Used to love cruising through here. But when enters an ART center, one wants PEACE and QUIET to…read moreimmerse oneself in the art and the artist's work! Just as one expects from a library! Nice to be greeted upon entering, but like Nicole said in her review, it is not nice to be followed, hounded and pushed by one of the artists who want you to buy THEIR art. Also we don't want to be interrogated about who we are, where we are from, yada yada. Please let your patrons VIEW and ENJOY the pieces! Also we think they should post "NO CELL PHONES!" all over. People who wander in need to RESPECT the artists, their work, and the fact that the rest of us are trying to enjoy our visit. We don't need to hear your loud cell phone conversations! Take it OUTSIDE. Manners and respect seem to be part of our past. Unfortunately, this is why we don't visit as often as we would like to, as these incessant rude interruptions are beyond annoying. We love the MAC, just not the personal experience whilst inside!

Co-op of local artists. Member volunteer run. Multiple art mediums for sale. Quality merchandise…read morefor reasonable prices. My go to place for friends and family birthday and Christmas gifts. Monthly class schedule of kids arts and craft classes offered for small registration fee. Adult classes also available. Sponsor of outdoor art around town and first Friday May to December Art Walk.

We were driving through the mountains on a Sunday trip and stopped in this place at random, it's on…read morethe corner of the old downtown. I had just bought nice little handmade earrings and then I saw this incredible chair. It was made by a local mountain area artist, talk about having character. And they delivered it, very kind considering how big it is. $250 was nothing for such an individual piece of work. And the earrings were quite modest, $15, I'd recommend to anyone to stop in and hunt through the various artists' wares.

THE ONE! If you…read morecould enter only one gallery during your visit to Blue Ridge, it should be this store. The women in this store aren't hear to just ring up your purchase, they actually do a wonderful job of presenting the artist and discussing their work. That's how you sell art and it is definitely a feature that sets them apart from the other stores. My husband and I were interested in this huge handcrafted piece and the sales person provided great information about the artist's, (now deceased), history and work. The gallery is beautiful and showcases various art objects from local artists. They had sculpted items, pottery, jewelry, paintings and more. You are asked not to take photos due to copyright concerns and this is quite understandable. When in town, don't forget to stop by the Turning Leaf!

Really great local artist fare. Also HUGE selection of Avindy jewelry.read more

They had a tent in maryville farmers market where they were allowing kids to make clay frogs and…read morepaint them. Once they dry they will fire them in the kiln and we can pick it up from their store. I found this to be a wonderful opportunity to get to know the business and realize they offer kids classes. In a week or so I will go into the store to pick up his frog and take more photos and advance or a local pottery studio.

Myself and two others went for an intro one time pottery throwing class for a work event and Leann…read morewas FANTASTIC! She was such a great instructor on the art, especially when none of us had done it before. You could tell she's very experienced in teaching beginners, as well as returning artists, and could teach children, as well as adults. She was so sweet and made a very intentional effort of remembering our names and making sure we were comfortable. She even was willing to take photos on my phone while we were crafting, and she is a great photographer I highly HIGHLY recommend this place and Leann!!

Awesome place for custom framing, seeing the works of local artists and everything related to…read morestained glass, including classes.

The Art Center is a worthwhile visit. Galleries feature rotating exhibits of works by (mostly)…read moreregional artists and there are studios in active use for classes in pottery, painting, and other visual arts. The annual open show (a juried show that attracts high-quality work) and the annual camera club photo show (also judged professionally) are perennial local favorites in the galleries. The galleries are modest in size (this isn't the Knoxville Museum of Art, whose huge spaces seem like they were for large-scale works) and well-lighted. Admission is free, but the art center is a community nonprofit that always appreciates donations. The Art Center is easy for Oak Ridge visitors (and even residents) to overlook because it's not on a major street. It's not far away though -- in fact, it's only a short walk from sites like the American Museum of Science and Energy, the Oak Ridge Civic Center, and the Peace Bell (or you can drive, which is what most folks do). Operating hours are limited, so call ahead.