2023

Background art by Geneva Hill AIA

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October is Architecture Month in Knoxville!

Every year in Knoxville, AIA East Tennessee and partnered organizations host [Knoxville] By Design to highlight the significance of architecture and how design shapes our stories, lives, and communities. The event coincides with National Architecture Week and World Architecture Month, both celebrated in October.

For information about events: including schedules, speakers, and registration details, you can find it here on the official [Knoxville] By Design website! Additionally, if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor or volunteer, you can find all the relevant information on our site as well. With just a few clicks, you can become a part of this exciting celebration of architecture and design in Knoxville, TN. If you have any questions, please reach out to our [Knoxville] By Design Committee Chair, Richard-Allen Foster, AIA.

Upcoming 2023 [Knoxville] By Design Events

PARK(ing) Day

Friday, September 15
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
@ Downtown Knoxville – Gay Street
No Cost

Sponsored By: SESCO Lighting

Allied Partner: City of Knoxville 

Join us on Gay Street as Knoxville artists, architects, activists, planners, local businesses, and average citizens display their creativity and transform ordinary on-street parking spaces into pop-up installations.

PARK(ing) Day challenges us to re-think the use of public space by converting metered parking spaces into temporary parklets; from space dedicated to stationary cars to ones filled with people and activity.  Since its inception in San Francisco in 2005, this annual event has spread around the world, always taking place on the third Friday of September.

Trivia Night
Art Salon

TRIVIA NIGHT

Tuesday, October 3rd
5:30 pm to 7:00 pm
@ Printshop Beer Co.
$10 per person

Hosted by IIDA Tennessee Chapter

Join us for a fun night of trivia with trivia master, Brad Overton and put your pop-culture and regional architectural and design knowledge to the test. Gift cards from Printshop to be awarded to winners. All proceeds go to support the IA Collaborative (IIDA + ASID Student Chapter at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Architecture & Design). This event is open to everyone.

Art Salon with First Friday Gallery Opening

Friday, October 6
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
@ Robin Easter Design
No Cost

Sponsored by: The Knoxville Museum of Art through the William Shell Endowment Fund

Allied Partner: CSI Knoxville Chapter

Join us for the First Friday gallery opening celebrating the vast range of original works of art created by architects and related professionals in East Tennessee. Art Salon has been a staple event for [Knoxville] By Design since the beginning and was envisioned to celebrate and showcase the vast range of original works of art created by architects, designers, emerging professionals, students, and allied professionals in the East Tennessee Region. That means anyone engaged in shaping the built environment (or shaping the minds and conversations that shape the built environment). From woven textiles to ceramics, oil paintings to hand-made musical instruments, the Art Salon highlights the diverse talents of creative professionals in our field.

Design Slam

Design SLAM!

Wednesday, October 18
6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
@ Printshop Beer Co.
No Cost to Enter

Design SLAM! Knoxville is a fast-paced, live competition focused on design thinking, urban design, and presentation. Each year, the event pits teams of Knoxville area designers against one another to solve a local design challenge.

Teams consisting of makers, architectural designers, and allied professionals will be given 1.5 hours to develop and present a solution to the audience and a panel of judges. The People’s Choice – selected by popular vote during the event – and an overall winner will be presented with custom-fabricated trophies. Our MC this year is the wonderful Ben Epperson, founder of Timberdoodle Playscapes. 
 
We encourage anyone interested in design and urban planning to come grab a beer, and root for your favorite team.

Knox Bricks & Brews

Knox Bricks & Brews

Thursday, October 19
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
@ Hi-Wire Brewing
$15 per person (Two Drinks Included)

Sponsored By: The Architecture Collaborative (TAC) and SESCO Lighting

Allied Partners: Beyond a Brick

Join us for a one-night-only pop-up Brick Bar. Drink, chat, and play with LEGO in a fun, no-pressure atmosphere. For those who like a little competition, LEGO builds can be entered for judging in one of several fun categories for a nominal entry fee. Custom-built Lego Trophies are up for grabs, and so are bragging rights! Sign up below to join in on the fun!

Knox Bricks & Blocks

Knox Bricks & Blocks

Saturday, October 21
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
@ L&N STEM Academy
No Cost- Registration Required

Sponsored by: General Shale

Allied Partners: Beyond a Brick

We invite kids, ages 5-18, to work with architects and designers to create an architectural design for the future! (Project specifics coming soon!) Participants will be paired with a local design professional to walk through the programming phase to come up with their own design. Master Builder Certificates will be issued upon completion of the program.

Lecture: George Smart, HAIA

Thursday, October 26th
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
@ Bijou Theatre
No Cost

Partner: Knox Heritage

Host Sponsor: Prince Technologies

Join AIA East Tennessee & Knox Heritage for cocktails, conversation, and a presentation by George Smart, HAIA, founder & CEO of USModernist®, the world’s largest nonprofit educational archive dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and promotion of Modernist residential design.
In this discussion, George Smart will explore the basic principles of Modernist design, why it’s important to our communities, and what participants can do about preservation, starting tomorrow. To read in more detail about this presentation, visit bit.ly/octoberdesignfeed.

This discussion is 1 AIA HSW I LU Credit.

Modernism Home Tour

Saturday, October 28
10:00 AM – 4:00 pm
Start @ Mid Mod Collective
Tickets: $20 online / $25 day of

Host Sponsor: Mid-Mod Collective

Join AIA East Tennessee for a tour of Knoxville’s most unique Mid-Century and Modern Homes featuring 5-7 homes across the Knoxville Area. This year we’re aligning the Modern Home Tour with another major event: a lecture by George Smart from US Modernist at the Bijou Theater on Thursday, October 26th. With these two events happening so close together, we believe there’s an exceptional opportunity to have a larger audience and create a more profound impact within our community.

Thank you to our 2023 [Knoxville] By Design Sponsors and Partners

Presenting Sponsor

Host Sponsors

Allied Partners

Contributing Sponsors:

Knoxville Blue Print
General Shale
ACS Document Imaging

In-Kind Sponsors:

ACS Print
Nathanna

2023 Knox by Design Committee:

Richard-Allen Foster, Chair
Alli Montgomery, Co-chair
Hollie Cook
Jeremiah Corbett
Justin Hare
Matthew Jordan
Lauren McCarty
Jen McMahon- Component Executive Director of AIA ETN

Michelle Mokry
Sarah Peacock
Barbie Thomas
Jesse Wagner
Elizabeth Wetherall
Steven Whitmore II
Haley Zimmerman

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