March 26, 2014 - For more than 50 years, Knoxville has blossomed with the Dogwood Arts Festival, a celebration of the natural and cultural beauty of East Tennessee. Throughout the month of April, this vibrant festival promotes the history and future of the region's arts by featuring an exciting, fresh blend of gardens and trails, music, theater, crafts, film, dance, and culinary, literary and visual arts.

A contagious sense of pride fills the air as locals and visitors walk, run, and bike the nationally-recognized Dogwood Trails. As the featured trail, Sequoyah Hills' Talahi Park will be adorned with lights to celebrate its 60th anniversary. For those ready to experience the natural canvas of the region, the festival encourages guests to bring their bicycles to ride through the Dogwood Trails during Bikes & Blooms on April 26-27.

The renewed excitement will be felt as the festival's Rhythm N' Blooms, set April 4-6 on downtown's emergingly hip Jackson Ave., infuses Knoxville with a unique variety of musical flavors. From well-known, leading artists to locally-revered, emerging performers, festival goers will fall in love with the music and the community around them.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to interact in studios and around town, as artists of all ages showcase their work throughout Knoxville during Dogwood Art DeTour on April 12-13. Further events to highlight the month-long celebration include the Market Square Art Fair, NEXUS 2014, Open Gardens, Walking Trails, A Very Special Arts Festival, Regional Fine Art Exhibition, Art in Public Places Knoxville, Chalk Walk, and the East Tennessee Art Educator and Student Art Exhibitions, which will feature the work of local K-12 school students and their teachers. 
 
Dogwood Arts, presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union, is a 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to promote and celebrate our region's arts, culture, and natural beauty. For more information on Dogwood Arts, visit www.dogwoodarts.com or call 865-637-4561.