, the ultimate value of arts and culture transcends economic advantage.
“There are so many ways art and culture improve the local community: In our schools, through giving kids ways to express themselves; by making downtown vibrant and exciting; by providing a living to so many and by giving this place an identity like no other city in the world,” Zenni said.
For Zenni, it’s this identity which has put the city in a national list of maker hubs.
“There’s no place like Knoxville,” she said.
