Category: Photography

Chattanooga, community, Environment, Philanthropy, Photography, Uncategorized

Street Smiles

Written by Kayelyn McCaslin

The anonymous artist behind Potholes of Chattanooga cleans up her street installation. The 70s-classic smiley face is accompanied by morse code that reads “S-M-I-L-E” (Photo by Kayleyn McCaslin).

A dip of the steering wheel. An unexpected two-inch drop down. A sudden slosh of hot coffee. Another Chattanooga pothole deep enough to drown a tire, and wide enough to ruin a morning. While any street in the city has its own inconvenient imperfections, some gaps are filled by something unexpected: bright yellow mosaic smiley faces, grinning up from the asphalt.

They appear subtly, often overnight, on side streets that usually don’t warrant second thought. Evenly spread throughout town, there is no rhyme or reason to the installations other than the fact that they each take the place of a pothole. But this is not the city healing broken pavement.

Instead, it is the work of a faceless mosaic artist who has sought both personal revenge and silly enjoyment by filling potholes in secret.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Dance, Entertainment, Music, Photography, Uncategorized

Setting the Stage

Written by Sydney Banks

Kendra Norwood and her hula students hit the final pose of a dance combination. The free dance class was hosted at Studio 34 in Chattanooga by The Pop-Up Project. Monday, November 23, 2025. (Photo 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. 

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Chattanooga, Photography, Racing, Sports, Uncategorized

A Race to the Finish Line

Written by Zoie Denton

Axel Robards looks at the camera as he prepares for testing at Atlanta Motorsports Park, Georgia. Friday November 21, 2025 (Photo by Zoie Denton)

At just 14 years old, Axel Robards, a young driver from Chattanooga, Tennessee, is already setting his sights on one of the most exclusive dreams: a seat in Formula 1. What makes his journey so compelling isn’t just the speed or the ambition, it’s the unshakable belief that one day, he’ll race among the best. The one sport in which you can say, “You’re one of the best in the world.”

For Robards, racing was not something he discovered later in life; it coursed through his veins from the very beginning. Growing up in Chattanooga, he was immersed in a world where his two older brothers spent their weekends kart-racing. As a kid, he never got behind the wheel, but he had a front-row seat to his brothers’ battles, feeling every turn, every drift, and every slip.

“[Racing] made everything feel alive,” said Robards. He didn’t just like watching; he wanted to race. That longing matured fast. Around age 11, with no formal training, Robards got behind the wheel of a kart for the first time. What followed was less of a tentative drive and more of a revelation. 

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art, Chattanooga, History, Music, Photography, Trains, Uncategorized, UTC

A Tin Type of Man

Written by Taryn Brooks

Bill Steber, a Mississippi Blues photographer and one of the Hoodoo Men musicians, speaks about the value in analog art forms and revisiting the past through historical and modern perspectives.

The backdoor of a well-loved white van swings open with a squeak, revealing a fully functional darkroom that transforms tin plates into photographs. Upon closer look a collection of instruments inhabits the corners, mirroring how the two devotions appear in the life of photojournalist and musician Bill Steber. 

Steber describes his job title as a “chief cook and bottle washer at preserving the old weird America,” a culinary term meaning his responsibilities in his field rank from high to low and everywhere in between, illustrating the journey his professional career has taken. 

Along with strumming to an array of instruments and joining friend Sam Baker in the HooDoo men, Steber also spent 15 years as a photojournalist for the Tennessean and embarked on a documentary journey through the Mississippi’s Blues Trail. Photography and music have been life-long passions of Steber’s, both of which were born out of a love for illustrating modern times through a historical lens.

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Photography, Uncategorized

Creativity Behind Bars

Written by Maleah Holder

Frances McDonald shows off a self portrait made by a participant in the Mark Making program. Chattanooga, TN. Wednesday October 25th, 2023. Photo by Caleb McCool.

For inmates housed at Hamilton County Jail, previously named Silverdale Detention Center, one small mark drawn on a page can be the key to improving mental health during incarceration and lowering the rate of reoffense. Mark Making, founded by local artist Frances McDonald, is one of many organizations that work hard to reduce the recidivism among inmates.

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Chattanooga, community, Family, outdoors, Photography, Sports

Life on the Ramp

Written By Niah Davis

Dani Harris catches some air while rollerskating on her backyard ramp. Wednesday, April 13, 2022. (Photo by McKenna Pegrim).

Dani Harris, a Colorado native, has been roller skating practically since birth. Nowadays, the 27-year-old loves nothing more than to grab her skates and pull off some of her favorite tricks on her home ramp. 

“I grew up skating, not at the park, but just with my parents outside of the house or to the grocery store and at the rink,” she says. 

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Chattanooga, community, Environment, History, outdoors, Photography

To Preserve and Protect

By David Whalen

Caleb Timmerman stands at St. Elmo Boulders. Wednesday, April 6, 2022. (Photo by David Whalen)

The Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) is a grassroots non-profit coalition with only three employees. Although, throughout the past 29 years they have had hundreds of helping hands working to conserve and preserve publicly accessible climbing areas in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama.

Caleb Timmerman recently became that third employee in the form of marketing director for the SCC. Here he helps tell the story of climbers and conservationists who have fought to keep public land accessible to all. 

“Access to outdoor rock climbing in the southeast is never guaranteed,” Timmerman says. “It takes a community of people who care deeply about this outdoor resource to come together and form a coalition to protect that access.”

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art, Chattanooga, community, Diversity, Entertainment, History, Photography, UTC

First Friday

Written by Mark Drinkard

Once a month, art galleries across Chattanooga collectively open their doors to the public for special gallery showings. The event, coined “First Friday” allows local Chattanoogans and tourists to see new art pieces, mingle with artists, and support their local community.

One gallery spearheading the event in Chattanooga is Area 61. Keeli Crewe has been the curator of Area 61 since its inception in 2009. Crewe is the first face one will see when visiting Area 61, and it is clear from her vibrant smile that she is living her dream. 

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art, Chattanooga, Chattanooga outreach, community, Daily Life, Entertainment, Photography, UTC

Chattanooga Creatives Strike Again

Written by: Madison Van Horn

Strike Chattanooga’s founders, Maggie Schut, Marli Geidt, and Carianna Hunter (left to right) celebrate the launch of Issue 02 of Strike Chattanooga. November 20,2021 (Photo By Madison Van Horn)
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Animals, Chattanooga, community, Environment, Photography

Birdwatching in Chattanooga

Written by Elise Steele

Members of the Chattanooga Ornithological Society pause along a trail to spot a bird in the distance. Photo by Elise Steele

A small cluster of binoculars and pointed fingers aim excitedly toward a skyline of trees on the Reflection Riding nature walk as members of Chattanooga’s Ornithological Society search for a cawing American Crow.

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