In July 2004, Knoxville's first true arts center opened in downtown at 100 South Gay Street. Built in 1895 as the original home of a prestigious furniture company, the Emporium housed a wholesale goods distributor and later became a textile manufacturing facility that fulfilled military contracts. The two adjacent buildings and the vacant lot were the location of the "Parthenon of Country Music," which served as the home of the WNOX Mid-day Merry-Go-Round. The 28,000 square feet of flexible use space features multiple galleries with monthly changing exhibitions of local and regional artists. The Emporium houses administrative offices of the Arts & Culture Alliance, Foothills Craft Guild, HoLa Hora Latina, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Nief-Norf, Tennessee Artists Association, and Tennessee Stage Company. The Emporium also houses studios for eight artists, Gallery 1010 (UT School of Art's student-run, non-profit, off-campus exhibition space), and The Arrowmont Gallery & Marketplace.
The Alliance's Emporium Center was designed to attract more visitors to downtown to enjoy arts and cultural programming and conduct arts-related business. At the same time, it provides affordable space for a critical mass of arts and culture organizations and artists, generates coordination and joint promotion of arts and culture activities, and provides another valuable attraction in a revitalized downtown. Knoxville's arts district was voted No. 2 “Best Arts District” nationwide in USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice 2024 poll! Please visit the Arts & Culture Alliance website for more information: www.knoxalliance.com. Follow us on social media! Instagram @artsandculturealliance or Facebook @KnoxArtAndCultureAlliance
For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact The Emporium Center directly.
