As the heart of Chattanooga’s cultural identity, the local arts scene is a powerful draw for creators looking to build sustainable careers.
Chattanooga, a city known for its natural beauty and local hot spots, is also a magnet that draws artists to the community. It offers a place where artists are celebrated for the work they accomplish with the help of other local artists and organizations.
Kevin Bate started his work in Chattanooga by painting at home then selling those paintings at the Mojo Burrito in the St. Elmo section of the city. His initial sales led him in 2011 to be commissioned to paint a mural portrait of actor Samuel L. Jackson for a former building on Main Street.
“I got a call one night from a guy doing a mural project on main street and he asked me if I had ever painted murals before, now I lied and said ‘yes,’ and I was a part of that mural project and I painted a big Sam Jackson. I guess no one knew he was from here, so the news came out and the news did a whole big thing on Sam Jackson for a week. Next thing I know more people were calling for murals or commission work for studio works,” Bate said.
Bate is well known for the McCallie Mural Project on display from April 2014 through June 2016, where he and five other local and international artists created vibrant murals along McCallie Avenue. The Fallen Five mural was painted in honor of the fallen soldiers during the terrorist attack on July 16, 2015, where gunman Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military sites in Chattanooga where he killed five service members and injured more.
It took Bate 10 months to finish the mural in honor of the soldiers’ memories. Bate was angry at how the national news only focused on the face of Abdulazeez rather than the faces of the fallen soldiers.
Bate said he is happy with the direction of his career, but said the city needs to do more to find local artists.
“What I wish was that the city would be more open to fostering and embracing the local artists here,” said Bate. “My work is out in public, so it is its own advertisement for more work. But there’s a lot of artists that don’t have that opportunity so when there’s a call for public art they (Chattanooga) open it up to the nation when a lot of cities would just pick someone local. I just wish the city would search out local artists to do work in town.”
As the city grows, there are multiple organizations working to support local artists in their efforts to earn a living in Chattanooga. Many of these organizations provide funding for both the artists and the public.
Art has a home in Chattanooga, and these organizations work hard to provide safe and enjoyable art spaces in Chattanooga.
“I always think we should first and foremost be Chattanooga centered, I know we have not always done the best job of doing it, and we are working hard to get to where the people who live, work and play here feel like this city is a city for them from an arts and culture standpoint,” said Carmen Elliot, senior director of the Arts, Culture and Creative Economy office at city hall.
The Arts, Culture and Creative Economy department’s goal is to expand and build upon the existing local art ecosystem. ACCE works diligently to provide high-quality public art and the city’s Public Arts Chattanooga department maintains nearly 200 public art pieces in the city, including 100 outdoor displays.
“Chattanooga became an arts city partially because we used arts and culture to rebuild the city and that really went into full high gear during Chattanooga’s Civic Renaissance during the 80’s and 90’s. But there have been institutions that have existed before that so I don’t want to say that the story starts in the 80’s or 90’s. One of the biggest examples is when local businesses came together to start Allied Arts, that deliberate process in 1969 was pretty revolutionary for a midsize city,” Elliot said.
ArtsBuild, under the former name of Allied Arts, is a non-profit founded in 1969 that partners with artists, arts organizations, educators, and community leaders to make arts central to daily life. It is built on a goal of accessible art for residents of all ages across the city. Chattanooga and Hamilton County artists apply for grants to complete a project. According to the non-profit, in 2024-25 ArtsBuild invested $1.5 million in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, with more than $800,000 in grants to local arts organizations.
“One thing that makes it [Chattanooga] distinctive, I really think our geographic area plays into it, we have lots of artists and musicians and people that work in the arts, there’s about 3,000 people working full time in the arts. I think we are in a place where you can really make a career in the arts, you can do things here in Chattanooga, things in Nashville, and things in Atlanta, you have access to art scenes all over. We really are a city that’s at the crossroads of a lot of incredible opportunities,” James Mcissick, president of ArtsBuild, said.
Shane Ward, a sculpture artist and assistant sculpture professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is currently working on a project called Search Party with another artist Angie To. They collect sounds from around the city including waterfalls, insects and forests. These sounds will be part of a seated installation with embedded speakers where participants will listen to the city sounds. This will be featured from October 9 to November 7 on the rooftop of CARTA Shuttle Park North at 211 Broad Street.
“Chattanooga has a relatively small and accessible arts community, which makes it easier to build real relationships. Artists can get to know one another across disciplines, find collaborators, and connect with the people who run galleries, museums, and arts organizations. There’s room to become involved and contribute to the scene, even if you’re just starting out. The city’s landscape and mix of urban and natural spaces also offer a lot to respond to creatively,” Ward said.
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