Community Calendar

Main Gallery: 2025 Best in Show: Danyelle Woods (Title TBD)

Danyelle Woods received “Best in Show” in the 2025 Annual Juried Exhibition for her work Memory Map I. Danyelle’s work is a combination of known and unknown forms, created with organic materials made by the earth.

Landis Education Gallery: 2025 Juror’s Choices: Jeweli Eslinger, Meredith Olinger and Andy Brooks (Title TBD)

Eslinger, Olinger and Brooks were each selected by the Jury of the 2025 Juried Show as recipients of the “Juror’s Choice Award.” Jeweli Eslinger is an abstract artist working in a street art and graffiti aesthetic. Meredith Olinger is a mixed media artist who works with bold patterns through wallpaper that she designs, create, and prints using both digital and hand-printing along with some collage techniques. Brooks is a photographer who creates abstract, filtered images of mundane, household objects printed at a large scale.

Opening Night- Friday, September 4th

Join us for the opening reception for our annual solo show, this year featuring artist Danyelle Woods. During our annual Juried show each summer, our jurors select one artist to receive the "Best of Show" award, which gives that artist the space for a solo show at AVA the following year. Danyelle won the 2025 Juried Show, and brings and exhibit titled "Birth Stories" to our Mochel Main Gallery.

Additionally, the three artists selected for Jurors Choices at the 2025 Juried show will present a small group show in our Landis Education Gallery -- photographer Andy Brooks, mixed media artist Meredith Olinger, and mixed media artist Jeweli Eislinger.

Join us from 6-9 to enjoy both shows! Drinks provided.

Art of Spirits: Cocktails. Canvas. Chattanooga.

Join Chattanooga artist Brandi Donan for Art of Spirits, a cocktail-inspired art exhibit at Townsend Atelier during First Friday.

This three-year project brings together Chattanooga’s restaurant, bar, and hospitality scene through original oil paintings inspired by local cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, their stories, and the places behind them. Each painting began with a drink — its name, ingredients, mood, or backstory — and became a still life that tells a larger story about creativity, place, and the many kinds of artists who shape a city.

Guests will be able to view the original paintings, explore the stories behind the drinks, and enjoy select cocktails and non-alcoholic options from the project. Books, prints, and original artwork will be available for purchase.

All cocktail sales from the evening will benefit the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.

Free admission.

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 5–8 PM
Location: Townsend Atelier, 301 E 11th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37403

Come raise a glass — with or without the booze — to Chattanooga’s artists, bartenders, restaurants, and the stories that make this city worth painting.

AVA’s beloved locals-only arts festival, Between the Bridges, returns to Coolidge Park on October 24–25, 2026, featuring approximately 50 local artists displaying and selling artwork in a lively festival atmosphere. This year’s festival will also feature community partners including Scenic City Clay Arts, H*Art Gallery, the Photographic Society of Chattanooga, and SPLASH Youth Arts Workshop, creating an exciting weekend that celebrates the depth and diversity of Chattanooga’s creative community.

Join us from 10 AM–5 PM Saturday and 12-5 PM on Sunday for a weekend filled with local art, community, and creativity.

AVA’s beloved locals-only arts festival, Between the Bridges, returns to Coolidge Park on October 24–25, 2026, featuring approximately 50 local artists displaying and selling artwork in a lively festival atmosphere. This year’s festival will also feature community partners including Scenic City Clay Arts, H*Art Gallery, the Photographic Society of Chattanooga, and SPLASH Youth Arts Workshop, creating an exciting weekend that celebrates the depth and diversity of Chattanooga’s creative community.

Join us from 10 AM–5 PM Saturday and 12-5 PM on Sunday for a weekend filled with local art, community, and creativity.

Main and Landis Education Gallery: Annual AVA Member Salon Show

Each year, around the holidays, AVA fills our gallery floor to ceiling with artwork from as many of our Member Artists as we can fit in the space! Based on the public art exhibitions and intellectual social gatherings in France in the 17th-19th centuries, this show is scheduled to coincide with the holidays. It is a perfect opportunity to purchase affordable art from living, local artists for those holiday gifts!

Opening Night- Friday, November 6th