Higher Ground : Knoxville Museum of Art : 9780998825243 : 0998825247 : 27 Oct 2023 : Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee documents the Knoxville Museum of Art's core collection of works by artists from or with close ties to East Tennessee from roughly the mid nineteenth to the late twentieth century. The book accompanies a permanent exhibition of the same name. Both book and exhibition make the case that the visual culture of Knoxville and its Appalachian environs is far more sophisticated, diverse, nuanced, and connected than most believe. KMA curator Stephen Wicks sets out the rationale behind Higher Ground and introduces the broad themes around which the book and exhibition are organized. Jack Neely, executive director of the Knoxville History Project, assembles a fascinating and richly detailed history of the visual arts in Knoxville. Dr. Robert Booker, an expert in local Black history, unearths a wealth of new information about Black artists in Knoxville,