Art in the Garden | UT Gardens - The State Botanical Garden of Tennessee

Ursa Curiosa: A Garden Art Exhibit, this unbearably fun and whimsical event seeks to raise awareness about the need to protect our native bears as urban development encroaches on their natural habitat.

The exhibition is part of Knoxville’s First Friday arts celebration, with its grand opening evet on June 5, 2026. Fifty-one artists’ visions will acknowledge the importance of black bears in our southern Appalachian ecosystems. Local children also are participating by expressing their creative talents on decorated bear faces or acorn cutouts. The children’s exhibit runs concurrently with the adult exhibit. The exhibit will be open throughout the summer during daylight hours.The children’s pieces will be displayed in the Children’s Garden, while the pieces crafted by adults will be located throughout the grounds. A brochure and electronic maps will be available to assist in finding each piece.

Informational bear facts will also be included as part of the exhibition, and new this year is the expansion of the exhibit to include several pieces to be displayed at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through a partnership with the Friends of the Smokies. The UT Gardens, Crossville, will also host a display at the UT Plateau AgResearch and Education Center.

Now in its ninth year, the Art in the Gardens exhibit will conclude in late September with an exciting online auction of these fantastic works of art.

Art in the Garden is an annual program that invites local artists to interpret a chosen theme. They are given a standard form to decorate/embellish however they wish, and then the pieces are placed on display in the Gardens for the entire summer. In the fall, the pieces are auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting the UT Gardens.

The links below will take you to Facebook galleries with photos of each year’s exhibit. You can also browse the galleries below.