Bethel Cemetery

Bethel Cemetery
Location: Knoxville, TN


Bethel Cemetery was an interesting little adventure...



The adventure started when I tried to find the cemetery. That is one flaw, and a very real disadvantage, to the cemetery. The entrance to the cemetery was very easy to miss. In fact, it was so easy to miss that I actually ended up in the wrong cemetery at first. The entrance to the cemetery is a foreboding metal gate with a small sign. The cemetery itself is surround by a chain link fence that is topped with barbed wire. It does not have a welcoming feel. Once I did find it, I was unsure whether I was really supposed to enter. The gate had an elaborate clasp that could scare away any weary visitor. But I was determined, so I figured out the complex gate and managed to enter the cemetery.

Another problem for the cemetery is its limited hours. It is only open on Saturdays from 10am until 3pm. To visit at any other time, you must make an appointment. This could be a very easy deterrent for potential visitors. Luckily, I arrived at the cemetery within it's open hours.

Once I finally made it into the cemetery, I was disappointed by the lack of labels informing me about the cemetery's history. There was a large plaque indicating who was buried in the cemetery, but I would have liked more information. An information pamphlet would have adequately sufficed.




The obvious attraction of the cemetery is the large memorial to thousands of Confederate soldiers. Within the cemetery's four walls are buried 1600 Confederate soldiers and 50 Union soldiers. The monument clearly conveyed the importance of the cemetery. It's large and grandiose structure appropriately memorialized the more than one thousand soldiers buried there. There were also plaques listing the names of all of the Confederate soldiers who are buried there. The names are grouped according to which state the men were from. I thought these plaques were interesting, and I enjoyed searching for any names that might be distant relatives of mine.


Also on the property was an old white house. I think that may be where the grounds keeper lives. The house was actually quite creepy. The whole time I was in the cemetery, I couldn't help but feel like someone could be watching me from its windows.

The grounds were nicely maintained. The landscaping was beautiful and further helped to commemorate the soldiers buried there. It was obvious that someone was actively tending to the grounds because the leaves had all been gathered into large piles and were ready to be bagged. I was thoroughly impressed by the condition of the cemetery.

I don't think I'll be going back to Bethel Cemetery any time soon. The cemetery isn't in a very good part of town, and I wouldn't want to drive out there alone. Although the monument and the grounds were in good condition, the cemetery had a very eerie atmosphere. I am a fan of cemeteries and am not easily creeped out by them, but this one was a bit creepy. Whether it was the lack of any other human presence or the terrifying barbed wire fence, my visit to Bethel Cemetery was not a reflective or inspiring experience.

KMA

Knoxville Museum of Art
Location: Knoxville, TN


The current temporary exhibits at the Knoxville Museum of Art were excellent. I thought each exhibit was curated in a very professional manner. The entire museum was impressive.




I thoroughly enjoyed the "New Directions in American Drawing" exhibit. The pieces exhibited were not what you typically think of when you think of drawings. I think that was the curator's goal. I had never seen drawings like these before. Some were very large and detailed, which is not what I would normally expect. Some were so realistic that they could have easily been mistaken for a black and white photo. This exhibit made me reexamine some of my preconceived notions about drawing. Before today, I did not have a very high opinion of drawing. The KMA has changed my opinion.



A second exhibit that I really liked was "New Photography from the KMA Collection." This temporary exhibit was comprised of pieces from the KMA's permanent collection. It consisted of an eclectic mix of photography. I also thought it was smart of the KMA to create an exhibit based off of pieces they already owned. I really liked all of the photographs within this exhibit. They were all very different in style and technique. I especially liked "Untitled (ladies' man)" by Sarah Hobbs. The layout of the exhibit was also well done. It was all contained in a single room with the photographs hung at the same level around the entire room. There was also a seat provided in the middle of the room. I love it when museums provide a place to sit. Sometimes you just want sit and contemplate the art for a while.

There was also an showing of the east Tennessee student art competition. This exhibit consisted of hundreds of works of art which covered every inch of wall space. Although the show was a bit overwhelming in quantity, it was fascinating to see the works of blossoming young high school artists. It was a nice touch of amateur art, and it balanced well with the other exhibits.

I enjoyed my visit to the Knoxville Museum of Art. It is an art museum that is worthy of its accreditation. The quality of the exhibits was worth more than the $5 entrance fee suggested.

First Presbyterian Historic Cemetery

First Presbyterian Historic Cemetery
Location: Downtown Knoxville


I think this cemetery is absolutely stunning. Before I even realized the historic significance of this cemetery, I loved it just because it looks so beautiful. Tucked away behind the Tennessee Theater, the cemetery is not something that you would expect to see. It is situated right next to First Presbyterian Church and across the street from one of the parking garages I use when I go downtown. It is easy to overlook, but it is an important part of Knoxville's history.



Inside the cemetery are buried many of Knoxville's historic icons such as the Blounts, the McClungs, the Carricks, and even James White. The founding fathers of Knoxville rest in that cemetery. It was really neat to see the graves of all these people that I had recently learned so much about. From visiting the Blount Mansion and the James White Fort, I learned about so many of the people that were buried there. And many of the graves had names that I recognized from buildings around campus. These were not only Knoxville's founding fathers, but the University of Tennessee's too. It was unreal to visit the graves of people whose homes I had just finished visiting.



The cemetery is also on the national register of historic places. One thing I really liked about the cemetery was a chart it had of all the graves. This chart was next to the entrance, and it was very helpful. Many of the graves were worn down, and some of the names were no longer on the tombstones. Thanks to the chart, I was still able to locate the graves of many famous Knoxvillians, despite being unable to read the words on the tombstones.

The cemetery was also in very nice condition. The grounds were nicely maintained. The tombs, although worn with age, were not overrun with weeds or other plants. The grass was trimmed, and the paths were in good condition. This also added to the positive experience that I had.

I immensely enjoyed my visit to the First Presbyterian cemetery. It was both an educational and beautiful experience. That will not be my last visit.

The Decorative Experience

The Decorative Experience
Location: McClung Museum

This entire exhibit was a disaster. McClung Museum is so hit and miss with their exhibits, and this one was a definite miss. Before I even entered the exhibit I was in a bad mood. Entering into McClung was like entering into a tropical jungle. The lobby was more humid than the rain forest. This did not put me in the mood to visit a museum. There's nothing worse than feeling hot and sticky as you walk around trying to read museum labels. My visit did not start off on a good note.




The first thing that I noticed when I entered the exhibit was that the lights were not on in one of the display cases. It wasn't even that one light was out. The entire case was dark. This was an obvious problem that any of the museum's employees should have spotted and fixed. It did not reflect well upon the museum to have a darkened display case. The museum is dark enough as it is. The cases need lights so you can actually see the artifacts inside. This looked very unprofessional on the museum's part.



Another problem I had with the exhibit was the "Art of the Chinese Tang Dynasty" portion of the exhibition. This display case was the second thing I noticed when I entered the exhibit. It stuck out from the rest of the exhibit like a sore thumb. The background was a completely different color from those in the other cases. The presentation of the artifacts in that case looked much more professional that any of the other cases. Although that particular case looked nice, it made the poor quality of the other display cases stand out even more. I had trouble figuring out if the Tang dynasty display case even went with the rest of the exhibit. For a moment I wondered if another little exhibit had been placed in the room with a completely different exhibit.


A third problem that I immediately had with the exhibit was the awkward placement of a television at one end of the room. The TV clearly blocked part of the exhibit, and it wasn't even on. It wouldn't have been so bad if the TV had been showing a film related to the exhibit. But instead it just stood awkwardly at one end of the room. It looked like it was a remnant from a past field trip to the museum. This was another mistake made by the museum staff. The television should have either been showing a related film or shouldn't have been in the room at all. It distracted my attention from the rest of the exhibit.

Overall this exhibit was not a success. I left McClung not remembering the amazing artifacts that I had viewed but instead thinking of all of the annoying problems that the exhibit had. I know that McClung can put together an excellent exhibit. The Sacred Beauty exhibit is a good example. There was no excuse for such a poor presentation, and McClung failed to professionally maintain this exhibit like a university museum should.

Space+Technology+Place

Space + Technology + Place
Location: Ewing Gallery

This exhibit was a presentation of the works of University of Tennessee architecture professors. I am no expert in architecture, although I do find it somewhat interesting to learn about. I didn't really know what to expect out of this exhibit, and I was not left disappointed.



The layout of the exhibit was well done. I really like the Ewing Gallery, and I think it is an excellent space for shows. Part of the reason that it is such a good exhibition space is because of its high ceilings. This really gives the entire space a very open feel. Thus, the items displayed within any exhibit at the Ewing never feel crowded together, and the spacing never makes one feel claustrophobic. This was true with the design of the architecture show too. The items on the walls were placed at good heights and were not too close together. The items that were free-standing in the middle of the exhibit were placed with enough space between them to allow easy traffic flow. The dark gray walls were also an excellent color choice which provided a nice contrast to the white walls.



The works in the exhibit also surprised me. I generally think of architecture as boring blue prints and cute little models of buildings. Granted, some of those things were on display within the exhibit. But some professors chose to display work which approached architecture in a much more artistic manner. For example, the picture above shows an architectural creation, yet if no one told me that it had to do with architecture, I would have thought it was just a wonderful piece of fine art. This show forced me to step outside of my stereotypes about architecture.



Another series of works that made me look differently at architecture was those by Tricia Stuth. Her photographs were of architectural elements, yet that was not my first thought when I looked at them. Her photographs clearly evoke emotions within the viewer and cannot be viewed in a completely unemotional manner. The photographs could easily be displayed in a fine art setting and no one would question their artistic merit. For the first time, I saw architecture as more than just a career but as a fine art.

The Space + Technology + Place show was one that changed my entire view of architecture. Today I realized that architects are artists too.

James White Fort

James White Fort
Location: Knoxville, TN

James White Fort was a much more interesting experience than I ever expected. I really didn't know anything about the fort. In fact, I thought it was a military fort but found out on my tour that in fact it was just a fort for James White and his family. It was fenced in not to protect it from attacks but to keep its livestock from getting out.

The fort doesn't really look like anything impressive from the road. I had driven past it many times but never had any desire to take a tour of it. It also looked much smaller from the outside than it actually is. I was surprised by the size of the complex and by the amount of buildings within it. I thought the fort was free to tour, but it actually cost $5. The price was in no way unreasonable, and in return I received a cultural experience that I will never forget.



As I entered the front door, I found myself in a small gift shop/entrance area. There was a friendly old man sitting behind the desk. He informed me that I had two options: I could take the hand-out about the fort and take a self-guided tour or he could personally take me on a tour of the fort. At first I opted for the self-guided tour, but after about 10 minutes I realized that my entire experience would be far more enjoyable if I asked the man to take me on a tour instead. This was the best choice I made. The friendly old man was a retired volunteer who was more passionate about the history of Tennessee than anyone I have ever met. James White Fort consists of lots of buildings, but it isn't the largest museum complex. Yet, this old man managed to take me on a very detailed hour and a half guided tour. I actually didn't mind it at all. He was so passionate about the subject matter that it made it all very interesting to listen to.



The first building we entered was the main family house of the Whites. The interior of the cabin had been kept as much in its original form as possible. It was obvious that the Whites must have been a very wealthy family because the craftsmanship of the cabin was impeccable. The artifacts within the house were set up nicely. I'm not sure how many of the artifacts were original to the family, but the table in the middle of the room did belong to the Whites. The other items in the room were at least from the correct time period if not original possessions of the family. I really liked how there were no ropes or barriers blocking you off from any part of the house. I could get as close to all the artifacts as I wanted, as long as I didn't touch any of them.

As the little old man showed me each artifact in the house, he also told me about the history of behind each item. I learned more in that hour and a half than I have at all my other museum visits combined.

The fort also included a kitchen alongside the main family cabin. The kitchen was also very interesting to visit because it too was filled with many items from that time period. It also smelled wonderful on the inside, like a Cracker Barrel restaurant.



Besides the family home and the kitchen, there were many other cabins on the property. The family cabin was actually the original cabin, but the other cabins were reconstructed in later years. The other cabins originally served as guest houses for the many people who visited the Whites. Now each cabin is set up differently. One cabin contained all the artifacts that people had donated. It was like a little museum of random Appalachian artifacts. Another cabin was constructed on the inside to look like one of the original guest cabins. Inside of it was a real loom that I even got to touch. Yet another cabin was set up in the style of a blacksmith shop. There had been a blacksmith living in the fort with the Whites, and although this cabin was a recreation, it was historically accurate to some extent.

I give my visit to James White Fort two big thumbs up. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of preservation within the fort. Even more, I was thoroughly entertained and informed by my enthusiastic guide. James White Fort is definitely worth the $5 dollar entrance fee.

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Location: Knoxville, TN


The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is a hidden jewel among Knoxville's museums. I had seen it many times, but I don't watch women's basketball and thought that a museum devoted to that subject couldn't be very interesting. I was definitely proven wrong.

I should have realized that the museum would be impressive based on its exterior appearance alone. As you drive up to the museum, you can't help but stare in awe at the giant basketball that is on top of it. The architecture under the basketball even looks like a giant basketball net. The museum had begun to impress me before I even entered it. And if a giant basketball exterior wasn't enough to impress me, the museum even had its own exit off the interstate. Any museum worthy of having its own interstate exit surely must be impressive.

As I entered the Hall of Fame, one of the first things I noticed were the automatic lights. The lights throughout the Hall of Fame are motion sensored and only come on when visitors are in that particular part of the museum. Not only was the Hall of Fame impressive, it was also environmentally friendly.

The displays in the Hall of Fame were very colorful and detailed. Every one was professionally designed and put together. I had yet to visit a museum of this high of caliber the entire semester. Although the displays were excellently designed and constructed, they were a bit too wordy for my taste. They contained lots of writing, more than I ever want to read when I'm at a museum. The displays would also bore any school age child. Thankfully, these were not the only types of displays in the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame contained a good mixture of wordy exhibits that would interest adults and hands-on exhibits that would interest kids. Although displays like the one above would most likely not interest the average child, the Hall of Fame provided plenty of other types of displays that would easily keep them interested. For example, an animatronic women's basketball player from the early 20th century talks to visitors as they walk by, telling them about early women's basketball. I did not expect such a high-tech element in a Knoxville museum. Another great hands-on area for the kids is the fake locker room. There are benches and statues of fakes players that you can sit with. There are even four different coaches' locker room speeches that you can watch. It's like you are on the team as you sit on the bench with you're fake teammates and watch a locker room talk given by a real women's basketball coach.

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame also does an excellent job keeping up with current events in women's basketball. There are display cases showing jerseys of the teams who made it to the NCAA final four. They also display the jerseys of the players of the year. They even display the jerseys of the high school state champion teams. These exhibits must constantly be kept up to date and changed annually. It seems like it would be a lot of work, but it created a very interesting exhibit.


The Hall of Fame also provides a great grand finale'. Once you are done viewing all the exhibits, there are three basketball courts downstairs that are there for you to play on. This is also an excellent idea for all the kids who visit the Hall of Fame. I can only imagine what this area is like when a field trip comes through. Although this area is primarily for entertainment, it is still somewhat educational. For example, one of the baskets is modeled after the old style of basketball goals. Thus, kids can have fun and experience a bit of history all at once.

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is one of the best museums that I have visited so far. I had such low expectations for it that it completely blew me away when I visited it. I'd recommend a visit to the Hall of Fame for any person in Knoxville.