Crue Smith: Winter’s Gap

January 2-31, 2026
Crue Smith: Winter’s Gap
Opening reception: Friday, January 2, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday (January 24 & 31), 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM with additional hours: Fri Jan 23 and Fri Jan 30, 5-7 PM for Gallery 1010 openings. Please note, the Emporium is closed on Monday, January 19, for the holiday.
The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

I’ve spent my life as an observer on the sidelines, assessing the culture as I wander through it. Doing my best to cut through the noise, I tried to find out where we are as a country, and where I fit in as an individual. I don’t think we really know what we want anymore. Maybe we’re running out of stuff to get. 

These photographs were taken in the spring of 2025 of the town of Oliver Springs, TN. It was a resort town, a coal town, and played a West Virginian town in the film, October Sky. Learning about the town’s history, I gathered that Oliver Springs has gone through many changes, has had many struggles, and has had many lives. However… it still remains.

Crue Smith is a filmmaker and photographer from Knoxville. His short films, Two-Fifty and Borrowers and Lenders, have played at the Nashville Film Festival. His feature film Angel of Light premiered at the 2024 Soho Film Festival, played at Film Fest Knox, and won Best Drama at the Another Hole In the Head Festival in San Francisco.

Instagram: @cruessmith