Calendar of Events

Opening reception Friday, April 3, 5:00-8:00 PM. Wine and hors d'oeuvres and music by The Spurgeon Boys.

Blount Mansion, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37901. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-5, Sunday 1-5. (865) 525-2375, www.blountmansion.org

The Fountain City Art Center invites you to attend the opening reception on Friday, March 27 from 6:30-8:30 PM. This exhibit of handmade books and photography will be on view through April 24. All exhibits are free to the public.

213 Hotel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9-5, Wednesday & Friday 10-5, Saturday 9-1. More information: (865) 357-2787, www.fountaincityart.org

Children of all ages are invited to join musicians and storytellers Sean McCollough and Georgi Schmidt for a musical adventure through history. Hear stories about famous people overcoming great odds; stories about the Civil Rights and Disability Rights Movements -- all working to accomplish amazing changes for freedom in the world. Then learn to tell your own special story of freedom through song or musical instruments. Each workshop will last approx. 2 hours and is open to all ages. For more information contact Alice Wershing at ETTAC, 219-0130.

MAR 26 Murphy Branch 4-6:00 p.m.
APR 02 Burlington Branch 3-5:00 p.m.
APR 04 Carter Branch 11-1:00 p.m.
APR 09 Burlington Branch 3-5:00 p.m.
APR 30 Murphy Branch 4-6:00 p.m.
MAY 2 Carter Branch 11-1:00 p.m.

Gerald Anderson is an architect and architectural painter who has traveled the world studying and painting architectural subjects. His show entitled "The Art of Architecture" includes paintings of architectural subjects from around the world. Most works are in acrylics, although some are done in oils or watercolors. A primary objective is the manipulation of form and space wherein the creation of form in paint is parallel to the creation of form in architecture. The design of a painting and of a building incorporate the same basic design elements.

Jeri Allison earned a B.F.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and Charlotte, with a specialization in painting. Her M.F.A. degree, with a concentration in drawing, is from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. The works in Allison's current dhow reflect two years of submersion in the realm of the elephant, in hopes that the viewer will come to see the elephant with empathy.

The opening reception will take place on Friday evening, March 20, from 6 to 8 p.m., with a talk by the artists at 7 p.m.

2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5, Sunday, 9-12 noon. For more information, visit the Web site or call (865) 523-4176.

Oak Ridge Schools student art show in Imagination Gallery. Opening reception 6-8pm.

461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Closed Mondays. Information: 865-482-1074, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Tours every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from March-December. Bleak House, an antebellum mansion of fifteen spacious rooms and wide halls, stands well back on an eminence among lovely trees and elaborately landscaped grounds. There is a charge for the tour.

3148 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. For more information: (865) 522-2371, www.knoxvillecmh.org

Precolumbian Treasures from Sitio Conte

More than 150 gold objects, circa AD 700-1100, as well as ceramics and objects of precious and semi-precious stone, ivory, and bone.

1327 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-3200. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9-5 and Sunday, 1-5. FREE. For more information, visit the Web site or call (865) 974-2144.

Follows the career arc of this self-taught master from his early traditional pieces to the spectacular tour-de-force multi-layered works of the present. The selection of more than 100 objects from the artist's personal collection documents his fascination with undersea life, astronomy, as well as the pure process of glass blowing. Included in the selection are works from Simpson's various series—Goblets, Tumblers, Iridescent Vases, Perfume Bottles, Portals, Tektites, Planets, Copper Baskets, and Inhabited Vases. Organized by the Huntsville Museum of Art; illustrated catalogue available.

CLOSED MARCH 6-9

1050 World's Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 1pm-5pm. FREE admission. For more information: (865) 525-6101, www.knoxart.org

The Farragut Folklife Museum is hosting two special exhibits featuring the photography of Mike Naney and a clown collection on loan from Loretta Bradley, Folklife Museum Committee member. Trained as a geologist, Naney's interest in science influences his choice of photographic subject material. Using a camera since age eight, he uses his camera today to document geologic observations in the field as well as to record natural beauty on weekend excursions and family vacations. A trip to Alaska afforded Naney the opportunity to photograph the northern lights while a Hawaiian vacation gave him the chance to watch and photograph molten lava cooling to form new rock. He finds great satisfaction in making images that capture the essence of a beautiful scene and illustrate an earth science related concept, principle or process.

The Farragut Folklife Museum is committed to preserving the heritage of its East Tennessee community and features a remarkable collection of artifacts from the area, including an extensive collection of the personal belongings of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the U.S. Navy and hero of the Civil War. Housed in the Farragut Town Hall located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, the Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more information: 865-966-7057, www.townoffarragut.org

The last Wednesday of every month, this live radio show features music from the Appalachian foothills to the Mississippi delta and beyond, by nationally recognized artists as well as up-and-coming artists who reflect our region's varied artistic culture. Hosted by Jim Lauderdale, featuring a house band led by Dave Nichols, and broadcast live on WDVX and WDVX.com. Tickets are $10 advance, $15 night of the show, available at the Tennessee Theatre box office, the online gift shop at TennesseeTheatre.com and at the WDVX Blue Plate Special concerts weekdays at noon at the Knoxville Visitors Center.

803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For more information, please visit the Web site or call (865) 522-0832.

Scottish Country Dancing is a sociable dance form with roots stretching back for centuries. There are approximately 13,000 dances in existence. Dancers are grouped into sets, typically of 3, 4, or 5 pairs arranged either in two lines (men facing ladies) or in a square, and work together to dance a sequence of formations. While dances are danced with a partner, you do not need to arrive with a partner; it's social dancing. New dancers are always welcome. Please feel free to drop by any meeting to join in the dancing or observe and learn more.

2009 Meeting Dates are January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3, June 7, July 5, August 2, September 6, October 4, November 1, and December 6. At Erin Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall. More information: (423) 747-6474, knox_scd @ hotmail.com