Calendar of Events

Location: UT Gardens Friendship Plaza entrance
These tours return for 2010 and will be held every third Tuesday of the month through October: June 15, July 20, August 17, September 21 and October 19. A tour guide will meet visitors at the Friendship Plaza. Tours are free and open to the public.

UT Gardens, Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-7151, http://utgardens.tennessee.edu

A unique installation of video, films and multi-image performance works by Norman Magden, School of Art Professor of 4D Arts, will be on display at the University of Tennessee, Downtown Gallery. The exhibition is titled THROUGH A TRANSPARENT LENS INSIDE OUT, which refers to the time based images displayed and Magden’s focus on transparent and super imposed images to create a mesmerizing effect. The exhibition will be a quasi-retrospective in that one part will show earlier works and another section will contain more recent pieces.

Magden’s work recently received first place in the Experimental Film category at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and received several Awards of Excellence for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. He also received First Place in the Experimental Film category in the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival with additional awards of Best Cinematography, Best Concept, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Other venues where his work was selected for screening include New Filmmakers (Hollywood), International Vampire Film Festival (New Orleans), Festivus Film Festival (Denver), Peoples Awards Film Festival (Quito, Ecuador), Byron Bay International Film Festival (Australia), Kansas City Film Festival and The Rome International Film Festival (Georgia).

The exhibition will open on Friday, July 16 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, as a special premiere for A1LabArts members. The public opening and reception will be the First Friday, August 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM; Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. For information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Over 180 of the finest craftspeople from all over the United States demonstrate their skill, answer questions, and offer their unique art for sale. From broom-making to stained glass, the Fair has something for everyone!

July 16-24 and October 7-23. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Admission: $6 adults, children 12 and under free. Music shows at 12, 2, and 4 pm - Sundays at 12 and 2 pm.

At the Gatlinburg Convention Center, Traffic Light #8. Information: 865-436-7479, www.craftsmenfair.com

A Nashville songwriter, a local humorist and the screenwriter for the indie film Tennessee are among 13 instructors at this year’s Knoxville Writers’ Guild’s summer workshops, scheduled for July 12-15 and July 19-22 at Pellissippi State Community College. Steve Leslie, who wrote the title cut to Ricky Skagg’s Grammy winning album Brand New Strings will offer the course “Have You Written a Hit Song?” Leslie’s work has been recorded by Kenny Rogers, George Straight, Mark Chesnutt and others.

Sam Venable will discuss making people laugh as a columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel and the author of 10 books, including Someday I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist’s Life.

“Writing and Reading Your First Screenplay” will be taught by Knoxville native Russell Schaumburg. A graduate of Northwestern University, Schaumburg also holds a law degree and studied acting at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio.

“We have a great line-up of professional writers willing to share their experiences,“ said Guild Vice President Terry Shaw, a local novelist. “Whether you’re just starting out or have been doing this a long time, these workshops can help.

“They also highlight some of the incredible talent we have right here in Knoxville,” Shaw said.

For example, he pointed to the session on short story writing by Michael Knight, who has published in Esquire, The New Yorker and Paris Review. The author of five books, his novel, The Typist will be published by Atlantic Monthly Press in August. Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee.
Other presenters include:
Novelist and poet Darnell Arnout, “Building Character” and “Mining the Mother Lode.”
Poet K.B. Ballentine, “Place and Persona: The Where and Who in Your Writing,” “Continuing the Celtic Tradition” and “Imagery in Poetry.”
Toastmasters veteran Grant Fetters, “Basic Public Speaking”
Author, photographer and poet Alex Gabbard, “Travel Writing”
Poet Linda Parsons Marion, “Mining the Gold of Family Experience”
Performance artist and writer Kali Meister, “Basic Playwriting” and “Erotica Writing”
Public relations professional Kelly Norrell, “Promotional Strategies” and “Promotional Writing”
Author John Tullock, “How to Discover, Sell and Promote the Book You Want to Write”
Editor, poet Marianne Worthington, “The Personal Essay”

Workshops cost $30 for Guild members and $42 for non-members. For more information, contact Shaw at 865-963-7633 or tshaw05@comcast.net; visit the Guild’s website at http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

An exhibit featuring the art work of Ken Moffett and photographs of Karen Krogh will be on display at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Karen Krogh, Photographs - "TVUUC: The Light of Love"
For 23 years photography has been an artistic passion for Karen Krogh. The opportunity to freeze a moment in time and to reflect upon it drives her interest in this art form. Beginning as a photo lab assistant in California she became a corporate photographer for the Toyota Motor Company. Later she moved on to magazine and public relations work. She is currently associated with a Knoxville commercial studio and also accepts freelance assignments.
The images in this exhibit are reflections from a most difficult and challenging year in the life of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Her photographs convey the incredible resiliency of a congregation of courageous and loving people.
Ken Moffett, "Transparent Colors"
Ken Moffett's exhibit features five decades of watercolor painting by this architect/artist. His vocation as an architect has limited his time for artistic activities but not his success as an artist. His work has been exhibited in five states and is represented in several private collections. Ken's technique of using a single brush for an entire painting helps to define his work, freeing him from conventional detailing and creating integrated and somewhat abstract compositions. He has lived in Knoxville since 1975 and has been a member of TVUUC since the 1980s.

Opening reception Friday, July 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talk at 6:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mary Lennox is a sour-faced, ill-tempered little girl. But who can blame her? While in India, she lost her parents during an outbreak of a deadly disease called cholera. When we meet her, she is arriving at Misselthwaite Manor, her mother’s sister’s husband’s gloomy and mysterious home, alone and unhappy. But ”The Secret Garden” becomes the story of Mary’s awakening through the healing power of nature. Misselthwaite Manor has many secrets. Mysterious crying is heard at nights along its dark corridor. Mary’s
uncle is a poor hunchback whose life has stood still for ten years, since the death of beautiful young wife. And there is a walled garden with a hidden locked door and a long-buried and forgotten key. With the aid of Martha and Dickon Sowerby, two happy country kids, and the discovery of her cousin Colin, Mary begins to believe that if she can bring the hidden garden back to life, she might “return to life” herself. “The Secret Garden” is a funny, spooky, heartwarming tale of redemption and self-discovery.

The COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is:
Fridays, July 9, 16, 23 at 7 PM
Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24 at 3 PM and 7 PM
Sundays, July 11, 18 at 3 PM
Thursdays, July 15, 22 at 7 PM

Located at 800 Tyson Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com, info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Boone, NC artist Sandy Adair has been creating custom weavings, off-loom weavings, and macramé wall pieces for over 28 years. The Blue Ridge mountain landscape surrounding Adair's home has been a continuing source of inspiration to her. Tapestry weaving is a slow process of layering in one needle of yarn at a time until an image is formed. Once completed, the weaving is stretched across a frame, secured and backed with muslin. Adair's award winning tapestries have been collected internationally.

Kim Nixon, a traditional rug hooker, believes in artwork that reminds us of our past while transcending the present. She uses pattern to bridge the gap between what is background, where we have come from, to what we see in front of us. Her rugs, foot stools and stair risers are hooked with strips of hand-dyed wool. Nixon's works mesmerize with their mosaic beauty and set up their own rhythm, offering images that stir universal associations.

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

Reception on July 10, 7-9PM with gallery talk at 6:30 PM.

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

Appalachian Arts Craft Center: 2716 Andersonville Highway, Clinton, TN. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10AM-6PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-494-9854, www.appalachianarts.net

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition entitled “Forms and Figures”, featuring work by seven artists:
+ Alan Finch (Knoxville, TN) – Finch is a visual artist and independent curator whose current digital photography focuses on the abstract in nature. www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/photographers/?inc=details&id=116603
+ Kathy Frankford (Morristown, TN) - Frankford is a visual artist with landscape and natural happenings as the focus of her photography series. http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/kathy-frankford.html
+ Carl Hill (Knoxville, TN) – Hill is a landscape/nature/travel photographer whose current panoramic photography emphasizes the forms and structures of the horizon.
+ Scott Lee (Knoxville, TN) – Lee is a film director/producer/artist and photographer. His “Dirty Bride Series” is a photographic conceptual set that includes six images of a woman dressed in a bridal gown. www.35degreesnorth.com
+ Ross Mol (Clinton, TN) – Mol’s main interest in photography is getting “the shot” with as little editing as possible.
+ Carole Usdan (Florida/North Carolina) – Carole is a fine arts photographer using a photographic dialogue to describe the ubiquitous push and pull among solitude, alienation and intimacy. www.usdanphoto.com
+ Dennis Usdan (Florida/North Carolina) – Dennis is a fine arts photographer and retired lawyer focusing on the clarification of observed details. www.usdanphoto.com

“Forms and Figures” will be on display in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from July 2-30, 2010. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on July 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM. The Emporium Center is located at 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, July 3, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, July 5. For more information, call (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present “A Celebration of Color", an exhibition featuring new oils, acrylics, and watercolors by Larry S. Cole. Cole’s eclectic works range from realism to the abstract and reflect the use of an intensely colorful palette. The exhibition will be displayed at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from July 2-30, 2010, and an opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on July 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Larry S. Cole is a Knoxville native who has had a life-long interest in painting. Although primarily self-taught, he studied art at the University of Tennessee and was influenced by the works of Andrew Wyeth and local artists Carl Sublett and Xavier Ironside. “Artists want observers’ senses to be drawn to their works, and they employ various techniques to create that connection,” says Cole. “I try to develop that relationship primarily through color. Light falling on a face or landscape continually transforms the mood of that subject as the light’s intensity strengthens and wanes. I try to capture those colors in a way that invites the observer into an emotional bond with the subject.” Cole’s painting subjects range from interesting people he meets to settings in Greece, Italy, the Eastern U.S. seacoast, and his native South. “I feel a sense of adventure with each new work I undertake,” says Cole. “Starting a painting is like embarking on an exciting voyage, one in which I always make new discoveries. I agree with Pablo Picasso who said, ‘Art washes from the soul, the dust of everyday life’.” In addition to the works displayed in his gallery, Cole also paints commissioned works for private and corporate collectors. In the last year, he has begun participating in regional exhibitions and competitions. His painting “April Showers” was selected as a finalist in the 2009 Dogwood Arts Festival Limited Edition Print competition. He was a juried participant in the 2009 Artsclamation! (Fort Sanders Foundation benefit and exhibition), and Artsclamation! subsequently chose his works for their 2010 and 2011 benefit calendars. For more information, visit Cole’s studio at The Gallery House, 4050 Sutherland Avenue, in Knoxville. www.larrycolegalleryhouse.com

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, July 3, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com.

Photographer, visual artist and independent curator Alan Finch will be at Bliss Home (29 Market Sq) from 5-9pm on Friday, July 2 to meet and talk about his work. His current digital photography focuses on the abstract in nature, and was recently included in ArtScapes at the KMA, Arts in the Airport, and Through the Lens at the Oak Ridge Art Center.

bliss home 29 market sq, knoxville, tn 37902
865.558.5677, www.shopinbliss.com