Calendar of Events

by RB Morris. The Playmakers are proud to present RB MORRIS, a recording artist, a published poet, and the author and actor of the one-man play, "The Man Who Lives Here is Looney" about the life of Knoxville author James Agee. Strongly inspired by the Beat poets and a range of musical influences and genres, RB has defined the underside of Knoxville culture in the course of thirty year career. RSCC Playmakers, Roane State Theatre, Harriman. ($7/10 Student/General Admission)

February 17-19, 24-26 at 7 pm
February 20 & 27 at 2 pm (matinee)

http://www.roanestate.edu/theatre; (865) 354-3000

The Athens Community Theater will present ANNIE, book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse, and Lyrics by Martin Charnin, in the Sue E. Trotter Theater at The Arts Center. The musical tells the story of Annie, the spunky Depression-era orphan determined to find her parents who abandoned her years earlier on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. The large cast of 33 singers, dancers, actors, and tumblers will bring to life all of the familiar and show stopping numbers from the musical, including Hard Knock Life, Fully Dressed, Tomorrow, Maybe, Easy Street and more.

Tickets for ANNIE are on sale now at $14 for adults, $8 for students. Show dates and times are February 17-19, 24-26 at 7:00 PM and February 20 & 27 at 2:00 PM. Seating is limited, so early purchase is encouraged. Thursday, February 24th is Student Night when all students will be admitted for $5.00. Tickets are available by phone at (423)745-8781, on line at www.athensartscouncil.org, or at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street in downtown Athens.

by Michael Brayne
Called the funniest farce ever written, NOISES OFF presents a manic menagerie as a cast of itinerant actors rehearsing a flop called NOTHING'S ON. Doors slamming, on- and backstage intrigue, and an errant herring all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play. . RSCC Playmakers, Roane State Theatre, Harriman. ($7/10 Student/General Admission)
February 17-19, 24-26 at 7 pm
February 20 & 27 at 2 pm (matinee)

Roane State Community College, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman, TN 37748. Information: 865-354-3000, www.roanestate.edu

American Idol star Clay Aiken returns to the Tennessee Theatre!

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

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:
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

Sarkisian explores the spatial and perspective possibilities of video, film, and sculpture through multi-media works that challenge perceptions of reality and illusion. This retrospective exhibition features signature works and conveys how the artist has considered and resolved various approaches to integrating video into temporal and spatial experiences.

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: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Roald Dahl’s splendid allegory of family, friendship, solidarity, and sacrifice (author of "Charlie And the Chocolate Factory" and "James And the Giant Peach").

THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is:
Fridays, Feb. 11, 18, 25 at 7 PM
Saturdays, Feb. 12, 19, 26 at 1 PM and 5 PM
Sundays, Feb. 13, 20 at 3 PM
Thursdays, Feb. 17, 24 at 7 PM

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

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition featuring oils, acrylics, pastels, photography, fiber, and more by the visual artists of the Emporium Center. The exhibition will be on display February 11-25, 2011 in the main gallery at the Emporium Center at 100 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

The artists featured in the exhibition include:
Mike C. Berry – Oil, pastel – www.mikecberry.com
Bobbie Crews – Mixed media – www.bobbiecrews.com
Judi Gaston – Fiber, hand-woven garments
Bob Leggett – Watercolor, pastel
Pam Radford – Oil, watercolor
Alex Smith – Oil landscapes and portraiture – www.alexsmithstudios.com
Ray Snyder – Weaving
Kurt Weiss – Photography – www.weissphotography.com
Sandy White – Oil, watercolor

For more information on the exhibition, please call (865) 523-7543 or visit www.theemporiumcenter.com

The artistry of H.P. Ijams is commemorated in a special display, entitled Designs, Blueprints, Patent Drawings: The Illustrated Legacy of H.P. Ijams, at the Museum of East Tennessee History. A limited edition set of 16 Ijams' Christmas Postcards is also now available for $15.00 (inc. tax). Pick up a set at ETHS or Ijams.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. For information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

The Town of Farragut Arts Council will sponsor the 2011 Private Schools Art Show this February at the Farragut Town Hall. Don’t miss this opportunity to view the work of some of the community’s most talented high school artists from Knoxville Catholic High School, Christian Academy of Knoxville and Webb High School. Awards will be given for best in show, first, second and third places at an awards receptionon Tuesday, Feb. 8, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. The art show and reception are free and open to the public.

At Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive. View the show during regular Town Hall hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 865-966-7057.

For almost five decades, Jim Gray has painted in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, creating a body of work that captures, according to the artist, "the ever changing pattern of light and shadow [that moves] across the ancient faces of the Smokies." The retrospective exhibition, Roads I've Traveled, showcases these East Tennessee-inspired landscapes, as well as additional selections from Gray's life's work, including wildlife, floral, and marine paintings and assorted sculptures in bronze.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. For information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

Saturday February 5, 2011 at 6pm, The Beck Cultural Exchange Center will be hosting the Opening Ceremony of the annual Beck Cultural Exchange Center Black History Month Exhibit entitled, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!; an extensive collection of historical artifacts from the actual Civil Rights Era touring from the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. This brilliant and yet delicate display is celebrating the 51st Anniversary of the Tennessee Civil Rights Sit-In Movement and is scheduled to tour across the United States beginning right here in Knoxville, Tennessee! The WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED Exhibit contains tables, bar stools, signs, pamphlets, booklets, magazines, postcards, photos, and a host of other original treasures that have been preserved from the actual Sit-In Movement during the 1960’s and beyond! This one of a kind exhibit that also features postcards of Dr. Martin Luther King at our very own Highlander Center in New Market Tennessee, will inspire you and move you to a deeper understanding of the African American heritage and their determination to Overcome, as well as the many other cultures that aided in that “Dream” coming into fruition!

The Opening Night Ceremony of the WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED Exhibit will feature our area’s most talented speakers, presenters, musicians, actors, and dancers, including The legendary Robert J. Booker, Dr. Harold Middlebrook, Avon Rollins, Sr., Will Boyd & Kelle Jolly, Knoxville Opera’s Michael Rogers, Vocalist Horace Smith, Orator Janice Nzie, Poet Andre Canty, Dancers Mikael Merchant & Daniel Lineberger, Singer/Producer Lar’Juanette Williams & Optasia Productions cast of We Shall Overcome!, and the outstanding Blues Hall of Fame East Tennessee native, Wallace Coleman with His Band from Cleveland Ohio! WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED Exhibit will be on display at The Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Inc. during the entire month of February. Come relive history through the walls of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center with tours of the facility, exhibits, and music all month long. We invite you to enrich your life by learning more about the birth of the Civil Rights Movement and Sit-in Demonstrations here the state of Tennessee. WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED is sponsored by AT&T, Premiere Building & Maintenance, The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Greater Knoxville, and The Tennessee Arts Commission. WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED opens February 5, 2011 at The Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Avenue, 6pm and will run the entire month of February! Don’t Miss It!

1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville. TN 37915. Phone: (865) 524-8461; www.beckcenter.net