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Cinema Studies Student to Intern with Omaha Productions

Cinema Studies Student to Intern with Omaha Productions

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Recent Cinema Studies graduate Emma Brown obtained a internship with Omaha Productions, a company founded by NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning in 2020. Brown will spend the summer in Los Angeles working for Omaha Productions’ scripting department. Brown said her time at the University of Tennessee, especially her class with CNST chair Paul Harrill, […]

New Cinema Studies Facility a “Game-Changer” for Students 

New Cinema Studies Facility a “Game-Changer” for Students 

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Cinema Studies students in the School of Art now have a space to call their own. Following years of work and planning, the department opened a brand-new facility in the basement of Walters Academic Building in fall 2025. The 6-000-square-foot facility, which includes animation labs, editing suites, a green screen room, a color and sound finishing suite, and more, provides students with more space and state-of-the-art equipment and technology for production.   […]

School of Art Students Shine at ASUReS

School of Art Students Shine at ASUReS

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Several School of Art students presented their scholarly work and creative projects at the third annual Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium (ASUReS) last month, a platform for undergraduate students across all disciplines in CAS to showcase their research and creative achievements. Graduate students Shannon Ferguson and Cole Hancock also served as judges and undergraduate […]

Remembering Joanna Higgs Ross

Remembering Joanna Higgs Ross

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Joanna Higgs Ross, a groundbreaking painter and the first woman to graduate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, passed away in November 2025 at the age of 91. She left an enduring legacy as a Tennessee artist and educator whose evocative, expressionist paintings helped redefine what art could be in the state.   “She thought very deeply about most […]

From UTK to the NFL: Alumni Spotlight on Filmmaker Grace Olen

From UTK to the NFL: Alumni Spotlight on Filmmaker Grace Olen

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Ask many people to describe their dream job, and they might say it involves watching NFL games from right on the 50-yard line. That’s a reality for cinema studies alumna Grace Olen, who has worked with NFL Films since her graduation from UTK in 2024, helping with everything from production on shows like They Call […]

New Gift Establishes Scholarships, Increased Support for Printmaking Students 

New Gift Establishes Scholarships, Increased Support for Printmaking Students 

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Students at the University of Tennessee’s nationally recognized printmaking program can look forward to increased opportunities and support starting in 2026, thanks to a generous gift from Joel and Yann Dryer.    The newly established endowments, which include the $26,000 Joel and Yann Dryer Student Printmaking Award Endowment and the $100,000 Joel S. Dryer Printmaking Endowment, will help to fund awards and scholarships for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, in addition to equipment and materials purchase, travel expenses for students to attend residencies and conferences, support […]

Examining the Feminine and Functional: Alumni Spotlight on Ceramicist Sam Briegel

Examining the Feminine and Functional: Alumni Spotlight on Ceramicist Sam Briegel

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Since her graduation from the University of Tennessee’s BFA program in 2013, educator and ceramicist Sam Briegel’s functional, feminine work has been featured in major craft fairs, exhibitions and publications throughout the country, including the annual Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC.  A Knoxville native, her art draws from craft traditions in Appalachia and the […]

Examining the Everyday: Alumni Spotlight on Painter Marta Lee

Examining the Everyday: Alumni Spotlight on Painter Marta Lee

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UT alumna Marta Lee may paint unremarkable objects – a vase, a pride flag, a colander – but reviews of her work have been anything but mundane. The New York-based artist’s recent solo show at Tappeto Volante in Brooklyn has garnered coverage in major art publications such as Hyperallergic, Artspiel, The Electric Pencil, and Two […]

Students, Alumni and Faculty Screen Films at Film Fest Knox

Students, Alumni and Faculty Screen Films at Film Fest Knox

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It’s that time of year again: the leaves on the surrounding mountains are turning color, there’s a chill in the air, and Film Fest Knox is back in town! Cinema Studies professor Paul Harrill and other area filmmakers co-founded Film Fest Knox in 2023 in order to promote Knoxville as a premiere location for filmmaking and the […]

Student Study Abroad + Residency Reports: Summer 2025

Student Study Abroad + Residency Reports: Summer 2025

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Summer may be in the rearview mirror, but many School of Art students are already planning creative getaways for 2026. Whether their practice takes them to a remote Alaskan lodge, a printmaking institute in Wroclaw, Poland or to traditional quilting workshops in the Appalachian Mountains, the School of Art offers students the support they need […]

School of Art Holds 2025 Kimberly D. Iles Art Awards

School of Art Holds 2025 Kimberly D. Iles Art Awards

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The UT School of Art held its annual Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship Awards Ceremony on September 18th, honoring nine students from the School of Art and two from the College of Architecture and Design.     Kimberly D. Iles, an artist and graphic designer who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the UT School of […]

UT Filmmaker Awarded Inaugural Vimeo Short Film Grant 

UT Filmmaker Awarded Inaugural Vimeo Short Film Grant 

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UT Filmmaker John C Kelley has been awarded the inaugural Vimeo Short Film Grant for his animated project, The Ineffable Hum.  Kelley,  an associate professor of Cinema Studies and Time-Based Art at the University of Tennessee, is one of five filmmakers selected from thousands to receive the first-of-its-kind award. The grant includes $30,000 in funding, access […]

Alumni Spotlight: Documentary Filmmaker Ronald Levy

Alumni Spotlight: Documentary Filmmaker Ronald Levy

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Since graduating from the University of Tennessee in 2019, filmmaker Ronald Levy has been busy: he’s started his own production company and completed two full-length documentary films, traveling all over the United States for projects.  He’s told stories about subjects ranging from long-distance cyclists on different ends of the political spectrum to food insecurity in […]

UT Printmakers attend Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) in Puerto Rico

UT Printmakers attend Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) in Puerto Rico

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In April, students and faculty from the UT School of Art’s printmaking program traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI), an annual gathering of artists, printmakers and graphic designers that draws participants from all over the world. UT’s long-standing, top-ranked printmaking program regularly has a significant presence at SGCI […]

Community Art Class Builds Bridges Through Giant Puppetry

Community Art Class Builds Bridges Through Giant Puppetry

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The end of spring at UT brings commencement ceremonies, final exams, and — for the School of Art’s Community Art Class — giant puppets. Students in this unique course have spent the final weeks of the semester preparing for the Annual Cattywampus Puppet Council Parade: the celebratory culmination of a semester-long collaboration between the School […]

UT students collaborate with Malaysian printmaking collective

UT students collaborate with Malaysian printmaking collective

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The UT School of Art welcomed Malaysian printmaking collective Pangrok Sulap this spring, a group of artists, musicians and social activists who engaged with UT students through a collaborative visiting artist seminar.    Pangrok Sulap ( “Pangrok” being the local pronunciation of “punk rock”, and “Sulap”  a hut or a resting place usually used by farmers in Sabah, […]

Multiple UTK Films Screening at Film Fest Knox

Multiple UTK Films Screening at Film Fest Knox

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Cinema Studies professor and co-chair Paul Harrill, along with other area filmmakers, co-founded Film Fest Knox in 2023 in order to promote Knoxville as a premiere location for filmmaking and the arts. The international festival is an important platform for Tennessee filmmakers in particular, and this year’s regional showcases – which incudes the American Regional […]

School of Art Holds 2024 Kimberly D. Iles Awards Ceremony

School of Art Holds 2024 Kimberly D. Iles Awards Ceremony

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The UT School of Art held its annual Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship awards on September 19th, honoring nine students from the School of Art and two from the College of Architecture and Design.     Kimberly D. Iles was known for her vivacity, generosity of spirit, and passion for the arts. She graduated with honors from […]

Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship Awards – 2023

Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship Awards – 2023

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The Kimberly D. Iles Scholarships were awarded on Thursday, September 14, 2023, to eleven students in the University of Tennessee School of Art and School of Design. Students with their areas of concentration are: Joss Kitts | SculptureSomerset Alley | PaintingKenzie Felkins | DrawingGrace Olen | Cinema StudiesJessica Taylor | Graphic DesignCarter Goss | Graphic […]

Cinema Studies Alumni Ben Murphy Receives Alumni Promise Award

Cinema Studies Alumni Ben Murphy Receives Alumni Promise Award

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The Alumni Promise Award recognizes alumni no older than 40 who have demonstrated distinctive achievement in a career, civic involvement, or both. This award is presented to acknowledge alumni who are making a mark early on in their career. In 2023, Ben Murphy, alumni of the Cinema Studies program received one of four Alumni Promise […]

Honors Exhibition 2023 at Ewing Gallery

Honors Exhibition 2023 at Ewing Gallery

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From Monday, May 15 – May 19, the Ewing Gallery will host its final exhibition of the 2022/23 academic year. Initiated by the Ewing’s Director Emeritus Sam Yates over 30 years ago, the Honors Exhibition recognizes outstanding students graduating from The University of Tennessee’s School of Art and College of Architecture and Design.

Issue 65 Phoenix Magazine’s Issue 65 Showcase at Gallery 1010

Issue 65 Phoenix Magazine’s Issue 65 Showcase at Gallery 1010

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The student-run Phoenix Literary Arts Magazine will be showcasing work from UTK artists who were included in Issue 65 at an exhibition held at Gallery 1010. Visit the opening on Friday, February 17th from 5-7pm.

Scholarships: Apply Now

Scholarships: Apply Now

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Students at the UT School of Art are encouraged to apply for a variety of scholarships available to both undergraduate and graduate students. On February 10, 2023, the first set of applications are due.

Printmaking Students Create Herbarium Specimens Portfolio

Printmaking Students Create Herbarium Specimens Portfolio

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Students from UT Printmaking created an exchange portfolio entitled Specimens from the UT Herbarium that was completed and presented on Thursday, December 1, 2022, to Margaret Oliver who represented the UT Herbarium.

Military Veteran Yilan Chang Dukes to Graduate – Fall 2022

Military Veteran Yilan Chang Dukes to Graduate – Fall 2022

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Yilan Chang Dukes arrived in the United States in 2008. She had been born and raised to that time in Mainland China, the only child in a family where art was an important part of life. Her mother’s artistic passion was dance. Her grandfather and uncle were musicians.

Sculpture Students Partner with Dogwood Elementary for Outdoor Art Exhibit

Sculpture Students Partner with Dogwood Elementary for Outdoor Art Exhibit

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The University of Tennessee School of Art and Dogwood Elementary would welcomed visitors to the Dogwood Community Trail on Monday, November 28, 2022 at 1:00 PM, to celebrate the wonderful artwork created by UT Sculpture students.

Capstone Fall 2022 Exhibition at Gallery 1010

Capstone Fall 2022 Exhibition at Gallery 1010

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This group exhibition by the December graduating BFA Class of 2022 takes place on December 2, 2022. This is a First Friday and prepare to enjoy a wonderful show.

Prints and the Public Sphere

Prints and the Public Sphere

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One of the reasons people make art is to effect change in the world. As multiples, printmaking has a long history of social and political activism. Two projects from my classes offer examples of how prints, as part of projects on the UT campus, can engage the public sphere.

Complementing Fine Food

Complementing Fine Food

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Before she graduated from UT in 2009, Leanne Moe-McQueen was already planning her pottery business. While still an undergraduate student, she designed her first kiln with Frank Martin, associate professor of ceramics, and opened a small studio at 212 East Harper Street in Maryville, Tennessee. Within a few years of earning her BFA, McQueen had moved Studio 212 into a much larger building, expanded her business to offer community art classes, and established her brand, McQueen Pottery.

An Artistic Ecosystem

An Artistic Ecosystem

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The School of Art’s student-run exhibition space, Gallery 1010, moved to a new location at 1150 McCalla Avenue in downtown Knoxville last fall. Established in the 1980s by Don Kurka, former department head and professor of painting and drawing, the gallery derived its name from its first location in the historic Candy Factory building in World’s Fair Park, the address of which, at the time, was 1010 Clinch Avenue. In 2005, it relocated to a space on Gay Street, opposite the UT Downtown Gallery. In its new and improved home on McCalla, the gallery continues its three-decade history of exhibiting exceptional student art.

Promoting Tennessee Artists

Promoting Tennessee Artists

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Brian and Carolyn Jobe met at UT while earning their Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees at UT. They married and, after both graduating in 2004, Carri continued her art practice and worked in nonprofit administration in San Antonio.