The Dogwood Arts outdoor sculpture program, Art in Public Places, is set to expand this spring with four new sculpture placements in South Knoxville and Maryville.

The first sculpture will be installed tomorrow (4/12/24) at 9 a.m. at the new Johnson Architecture headquarters in Knoxville’s South Waterfront District, 2018 Davenport Road. The piece, Scorpionis Grande, by Pennsylvania-based artist John Parker, is a 9-feet tall, 10-feet wide structure made from steel plate and will be on display through June 2025.

Eric Bowen

“As a firm of designers, we appreciate the aesthetic appeal of art and design in public places,” said Eric Bowen, vice president and principal architect of Johnson Architecture and president of the Dogwood Arts board of directors.

“A new sculpture installation at our new office in South Knoxville allows us to support the arts, and showcase our presence to our new neighbors in the waterfront district and enhance the beauty of the area. Our firm has enjoyed a relationship with Dogwood Arts for over a decade, and we welcomed the opportunity to participate in the Art in Public Places sculpture program.”

Scorpionis Grande is the first of 30 new sculptures that will replace the current Art in Public Places exhibition – with the majority scheduled to be installed June 17-23, 2024. In addition to this new sculpture site in South Knoxville, Dogwood Arts is also expanding its sculpture program to include three new sites along the greenway in Blount County. The sculptures will be concentrated near the Theatre in the Park (located on Lamar Alexander Parkway/U.S. Hwy 321 near the Blount County Courthouse).

“Through the expansion of the Dogwood Arts sculpture program into Blount County, this community eagerly awaits the transformative power of public art. With innovative installations soon to grace our greenspaces, they become more than mere decorations; they become catalysts for community connection, economic vitality and cultural enrichment. Every sculpture celebrates the beauty of our region and fosters a sense of pride and belonging,” said Tammy Bolt, Blount Partnership events coordinator.

Current sculpture sites include: Downtown Knoxville (Krutch Park, Emory Place, Maker Exchange, UT Gardens), East Knoxville (Zoo Knoxville, The Muse), West Knoxville (ORNL Federal Credit Union–Northshore Branch), Oak Ridge (American Museum of Science & Energy, Jackson Square, ORNL Federal Credit Union-Oak Ridge Branch) and Maryville/Alcoa (McGhee Tyson Airport).

The Art in Public Places program brings art outside, adding character and beauty to our city streets and spaces. The program includes an annually rotating, outdoor sculpture exhibition and a large-scale mural program. Started in 2007 by Eddie Mannis and Bart Watkins, the sculpture program has curated and installed over 290 works of art and gained national recognition as a platform for exhibiting world-class sculptors.

The is made possible with support from ORNL Federal Credit Union, the city of Knoxville, Prestige Cleaners, the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, Zoo Knoxville, Tennessee Arts Commission, Downtown Knoxville Alliance, Arts & Culture Alliance, Maker Exchange, Blount Partnership, the city of Maryville, Johnson Architecture and UT Gardens.

Shannon Herron oversees marketing, communications and design services for the 18 annual events and programs of Dogwood Arts.