The Art of Healing Entry Information
The Art of Healing at The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Entries due by midnight on Sunday, January 18, 2026
On display March 3, 2026 through August 2026 (end date TBA) at UT Medical Center, 1924 Alcoa Hwy, Knoxville, TN
Please find the online entry form at the bottom of the page.
Statement of Purpose
The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and The University of Tennessee Medical Center are delighted to announce a new partnership entitled “The Art of Healing”, intended to be a biannual, juried exhibition of works by regional artists. Artwork will be displayed in a highly visited site providing benefits to patients, community members, and team members. The selected art features 2-dimensional artwork on the theme of healing.
Theme: The Art of Healing
Artwork is intended to uplift patients and inspire healing while brightening and beautifying UT Medical Center. This exhibition seeks to feature artwork that provides:
+ An overall theme of nature, transformation, restoration, peace, emotional expression, creative journeys, catharsis, and/or the healing power of art;
+ A connection between art and mental or physical well-being.
“In the hospital, art gave me a reason to get out of bed. It helped me believe I was still more than my diagnosis.” – Patient quote from Cleveland Clinic’s Arts & Medicine Institute
About the Exhibition Space
Approximately 15-20 works will comprise the inaugural exhibition. Work is exhibited on three walls (approximately 36 linear feet) in a main thoroughfare between the Heart Hospital entrance off fountain circle and the Boling Pavilion off flag circle. It is available for viewing 24/7 by patients, visitors and team members of the Region’s Academic Medical Center. The centrally-located, high traffic area is located near registration, the information desk, Garden View Eatery cafeteria, and the team member respite garden area.
Juror
Emily Bivens is an Associate Professor of 4D and Time-Based Art at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the recipient of the 2019 Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant and 2019 Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. Individual work has been shown at Skulpturens Hus, Stockholm, Sweden, Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, CO, Temple Contemporary, Philadelphia, PA and DEMO project in Springfield, IL. Her collaborative work with The Bridge Club has been presented at Press Street for Prospect 3+, New Orleans, LA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Santa Barbara, CA, The Texas Biennial, San Antonio, TX, Currents: The Santa Fe International New Media Festival, Santa Fe, NM and the Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX. Bivens received her BFA from Colorado State University and her MFA from the University of Colorado in Boulder. https://www.emilywardbivens.com/
Sales & Commission
Every effort is made to promote sales, including via an online shop at www.knoxalliance.store. WORK MUST BE FOR SALE and will remain on exhibition if it sells. All sales are handled by the Arts & Culture Alliance, who retains a 25% commission (20% for cash and check sales). To operate in accordance with the Tennessee Department of Revenue guidelines, the Alliance will add sales tax to the price of each work that sells from UT Medical Center and for which it collects payment. UT Medical Center will not receive any proceeds from the sale of artwork.
Eligibility and Size Requirements
This exhibition is open to all artists 18 years and older residing in these 34 counties of East Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington.
Artists must be individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance by the entry deadline. Anyone may join! See www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew.
Entries must be 2-D original works in the following categories: Painting (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, alcohol ink, digital, and mixed media); Graphic Arts (pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, conte, colored pencil, and printmaking); and Photography (color, black and white, digital). Giclees are ineligible. Electricity is not available. Artwork created in whole or in part using any artificial intelligence system is not eligible.
+ The maximum allowed size of framed artwork is 24” x 24”.
+ Weight is not to exceed 40 lbs.
+ At this time, diptychs and triptychs are not allowed.
+ WORKS MUST BE:
1) SUITABLY FRAMED/MOUNTED IN A BLACK METAL FRAME or WOOD FRAME (providing they are cleanly finished and smooth with no rough planes or edges),
2) WIRED FOR SECURE INSTALLATION, and
3) APPEAR UNDER PLEXIGLAS OR GLASS.
These requirements are included because work is hanging in an area of high traffic for several months.
Handling, Theft, Damage or Loss
No insurance is available on exhibited artwork. The Alliance agrees to handle all artwork with proper care so that artwork will not be damaged, excepting ordinary wear and tear. The Alliance/UT Medical Center shall not be liable for damage or loss to the artwork. The Alliance agrees to notify an artist within 36 hours by telephone, e-mail, and/or by written notification upon the event of any theft, damage or loss that occurs while artwork is on display at UT Medical Center. In the event of loss or damage to artwork at fault of the Alliance, the Alliance agrees to compensate up to reasonable market value on each artwork as agreed upon by Artist and the Alliance’s Executive Director.
Liability
Receipt of the completed form constitutes your agreement with all conditions established in the prospectus. Unclaimed hand-delivered work is not insured after the posted pick-up date. Artists whose works are accepted for exhibition will be requested to submit a photograph and resume/biography upon notification of acceptance. The Alliance and UT Medical Center reserve the right to use artist information and images for exhibition, publicizing the event, and/or online (websites, social media channels, etc.). Consent to reproduce works photographically is assumed to be granted unless stated otherwise.
Entry Procedure
There is no entry fee for individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance. If you are not a member, please visit www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew to join for one year. If you are unsure of your membership status, please call 865-523-7543.
Works are juried by digital image only. Each 2-D work should be represented by one digital image with an additional detail image if appropriate (texture, surface embellishment, mixed media, etc.).
Upload digital images as files identified with entry form number (A-E) and title of work (example: A.Title.jpg). Image size is ideally 1600 pixels on the longest side. Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size.
2026 Schedule
Entry forms, images, and fees received by: midnight on Sunday, January 18, 2026
Acceptance notification sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Hand delivery date to the Emporium: Monday, March 2, between 9 AM – 4 PM
Exhibition installed / opens to the public: Tuesday, March 3
Last day of exhibition: Anticipated to be August 2026, TBA
Pick-up work from the Emporium: TBA
**No work is released before the end of the show.
Deliver accepted artwork to: The Emporium Center*, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
*Detailed directions will be given prior to delivery date.
About the Arts & Culture Alliance
The Arts & Culture Alliance serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. The Alliance receives financial support from the Tennessee Arts Commission. https://tnartscommission.org/
About The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Our mission is to serve through healing, education and discovery. As the region’s academic medical center, Magnet® recognized hospital and Level I Trauma Center, The University of Tennessee Medical Center serves as a major referral center for East Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The 710-bed hospital also is home of the region’s only dedicated Heart Hospital, only adult and pediatric transplant center, the region’s first certified comprehensive stroke center, a private-room neonatal intensive care unit and serves as a regional perinatal center. The University of Tennessee Medical Center provides medical treatment without regard to race, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, culture, language, socioeconomic status, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or disability. https://www.utmedicalcenter.org/
HOW TO ENTER – 2 EASY STEPS
These two steps must be done separately – please make the payment, THEN fill out the form, OR VICE VERSA. Thank you!
1) Please make a secure card payment via Stripe at https://buy.stripe.com, or scan the QR code below, for the $78 membership fee* if you are not currently a member. Membership is for one year.
*I don’t have the funds to pay for membership, so I’ll pay what I can.
Accepted payment types include debit and credit cards.
2) Return to this page to complete the entry form below and upload your images. Be sure to click the submit button at the end of the form.
Uploaded images must be JPEG, JPG, or PNG files and may not exceed 5 MB in size. After you successfully upload an image, the file name will appear on the form. If you need to replace the image, click on the “Delete” link next to the file name.
Upon successful submission of the entry form, you will receive a copy to the e-mail address you provided (and this page will refresh).
For assistance of any kind, please call (865) 523-7543 or email info@knoxalliance.com.