Emporium Exhibition Proposal
Artists: please check back for a future call for proposals. This call is closed.
The Emporium Center 2025-2026 Exhibition Season | Knoxville, TN
Applications due by midnight on Sunday, October 27, 2024
> For assistance of any kind, please call 865-523-7543 or email sc@knoxalliance.com
The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, charitable nonprofit organization, manages the exhibitions at the Emporium Center. Artists living within 250 miles of Knoxville are encouraged to submit proposals for exhibitions taking place Feb 2025 – May 2026.
Schedule
Application and images received by: midnight (ET) on Sunday, October 27, 2024
Notice of acceptance/rejection e-mailed: On or before Friday, December 20, 2024
About the Emporium
The Emporium Center was built in 1895. It is Knoxville’s first true arts center, which re-opened in July 2004 following renovations. The 28,000 square feet of flexible use space houses four gallery spaces and a display case; the administrative offices of the Alliance; offices for other arts and cultural organizations; individual artist studios; Gallery 1010; The Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville; and private event space.
Exhibitions open on the first Friday of each month and remain on public display until the last Friday or Saturday of the month (approximately four weeks in duration). The Alliance hosts a monthly opening celebration as part of First Friday activities, and more than 1,000 people typically visit the Emporium that evening. The Emporium also welcomes numerous visitors throughout the month for private events. Located at 100 S. Gay Street on the corner of Gay Street & Jackson Avenue in downtown Knoxville, admission is free, visits are self-guided, and exhibitions are generally appropriate for all ages. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM with additional monthly hours TBA (some months of the year include Fridays 5-7 PM and Saturdays 10 AM – 1 PM).
Exhibition Spaces
The Alliance seeks proposals from artists, designers, illustrators, and other creative makers for exhibitions in the Emporium’s two large galleries: the main (lower) gallery and the Balcony (upper) gallery. Please note: The three smaller gallery spaces are programmed on an ongoing basis. Please contact sc@knoxalliance.com for more information.
#1 – The main gallery on the lower level holds approximately 40-50 works with the Walker Hanging system; no nails are used. The space includes LED lighting on a track system. Approximately 160 linear feet is available. View a layout (PDF)
#2 – The Balcony gallery on the upper level holds approximately 40-50 works and includes five 8’x8’ wall partitions. Approximately 145 linear feet is available. View a layout (PDF)
The Emporium has numerous pedestals available for 3-D works as well as a few small Plexiglas cases.
Exhibition Fees
There is no fee to submit a proposal. Fees for the exhibition space for one month are $400 (discounted to $300 for members of the Alliance – learn more about membership). A 50% reservation deposit is requested with a signed exhibition agreement, and the balance is due one month prior to exhibition.
In the interest of inclusion, the Arts & Culture Alliance is committed to making all of its opportunities affordable. Financial assistance toward the cost of exhibition fees and expenses may be available.
Panel Review
Proposals will be juried by an anonymous panel of volunteers with a broad range of expertise in visual art. Jurors may include working professional artists, curators, collectors, artists from academia, etc. The jury passes along their recommendations to the Alliance, who then makes final scheduling decisions.
Eligibility
Any individual artist or group living within 250 miles of Knoxville may submit a proposal. No individual artist or group may exhibit at the Emporium more than once every 18 months. Submitting artists should bear in mind the need for a consistent and strong body of work. The Alliance is open to all genre and media, embracing the wide scope of visual arts, including painting, watercolor, pastel, drawing, sculpture in any medium, jewelry, collage, printmaking, photography and digital media. All art must be original and created by the artist. Artwork may represent any subject matter but should be generally appropriate for all ages. Accepted work should be ready to hang in a professional manner. The Alliance is not able to provide audio/visual equipment. Artwork created in whole or in part using any artificial intelligence system is not eligible.
The Alliance reserves the right to rescind exhibitions that differ significantly from the original application.
Artists generally agree to show new work that has not exhibited in the Knoxville area recently. Exceptions will be made with the permission of Alliance.
Exhibitions will consist of a balanced mix of solo and group thematic projects. Thematic group shows provide diversity of approach, media, and style, while solo exhibitions provide a deeper insight into an individual artists’ vision.
Entry Procedure
Proposals are juried by digital image only. Proposals should include the completed application below with 10 – 20 images of work the artist plans to exhibit. For group proposals, please include a sampling of work by the different artists.
If artist does not have images of the proposed work, please include images of recent and/or similar work.
Upload digital images as files identified with a number (1-20) and title of work (example: 1.Title.jpg). Image size is ideally 1600 pixels on the longest side. Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size.
For video works, please upload a still image in the application and email the Alliance with a link to the video on YouTube or Vimeo to view the entry.
Artists should prepare an exhibition statement of no more than 200 words. Artists should also include a biography and/or resume/CV (or history of group if applying for group show).
Other Information
Sales & Commission: Work should be for sale. Every effort is made to promote sales. All sales are handled by the Arts & Culture Alliance, who retains a 25% commission (20% for cash and check sales). To operate in accordance with the Tennessee Department of Revenue guidelines, the Alliance will add sales tax to the price of each work that sells from the Emporium and for which it collects payment. Sold works are to remain in the exhibition until its official closing date and time, unless an alternate arrangement can be reached that is mutually agreeable to the Alliance, the Artist, and the purchaser of the artwork. Total gallery sales in FY24 were approximately $39,000.
Transportation: Moving or shipping artwork to and from the Emporium will be the sole responsibility of Artist.
Insurance/Artwork Inventory: Unless otherwise specified, Alliance will insure up to $25,000 on all artwork in the Emporium throughout the exhibition. If necessary, artists will need to insure work above that amount. Unclaimed hand-delivered work is not insured after the posted pick-up date. Any artwork left beyond 10 days after the last day of the exhibition may become property of the Alliance.
Installation: Unless otherwise noted, the Alliance can set and install the exhibition. Complex installations may be the responsibility of the Artist.
Multiple Use Policy: The Emporium Center is a multi-use space available to individuals and organizations for public and private events/gatherings that are arranged through the Alliance. All functions must be deemed appropriate to the facilities and must not interfere with normal working conditions or current arts and cultural programming. No renter will be allowed to rearrange, modify, or remove any artwork or cultural programming present in the Emporium, not even temporarily during the renter’s scheduled event. However, there may be times when the Alliance deems it necessary to adjust the position of an object in order to protect it from possible damage during an event. If that occurs, the Alliance will make every effort to contact Artist to arrange for the object to be moved. If Artist is unavailable to move the object, the Alliance will adjust the position of the object, taking every precaution to preserve the integrity and safety of the artwork.
Promotions: We promote all of the month’s exhibitions in one press release that is sent to nearly 200 local/regional media contacts. We also list the exhibitions on our cultural calendar at www.moretoknoxville.com, and they are included in weekly The Insider e-mail blasts. Each exhibition receives a posting on our website with a unique URL. We also promote exhibitions via social media (Facebook and Instagram).
Click here to view a PDF providing application tips.
Please complete the entry form below and upload your images. Be sure to click the submit button at the end of the form. Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size. After you successfully upload an image, the file name will appear on the form. If you need to replace the image, click on the “Delete” link next to the file name. Upon successful submission of the entry form, you will receive a copy to the e-mail address you provided (and this page will refresh).