Calendar of Events

We are proud to have new paintings by Kimberly Woods-Pelton. Her nostalgic and colorful work will be on display and available for purchase all month.

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

The Unarmed Merchants is proud to announce that we will be featuring the photography of Charles Graves for the month of February. The show titled "People, Places and Things" will include around 20 hand selected works from Charles last 30 years. Opening reception is on Friday February 4.

Unarmed Merchants, 129 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 12-7PM. Information: 865-549-5769, www.unarmedmerchants.com

Ceramic artist Walter McConnell will visit the University of Tennessee to construct a sculpture in the UT Downtown Gallery the first week of February. McConnell, who is well recognized for his large-scale, unfired ceramic sculptures will work with UT art students to construct this project. McConnell’s installations address the relationship between nature and culture – more specifically, the means through which contemporary culture constructs an understanding of nature. McConnell currently serves on the faculty at the New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, NY.

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

In her first solo exhibition, “Threads and Fibers,” Gibson embraces fiber arts through textiles and printmaking. Gibson’s love of the outdoors and hiking has influenced all aspects of her art, and her exhibition addresses the impact that people have had on the land through the juxtaposition of manmade to natural motifs. Her work similarly explores the permeable border between humans, other animals, and plants. Marie Gibson was born and raised in East Tennessee, and she attended Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, FL, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She has attended multiple workshops at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Shakerag in Sewanee, TN. While at Arrowmont, Gibson discovered her love of fiber arts, and her artistic career took a turning point. Though she had loved textiles since elementary school, the instructors at Arrowmont introduced her to numerous and innovative dyeing and printmaking techniques. “I was freed from old, dated perceptions of quilting and doll making as well as printmaking,” says Gibson. Her art now sidesteps the false boundary separating craft from the fine arts.

“Threads and Fibers” will be displayed in the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on February 4 from 5:00-9:00 PM with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, February 9, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information: (865) 523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com.

In this solo exhibition, Rice displays photographs of villages scattered throughout the countryside of Guizhou and Guangxi provenances in China, giving viewers an opportunity to visually experience the beauty of a people and place rarely seen by the west. Rice has traveled to Asia three times in the past year-and-a-half, visiting southern China twice, as well as Indonesia and Thailand. The remote mountains of southern China are home to the Miao and Dong people, two of China’s 55 officially recognized minority groups. The Miao and Dong have successfully maintained their rich language, culture and customs with little influence from the outside world. Their agrarian way of life, unique architecture, hand-crafted jewelry, and richly colored fabrics serve as a vivid reminder that, despite the rise of technology and the global economy, the world continues to be home to a diverse and often remarkably beautiful array of cultures and people. Seven thousand miles from the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, the mountains of southern China offer a unique glimpse into the lives of an isolated group of people group that, not unlike the Appalachian culture of 100 years ago, is defined by a rustic lifestyle and a rich heritage of music, arts and craft. Knoxville native Dean Rice has enjoyed photography for the past 25 years. Rice serves as the chief of staff to Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and is an adjunct member of the faculty in the University of Tennessee’s College of Communication and Information.

“Another Way of Life: Photographs by Dean Rice” will be displayed in the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from February 4-25, 2011. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on February 4 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, February 5, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday, February 6, 12:00-5:00 PM as part of the Foothills Craft Guild’s Fine Craft in February show. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

A1LabArts announces “Insider Art”, an exhibition of work by Knoxville Museum of
Art board members, staff and volunteers, opening on First Friday, February 4, from 7-10PM at 8 Shooters Gallery at 1202 North Central Ave, in Knoxville. The show’s title “Insider Art” is a playful twist on what is known as “outsider art,” usually the art of untrained artists whose work has gained aesthetic recognition. As all of the artists in this show are associated with an established art institution, they can be considered as trained “insiders” who create works of art. This exhibition is organized and presented by A1Labarts, as part of their outreach program.

Opening Reception on Friday, February 4, 2011, 7-10 PM, with an awards presentation at 8:30PM. Closing Reception on Friday, February 18, 7-9PM. Regular gallery hours are from noon - 4PM Monday through Thursday; gallery hours can be confirmed by phone at 865-545-4480. For additional information please contact Norman Magden, President, A1LabArts at 865-805-3190 or nmagden@utk.edu. www.a1labarts.org

A Showcase of Foothills Craft Guild Members' work - On exhibit and for sale

Friday, Feb. 4 9 am – 9 pm (First Friday reception 5 – 9 pm )
Saturday, Feb. 5 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday, Feb. 6 12 – 6 pm

100 S. Gay Street, 37902. For more information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com or www.foothillscraftguild.org

The Arts & Culture Alliance and Foothills Craft Guild proudly present “Fine Craft in February,” a showcase and sale of works by Foothills Craft Guild Members. This show highlights the handmade, original work of 35 East Tennessee craft artists working in a variety of media including: clay, jewelry, metal, fiber, lamp-worked and blown glass, leather, wood, photography, and mixed media collage. The Emporium gallery provides an ideal environment in which to view the work and meet the artists.

The Show hours are: Friday, February 4, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Saturday, February 5, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM; and Sunday, February 6, 12:00 - 5:00 PM. Admission is free. A public reception takes place on Friday, February 4, from 5:00 - 9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities in downtown Knoxville.

Among the participants in this show are the following area artisans: Hugh Bailey (clay), Carol Pritcher (fiber-weaving), Lynnda Tenpenny (collage), Gloria Felter ( fiber-quilts), Janis Proffitt (wood), Matt Salley and Chris Szaton (blown glass), and Kathryn Aycock (jewelry). This exhibit and sale serves as a precursor to the 45th Annual Fine Craft Fair to be held in November 2011 at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park.

At the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. For more information: (865) 523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com.

Comedian Ron White is best known as the cigar smoking, scotch drinking funnyman from the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" phenomenon. He's known for his insightful and hilarious comedy shticks, which manage to be both razor-sharp and blunt. You won't want to miss this show!

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

We are launching Black Box Radio (online) featuring a live concert broadcast sponsored by the Carpetbag Theater Inc. This is an urban online radio station that broadcasts content worldwide. The concert is free and open to the public @ 100 S. Gay St. Knoxville, TN (CBT Black box)! To Tune in online; simply type in the URL
blackboxradio.us or (bbr.listen2myradio.com), and the station will play automatically. Thank you for your support! Contact: Atiba Bailey, tibalarge@gmail.com, 865-247-8974

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will continue its Library Tour with string quartets traveling to local libraries during the month of February to read stories and play music for pre-school aged children as part of the orchestra’s Story Time Program. The theme for this season’s program is Happy Birthday KSO! The program will open with a reading of the KSO’s recently published book Better Than Cookies, As Good As Cake, written by KSO cellist Stacy Nickell Miller. The book introduces string instruments by telling the story of a young girl who receives a violin. She finds that the sound that her violin makes, both alone and as part of a string quartet, is better than cookies and as good as cake. The characters in the book, illustrated by Stephen Brown, are loosely based on members of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Pre-school children will then learn about the “treats” that animals eat in The Wide-Mouthed Frog, hear Dr. Seuss’s Happy Birthday To You! and join in wishing the KSO a happy 75th birthday! These performances will help to highlight the connections between music and literacy and introduce the string instruments to young audience members. All Story Time performances are FREE and open to the public.

February 3 11:00 AM Smart Toys and Books
February 8 11:00 AM South Knoxville Library
February 10 4:00 PM Farragut Library
February 11 10:30 AM Caryville Library
February 15 10:30 AM Murphy Library
February 16 10:30 AM Carter Library
February 17 10:20 AM Lawson McGhee Library

Information: 865-291-3310; www.knoxvillesymphony.com

A celebration of the human history, natural beauty, and cultural traditions of Townsend TN, Cades Cove, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Discover the stories of people and the land. Enjoy special evening and supper programs of history, music, dance, and stories. Visit with descendants of the early settlers in the Smokies. Explore the wintertime beauty of the Park. Enjoy Mountain Craft and Mountain Music Showcases. Hike with Park Rangers, naturalists, and historians. Learn about Cades Cove and other special places in the Smokies.

Events take place in Townsend, Tennessee and nearby. For more information: Townsend Visitors Center, 865-448-6134, www.smokymountainfestivals.org