Calendar of Events

Opening night September 4

1714 Andy Holt Avenue on the UT Campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.org

Auditions include assessment of vocal quality, sight-reading and tonal memory skills. Call or e-mail for audition appointment and location: (865) 579-6292 or membership@knoxvillechoralsociety.org. For more information, please visit our Web site at www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org

Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Shannon Burke will discuss the challenges of writing, as they pertain to both fiction and motion pictures. The meeting, which will be open to the public, will be held at the Laurel Theater, at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Streets (in Fort Sanders). A $1 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. Shannon Burke moved to New York City in 1994, spending a half-dozen years as an emergency medical technician and paramedic in Harlem. Burke's experiences on city ambulances were often harrowing, as he bore witness to much human suffering and the hardened indifference of his fellow medics. Extreme in nature and fraught with emotion, the situations he confronted went on to provide the groundwork for his first two novels, Safelight (2004) and Black Flies (2008). Burke's lynchpin characters in these arresting books bore more than a passing resemblance to himself; they were young paramedics, portrayed in the light of being active participants and thoughtful observers to the intense occurrences that abounded. Burke will be reading selections from Black Flies and Safelight at the Guild meeting. For more information, call 865-330-3606 or visit www.knoxvillewritersguild.org

September 1-30
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. For more information: (865) 525-6101 or www.knoxart.org.

Featuring painter Gary Dagnan and fabric artist Elaine Fronczek. The Gallery will host an opening on Friday, September 4. Operating hours Tuesday – Saturday 11-6 and Sunday 1-5. 422 S. Gay St., Knoxville. 865-525-5265 or www.artmarketgallery.net.

The objects featured in this exhibit, ones seen publicly for the first time, are drawn from a private collection developed over the past 30 years by an adventuresome couple from Ten­nes­see. What started as a simple memento of the Southwest—a pair of small kachina dolls purchased in Santa Fe, New Mexico—eventually led to a remarkably rich and diverse collection of items produced by Indian peoples throughout all culture areas of Native North America. With each new specimen, the couple wanted to learn more about not only the object itself but also the cultural context within which it was made and used. Each new item added momentum to the couple's quest to expand and diversify their holdings. They were increasingly drawn to the scholarly literature on Indian art; they visited museums and Indian reservations across the United States and Canada; and they initiated contact with well-known dealers from coast to coast. They also began tailoring their vacations to match their collecting interests concerning the work of particular Indian artists, artifact types, and culture areas. All of this activity was fueled by the desire to broaden their understanding of the material culture of Native Americans. Their history of collecting can best be characterized as a journey of discovery, one they hope the viewer will share while touring this exhibit. The beautifully crafted pieces represent only a fraction of the holdings contained in this remarkable private collection. Information: 1327 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996. 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

In the Blain Galleries. Opening reception August 21, 6:00 – 8:00 pm. 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN. Information at 865-436-5860 or www.arrowmont.org.

The inspired movie hit of the sixties comes vividly to life on the stage. Benjamin Braddock, recent college graduate and prodigal son, returns home and promptly becomes embroiled in an affair with the wife of his father's business partner, one Mrs. Robinson, only to find himself falling in love with her daughter. A rich and full bittersweet comedy.

227 Broadway in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. For more information, call (865) 482-9999 or visit www.orplayhouse.com

The exhibition brings together the works of six contemporary Tennessee sculptural artists—Jason Brown, Knoxville; Greely Myatt, Memphis; Greg Pond, Sewanee; Deborah McClary, Sparta; Audrey Russell, Greenville, and Jackson Martin, Johnson City.  These artists engage the human experience of understanding place in shifting natural and cultural landscapes. In this exhibit, six sculptors representing the different regions of Tennessee work in a range of media from organic materials such as wood, dirt and coal to electronic video and audio. Local and personal objects merge with global issues in a diverse range of perspectives on the concept of landscape. Although based in Tennessee, these artists have exhibited extensively throughout the US and abroad. There will be an exhibition reception on Sunday, October 4, from 1-4 PM. The artists will be present and refreshments will be served. The Ewing Gallery is located at 1715 Volunteer Boulevard on the UT campus and is open free to the public Monday and Thursday, 10-8; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10-5; and Sunday, 1-4. For more information, please call 865-974-3200 or visit http://www.ewing-gallery.org.

A colleague of Vanderbilt University art professor Michael Aurbach once told him that you never know who a person really is until they have been put into a position of power.  The large installation entitled The Administrator is a humorous portrait of a university administrator who made Aurbach's life miserable. First Friday Artist Reception, September 4 from 5-9pm.

106 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Gallery hours: Wed-Fri 11-6; Sat 10-3. (865) 673-0802

Featuring Judy Jorden, Christine Harness, Owen Weston, Sue Lane, Giovanni Hall and others.
Reception: Friday, Aug. 14, 6:30-8:30PM

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

An exhibit of documentary photographs created by children from migrant farm worker and local families living in rural Appalachia and West Tennessee will be featured at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery. The exhibit will feature dozens of photographs depicting the lives of rural children and their families. The images are the work of more than 50 children, ages 8 – 18, from East to West Tennessee. Curator Jane Crowe, Telamon's Program Development Coordinator, collaborated with Tennessee's Migrant Education Program, Tennessee 4-H, Milligan College, East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Martin to bring the fruits of this project to the public. To date, this exhibition has been shown at Knoxville Museum of Art, The Art Gallery of Knoxville, West Tennessee Regional Art Center, The Mess Hall in Chicago, and even promoted on Time Square in New York City. The exhibit is part of Telamon Corporation's statewide Youth Initiative. On September 23, in conjunction with the exhibit, the Commission will host a Latino Arts Meeting at the gallery from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Commission gallery is located at 401 Charlotte Avenue in downtown Nashville, and hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For more information on the project visit: http://www.telamon.org or contact Jane Crowe at (865) 212-4011, ext. 15. For more information on the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, visit: www.arts.state.tn.us or contact Julie Horn at (615) 532-9798.