Calendar of Events

Two long-standing events in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will join forces this year for a true Night With the Arts Celebration Concert. KSO Resident Conductor James Fellenbaum and the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra, along with the Holiday Celebration Choir, MLK Children’s Chorus, Night With the Arts Players and the Austin East Chamber Ensemble will perform East Tennessee's annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Night With the Arts Celebration Concert. The performance, in partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission of Greater Knoxville and the City of Knoxville, will take place at the Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street. It is the culmination of a week-long celebration of Dr. King's life and legacy, hosted by the MLK Commemorative Commission. The theme of this year’s celebration is Illuminate the Dream: Enlighten the World.

This concert is FREE and open to the public. There is also free parking available at the State Street garage with complimentary shuttle service between the garage and the Bijou Theatre before and after the concert. For more information: 865-521-2305.

The Printmaking Programs from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Ohio University, Athens, Ohio will meet in Knoxville for a three-day collaborative project. Participants will include graduate students and faculty from both programs. The participants will work in six collaborative teams to interpret the theme “We Have a Dream.” Come see the results on Monday January 17th from 5-7pm in the Art and Architecture Building, rm. 103

This project is funded through the UTK Betsy Worden Printmaking Endowment and additional support through Ohio University and The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

865-974-3202; http://art.utk.edu/printmaking/index.html

by Christoper Durang

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $10 plus fees for Thursday & Sunday; $15 plus fees for Friday & Saturday. For information: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com. For tickets: 865-523-7521, www.KnoxTIX.com

Hans Christian Anderson's greatest story features all the hallmarks of the best fairy tales: magic mirrors, evil trolls, crystal palaces, spine-tingling adventure, and a battle twixt good & evil.

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

Tennessee Mountain Writers will present January Jumpstart XI featuring a fiction workshop led by Pamela Duncan and a poetry workshop led by Steve Holt. The event, held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater, opens with an informal social hour on Friday evening; workshop sessions will run from 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM on Saturday and from 8:30-11:30 AM on Sunday. Participation is limited to 20 per workshop. Registration info: www.tmwi.org, theorrs@usit.net; 865-671-6046.

The O’Brien Art Gallery on the Roane County Campus is currently featuring the paintings of Nashville based artist Ev Niewoehner. For gallery Hours, contact Bryan Wilkerson at 865.882.4649. www.roanestate.edu/art/gallery

An exhibit featuring the photographs and painting of Terri Swaggerty and oil paintings of Emily Spence Stables will be on display at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Free and open to the public. Opening reception Friday, January 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talks at 6:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Art Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday 9AM-5PM; Friday 9AM-4:30PM; Sunday 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Bliss Home is kicking 2011 off with a First Friday artist that is not one to be missed! Melissa Johnson has created truly unique and playful pieces of art that are not only beautiful, but also make a bold statement. The materials she uses range from actual vintage newspapers and magazines to vintage children's encyclopedias and fabric. The pieces capture Johnson’s personal experiences by involving culture and religion, love and relationships, body image, and American social codes and roles both from the 1960's and current. Her work will be on display at the 29 Market Square location through February!

29 market square. Addn info: anne@shopinbliss.com; 865.673.6711

Sevier County artists, aged 18 and older, were invited to submit artworks for consideration and 100 works created by 54 artists were selected for exhibition in the school’s main gallery. An opening reception and presentation of awards will be held Friday, January 28th from 6-8 pm in the Main Gallery. The event is open to the public and free to attend. Martha Connell curated the exhibition and sifted through more than two hundred works in order to select the art featured in the exhibition. Connell is from Atlanta and serves as a curator for a number of museum exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. The exhibition features a diverse array of media including painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, furniture, woodturning, ceramics, fibers, basketry and jewelry. Arrowmont’s galleries are free and open to the public.

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

URBhana welcomes 2011 with new artwork by local painter, Ashley Addair. You can preview her work on her website: http://noroomforhipsters.wordpress.com/photo-gallery-ashleys-work/

Ashley's vibrant and beautiful original paintings will be on display at URBhana all month, and available for purchase. Levon Walker will be entertaining our ears Friday evening with what he describes as: "Levon's attempt to describe a good lesson learned, in a multi-instrument, homemade oddity of sound contemplating country roots with funky keyboards, and sampled Harlem street sounds under slide guitars."

Join us - admission is free.

URBhana, 115 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-951-5454, www.urbhana.com

Please make plans to join us in 2011 for another year of celebration and commemoration honoring the life and legacy of the Dream and the Dreamer. With the exception of the MLK Awards Luncheon on January 13, all events are open to the public without charge.

+ Friday, January 1-31: MLK Gallery of Arts Tribute – Bijou Theatre - Featuring original works of art focusing on Dr. Martin Luther King and his work by art students in the Knox County Schools as well as professional artists in the community. The exhibit will be on display throughout the MLK celebration holiday week and continuing through the months of January and February
+ Friday, January 7, 5:00-7:00 PM - Opening Reception – Bijou Theatre

+ Wednesday, January 12, 12:00 NOON - Interfaith Prayer Service - This year’s interfaith service will be held at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2137 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. This very special service will feature leaders from a variety of faith groups to produce a true spirit of interfaith worship. Musical selections will underline the interfaith theme.

+ Thursday, January 13, 8:30 AM - Leadership/Diversity Symposium at Knoxville Marriott Hotel ballroom, 500 Hill Avenue, 38915 - A highlight of the MLK celebration is the annual leadership symposium providing a forum for dialogue and exchange of information about social justice issues.
+ Thursday, January 13, 12:00 PM - Leadership/Awards Luncheon - In the Knoxville Marriott Ballroom, is a ticketed event and advance tickets can be purchased for $40.00 from the MLK office 865-673-8988. (A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.) In addition to the presentation of MLK Special Awards, the guest speaker will be the Reverend Otis Moss III.

+ Friday, January 14, 6:30 PM - Community Discussion – Beck Cultural Exchange Center with Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance - An especially important element in the MLK Celebration activities is an open conversation sponsored by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. Ralph Hutchinson is Chair of this event.

+ Saturday, January 15 - Youth Symposium at Knoxville College, 901 Knoxville College Dr, Knoxville 37921 - The MLK Jr. Commemoration Celebration Commission Youth Symposium team has again partnered with the Knoxville Chapter of Jack & Jill of America to provide a day of youth development and leadership training. We intend to continue to nurture and develop the next generation of leaders who will be inspired to reweave the fabric of our community for future children and youth.
Teacher In-Service Training at Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave, 37915 - In partnership with the Knox County Schools, this special program will help participants gain an understanding of why “Creativity” is important to the nation’s global standing today and in the years to come. Teachers completing this training session will receive five hours credit toward certification.
Y.W.C.A. Race Against Racism - The mission of this annual program is to eliminate racism by holding the Annual Race 5K Run/One Mile Walk along Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue.

 Information is available at http://ywcaknox.com.

Sunday, January 16, 6:00 PM - “A Night With the Arts” at the Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street - This new and exciting program will be a sitting tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King's vision through a multi-faceted artistic presentation that includes some of our areas most gifted singers, actors, dancers, and poets, The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, The Knoxville Opera, the MLK Holiday Celebration Choir, and introducing the MLK Children's Chorus.

Monday, January 17 - Memorial March Parade at 10 - The purpose of the parade is to offer the community a visual and audible display in tribute to the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 2011 Parade route will stretch from the Tabernacle Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Avenue to Greater Warner AME Church in Burlington.
Memorial Tribute Service at Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church at 11:45 - This service culminates the MLK Memorial Parade and will feature a Keynote Speaker as well as special music.
Information: www.mlkknoxville.org; mcombs@utk.edu; 865 573-2994

Friday, January 6, Bijou Theatre Gallery 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, opening reception for MLK Gallery of Arts Tribute.

Sunday, January 15, Bijou Theatre 6:00 PM A Night With the Arts Tribute
with the Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Knoxville Opera, MLK
Celebration Choir and other performers.

January 11 - 16 will also include Interfaith Prayer Service, Youth
Symposium, Memorial March Parade and other special events to honor the life
and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All events are open free to the
public (with the exception of the luncheon) and details can be found on the
official website: www.MLKKnoxville.org.