Calendar of Events

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.

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

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

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