Written by Sydney Banks

Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a blooming, bustling city in every sense of the words. Beyond its iconic natural landscapes, it thrives with a vibrant arts culture. Theater companies, music clubs, dance classes, the ballet, the symphony, and many other groups are among the most pivotal organizations in the community. 

In January 2025, ArtsBuild, a private non-profit arts organization, announced a feasibility study to evaluate the need for a new performing arts center (PAC) in Chattanooga. Despite its vibrant arts scene, the city is grappling with a major issue: a lack of appropriate, flexible, mid-sized performing arts facilities. Local artists are restricted to rehearsing and performing in spaces that are unable to accommodate each type of audience; an aspect of the performing arts that is extremely important to the viewer’s experience. 

This study examined the disconnect between local art groups and their individual struggles with limited space. Project manager Blake Harris, an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee and the artistic director of the local theater company Obvious Dad, initiated the study after recognizing these issues. 

“We are so busy creating our work that when we get our audiences, our spaces, and our resources, we dig our claws and we say, ‘mine.’ None of us are looking up and at each other and going ‘Oh, you have the same problem,’” said Harris. “Theater was only talking to theater. We didn’t know that dance, music, and improv all had the same problem.”

As part of his master’s degree capstone project, Harris set out to identify the most urgent needs in the local arts community: consistent rehearsal space, small, affordable performance venues of varying sizes, and shared production facilities to house sets, costumes, and props. Currently, artists rehearse wherever they can, including community centers and churches—spaces that rarely suit their work or their audiences. This ongoing shortage of space affects nearly every corner of Chattanooga’s creative community. 

“It’s $50 an hour to rent most spaces,” said Harris. “We rehearse for about four hours. Most of the time, our artists can only meet in the evenings because they work, but the centers are closed. So either you can’t get in, or you have to hire a security guard. They end up paying hundreds of dollars for a rehearsal, which is how much they might be able to pay for a performance.”

On top of the financial burden, many spaces are simply not safe or appropriate. “Dancers have to have a specific floor; they can’t dance on concrete because it will severely hurt their bodies. Some spaces are inequitable for the different media. One rehearsal space even closed. We get sent scattered to find just the crumbs of what’s available around the city,” said Harris.

Despite the overwhelming need for space, Harris and ArtsBuild have made significant progress. After collecting data from artists, the study determined that there was, in fact, an overwhelming need for space. The study then moved into its current second phase: a business plan and initial physical planning, supported by funding from the Lyndhurst Foundation and guidance from Webb Mgmt.

“One side is the business planning—how this would remain sustainable, the governance model, and how you could make a facility that could operate. The other side is physical planning. We’re not breaking ground or getting blueprints for a PAC, but architects and theater consultants are looking at different models of spaces,” said Harris. 

Phase three will determine whether the community can financially support the project. But Harris stresses that the study’s goal runs deeper than answers. “How much is it gonna cost? Where’s it gonna be? Who’s gonna fund it? We don’t know. All I have to say is that the success of this feasibility study is ‘knowing’,” Harris said.

Still, not everyone is ready to celebrate. Many local artists fear the financial uncertainty and feel stretched thin. “A lot of them are nervous and apprehensive. There’s a lot of skepticism and concern,” Harris said. “The burnout in the Chattanooga performing arts community is extremely high (…) they’re scared to get their hopes up.”

Even so, Harris remains optimistic about what other forms of success would look like for artists. “What we’re trying to emphasize is that even if we don’t get a building out of this, we’ve learned so much. We can actually implement things now, like a unified website with an event calendar and a page that advertises all available auditions across fractured groups,” said Harris. “Whether you have a venue or not, at least you have a place and a collective of groups that are communicating and that are working together to promote each other’s work and potentially collaborating.” 

By working together to educate the whole community about the value of the performing arts, rather than targeting specific audiences, Chattanooga’s art scene hopes to shift from a passive pastime to a more personal space for viewers, where people can see themselves represented. 

The most valuable takeaway from the project is the reminder that the arts are vital to Chattanooga and its livelihood. The beauty of the arts lies in their timeless presence; they offer one of the few remaining experiences where audiences can be completely swept away–free of distractions and fully attentive to other individuals around them. Ultimately, a transformative emotional appeal is what defines the triumph of the study. 

“We have all the data in the world. Doesn’t matter,” said Harris. “What matters is how art makes people feel. That’s what they really remember; that’s going to be the impact.”

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