Knoxville Museum of Art
The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) opened in 1990 and celebrates the art and artists of East Tennessee, exploring the region’s artistic affinities with international art. Its mission states that it “presents new art and new ideas, educates and serves a diverse community, enhances Knoxville’s quality of life, and operates ethically, responsibly, and transparently as a public trust.” The exhibition Higher Ground is the first permanent exhibition devoted to over a century’s worth of East Tennessee’s artistic achievements, following the history of artistic endeavors by those who have helped shape the area’s visual arts tradition.
The KMA houses the epic masterwork by Knoxville resident and internationally acclaimed artist Richard Jolley: a steel and glass sculpture, Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity. The sculpture is one of the largest figurative glass-and-steel assemblages in the world and will remain on permanent view at the museum.
