3rd Annual Dogwood Arts Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange

March 22-28, 2025

Dogwood Arts, in collaboration with professional muralist Megan Lingerfelt, will unveil six new murals in Downtown Knoxville as part of the 3rd Annual Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange. Six local and regional artists were selected to participate, each designing and painting an 8x8 ft mural in the Curio at Maker Exchange. The murals will be completed by Friday, March 28th, and will remain on display through May 2025.

Participating Artists:

• Adele Ferguson – @ahousecalled_adele

• Zoe Haun

• Andi Kur – www.andikurart.com

• Lydia May – @lydiamay.art

• Jordan Thompson – @jordankthompson

• Esther Sitver – esthersketch.com

About the Workshop: Designed by Megan Lingerfelt and Dogwood Arts, the Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange provides emerging artists with hands-on training in large-scale mural painting. Participants gain experience from seasoned professionals and leave with the skills and confidence to pursue their own mural projects.

• Part 1 consists of a 3-hour seminar at the Dogwood Arts Gallery. Megan Lingerfelt shares her experiences as a professional muralist and discusses best practices of the following topics: Materials, Surface Prep/Concerns, Methods for Scaling Designs, Process from Idea to Finished Mural, and Professional Practices (including presenting to clients and pricing work).

• Part 2 leads participants through installing temporary murals at Maker Exchange. With guidance from Megan, each artist will prep their space and complete an 8x8' mural of their own. Artists have until Wednesday, March 26th to complete their pieces. Materials were provided by Dogwood Arts and each artist was given a small kit of brushes to use and keep. 

Program Impact

The workshop has been a launching pad for many past participants, leading to commissions and exhibition opportunities, including:

• Orel Brodt & Gared Luquet (2024): Commissioned to create a mural for KnoxWalls at Emory Place and recently painted a new mural for Blue Grass Elementary.

• Gared Luquet (2024): Featured in a solo exhibition at Dogwood Gallery (June, July 2024).

• Megan Lingerfelt: Featured in a solo exhibition at Dogwood Gallery (Sept, Oct 2024).

• Dustin Avilla (2024): Designed the 2024 Southern Skies Music & Whiskey Festival poster and painted a live mural during the event.

• Whitney Herrington (2024): Commissioned to design and paint several murals, and has been hired to assist Megan Lingerfelt on several private mural commissions.

• Kate Buuck (2023) & Allison Meriwether (2024): Commissioned to paint murals during the 2024 Dogwood Arts Festival.

• Nkem Warner (2023): Commissioned to paint a mural during the 2023 Dogwood Arts Festival and the 2024 House & Garden Show.

• Gabrielle Barnhart & Kate Buuck (2023): Held a solo exhibition at Dogwood Gallery (June, July 2023).

• All 2024 participants painted murals in Strong Alley following the workshop. 

Dogwood Arts Mural Program

Dogwood Arts has commissioned more than 70 murals in Downtown Knoxville and the surrounding areas since starting the Art in Public Places Mural Program in 2019. The Mural Workshop at Maker Exchange is part of our larger public art initiative, Art in Public Places. This program is focused on connecting talented local and regional muralists with property owners who are interested in offering their buildings as canvases for large-scale murals that are visible to the entire community. The centerpiece of our mural program, Strong Alley, began with

independent artists coming together to create art with the blessings of the building owners whose adjoining properties create this unique space.

Dogwood Arts got involved to protect this legacy and ensure the alley continues to thrive as an active, ever-changing, can’t-miss art destination that improves access to the arts for everyone. Dogwood Arts coordinates this ongoing program in collaboration with artists, property owners, the City of Knoxville, and the Downtown Knoxville Alliance.

The newest addition to the Dogwood Arts Mural Program is KnoxWalls at Emory Place — a new Immersive Art Destination in North Knoxville. Just minutes from the historic Old City, KnoxWalls at Emory Place includes more than 7,000 sq ft of large-scale, permanent murals by prominent artists from across the country. 

2024 Participants:

• Dustin Avilla (https://dustinavilla.com/)

• Orel Brodt (https://www.instagram.com/orelbrodtdesigns/)

• Laney Haskell (https://www.instagram.com/laney__art/)

• Whitney Herrington (https://www.instagram.com/oldsoulvtg)

• Gared Luquet (https://www.mywildmenagerie.com/)

• Allison Meriwether (https://www.allisonmeriwetherart.com/)

2023 Participants:

• Sarah O’Leary

• Kate Buuck

• Gabrielle Barnhart

• Sara Wieland

• Nkem Warner

• Carolina Lebar

Read more about the 2023 Workshop Here: https://www.dogwoodarts.com/post/dogwood-arts-mural-workshop-at-maker-exchange

All photographs taken by Jared Worsham Photography.