Calendar of Events

New Potential in Print Photography. Through the Lens is the inaugural exhibition in a new series of juried exhibitions showcasing the best work in the printed photographic arts.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. For information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

The Wild Thyme Players and The Silver Stage Players present THE WAY THE STORY GOES... An original production by artists age 10 - 85 writing and performing stories from their lives. With the support of TN Arts Commission, this production is touring free to the venues and the public, with audience donations being split between the artist organizations and the host venues. Tour schedule:
March 18 - UT Seniors for Creative Learning - The John T. O'Connor Center 1 PM
March 19 - St. Thomas' Episcopal Church - Tiffany Drive, Knoxville 7:00 PM
March 20 - The Rebecca Johnson Theater - Historic Rugby, Rugby 7:30 PM
March 25 - Homewood Residence @ Deane Hill - 6 PM
March 26 - First Farragut United Methodist Church - Farragut 7:00 PM
March 27 - Echo Ridge Retirement Community - Gleason Drive, Knoxville 2:00 PM
March 29 - John T. O'Connor Senior Center - Winona Street, Knoxville 2 PM
April 2 (First Friday) - URBhana - Gay Street, Knoxville 5:00 PM
April 3 - Theatre Knoxville Downtown - N. Gay Street, Knoxville 8 PM
Admission is FREE and donations are appreciated. For information call 932-6738.
The Silver Stage Players are an education/outreach partnership between The Wild Thyme Players and The John T. O'Connor Senior Center.

East Tennessee’s Own WDVX-FM kicks off its’ Spring Fund Drive on St. Patrick’s Day March 17th with a special 90 minute Blue Plate Special featuring Matt McNeely, Shamrock Road, Four Leaf Peat, and Cutthroat Shamrock. The internationally recognized Blue Plate Special is a free live radio show which is broadcast weekdays from noon to 1pm Monday through Thursday from the WDVX studios in the Knoxville Visitor Center on the corner of Summit Hill Drive and South Gay Street, and on Fridays from The Square Room on Market Square. The fund drive will continue on through March 28th, with special guest hosts and performances throughout. WDVX is an independent, community-supported radio station playing an eclectic mix of music celebrating the arts and culture of the Southern Appalachian region. The station can be heard in Knoxville and surrounding areas on the radio at 89.9 or 102.9 or online at www.wdvx.com. To make donations or to volunteer at WDVX, contact the station at (865) 544-1029 or 1-866-946-WDVX (9389) or visit the website www.wdvx.com.

In this screamingly hilarious farce, a young painter of genius is in debt to a villainous dealer who intends on marrying the artist's girlfriend unless the debt is paid. As an artist's work is of high value only after his death, the painter fakes his death and prospers, all while passing himself off as his own sister. Now a rich "widow," he must find a way to get out of a dress, return to life, and marry his beloved.

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

Knoxville Watercolor Society members will present recent works at the Art Gallery of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. An opening reception with refreshments will take place on Friday, March 12, 6-8 PM at the church. There will be a short gallery talk about the works and the public will have a chance to meet and talk with the artists. The event is free and open to the public.
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, (865) 966-4041.

The strange narrative paintings of Julie Armbruster return to Knoxville this Spring! On Saturday March 6th, Julie Armbruster will debut her newest work at The Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville located at 12 Market Square. Drawing from three separate narratives, Julie Armbruster’s work exhibited in Doomed Mammals illustrates selections from the Potato Boy, Frog-Monkey, and DuckLips sagas. The three stories deal with volatile friendship, scientific mutation, and how to accept responsibility. The show is a retrospective of the most recent events unfolding within these stories, revealing some interesting twists that are sure to peak your curiosity. The show will be on display at The Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville until April 3rd and will then move to the Maryville Tomato Head from April 4th- May 2nd. A closing reception will be held Saturday May 1st from 3-5pm at the Maryville Tomato Head restaurant. At the reception, Armbruster will have a limited edition book relating the story of Potato Boy and his pet duck Elmore entitled “Idealism Requires Patience.” Julie Armbruster’s work has evolved to include much more intricate compositions and details. Her work is often realized through automatic drawing and then refined through layered rendering and delicate outlining. The landscapes seem oddly familiar and often directly reflect her surroundings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. The world rendered in the paintings is set at a distance from the viewer with the addition of the resin surface and illustrative style. The shine and saturation of color give the work an inviting pull. The viewer is further entranced by the complexity of emotions conveyed by the characters that are often faced with some sort of weighty decision or traumatic occurrence. The narratives are realized through anthropomorphic characters that seem bewildered and internal. Her stories are both funny and dark and typically lack a straightforward resolution. Julie Armbruster’s work can be seen on her website www.JulieArmbruster.net and in her hometown of Asheville, NC at the Woolworth Walk and Honeypot Boutique.

Talented emerging artists nationwide apply annually for Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts’ Artist-in-Residence program, a coveted opportunity of creative discovery for early career artists. Arrowmont’s four current resident artists will open their annual exhibition that showcases their talent and work created during their 11-month residency. The current residents are metalsmith Victoria Altepeter, ceramic artist Thaddeus Erdahl, clay artist Martina Lantin and wood artist Kent Perdue. Arrowmont's Artist-in-Residence program is designed to provide early career, self-directed artists time and space to develop a major body of work in a creative community environment of students and visiting instructors. Each resident is provided their own studio space in the Resident Studios Complex, which is a short walking distance from their living quarters on campus. Residents supply their own equipment, but are otherwise afforded a private and spacious studio to work in for 11 months.
In the Sandra J. Blain Galleries. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. For information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

The Bijou Theatre hosts a First Friday reception to kick off a two-month exhibit featuring the works of East Tennessee artist Betty Bullen. The reception will be held Friday, March 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the upstairs gallery of the U.S. Cellular Stage at he Bijou Theatre. Betty Bullen has studied with an exclusive list of world-class artists including David Leffel, Robert Johnson and Tom Browning. Her paintings are recognized for entertaining composition, confident brushwork, and masterful use of color, but it is her passion and dedication to the work that have brought her success. She paints from life as much as possible, capturing a moment in time, painting the ordinary in an extraordinary way. She has earned a reputation as an artist to collect who excels in still life and figurative as well as landscape painting. Bullen's subjects are scenes "from the heart." Her work has been exhibited in solo and juried group exhibitions and has won many awards. The general public is invited to participate in this reception and First Friday event. The show will be on display throughout the months of March and April for Bijou patrons and visitors to enjoy when the theater is open for performances. Visit www.KnoxBijou.com for a schedule of upcoming events
at the Bijou.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com.

In the Loggia Gallery. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 576 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. For information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

New works by Chad M. Pelton are being printed (thanks to jwlawson fine art) and will be on display at the MagPies Small Hall Gallery next First Friday (March 5th), in conjunction with MagPies awesome Cupcake Tasting. Over the past year or more I have been taking shots of windows as I wander around the streets of Knoxville, and whenever traveling. For some reason I am attracted to what comes out of the windows, and also what's inside the windows. I like getting an impression of the people inside and the physical surroundings outside at the same time. I like the idea that you can tell a lot about a place by the windows and the reflections that they contain. The old saying goes, "the eyes are windows to the soul", but in this case it may be that "the windows are eyes into the soul". Opening reception March 5, 5-7 PM.
Located between Magpies and the Glowing Body at 846 North Central Street Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: http://refuse-cmp.blogspot.com

Join us for a First Friday Celebration March 5, 5-8 p.m.

The Spring Fashion Trunk Show features Jenny Threads' hand-dyed silk and bamboo clothing and accessories that live in the realm between playful and luxurious! The show also highlights Lori O'Neill's silk, linen and jacquard handbags and introduces her Island Collection, a lightweight line of silk and linen tunics and capris, perfect for spring and summer wear! Jenny Threads runs March 4-6. L. O'Neill continues through
March 31. Stop by and meet Jenny Threads artist, Jen Swearington, March 5, 5-8 p.m.! The First Friday event will also feature Parrott: Cade's Cove & Other Landscapes. Meet Artist Joe Parrott at the show!

Hanson Fine Art & Craft Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5:30PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM. For information: 865-584-6097, www.hansongallery.com

Join us for a First Friday Celebration on March 5, 5-8 p.m.

A Knoxville native, Joe Parrott received his degree in Business Administration from UT in 1967. He has been painting since 1970 and has exhibited in various galleries in the southeast. Parrott is active in Knoxville community art events which have included Knoxville Museum of Art Artist on Location events and participation in the Oak Ridge Art Center exhibition in 2009. He won Best of Show at the Knoxville Art Market Gallery Celebration of the Smoky Mountain National Park Exhibition in 2008. A retrospective show of the artist's works is to be held during the 2010 Dogwood Arts Festival at the Knoxville News Sentinel Gallery. Parrott: Cade's Cove & Other Landscapes continues through March 29.

Hanson Fine Art & Craft Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5:30PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM. For information: 865-584-6097, www.hansongallery.com