The Maker City

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Knoxville, TN
The Maker City

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We bring together makers, developers, manufacturers, city officials, and entrepreneurs to create and develop a stronger maker community.

The Maker City started after a small team from Knoxville attended the first Etsy Maker Cities Summit in Brooklyn in May 2016. The team included a local maker, retailer, and city official. The idea was simple: to join 14 other teams from across the country, learn from each other, and walk away with an actionable plan to make our city more supportive of micro businesses. We left knowing that we needed to host a similar event in Knoxville, bringing together micro-businesses, manufacturers, and city officials in the same room. The ETSY MAKER CITY SUMMIT was held at The Mill & Mine on September 19, 2016. Alongside Etsy, whose industry leading online platform is driving creative entrepreneurship and manufacturing policies around the world, they explored what makes Knoxville the perfect “Maker City” through a series of interactive panel discussions about maker spaces, growing a business and creative manufacturing. Nearly 400 people attended the Etsy Maker City Summit, which kicked off Innov865 Week. Joined by Etsy representatives and the MakeKnox team, Mayor Rogero officially proclaimed Knoxville a 'Maker City' and announced the Maker Council.

11/04/2026

Makers, make a weekend of it in Knoxville for The Maker City Summit!

The Summit will be held January 29 - 31 at the Maker Exchange Knox. As a part-time hobbyist or a full-time entrepreneur, this is where you’ll learn, be inspired, and connect with folks who get what it means to build something from scratch and pour your heart into it.

Use Visit Knoxville's local restaurant and lodging guides to plan where you'll eat and stay, and find a Downtown Marriott Discount code on the Summit website.

As a bonus, attendees will receive a discount voucher for a post-Summit lunch, compliments of Visit Knoxville!

https://www.themakercitysummit.org/directions

11/03/2026

If you have ever wanted to start teaching craft workshops, Rebecca Smedley's breakout session during The Maker City Summit 2027 is for you!

Rebecca's breakout session will dive into how artists can approach teaching with confidence. You already know how to make the art, so let's discuss how to teach the art and what questions to ask before signing contracts, writing descriptions, and what to do during the workshop and after!

Rebecca Smedley was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is an alum of the Rhode Island School of Design with an MFA in Ceramics (’16) and an alum of Berry College where she obtained her BA in art with concentrations in K-12 art education and studio art, ceramics (’13).

She enjoys teaching children and adult ceramic and broom-making courses that use a variety of techniques while exploring nature for inspiration.

Rebecca frequents art markets around East Tennessee selling her art as owner of Dust to Dust Studio. Rebecca currently helps run and lives at Rising Moons Farms in Philadelphia, TN with her husband. She works full time at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts as the Director of Local and Regional Programs.

Sign-up for this breakout session when you register for The Summit!
https://www.themakercitysummit.org/

11/02/2026

Discover what's possible for your creative business at Knoxville's Arts & Creative Business Fair!

Come ready to explore, ask questions, and meet the people who make Knoxville’s creative economy thrive.

Don’t miss this chance to strengthen your craft, your business, and your community.

https://themakercity.org/resource-fair/

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween Y’all! Don’t let our early bird special for The Maker City Summit pass you by, our deal ends TODAY!

Photo of Greg Carney and the K-Town Zombies during First FrightDay.

10/30/2026

Makers, tomorrow is the last day of early bird pricing for The Maker City Summit! Check out the full schedule of events happening at Maker Exchange in downtown Knoxville during the last weekend of January. Register today to save $.

themakercitysummit.org

10/29/2026

The Maker City Summit is three days of both business and social workshops along with conversations with people who work like you. It will be January 29 – 31 at Maker Exchange.

The theme is MADE: handMADE, homeMADE, selfMADE. This is the weekend to celebrate your talents.

Read what you can expect during The Maker City Summit 2027 on on our blog now.

P.S. Surprises like bringing out Niblet are not included.... We can't tell you everything!

https://themakercity.org/plan-your-summit-weekend/

10/28/2026

Poet, educator, and arts administrator Rhea Carmon unpacks what authenticity really means when your craft spans multiple identities during The Maker City Summit 2027.

Through story and an interactive exercise, this session will help creative entrepreneurs find the throughline connecting their many practices and own it.

Rhea Carmon, also known as RheaSunshine, is a dynamic poet, educator, and activist weaving passion, purpose, and power into her craft. A Poet Laureate Emerita of Knoxville, TN (2020–2023) and an inductee of the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame, she has authored five chapbooks, a children’s book of affirmations and recorded three audio CDs.

For over 25 years, Rhea has traveled nationally, using poetry as a tool for healing, self-expression, and liberation. As Executive Director of The 5th Woman Poetry Collective, she uplifts underrepresented voices and inspires audiences to engage in activism and storytelling. A motivational speaker and Ph.D. candidate in children’s and young adult literature, Rhea bridges STEM and storytelling, exploring innovative ways to connect learning and creativity.

Sign-up for Rhea's breakout session when you register for the Summit. Early bird pricing ends this Saturday!

10/27/2026

Time is running out to save $$ when you purchase your ticket for The Maker City Summit 2027!

Save $10 when you buy your ticket during early bird pricing. This sale ends on 10/31.

10/26/2026

Joe Tolbert, the Executive Director of Waymakers Collective, is leading the breakout session, Fund Your Craft: A Maker's Guide to Grants, Residencies and Creative Support at The Maker City Summit 2027.

Joe Tolbert is a minister, scholar, writer and cultural organizer whose work is at the intersections of art, culture, spirituality and social justice. He received his B.S. in Communications from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and completed his M.Div. with a concentration in Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York.

As a Cultural Organizer and Consultant through his company Art at the Intersections, Joe is a sought after facilitator and cultural strategist that works with communities to help them harness the power of art and culture through the building, implementation and evaluation of cultural strategies.

As a writer and critic he has contributed articles to Alternate Roots, Arts.Black, Quiet Lunch, Cross Currents Journal, various exhibition catalogs, and has a forthcoming essay in Applied Theater with Youth: Art, Education, Activism published on Routledge Press.

Learn more about the world of grants, residencies, fellowships, and other forms of creative support from Joe Tolbert on Sunday, January 31, during The Maker City Summit.

Sign-up for this breakout session when you register for The Summit.
(Early bird pricing ends this week.)

10/23/2026

A sharp chef's knife makes effort easy. A dull one makes even simple tasks exhausting.

Most makers don't struggle from lack of effort; they struggle because priorities compete, vision becomes unclear, and ex*****on slows under pressure, like trying to cook with a dull blade.

Kevin Green's signature workshop, The Alignment Lab, helps organizations create greater clarity, ownership, and momentum.

Through Kevin Green Elevates, Kevin brings his work to corporate stages, association conferences, and leadership rooms nationwide, helping leaders and teams reduce friction, move faster, and turn aligned effort into lasting results.

Sign-up for his breakout session when you register for The Maker City Summit 2027!

themakercitysummit.org

Address

17 Market Square #101
Knoxville, TN
37902

Website

http://themakercity.org/

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