Calendar of Events

Monroe Area Council for the Arts (MACA) presents another sensational season of performances at Hiwassee College in Madisonville with The Punch Brothers, featuring Chris Thile. Widely regarded as one of the most interesting and inventive musicians of his generation, Chris Thile has changed the mandolin forever. Punch Brothers’ new album Antifogamatic, produced by Jon Brion on Nonesuch, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. According to the Wall Street Journal “Antifogmatic brims with color, wit, flash and tenderness, all conveyed with remarkable musicianship and high spirits.” Slant describes Punch Brothers as “….a string-band version of Radiohead.” Punch Brothers’ line-up includes some of the most impressive and widely respected musicians performing today: Chris Eldridge (guitar); Paul Kowert (bass); Noam Pikelny (banjo); Chris Thile (mandolin and lead vocals); and Gabe Witcher (fiddle). Says Thile of the title of Punch Brothers’ most recent recording, “Antifogmatic is an old term for a bracing beverage, generally rum or whiskey, that a person would have before going out to work in rough weather to stave off any ill effects. This batch of tunes could be used in much the same way, and includes some characters who would probably benefit mightily, if temporarily, from a good antifogmatic.”

Season ticket prices are $105/Family (living in the same household); $90/couple; and $50/individual. Adult tickets are $20/advance and $23 at the box office on the night of the performance. Student tickets are $10. Season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased with cash or check at all Citizens National Banks in Monroe County or with a credit card: 423-442-3210, www.monroearts.com.

Mighty Mud's pottery club meets once a month on the third Thursday of the month. It is a great way to work on projects, learn new tips and techniques, and socialize with other artists. 2011 Mighty Mud Pottery Club Schedule:
January 20: Handmade Stamps
February 17: Woven Clay Baskets
March 17: No Meeting
April 21: Creating a piece of pottery to Raku fire
May 19: Raku Firing (with piece(s) created in April)
June 16: Handmade Tiles
July 21: Creating a Mosaic (with tiles created in June)

Mighty Mud, 2444 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37919. For information: 865-595-1900, www.mightymudclay.com

The show features never before exhibited drawings and photographic images of the Villa Ottolenghi project, from conception to construction.

PUBLIC LECTURE by Guido Pietropoli - "The Dancing Columns of the Villa Ottolenghi"
February 16 @ 5:30 PM
Rm. 109, McCarty Auditorium, Art + Architecture Building
A reception, open to the public, will commence immediately following the lecture, at 7PM, in the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-F 10-5, Sun 1-4. For information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Artworks of monumental physical scale are overwhelming. The diminutive viewer is confronted and consumed by the gigantic. Presented with the miniature, the viewers, no longer assigned to the passive role, can instead devour the work, taking it into their souls. The miniature invites the viewer into a personal and intimate relationship. With attention drawn to the significance of the seemingly insignificant, the momentousness of the miniscule is magnified, thus instilling monumental value.

This exhibition investigates the power of small-scale artists’ books to challenge their readers with grand, powerful, urgent, and poignant content. In addition to the work of current UT Assistant Professor of Printmaking, Althea Murphy-Price, as well as three UT school of art alums, MIMB includes books from 141 artists from the United States, Korea, Japan, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Spain, India, Pakistan, the UK, Canada, Mauritius, and Argentina. The miniature books range from complicated structures, poems, and humorous texts, to intricate drawings. Many of the books use unconventional materials and innovative bookmaking techniques; including relief printing, intaglio, lithography, silkscreen printing, and the newest digital processes.

To see images of individual books, visit the MIMB flickr page at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimborg/

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-F 10-5, Sun 1-4. For information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

The Farragut Folklife Museum will feature the “Out of the Attic” exhibit this winter and spring. This special exhibit will showcase interesting artifacts from the Museum collection that have not been displayed in many years or have never been on display.

Farragut Folklife Museum, 11408 Municipal Center Dr, Farragut, TN 37934. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10AM-4:30 PM. For information: 865-966-7057, www.townoffarragut.org

Reception January 14, 6:30-8:00 PM. Music by Dave Williams, refreshments will be served.

Also featuring Knox County Student Art Exhibit: Powell High and Middle, Brickey McCloud Elem., Copper Ridge Elem., Norwood Elem., Pleasant Ridge Elem., Powell Elem., and West Haven Elem.

213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; Saturday, 9AM-1PM. For information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityart.org

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.

One artist likens her work to a Rubik’s Cube. The other is a former punk rock–bluegrass musician who now composes mixed media and traditional acrylic paintings. Both are full-time faculty members at Pellissippi State Community College and will share gallery space in the current New Faculty Show art exhibit.

The exhibit welcomes Jennifer Brickey and Herbert J. Rieth III as new faculty who have been teaching art at the college since fall 2010. Brickey and Rieth both teach classes ranging from drawing and painting to design. Brickey received her B.F.A. in studio art (painting) from the University of Tennessee and her M.F.A. in the same discipline from Maryland Institute College of Art. Rieth comes to Pellissippi State after teaching at universities in Alabama, Mississippi and Ohio. The art on display promises to be engaging. Brickey’s pieces represent five years’ worth of paintings and drawings, many of them autobiographical. Brickey says she is drawn to the connections between her life and work.

The New Faculty Show takes place in the gallery of the Bagwell Center for Media and Arts on the Pellissippi Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. An artist reception is scheduled for Jan. 20, 5-7 p.m., and will be preceded by an artist talk at noon. The reception, discussion and exhibit are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Jeff Lockett, Art professor, at jlockett@pstcc.edu or (865) 694-6433.

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

The “Joy of Watercolor” art show will showcase watercolor pieces from art classes taught at Knox County’s Frank R. Strang Senior Center and will feature work from instructor Hazel G. Johnson. The community is invited to honor the artists and enjoy light refreshments at a reception on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 4-7 pm.

Viewable during regular Town Hall hours of Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 10, 11, 13 and 20. 11408 Municipal Center Drive (across from the Farragut Branch Post Office). For information: 865-966-7057, www.townoffarragut.org

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