knoxville museum of art

The staff of the KMA is very sorry that Shaun O and family did not have a good experience at the KMA. We all work hard to make sure our visitors have a positive experience, and most of the time they do; we appreciate Shaun O letting us know when we did not live up to our high standards. By way of explanation (but not an excuse), when Shaun visited this week we were setting up for the big annual fundraiser that allows the museum to stay open and keep admission free for everyone. This left us short of space for regular programs, so we had to set up a scheduled artist’s talk in the main lobby. Not an ideal situation. I’m also sorry that Shaun O felt that poorly treated by the floor staff. They are trained to maintain a friendly presence and strike balance between making visitors feel welcome and protecting delicate works of art. It sounds like we were off balance that day. As for the attitude of the other visitors that day, I’m afraid that’s beyond our control. I have shared Shaun’s review with our entire staff, and we all hope the Shaun O and family will return and let us show we can do better to enjoy all that the museum has to offer. David ButlerExecutive Director

Wow were we impressed. Beautiful three story gem with tons to see. The place is free! The staff friendly and informative. We were there to see the Richard Jolley "cycle of life" exhibits. A seven part narrative. The upper level had set from Eastern Tennessee.The second floor included a kids' activity center. Children must be with adults. The center looked really cool, made us wish we had our grandson with us. TUES. -SAT 10am to 5 pm. Sunday 1-5. If art is your thing, even if it is not, a great place to visit and bring the family. We loved it.

The KMA features the the world-class permanent glass and steel Circle of Life exhibit by Knoxville native, Richard Jolley. With a family membership, we are the first to know about special events, from summer camps to new exhibits. The museum is appealing to all, including children, who can always create and learn at the museum. We love the museum!

We have been members of KMA for many years. Admission is free, which is really amazing given many of the other small regional art galleries. If you join, you are offered free admission to many other regional museums. Don't miss the Richard Jolley exhibit and if you are in Knoxville on a Friday night then go to Live After Five. That event led my husband and me to meet.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is great for Knoxville and the world. The largest glass and steel permanent structure in the world is here. Created by international glass artist and Knoxville resident Richard Jolley this exhibit takes your through the Circle of Life. They also have ever changing exhibits from around the region and the world. The space lends itself to different meetings, parties and music concerts. There is also a free trolley to take you over in downtown Knoxville.

Very upscale and family friendly! Have been a few times this year and the exhibits are always fresh and interesting!

Knoxville is lucky to have their museum of art. It has evolved over the years into a real treasure of collections, and the new Richard Jolley glass installation is amazing. Knoxville is lucky to have such a wonderful museum and they work very hard to keep it free of charge for guests. The support they receive from the community is what makes this place a must see for all visitors.

There are always cool exhibits going in and out of this museum. You can walk through it in a couple hours, but it's very nice and quiet. A great place to go on a date and then walk over to the sunsphere and World's Fair Park. It's free, and the gift shop has a lot of cute stuff in it.

I wanted to see the Richard Jolley art installation (I've seen his work for years, and have several pieces of his wife, Tommie Rush, work.) The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable (especially the helpful lady in the gift shop). I also checked out the miniature dioramas, and the other galleries. The upside down Mona Lisa was neat...made of sewing thread spools.

Small and very well presented art museum. We really enjoyed the modern art exhibits on the third floor - especially the Mona Lisa made out of colored cotton reels (sounds strange, I know, but it really is very clever and worth a look). Nice little gift shop too and probably the cleanest public toilets I have ever seen! There are gardens too if the weather is good and a great view of the Sunsphere from the third floor balcony. Well worth a visit.

I guess I knew I was not going to see the quality/size of exhibits that I took for granted living in larger cities, but the Knoxville Museum of Art is just embarrassingly sparse. I started to wonder if I missed some part of the building. Perhaps if there is a special exhibition I am interested in, I might return.

I love this art museum, for one it's free, it's a great size and the staff is so friendly and knowledgable. The galleries change often and are always unique and different.

The Knoxville Museum of Art is a nice place. I took my children there for a little bit of relaxing art and culture. It was cool on a really hot day, the sculptures and the paintings are nice to view. We had a great time, and it took about 2.5 hours to go through and take our time.

Located just above World's Fair Park, the Knoxville Museum of Art houses art from very talented people, free entrance (donations accepted - support the arts!), and a quiet, calm atmosphere. The gift shop also offers some very neat trinkets and art you can buy, but some of the prices may be too steep for the average Joe. If you do buy something, get the Tim Burton playing cards!

The museum is a must see for any Knoxville resident or travellor. Richard Jolley exhibit is awesome...and the local art collection is a treasure to behold...very proud of the little gem !!!!!