Knoxville’s Maker Exchange A Place To Celebrate and Promote a City’s Makers
When a hospitality developer acquired two hotel properties in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, it not only rebranded those two properties but also created a space for artists and makers in the community.
“It’s a space we want to use to lift up and promote the makers in the community,” Shannon Herron said of Maker Exchange. Launched in September 2022, this public, multiuse place includes a gallery/event space, as well as a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, den, and lounge area.
Herron is the marketing and creative director of Dogwood Arts. The nonprofit hosts 20 annual events and programs. It was chosen to curate the space inside Maker Exchange called the Curio.
He shared background about the project and how Dogwood Arts became involved in it. Maker Exchange is between The Tennessean luxury hotel and the rebranded Marriott Downtown Knoxville hotel. World’s Fair Park is adjacent, and the Knoxville Convention Center is across from the space. Herron said most of Knoxville’s events and outdoor activities take place in this area.
Rockbridge Capital, of Columbus, Ohio, bought the two hotels in 2019. The firm created the public Maker Exchange space as part of its redevelopment project and gifted it to the maker community.
Maker Exchange was open briefly before the invite-only grand opening party in September 2022. “We really wanted it to be a celebration of the Maker City,” Herron said.
The event included musicians and poetry readings. He said artists felt proud to be there — to be part of the space.
Social media posts about the event sparked attention and helped get the space on the map, Herron said. A cool part of the Maker Exchange is how it brings together diverse groups, galleries, and students, he said.
Since word has gotten out, more artists now want to be involved. “It’s been fun,” Herron said. “It’s like a constant rotating exhibition.”
A Maker City
Rockbridge has been investing in and building brands since 1999. Each time it opens a property in a city, it seeks to find what is unique about that community, Herron said. “When they came to Knoxville, they saw we were designated as a Maker City,” he said.
The greater-Knoxville area is filled with makers and spaces for them. Knoxville was among the 13 cities chosen by Etsy in 2016 to host one of its first Maker City Summits.
Knoxville has a Maker City Directory and a Mayor’s Maker Council. Herron is a member of that council.
The council’s vision is to build a sustainable creative community. Its mission is to promote equity in the creative economy by:
- Fostering relationships between makers and consumers.
- Building networks of public, technological, and financial resources.
- Creating educational opportunities and partnerships.
The Maker City Directory represents artisans, makers, creatives, and small-scale manufacturers from throughout Knoxville. People can visit themakercity.org/makerdirectory to shop and hire local craftspeople for projects.
Herron said the Maker City is what Rockbridge homed in on when it came to the community. Makers in other communities can emulate what Knoxville has done by working together and promoting each other, he said.