Just a reminder, Sundown in the Sukkah is happening tonight, 6:00–8:00 PM at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center. 800 Deane Hill Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919 Come celebrate the harvest with us. We’ll have coloring for all ages, fresh herbs to harvest straight from the Garden of Celebration beds, and a chance to make your own dried plant arrangement to take home for the Sukkot holiday. Add in food from Bruce Bogartz’s food truck and live music from Watson & Meade, and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful evening. All are welcome – no need to have registered in advance…
site-responsive sculpture and collaborative public art projects
By emoorheadwallace
Emily Moorhead-Wallace is an art and artist advocate
From Drawings to Steel: Funding the Garden’s Next Chapter
More work on the Chagigah Shel Gina project… You already know the garden is thriving; if you’ve been following along, you’ve heard about the duck race, the Rayman family’s beautiful sitting stones, and all that mint and kale waiting to be picked. That part of the story is well underway. What we haven’t talked about yet is what comes next, and what it’ll actually take to get there. The Drawings Are Becoming Steel Back at our very first workshop, neighbors sat down and sketched the images that would eventually shape Chagigah Shel Gina’s centerpiece: a steel sculpture and functional play…
Growing Season: A Chagigah Shel Gina Progress Report
We’ve had a lot to celebrate at the Garden of Celebration lately, and we’re excited to share where things stand. The TN Arts Commission grant is officially closed out. This funding brought the garden itself to life, from the beds, to the plantings, to the workshops that shaped its design. With that phase complete, our attention now turns to the sculptural swing that will anchor and finish the space. The garden is thriving, but Chagigah Shel Gina isn’t done yet. That’s where Adult Swim, our duck race fundraiser, comes in…and it was a wonderful success! Thank you to everyone who…
Studio Update: SoKno Sculpt Interview + Tiny Wilds – Prototype 1
I recently sat down with SoKno Sculpt communications manager Allison Roberts to talk about my creative practice, the experiences that have shaped my work, and why I make art. We discuss how my background in sculpture, art handling, and community engagement informs my approach to creating works that connect people with place, ecology, and one another. From large-scale public installations to smaller functional objects, my practice explores the relationship between built environments and living systems, inviting curiosity, participation, and a deeper awareness of the spaces we share. Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/k3HE55ErNJg?feature=shared Tiny Wilds – Prototype 1 Available for…
Dirt, Roots, and Community: Chagigah Shel Gina Planting Workshop Success
Last Sunday, 60+ community members showed up, dug in, and got their hands dirty — and we couldn’t be more grateful. Together we planted over 70 plants and moved what felt like an entire mountain of mulch and gravel into the garden. Not bad for an afternoon’s work! A huge thank you to the Harris/Pike family for keeping the work stations humming, Tootsie Jablonski and David Dalton for making plant science genuinely fascinating, and Tara Bain with UTK Hillel for bringing serious energy. Knoxville–Oak Ridge Hadassah ran a wonderful plant swap, guests sampled Jewish heritage recipes inspired by the garden,…
