Calendar of Events

An exhibition of artworks by current workshop instructors that represents their most recent explorations or relates directly to the class they are currently teaching. The Instructor Exhibition augments classroom and studio experiences by providing examples of contemporary work by national and international visual artists. In the Sandra J. Blain Galleries

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

This is the first solo exhibition of works by the prominent Chinese artist to be presented in the United States outside of New York.

Ai Weiwei is perhaps China’s most famous contemporary artist. His artworks simultaneously celebrate and call into question Chinese culture and history. Organized by Arcadia University Art Gallery, Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn features a selection of ceramic works and photographs ranging from 1993 to the present. In these works, Ai Weiwei transforms ancient ceramic objects, including 7,000-year old Neolithic urns and Han dynasty vessels, by painting them with a “Coca-Cola” logo, dipping them into vats of industrial paint, smashing them on the ground, or grinding them into powder.

The largest piece in the exhibition is what appears to be a large pile of tiny sunflower seeds, a common street snack in China. Each seed, produced to scale, was painstakingly hand-crafted from porcelain. Weighing precisely one ton, the porcelain seeds were created by a team of workers in the town of Jingdezhen, China where porcelain has been produced for the past 1,700 years.

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

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Anne Wilson: Local Industry, the first public exhibition of the Local Industry Cloth, produced in 2010 by 2,100 volunteers alongside 79 experienced weavers at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The cloth, 75’ 9” long, was created over the course of three months during the artist’s project Local Industry, part of the exhibition Anne Wilson: Wind/Rewind/Weave.

The Local Industry Cloth was formed entirely from donated fibers, often from mills facing closure throughout the southeastern United States. The thread was prepared on hand-crank bobbin winders by visitors to the KMA. Wound bobbins were then used by experienced weavers to compose this single bolt of cloth, made up of only stripes, on one loom inside the gallery space. Once made, the cloth was donated to the Knoxville Museum of Art by the artist alongside an “Archive of Production” identifying all contributors to Local Industry. The “Archive of Production” is on view alongside the cloth during this exhibition.

The public is invited to the Knoxville Museum of Art Thursday, May 12 from 5:30-7:30pm for the opening reception.

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

Features the artwork of TVUUC members' and friends. Free and open to the public

This annual exhibition is a celebration of the many talented artists in the TVUUC community, whether enthusiastic beginners, "Sunday painters," or competent professionals. Many works will be for sale.

Exhibit will be on display at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Art Gallery hours: Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Celebrate Ability through the Arts at the 3rd Annual Artism Day!
Opportunities to explore art, music, and dance 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in downtown Sweetwater, TN

Facepainting by Margie/ Art Activities 10 am until 12
Percussion with Bob Stagner 10 am until 12
Cages Bend ~performances at 12:00 and 2:00
Dance workshop by dance education specialist Dr. Angelina Peggy Hunt-Richter.

Artwork by individuals with and without disabilities exhibited on a designated walking tour through the community May 7 through May 21.

Email: vsa.arts.tn.vol@att.net for more information or call (717) 515-2336.
Visit VSA TN at www.vsaartstennessee.org

Observe, investigate and experiment with fully functioning replicas of machines, structures and amusement park rides, when K'NEX: Building Thrill Rides at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

Where does a Roller coaster car have the most Potential Energy and how is it converted to Kinetic Energy? This is just one of many questions that is answered in K'NEX: Building Thrill Rides, a special exhibition that captivates young visitors and provides them the opportunity to explore the science, math and technology behind hair-raising amusement park thrill rides.

There are 15 working thrill ride models, constructed solely from K'NEX rods and connectors, that combine the principles of geometry, physics, and mechanics. The realistic actions of the models bring scientific and engineering concepts to life for students, who can conduct simple experiments to explore physical forces such as potential and kinetic energy, and linear and rotational motion.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

This renowned video by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss earned a cult following since it premiered at international art festivals in 1987. The video documents the artists' use of fire and fireworks, blasts of air, gravity, and a variety of corrosive liquids to sustain a chain reaction of materials and events for 30 minutes. The imagery touches on themes common in the duo's work, such as order and chaos, humor, transformation, and illusion.

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

Graduating seniors in the School of Art and the College of Architecture and Design are honored each year when selected by committee as the top students among their peers.

Exhibitors from the School of Art include Ben Dorger, Drew Dudak, Gary Trent Frazor, Ben Fredrick, Javan Grover, Nichole McMinn, Jessica Stewart, and Caitlin Zimmerman.

Exhibitors from the College of Architecture include Caitlin Turski, Allie Ross Mathison, Stephen Townsend, Omar Bakeer, Andrew Ruff, Brittany Dreher, Jonathan Sexton, and Brian Doherty.

Diedre Crawford will exhibit a project from the Interior Design program.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents its 2011 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from local artists who are all members of the Arts & Culture Alliance. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display in the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville, and an opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, May 7, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

This exhibition will give teachers an opportunity to showcase their own artistic talents. In addition to displaying their art, Dogwood Arts will be hosting a special awards ceremony awarding the top three exhibitors. The ceremony will take place on First Friday, May 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the UT Gallery.

Opening Reception & Award Ceremony: Friday, May 6 from 5-9 pm
Free admission

UT Gallery, 106 South Gay Street
May 6 – 27. Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by local artists Richard Foster, Sara Martin, and Denise Retallack entitled “Vignettes”, opening in the Balcony of the Emporium Center. “Vignettes” showcases the work of these three artists whose common thread is architecture: Richard Foster and Sara Martin practice architecture, and Denise Retallack is a professional architectural photographer. The exhibition highlights creative work outside of their professional roles, and the collections stretch beyond the realm of buildings and structures to portray color, pattern, depth, light, and scale from the unique perspective of each artist.

“Vignettes” 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 May 6 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, May 7, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of photographs by local artist Barry McManus entitled “First Friday Faces.” In this exhibition, McManus showcases more than 40 photographs of people who have attended First Fridays over the past year. Many of the photographs were taken in the Emporium.

“First Friday Faces” will be displayed on the north side of the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from May 6-27, 2011. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM with hors d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, May 7, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.