Calendar of Events

Accomplished playwright Lisa Soland will be addressing the theme of “Living the Life of a Working Writer”. Soland will be covering a number of topics important to all writers, those that speak to the heart of personal creativity. The title, “Working Writer,” is certainly appropriate to Lisa Soland, for she has in the span of not too many years written some three dozen plays. About one-third of these have been full-length, while others have embraced the one-act and ten-minute formats. Soland’s written achievements have been complemented by her experience as a producer-director, one whose credits number over eighty theatrical productions, fifty-five of which had been staged for the first time.

KWG meets the first Thursday of each month at the Laurel Theater at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Street (in Fort Sanders) at 7:00 p.m. Visitors are welcome, and a $1 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. For more information, contact Jeff Gordon, 865-330-3606, www.knoxvillewritersguild.org

As they gear up for the March 30 release of new album ALL IN GOOD TIME (Raisin Records/EMI), multi-platinum pop-rock group the BARENAKED LADIES have announced a U.S. headlining tour, landing at Knoxville's historic Tennessee Theatre on Thursday, June 3. The tour will see the band performing an electrifying mix of classic hits and fresh tracks, including new single "You Run Away", which was recently Most Added at both Hot AC and AAA. "You Run Away" was also part of the band's set-list during a special headlining show at the Winter Olympics Medal Ceremony on February 16. On
February 11, Barenaked Ladies vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson carried the Olympic Torch. Earlier that morning, he discussed the new album, single and the Olympics performance during a special interview on NBC's The Today Show. To celebrate the release of ALL IN GOOD TIME, every online ticket transaction will include a download of the new album. In addition, fans who redeem the download the first week of the album¹s release, will also receive an exclusive bonus track.

Historic Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Southern Fried will take place at venues all over the old city and downtown area of Knoxville, TN. The bouts will occur in the art district with late night events in the Old City and Market Square. The Southern Fried Poetry Slam was started by Allan Wolf in 1993 in Asheville, North Carolina. This performance poetry competition, which travels to a different southern city annually, has grown into one of the largest poetry convention in the nation, second only to the Poetry Slam, Inc.'s National Poetry Slam, which started in 1990. Over four days, teams and independent spoken word artists from our Southern Cities will compete head to head on local stages. They prepare for months in order to be on stage for mere minutes. Info: 865-406-1616, rheasunshine@blacksunshine.org, www.southernfried2010.com

Jubilee Community Arts announces a three-day series of workshops focusing on folklore and folk arts, oral history, and the narrative stage, which have been approved for optional in-service credit in the Knox County School system and are free to all East Tennessee educators. Folk arts education specialist Dr. Gregory Hansen will conduct the workshops, made possible by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Advance registration is required.

A folk arts workshop held on the first day is an introductory course on background concepts and theory, which teachers must complete before enrolling in the oral history or narrative stage workshops. The second day will focus on basic necessities for conducting folklife and oral history interviews. Training will encourage the exploration of teachers' and students' communities and the development of listening skills, note taking, researching, and oral and written language arts skills. On the final day participants will learn to interview traditional artists who may visit their classroom.

The Laurel Theater is located at 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org, info@jubileearts.org.

Department of Energy Facilities Public Bus Tour with guide commentary, Monday through Friday, except government holidays (July 5 & 6). Tour participants can register at AMSE beginning at 9 am. Must be U.S. citizen 10 years of age and up. Photo ID required. Seating limited. First come, first served. Off the bus stops include Y-12 New Hope Visitor Center; Spallation Neutron Source Lobby and Graphite Reactor, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and K-25 Overlook. No advance reservations. Some restrictions apply.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

The first exhibition will spotlight the works of two member artists: clay work by Gray Bearden and paintings by Suzanne Jack. The second exhibit features the works of the following New Members of the gallery: Jewelry: Sylvia Caldwell, Jennifer Lindsay, Cynthia Patrick and Kathy Seely; Clay: Linda Sullivan, Painting/Drawing: Ron Chory, Lillian Clinard and Victoria Simmons. The Gallery will host a First Friday Reception for the Featured Artists on Friday, June 4 from 5:30-9:00 PM with light refreshments.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

The PEANUTS strips have made museum visits both nationally and internationally including a monumental exhibit in 1990 at the Louvre in Paris. Forty of Snoopy’s Flying Ace adventures will be on displayed at the American Museum of Science and Energy along with fine art print examples of the Flying Ace by Tom Everhart, the only artist authorized by Charles Schulz to artistically render PEANUTS. A selection of collectibles of unique Flying Ace merchandise and marketing items over the years will also be displayed along with items related to Charles Schulz and the rest of the PEANUTS characters.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

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

Warm weather is here and it's time to GET OUT! The GetOut! series of activities provides fun, recreational experiences to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the natural resources of our area. Activities are scheduled all summer for anyone interested in beginning or continuing biking, hiking, or paddling. A $10 donation to Legacy Parks Foundation is suggested for each activity. Please register by calling (865) 541-4500.
+ Mountain Biking with Appalachian Mountain Bike Club - Meet in the parking lot of Anderson-South Head Start, 4808 Prospect Road. Helmets are required. Check www.knoxvillecycling.com or call 382-6061 for more information.
June 22 Mead's Quarry, 6:30 pm Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.

+ Paddling with River Sports Sponsored by River Sports Outfitters - Paddle trips perfect for novice paddlers or those wanting to discover new areas to get on the water. Boats can be provided, but bring your own snacks, water, and sunscreen. Children 6 and over are welcome, but each child must be accompanied by an adult. All trips begin at 6 pm, weather permitting. Call 523-0066 for information. Pre-registration is necessary to plan for the proper number of boats, 541-4500 or www.legacyparks.org.
May 25 – Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Landing, 6 pm
June 1 – The Cove at Concord Park, 6 pm
June 15 – Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Landing, 6 pm

+ Bike Riding with Mast General Store Sponsored by Mast General Store - Morning bike rides in community parks through the month of June. The rides are for recreational riders, high school age and up. Riders should provide their own bike and must wear a helmet. All rides will begin at 8 am, from the parking lot of the following parks. For more information, please call 546-1336. Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.
June 12 – House Mountain, 8 am
June 19 – Holston Hills Park, 8 am
June 26 – South Knoxville, meet at the Sunsphere in World's Fair Park, 8 am

+ Hiking with Missy Kane Sponsored by Thompson Cancer Survival Center - Missy Kane will lead a series of hikes titled Run From the Sun during the month of June. Each hike will begin with warm-ups and health tips, and hikers will receive sunscreen and visors provided by Thompson Cancer Survival Center. Children 6-16 are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Wear shoes that are comfortable for walking on paved and natural surfaces. These hikes will take place rain or shine. Pre-registration is encouraged, 541-4500.
June 2 – Georgia Marble, 9 am
June 9 – Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, 9 am
June 16 – House Mountain, 9 am
June 20 – I C King Park, 5 pm
June 23 – River Bluff Trail, 9 am
June 30 – Hastie Park, 9 am
http://www.legacyparks.org/news.html#news1

30 beautifully painted rain barrels will be on display until auctioned at the Knoxville Museum of Art. Voting and bidding open on May 23 and end at 12:00 midnight on July 11. www.waterqualityforum.org

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Friday, 10AM-8PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. For information: 865-934-2036, www.knoxart.org

Vision, Language, and Influence brings together for the first time the work of three photographers of the American South over a 50-year period. Walker Evans (1903-1976) is represented by incisive images of Alabama sharecroppers stemming from his epic collaboration with James Agee on Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Eudora Welty (1909-2001) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern writer and photographer who traveled across Mississippi in the 1930s and early 1940s taking photographs and documenting rural and small-town life in her home state. Baldwin Lee (born 1951) is a professor of photography at the University of Tennessee, and a former assistant to Walker Evans. Complementing the 50 or so works by Evans and Welty are more than 30 of Lee’s images of African-American life in the South taken during the 1980s with the support of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Vision, Language, and Influence was organized by the Knoxville Museum of Art in collaboration with Baldwin Lee.

Free admission. Hours: Tues-Thurs 10-5; Fri 10-8; Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5. 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive, Knoxville, TN 37916. 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org, info@knoxart.org

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will host a showing of new paintings by its members at the Fountain City Art Center from May 14 to June 11. There will be an opening reception on May 14 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the Center. The reception is free and open to the public.

In “Student Exhibits,” Mary Secrist’s students’ watercolors will be on display at the same time as the KWS exhibition, a perfect teamup!

213 Hotel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityart.com