Student art show ahead at Knoxville Museum of Art
The 20th annual East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition, presented by the Knoxville Museum of Art, is set for November 28, 2025, to January 11, 2026.
ETRSAE showcases the strength and diversity of art education programs in East Tennessee, celebrates talented middle and high school students and supports arts education. It is an opportunity for students to participate in a juried exhibition and to have their artworks displayed in a professional art museum environment.
Public, private and home schools in grades 6-12 in 32 East Tennessee counties are invited to submit up to 15 artworks per teacher. Categories for the competition include ceramic, drawing, video production, mixed media, painting, computer graphics, sculpture, digital or traditional photography and printmaking. Each participating school is represented by one work of art.
The Best-in-Show winner receives a Purchase Award of $500, and the artwork becomes a permanent part of the collection of James Dodson, on loan to the Knoxville Museum of Art’s Education Collection.
The Best-in-Middle School winner receives $250. The teacher of the student who is selected as this year’s Best-in-Show and Best in Middle School will receive a $100 Art Educator Award from the Knoxville Museum of Art. Each student in the exhibition receives a certificate of participation. The “Best” in each of the 10 categories receives a cash award and a museum family membership.
As part of this year’s event, KMA will have a special exhibition of the Best-in-Show works from past exhibitions from Jim Dodson’s personal collection.
Victoria May
Victoria May was Lilly Deal’s art teacher at Bearden High School. She said: “Super proud art teacher moment! … Many winners with extraordinary works including my student, Lilly Deal, who won Best-of-Show with her beautiful painting. Another student, Gracen Daniels, has a photograph in the show and she inspired and provided the reference image for Lilly’s painting whose model was a former student! #bhsbulldogs Bearden High School for the win!!
Not the seven dwarfs: It is the Powell High eight
Powell High faculty showed up on Halloween as “sleeping beauties,” each wearing a sash with their superpower. Students loved it. Pictured are: Diane Smyth, Angie Roberts, Mary Lynn Berry, Nicki Roach, Susan Martin, Jennifer Morgan, Jamie Mitchell and Daphne Douglas.
Union County middle school will serve entire county
A bird’s-eye view of the Horace Maynard Middle School in Union County. (Photo courtesy of Merit Construction)
Merit Construction reports construction is progressing smoothly at the new Horace Maynard Middle School in Union County. Structural work and roofing are nearing completion across multiple sections of the building.
In Memoriam
Thelma Carr
A Blount County educator has died. Thelma L. Brown Carr Ed.S. was 101.
Mrs. Carr enjoyed many years as a classroom teacher and librarian in the Alcoa city school system until her retirement after 40 years of service. In retirement, she continued as a substitute teacher.
She was a lifetime member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and an active member of the Book Review Club of Knoxville for more than 40 years; she also volunteered at New Providence Presbyterian Church with the Bartlett Program.
Numerous tributes and memories came in to Foothills Funeral Home in Maryville. Jackie Logan and Deretha Hill wrote:
“Mrs. Carr has always been that warm and encouraging teacher that motivated us to be the best and reach for the stars! … She will always be that person that we strive to be like as we go through this life journey! We share the family’s loss and our community loss of such a ‘great’ person.”
The family received friends on November 1, 2025, at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Alcoa. Entombment followed at Grandview Cemetery, Maryville. The full obituary is here.
Notes & Quotes
Bearden High Theatre will present “Legally Blonde” November 13-16 and tickets are available. Follow the troupe on Facebook here for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the performers in action.
