Chagigah Shel Gina Project (Garden of Celebrations in Hebrew) is a community-engaged public art and education project at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center (AJCC) in Knoxville, launching in Fall 2025 with partial grant support. The project will transform outdated landscaping into a welcoming outdoor space featuring a sculptural swing and a garden of plants tied to Jewish cultural traditions.
Artists Emily Moorhead-Wallace and J Taylor Wallace will lead site preparation, design, and construction of a play sculpture made with cut silhouettes from community drawing workshops with AJCC. Alongside science educator Toostie Jablonski, they will host two free public workshops: one focused on transforming community drawings into the sculpture, and another on sustainable gardening and natural playscape design.
All programs are free, inclusive, and widely promoted to ensure equitable participation. The resulting garden and exhibition area will provide lasting space for cultural celebration, creative expression, and community connection.
Chagigah Shel Gina Project (Hebrew for “Garden of Celebrations”) design for Arnstein Jewish Community Center in Knoxville, Tennessee
Upcoming Events
Seed Sculpture Workshop at KJDS Family Fun Day
April 19th, 1 to 3pm – 8042 Gleason Drive, Knoxville, TN
Come get your hands dirty! On April 19, 2026, we’re joining the Stanford Eisenberg Knoxville Jewish Day School‘s 20th Anniversary Family Fun Day — a free community celebration from 1:00–3:00 PM at 8042 Gleason Drive. As part of the Chagigah Shel Gina Project, we’ll be rolling up our sleeves and making mini seed sculptures: mix clay, compost, and wildflower seeds together, shape them into little bundles, and toss them in your garden to grow. Rooted in the 1930s farming wisdom of Masanobu Fukuoka, it’s messy, it’s fun, and anyone can do it — no green thumb required!
Past Events
Garden of Celebrations Community Planting/Good Deeds Day (April 12th, 2026)
Garden of Celebration: Drawing Workshop (November 6th, 2025)
info and photos from event found here
SUPPORT THE PROJECT
To make this vision a reality, we are seeking donations to support the development and implementation of the project. Your gift will directly fund materials, artist and educator facilitation, and the creation of this welcoming public space.
We are deeply grateful for contributions of all sizes. As a special thank you, donations of $2,000 or more will receive a limited-edition small sculpture modeled after the Celebration Garden project.
Your generosity will help plant the seeds for a vibrant, creative, and inclusive gathering place that celebrates art, nature, and cultural tradition.
We hope you’ll join us in bringing Chagigah Shel Gina Project to life.
Under Make a Donation to KJA, select Gardens of Celebration.
To Donate by Check, make payable to Knoxville Jewish Alliance with memo Celebration Garden. Then mail to: KJA, ℅ Celebration Garden 6800, Deane Hill Dr SW, Knoxville, TN 37919
Project Contributors Include: Blanche Nicoll, Josh Gilliland, Risa Hricovsky, Steven Friedlander, Abraham & Judy Brietstein, Chip Rayman, Michael Messing and Joyce York, Abram Family, Dan Talley, Pat Rosenberg, Jim Sexton, the Tullos-Wunderlich family, the Pike-Harris Family, Knox Fresh Farms, Jerry’s Artarama, the Powell Foundation, Whole Foods Market, and Potchke Bagel.
Interested in helping out?
partial finding for this project has been provided by
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Emily Moorhead-Wallace 