The Basement Gallery
in Knoxville's Old City

The Basement Gallery opening is a Knoxville Business Mom and Pop story that we're particularly excited to report.

On July 7th, Knoxville artist and entrepreneur T. Michael Martin opened The Basement Gallery, a new art gallery at 103-B West Jackson Avenue in the Old City. I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the event. The results of his opening and our conversation have me as excited as ever for Knoxville's art scene!

Mr. Martin didn't just suddenly decide he was interested in art. He received a B.F.A. in Art at UT, and a Masters of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

"I consider myself a painter," said Martin, "but I also make sculptural and installation works. I have exhibited each type of work in several galleries and have been included in a few catalogs and magazines along the way."

When I asked what brought him to open the Basement Gallery, his response was at once excited, optimistic, and loyal to Knoxville -- very promising!

Said Martin, "I was originally looking for a studio/workspace to make my own paintings, drawings, etc., and have had the idea of starting a gallery in the back of my mind since graduate school and after meeting several artists while attending a few artist residencies like The Ragdale Foundation, ArtCroft and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

"When I came across the available space in the The Old City it just felt like the right spot. I grew up near Knoxville and The Old City was one of the local "hotspots" then and should always be. There is a lot of activity here and close enough to some other galleries only a block or more away."

The gallery's first show, Kaleidoscope, is a an admirable mix of local, regional, national and international artists, and well-worth any art-lover checking out.

Plus, I checked out some of his own work at tmmartin.com, and found myself really enjoying the style and panache of his work as well.

My assessment is Mr. Martin will do interesting, creative things for the art scene in Knoxville, and I look forward to seeing what they turn out to be!