Calendar of Events

Art has taken Paula Clendenin to England, France and multiple states throughout the U.S. Now it will bring the West Virginian to Knoxville for a November exhibit at Pellissippi State Community College. Clendenin grew up in the small Appalachian coal-mining town of Cedar Grove, W. Va., and she uses the inspiration of her childhood surroundings as the primary source of her art. That makes her a perfect fit for an exhibit staged in conjunction with Pellissippi State's Common Academic Experience, a program in which one book—the Common Book—is selected each academic year to serve as a common denominator in developing curricular and co-curricular activities. Clendenin's artwork is evocative of environmental concerns about coal mining and mountaintop removal. The artist, whose works have been shown in collections ranging from the Library of Congress to London's International Art, Ltd., has been the recipient of prestigious resident fellowships in France, Vermont and New Hampshire. Clendenin's art is mixed media, making use of everything from enamel, latex and oil paint to graphite, metal and even coal dust. An opening reception with the artist is set for Nov. 6, 5:30-8 p.m. The reception and exhibit are in the Gallery of the Bagwell Center for Media and Art, located on the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road. Both events are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Information: 865-694-6445.

Interested in the links between art, science, and technology through the ages, New York artist Devorah Sperber deconstructs familiar images to address the way the brain processes visual information versus the way we think we see. "As a visual artist," she says, "I cannot think of a topic more stimulating and yet so basic than the act of seeing—how the human brain makes sense of the visual world." Using ordinary spools of thread, Sperber creates pixilated, inverted images of masterpieces, which appear as colorful abstractions to the naked eye. When viewed with optical devices, however, the works becomes immediately recognizable as the famous paintings. The thread spools works are hung upside down in reference to the fact that the lens of the eye projects an inverted image of the world onto the retina, which is corrected by the brain. A clear acrylic sphere, positioned in front of each work, functions like the human eye and brain, not only inverting but also focusing the image so that it appears as a sharp, faithful, right-side-up reproduction of the famous painting. 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

Recent photographs by Lui Ho-Jang. Opening reception & Meet the Artist, Friday October 23, 6-9pm. Consisting of large digital photographs, this exhibition of recent work by Liu Ho-Jang offers the Knoxville community the unique opportunity to experience the art of one of Taiwan's leading contemporary artists. Liu Ho-Jang has an extensive international exhibition record. His visit to Knoxville is sponsored by the UT School of Art. 106 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wed-Fri 11-6, Sat 10-3. Free Parking in the Jackson Ave Lot. Information: 865-673-0802 or www.ewing-gallery.org/New_Downtown/Index/DT_Index.html#

A series of weekend multimedia events centered on the life and career of writer James Agee sponsored by the University of Tennessee and others.
October 23-25: The James Agee Film Festival. Films, lectures, readings, exhibits. November 1: An Afternoon in Agee Park. Lecture, readings, refreshments. November 6, 14 & 15: James Agee, Walker Evans, and Abraham Lincoln. Lectures, exhibits, reception.
November 20-22: One Last Weekend with Jim. Lectures, music. For more information, visit http://web.utk.edu/~english/news/agee100.html or http://www.knoxlib.org/agee100

Knoxville artist Russell Briscoe's paintings reflect the work of a historian, as well as an artist, and cover some 190 years of the region's past. Subjects include "Clinch and Gay, 1896," "Christmas Morning," "First Train in Knoxville, 1855," and "The 1897 Gay Street Fire." Information: 865-215-8830, www.east-tennessee-history.org

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg will present "Women in Wood," an exhibition to bring light to the exceptional quality of work being created by women artists working in the medium of wood - both woodturning and constructed wood. The public is invited to the opening reception in the main gallery and lecture presented by nationally renowned studio wood sculptor Betty Scarpino on Friday, Oct. 16, at 6:00 pm. The exhibition runs October 16-January 2, 2010. The guest lecturer Betty Scarpino will also be teaching a weekend master class that weekend at the school. She has a background in industrial arts, sculpture, and design, all of which she teaches and writes about. Her work is represented in many public and private collections including The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Mobile Museum of Art. Her work was included in the recent book, New Masters of Woodturning: Expanding the Boundaries of Wood Art. She is currently the editor of American Woodturner, journal of the American Association of Woodturners. For more information: 865-436-5860 or www.arrowmont.org

Sale will feature framed prints, oils, photographs, and artwork with a nature and wildlife theme. Do your holiday shopping early! Ijams members receive 25% discount. Sale runs October 3-November 30. 865-577-4717

"Panama Overlays, The Map Series". At the O'Brien Art Gallery. For specific dates and updates to exhibits: 865-882-4649, wilkersonbs@roanestate.edu, or www.roanestate.edu/art/gallery.

UT Photojournalism professor Robert Heller always has his camera with him when he travels. Heller's photographic exhibit, "City Light," examines the confluence of architecture, people and light, as found in cities such as San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Warsaw and elsewhere. Open to the public M-F 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. 625 Market Street, Suite 1400, downtown Knoxville. 865-524-1223 or www.easttennesseefoundation.org

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

Saturdays from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM and Wednesdays from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Local Produce, Live Plants, Baked Goods, Herbs, Free Range Meat, Artisan Crafts, & More.
(865)405-3135, www.knoxvillemarketsquare.com

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