Executive Director Diary

To celebrate this special milestone, the Muroran Sister City student delegation will travel to Muroran City for a homestay program, creating lifelong memories and meaningful cultural exchange.

Thanks to proceeds from the Knox Asian Festival, we are proud to provide Total $5,000 in scholarships to support these students and strengthen youth exchange and our Sister City bond.

Thank you to our community for making this possible!

Mayor Jacobs,
Thank you so much for your support and time. We truly appreciate your advice and your efforts to connect us with local schools and nonprofits to help create meaningful educational programs.

Kumi attended the 250th Marine Corps Birthday Ceremony, organized by our Board Advisor, Lieutenant General Lawrence D. Nicholson. It was a meaningful event that highlighted the importance of the friendship between the United States and Japan.

What an unforgettable evening celebrating Japanese culture under the full moon!

Mochi Tsuki – The Asian Culture Center of Tennessee prepared 50 cups of mochi rice and served about 400 guests! Huge thanks to Ayako and Mr. & Mrs. Yoshinaga for their wonderful help.

Kimono Show – Kaori Sensei dressed 7 beautiful models showcasing stunning floral obi designs — such elegance!

Green Tea Ceremony – Atsumi, Sakura, and Sachi presented a graceful tea ceremony that touched everyone’s hearts.

Music – The Knox Shamisen Group filled the garden with beautiful traditional Japanese songs.

The Asian Culture Center of Tennessee is very happy to partner with Cheekwood to share the beauty of Japanese culture.

Special thanks to Senetor Hagerty and his wife Chrissy — Chrissy shared that she remembered Atsumi serving her green tea in the past! Also, sincere thanks to Ms.Jane O. MacLeod (President) of Cheekwood Garden, Consul General Watanabe and Shoko for inviting our Knoxville team.

We are so grateful to the Tennessee Arts Commission for supporting the Knox Asian Festival and helping us bring professional dancers and artists to our annual event!

Tennessee Arts Commission donated $12.9 million to arts programs across Tennessee—what an amazing impact!

A special thank you as well to Ms.Jenny Houbler Boyd, our wonderful this year’s chairman, and the entire BOYD family for always supporting the Knox Asian Festival. We couldn’t do this without you! Thank you so much.

On behalf of the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee, I presented a plaque to President Chuntao to express our deep appreciation for DENSO’s continued commitment to supporting our vision of creating a welcoming and inclusive community in East Tennessee.

I am truly grateful for DENSO’s partnership and for the strong bond we continue to build together. Congratulations to the entire DENSO team on this incredible milestone!

We are honored to share that Kumi Alderman, Executive Director of the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee, was recently awarded the  Excellence Awards: Community Leadership Award (only 1 awardee) by US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce-Southeast.

The Community Leadership Award recognizes the leader of a non-profit or community advocacy group in the southeast that has provided outstanding support and leadership in the areas of education and economic development in their communities.

We are honored to share that Kumi Alderman, Executive Director of the Asian Culture Center of Tennessee, was recently featured in the Chugoku Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper. In the article, she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Knoxville community for its continued support of the Knox Asian Festival.

“I truly appreciate the people of Knoxville for making it possible to host the Knox Asian Festival,” said Kumi. “Together, we are building a welcoming community that celebrates diversity and cultural exchange.”