Hi Friend 👋🏾

Can you believe 2024 has already come to an end? For my astrology fans, I’m stepping into my Saturn return, and to call 2024 chaotic, exhilarating, and full of joyous surprises would be an understatement.

Although SpaceCraft has only been open for six months, we’ve been dreaming and scheming with other imaginative artists in the community for over two years. If there’s one piece of wisdom I can offer as you head into the new year, it’s this: share your dreams and invite others to see themselves in them.

The universe is brimming with courageous, wanderlust-filled spirits. All you need to do is speak your truth and find them!

I hope you enjoy this final newsletter of 2024. I can’t wait to share all the exciting programs we’re cooking up for 2025!

See you next year,

✨ Jaleria Rivera, Founder

🗞️ News ↓

SpaceCraft opened its doors just six months ago, and I’m overjoyed by all we’ve accomplished this year! SpaceCraft is more than a makerspace—it’s a beacon for Artists, Misfits, and Creatives seeking a nurturing space to express their humanity.

Too often, many of us are pushed to the margins, overlooked, or rarely invited to contribute to Knoxville’s art scene. That changed the moment SpaceCraft became a reality!

Thank you for believing in our simple mission: to make space for you to craft. I hope you take pride in all we’ve achieved together this year, because none of this would have been possible without you!

• Hosted 121 events (favorite being the Home Show)

• Gained 1.5k Instagram followers

• Earned 180 newsletter subscribers 

• Collaborate with 6 art organizations in cooperative

• Painted a window mural (credit: Ari Farley)

• Crafted custom storage benches (credit: Rainey Rawles)

• Installed mirror wall and dance floor (credit: Board members)

• Spoke at the Maker City Summit (twice!)

• Won second place at The Crown pitch competition (took home $2.5K)

• Joined the Mayor’s Maker City Council

• Completed 101 days of the daily doodle

🎉 Happenings ↓

View the calendar below to learn more about events, classes, and shows happening at SpaceCraft. Feel free to subscribe to our calendar because it’s ever-evolving as we add more programming.

LAST REGRETS 🔥 Sunday, Dec 29 🔥 8P - 11P 🔥 $15 🔥 21+

As the world spins toward another ending, it’s time to break free from the weight of what could’ve been.

LAST REGRETS is your final stand against the year’s unfinished business—a dystopian dance party where progress doesn’t matter, and the only goal is to let go.

​Step into a nightclub transformed into an apocalyptic wonderland, where glowing ruins and dark beats set the stage for a cathartic night of chaos.

Dance through the wreckage of your unresolved dreams, missed opportunities, and unspoken words. There’s no need for resolutions here—just raw, unfiltered release.

​No goals. No resolutions. Just one night to rage against the remnants of a year gone by. Leave your regrets on the dance floor and enter the new year lighter, freer, and gloriously untethered.

​Are you ready to let go? The end begins here.

Kuumba Jam 🎵 Tuesday, Dec 31 🎵 7P - 12A 🎵 Free 🎵 All ages​

We are joining Knoxville Kwanzaa Collective and SpaceCraft in hosting the 6th Day of Kwanzaa with a Kuumba Jam!

​Kuumba is a Swahili word that means "creativity" and is the sixth principle of Kwanzaa. The day is all about using your creative energy to improve the community and yourself. To honor that, we are providing time and space to create!

• ​7pm-7:30pm Lighting of the Candles

• ​8:30pm-9:30pm Music + Crafts

• ​9:30pm Open Mic + Dance

• ​11:30pm Preparing for the New Year Countdown

​This is a family-centered event. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. We encourage you to donate to the Knoxville Kwanza Collective while you're there!

First Friday Kickback ⭐️ Friday, Jan 3 ⭐️ 6P - 8P ⭐️ Free ⭐️ All ages

Kick back and relax with us at SpaceCraft for a casual First Friday evening! Enjoy a laid-back atmosphere filled with great company, light snacks, and the creative energy of Knoxville’s art community.

Mingle with talented artists, explore unique works from experienced creators, and celebrate the excitement of fresh talent making their debut. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or just looking for a fun and social way to spend your Friday night, this event is the perfect vibe.

This is a free, come-as-you-are event, so bring a friend and let’s toast to art, creativity, and community!

📣 Co-op corner↓

Message from Jared Gottschall, Knox Draw

2024 marked our first full year of art classes. Through our partnership with SpaceCraft starting last summer, we expanded beyond weekend sessions to include Tuesday classes, significantly increasing studio access and learning opportunities. This growth allowed us to welcome more students while maintaining the intimate class sizes essential for individual instruction. The additional studio time complimented our established figure drawing sessions, creating a more comprehensive art education that many art students seek in Knoxville.

Our figure drawing community continued to thrive on Wednesdays with our weekly open sessions, bringing together artists of all levels to practice life drawing. The combination of structured classes and open sessions has created a dynamic space where students can develop their practice throughout the week. It's been a joy to be in the studio so often!

Knox Draw continues to evolve from a hobby art group to a full fledged art education business. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this progress, from our dedicated students to our supportive partners at Ironwood and SpaceCraft.

🖼️ Throwbacks ↓

One of the greatest joys to emerge from 2024 was discovering my personal artistry. I’ve embraced my identity as a Transnational Fusion belly dancer and have been seeking new skills to evolve my dance from the studio to the stage.

This year, I had the incredible opportunity to learn how to sew through The Bottom’s sewing circle program. For weeks, I stitched alongside other women eager to master a new skill and fulfill a deep desire to learn how to sew.

As a Transnational Fusion Belly Dancer, I am consistently seeking unique ways to craft authentic, unique adornment and costumes for performances. The Sewing Circle provided an essential skill I can use to elevate my creative practice.

The quilt you see in this photo is called “Endure”. This was our first sewing project (which is not easy btw lol). “Endure” is an intimate exploration of the relentless endurance embodied by Black womxn—a reflection on the pain and resilience that shape our lived experiences.

In this work, I channel the exhaustion of navigating a world that denies our humanity, undervalues our communities, and demands our labor and patience without acknowledgment. “Endure” serves as both a testament to this struggle and an invitation—a sanctuary where Black womxn can release the burdens of servitude and reclaim the power to prioritize ourselves: our needs, our rest, and our healing above all else.

Creating “Endure” was a unique opportunity to express myself and craft a project that resonates with the personal turmoil and transformation I’ve experienced during this year of change.

In addition to sewing, I’ve learned to embroider, build beaded headpieces, hand-block print, sculpt a wig, design a visual arts exhibition, and even perform stand-up comedy for the first time in years!

2024 sparked a fire for creativity and self-expression that I had struggled to ignite. And I must say, the biggest catalyst for this growth and play was learning alongside others in a group setting. If you feel called to evolve your creativity in the coming year, come kick it with us at the Artists’ Playground.

🎨 Ways to support ↓

SpaceCraft is open to all mediums, no matter if you craft, make, design, tinker, or shake! Our intention is to become a beacon for all artists seeking a space to make art uninhibited.

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