The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville, in cooperation with the local arts and culture community, is proud to announce the 11th year of Penny4Arts, a program developed to meet the local arts community’s long-term goal of serving and educating East Tennessee’s children.
Penny4Arts provides every child in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties, including home-schooled and private-schooled students, the opportunity to attend local arts and culture events/activities by dozens of organizations at the maximum cost of ONE PENNY (or free) when accompanied by a paying adult. Most organizations allow up to three children to attend for free. Go here for a list of upcoming events.
Concerts, plays, dance performances, museums, festivals, historic home tours and live radio broadcasts are part of Penny4Arts. Organizations whose admission is regularly free are offering special programs. More than 100 events will be included in Penny4Arts throughout the year, and in addition, eight organizations offer year-round opportunities for children: Blount Mansion, Historic Ramsey House, Historic Westwood, James White’s Fort, Knoxville Museum of Art, Mabry-Hazen House, Marble Springs State Historic Site and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
The schedule of performances is listed chronologically here, where families may also sign up for a weekly e-mail notice (and occasional special events). Highlights include:
- Eight Masterworks and four Chamber concerts by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
- Three Knoxville Opera performances
- Live concerts at the Bijou Theatre
- Performances at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville
- Contemporary dance performances by Circle Modern Dance and Momentum Dance Lab
- Live, age-appropriate theatre with Clarence Brown Theatre on the UT campus
Most participating events will allow one paying adult to bring up to three students for one penny each. Students ages 16-18, not accompanied by an adult, may be asked to show proof of residency and, if in a group, at least one in the group of up to four students ages 16-18 must purchase a regular adult admission/ticket (if applicable) for the group to be able to participate in Penny4Arts. Each participating organization’s specific guidelines are also listed on the Penny4Arts web site.
The following organizations are participating in Penny4Arts for the 2022/2023 school year: Bijou Theatre, Blount Mansion, Circle Modern Dance, Clarence Brown Theatre, Dancers Studio, Dogwood Arts, East Tennessee Historical Society, Historic Ramsey House, Historic Westwood, James White’s Fort, Jubilee Community Arts, Knoxville Children’s Theatre, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Opera, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Mabry-Hazen House, Marble City Opera, Marble Springs State Historic Site, McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Oak Ridge Civic Music Association, Tennessee Stage Company, Tennessee Valley Fair, and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Employees of Messer Construction help support of this program. For more information, go here, or contact the Arts & Culture Alliance info@knoxalliance.com or call 865-523-7543.