(Re)Discovering Knoxville: Artwork by B. J. Clark
January 2-23, 2026
(Re)Discovering Knoxville: Artwork by B. J. Clark
Opening reception: Friday, January 2, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium is closed on Monday, January 19, for the holiday.
The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
The Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to display a collection of artwork by B. J. Clark and other artists as part of an auction culminating on Friday, January 23, at 5 PM. There is a BUY IT NOW OPTION for those who know what they want when they see it! Proceeds from this sale will fund services for individual artists of the Arts & Culture Alliance. Artwork in the silent auction may be viewed and bid on beginning at 2 PM on Friday, January 2 and continuing through 5 PM on Friday, January 23 (during gallery hours). Auction registration will be available in person at the Emporium or by calling (865) 523-7543.
B. J. CLARK
B. J. Clark, a native Knoxvillian is an award-winning artist whose honors and awards include, East TN Historical Society, Dogwood Art Regional Art Exhibition, Tennessee Watercolor Society, Tennessee Artists, Oak Ridge Art Center Regional Show, Kentucky Watercolor Society National Exhibition, Fountain City Art Center Open Show and Boston Massachusetts National Exhibition.
She is a former Webb School librarian. When her husband’s employment (Rohm & Haas) took them to Houston, TX she owned and operated a woodworking shop where she designed and manufactured small furniture items for three Houston shops. When her husband’s employment took the family to Louisville, KY, she began her career in Watercolor painting. Discovering she loved the watercolor medium, she began another degree (BFA) at the Louisville School of Arts and continued at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, when her husband’s employment brought them back to their home city of Knoxville in 1981.
Her paintings grace private collections throughout the United States, and in seven countries abroad. They are included in over 110 corporate Collections including the Gannett Foundation, William B. Stokely Foundation, Bechtel-Jacobs Corp., Home Federal, and TVA.
Notable private collections include Walter Cronkite, former Congressman Jimmy Duncan, and actor/singer Pat Boone and four Ambassadors.
During her painting career, she was honored with over twenty one-woman shows including “From Tennessee’s Best”, “Artist of the Month” by the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, Home Federal Bank, and Blount Mansion. She is widely known for her “Historic Knoxville” Original and Print Series.
Museums: Her work has been exhibited in the Parthenon, Nashville, TN., the Hunter Museum, Chattanooga, TN., the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Ky., The University of Tennessee’s Ewing Gallery, Knoxville, TN., and the Kentucky Old State Capitol Museum, Frankfort, KY., and the Boston Museum of Art, Boston MA.
Education: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.; Louisville School of Art, Louisville, KY; Bellarmine College, Louisville, Ky; San Jacinto College, Houston, TX. and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN. Workshops with Carrie Brown, Anne Bagby, Mary Todd Beam, Carol Barnes, Judi Betts, Alex Powers, Keith Crown, Glenn Bradshaw, and nine months with New York Artist, Royce Howes.
Former Gallery Affiliations: In Knoxville, B. J. ‘s original paintings have been exhibited by the Art Market Gallery, Southern Market (Homberg Dr., Knoxville), The Fountain City Art Center, The East Tennessee Historical Society, Blount Mansion, and galleries in Hilton Head Island, SC.
Previous Artist Memberships: Tennessee Watercolor Society (Signature Member), Kentucky Watercolor Society, Tennessee Artists Association, Southern Watercolor Society, Art Group 21. and the Knoxville Watercolor Society (member emeritus).
Published works: Her work has been published in American Artists, Leading Contemporaries, It’s All About Children, and Artists of Tennessee. Newspapers: The Knoxville News Sentinel, Press Enterprise, and The Farragut Press.
Professional Affiliations: She has served as President of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, the Art Market Gallery, the Tennessee Artist Association, and the Knoxville Watercolor Society. She has also served on the boards of American Heart Association (Houston, Texas), the Florence Crittenton Agency, and Dogwood Arts.
In 1998 she was selected for lifetime membership in Who’s Who, National Registry
She was honored with her pen/ink drawing of Rohm & Haas that graced the cover of a cookbook, the sales of which went to The United Way. In 2007 her Secret Garden V painting was selected for a Mother’s Day card with all proceeds going to Mobile Meals. The card raised over $37,000 for the Knoxville Region Mobile Meals.
B. J. painted mainly in watercolor but also enjoyed pastel, pen and ink drawings, acrylic and mixed media.
Artist Statement: “I want my paintings to evoke a feeling, and to be a tangible, visible reference to that feeling, one which can be revisited many times, and remain fresh and vibrant.”