Volume 137, Issue 18 Monday, March 11, 2019 utdailybeacon.com @utkdailybeacon
CAMPUS Vol Dining’s Janice Wilson has been a bright spot for UT students for years, serving up smiles and encouragement as she greets guests at the Fresh Food Company.
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Miya Heckman / The Daily Beacon Public art in Downtown Knoxville. “Public art gives our community a sense of place,” Liza Zenni, director of Knoxville’s Arts & Culture Alliance, said.
CITY Marvel Studios’ latest superhero flick, “Captain Marvel,” has hit theaters. Is it worth the hype?
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OPINIONS Juggling everything can be rough. Columnist Christy White talks about feeling overwhelmed and overcoming it in the latest “Road Less Traveled.”
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SPORTS The Tennessee men’s basketball team fell to Auburn in the regular season finale. How will it affect the Vols’ postseason mindset?
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‘This is who we are’: The power of Knoxville’s outdoor art VAL LICK City News Editor
Art is in Knoxville’s veins. You can see it across the city: the big, bright Sunsphere, the abstract sculptures of Krutch Park, the eclectic graffiti-style masterpieces in Strong Alley and many more. The outdoor art of Knoxville uses hugely different subjects, styles and mediums. It comes from diverse artists and perspectives. But there’s one thing that every outdoor work of art has in common, according to local artistic leaders: It’s for everyone. Liza Zenni is the director of Knoxville’s Arts & Culture Alliance, a non-profit organization that supports and advocates for local artists. She believes that outdoor art gives Knoxville a unique character that can’t be found anywhere else. “Public art gives our community a sense of place,” Zenni said. “It gives us an idea of, ‘This is who we are.’ The collection in any place should express the people’s point of view on life, their sense of humor, their sorrows, the things they’re most proud of. That’s a beautiful thing. It builds community, it reinforces that this is who we are.” “What is the point for people who travel, if every place looks the same?” Zenni said. She added that America’s countless chain restau-
rants and stores can lead to monotonous landscapes across the country, saying firmly, “Public art is a way for people to express a sense of their own unique community character. You aren’t in Cleveland, Ohio. You’re in Knoxville.” Zenni, along with the Arts & Culture Alliance, is watching Knoxville’s outdoor art grow. She is working with city government to fund a huge new mural on the side of the Market Square Parking Garage, which will celebrate the everyday citizens of Knoxville. “It’s a very interesting design of six faces, all in a row down the long alley. We specifically told the artist that we didn’t want any of those faces to be recognizable. We wanted six faces of Knoxvillians -- but Knoxvillians that only their friends know,” she said. Another constantly-evolving Knoxville landscape is Krutch Park. The small, tree-lined park has a big personality; it contains an ever-rotating series of abstract sculptures. The current set of sculptures will be replaced in mid-March. Knoxville-based organization Dogwood Arts is responsible for Krutch Park and many other artistic endeavors, including Market Square’s mural-covered Strong Alley. Sherri Jenkins, the executive director at Dogwood Arts, said that outdoor art is a public resource that keeps Knoxville vibrant. “Art can soothe, inspire, connect people and communities to each other -- and so much more,” Jenkins said. “Public art offers all of
these things but makes them accessible to everyone.” Jenkins said that outdoor art has no walls, tickets, or closing times; it’s available to viewers as they go about their daily business. “(People) just have to walk or drive by a piece and give a moment of their time to take it in,” Jenkins said. According to Jenkins, outdoor art has economic benefits alongside its personal benefits. It brings attention from visitors, artists and companies. “Public art is also a signal to outsiders that Knoxville is a place where creative individuals and efforts are supported, something that can be helpful in recruiting for large corporations,” Jenkins said, pointing out that a lively outdoor art scene can bring in new people and new possibilities. Zenni also said that outdoor art helps people engage with their communities -- an effect that has concrete benefits. “Art never gets old. It’s a wonderful thing; it encourages investment and cleanliness, and it discourages crime and vandalism,” Zenni said. To Zenni, outdoor art has one more big benefit: It’s ours. “It belongs to all of us,” Zenni said. “All of us -- we paid for it as a community. It passes from the ownership of the artist to the ownership of the people. It’s there, and it becomes part of our landscape.”