Calendar of Events

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

Opening reception March 6, 2:00 PM.
Visit a fantastic world full of magic created by Marta Goebel: strange machines, people, and animals - illustrations of never-written fairy tales.

Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 West Outer Dr, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. For information: 865-482-1074, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Providing visitors with a fascinating glimpse into aspects of Appalachian culture that are fading from the scene, among them some that were infrequently practiced but that nevertheless came to be associated in the public consciousness with the region. With camera and recorder in hand, photographer Don Dudenbostel and field recordist Tom Jester documented places, practices, and personalities, such as churches where they “take up the serpent,” moonshining, Mennonite communities where life is lived much as in the mid-1800s, religious symbols, and the less savory aspects of cockfighting and KKK meetings. Also included are roadway scenes, such as tourist courts, ferries, filling stations, peanut stands, and grocery stores. The exhibit also examines the concept and stereotypes people often have of Appalachia by placing the featured subjects within the larger historical context. Among the several items featured are a game cock transport box, male and female serpent-handling dolls and folk-art by the Reverend Jimmy Morrow, the hat of Popcorn and a half-gallon jar of moonshine autographed by him, wood-carved crafts, a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe c. 1920, a tent revival sign, and more. A catalog and CD of recordings featured in the exhibition is available for $10 in the Museum Shop. Both the exhibition and catalog are made possible through a grant from the Gene and Florence Monday Foundation.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. For information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

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.

Reception February 26, 6:30-8:30 PM
213 Hotel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityart.com

It’s a rusty old machine gun, with tattered strap and battle-scarred wooden stock—not even very large by today’s standards. By itself, it’s not that impressive. But mention the name Sgt. Alvin C. York, and this war relic takes on special meaning. It represents “the flag on the hill,” a brave deed by a backwoods soldier who remained cool under fire, silencing machine gun nests that were raining a firestorm of bullets on Allied troops. York was the leader of seven men who captured 132 German machine gunners on October 8, 1918, in the Battle of the Argonne Forest in northern France. For this heroic deed, York received the National Medal of Honor and became the most decorated soldier of World War I. This M1908/15 Maxim light machine gun is documented as one of the German weapons confiscated on that day. This historic artifact will become the centerpiece of an already extensive exhibit at the Museum, revealing the man behind the medals—a simple and honest East Tennessee backwoodsman who used his fame to help others. A special exhibit at the Museum will include items on loan from the York family.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716. Hours: February: 10 AM to 4 PM weekdays, 10 AM to 5 PM weekends; March: 10 AM to 5 PM weekdays, 10 AM to 6 PM weekends.Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

Open house and reception with the artist on February 5 from 6-8 PM. If you’ve visited the Performing Arts Studio lately, you’ve no doubt been drawn into “The Mind Mapping Project”, Zach’s exhibition of vibrant, intriguing mixed media paintings. We hope you’ll join us for a night of art appreciation! Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center, 1127 Broadway Suite B, Knoxville, TN 37917. For information: 865-523-1401, www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation/arts