Calendar of Events

By Williams, Sears and Howard - Directed by Vania Smrkovski
The much anticipated third installment in the Tuna trilogy takes the audience through another satirical ride into the hearts and minds of the polyester-clad citizens of Texas' third smallest town. Along with Tuna's perennial favorites, some new Tuna denizens burst into the 4th of July Tuna High School Class Reunion. This sets the stage for a show full of fireworks and fun from the land where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.It's been several years since we left Bertha and Arles dancing at the end of A Tuna Christmas ... Did the romance blossom? Has Didi Snavley received any "cosmic" communications from R.R.'s UFO? Did Stanley make his fortune in the Albuquerque taxidermy business? These and other burning questions will be asked and answered in the side-splitting spoof of life in rural America.

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

While outdoor temperatures soar, performers for this year’s Hot Summer Nights Concert series at the Blount County Public Library promise to warm the hearts of audience members who can stay cool inside the air conditioned library building. Spotlighting “emerging artists,” this year’s concerts feature groups who have been performing in the local area for awhile and are now moving on to various larger venues.

The lineup for this year’s “Emerging Artists” 10th season of concerts is:
Thursday, August 4 - Six Mile Express
Thursday, August 11 - The Great Great Pines
Thursday, August 18 - Rebecca Roberts (modern/classical) & DeAnna Gilson (classical arias)
Thursday, August 25 - Laurel Wright
Thursday, September 1 - Knoxville Opera Company

Free and open to the public, the program is at the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville. 865-982-0981, www.blountlibrary.org

The Art Market Gallery of Knoxville will offer two special exhibits in conjunction with this year’s East Tennessee History Fair, which will be presented by the East Tennessee Historical Society on August 20. “Who, What, Where in East Tennessee” is an interactive exhibit opening August 5 at the gallery. It will feature artworks in a variety of mediums, with each representing either a prominent person, event or place in East Tennessee. This exhibit invites visitors to guess who, what or where is portrayed in each of the artworks and to enter their guesses for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the gallery. The winner will be announced on Sunday, August 21.
A second exhibit, “Reflections of an American Tragedy,” a collection of Civil War paintings and limited-edition canvas giclees by award-winning artist Marie Merritt, will be on display in the lobby of the Art Market Gallery. Marie has a deep fascination with history, especially the Civil War. She says of these paintings, “Although a controversial and tumultuous time in our nation’s history, those hardships and strife shaped much of who we are today: people of faith, character and strength. I seek to tell those stories with understanding and honor.”

The gallery will host an opening reception with light refreshments and live music for these exhibits on Friday, August 5, from 5:30-9:00pm. This reception will also mark the opening of the gallery’s August featured member-artists exhibits, paintings by Jay Hollopeter and jewelry by Kathy Seely.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

Art Market Gallery of Knoxville is pleased to present an exhibit of recent works by Jay Hollopeter of Tazewell and Kathy Seely of Oliver Springs.

Jay Hollopeter, who holds a BA in Studio and Commercial Art from Southwestern Oklahoma State University, creates vividly colored, whimsical paintings that include three-dimensional elements. He says, “My paintings come from a long time passion for humor, color and simplicity. I strive for art that is approachable, humorous, slightly biting and subversive all at the same time.” In addition to paining, Jay is an accomplished graphic designer and illustrator.

Kathy Seely creates unique mixed-media jewelry and beaded sculpture. Using a range of materials, from metal pieces that she fabricates to stones, old buttons, vintage glass and tiny glass beads, she employs a multitude of beading and jewelry skills to craft her works. She says, “I seek to find new and unexpected ways to combine the beautiful, the mundane and the unusual into very wearable and very special pieces of jewelry that invoke a personal relationship between the object and the wearer.” Kathy has exhibited nationally and has works in many public and private collections and her art has been published in numerous books and magazines.

A First Friday Reception for the exhibit is planned for August 5 from 5:30-9 pm with complimentary refreshments and live music performed by Grayson Dagnan. Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM; Sunday 1-5PM. For information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

Knoxville artist Joe Letitia will open his mixed media works show at the Clayton Center for the Arts. Didymus is inspired by Caravaggio’s painting of The Doubting Thomas. The artist’s process begins with a clear and singular image, which is a symbol of an action. The works are made by the repeated replication of this core image. In some works, the gesture is isolated and in some pieces, there are many layers with transparent glazes painted over them to push each layer back, creating a deeper sense of depth and space. Other paintings focus more on the negative space and shapes, as well as the fragments created by the intersecting lines of the images. The works include, oil on canvas, painting on paper, silk screen and ceramic. The artist has included scripture in reference and inspiration to his paintings including John 20:24-25.

Joe Letitia lives and works in Knoxville, Tenn. He received his Master of Fine Arts in painting and printmaking from the Yale University School of Art. Letitia has received several awards and grants to pursue his work, most notably the Biennial Grant from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. Mr. Letitia teaches Art at Webb School.

An Artist reception will be held August 26 6-8 PM. The Blackberry Farm Gallery is open 10-5 daily and during Clayton Center for the Arts events.

In the Blackberry Farm Gallery of the Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Hours: M-F 10-5. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Opening reception on July 22, 6:30-8:30 PM. Also showing oils by the students of Aurora Harrison Bull.

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; Saturday, 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.org

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Art by the Kids, For the Kids in the KMA Education Gallery. The exhibition showcases artworks created by the oncology and hematology patients of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. Organized by University of Tennessee Dance Marathon, the exhibition is part of a year-long effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer and other blood diseases. UTK’s Dance Marathon specifically benefits the oncology and hematology patients at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. For more information please visit activities.utk.edu/dance-marathon.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. For information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Please join us for an afternoon of refreshments and fine art! Meet the artist, Wendy West, and see her show, “Then and Now: A Retrospective,” featuring her work in glass, pottery, and pastels at the Townsend Artisan Gallery from 4 to 6 pm on Saturday, August 13.

Townsend Artisan Gallery, 7277 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN 37882. Information: 865-448-8018, www.townsendartisangallery.com

Free and open to the public with an opening reception Friday, July 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talks at 7 p.m.

Carl Gombert, "Order" - Carl Gombert was born in Brimfield, Ohio in 1959. He started taking painting lessons at the age of 14 with money he earned delivering newspapers. He earned a BFA in Drawing from the University of Akron and an MFA in Painting from Kent State University. He worked as a stagehand before pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts at Texas Tech University. He has exhibited in more than 150 shows throughout the country, and since 1993 has taught painting, drawing and art history at Maryville College in Tennessee.

Ricky Beene, "Salt of the Earth: The Petros Portraits"
Ricky Beene is a painter from Petros, Tennessee, a small town situated in the Cumberland Mountains. A native Appalachian and teacher by training, Ricky is a self-taught artist who works primarily in acrylics on gessoed hardboard. He has had previous exhibits at Carson Newman College, the Oak Ridge Art Center, and the Emporium Center in Knoxville. "For the last ten years I have been painting portraits of people from my home town in a series called Salt of the Earth:The Petros Portraits. These paintings, currently numbering near 150, depict a large cross-section of the people who live in Petros. I also have been working on a smaller series of brushed ink drawings that are called The Wide-Spot Suite. Together all these pieces represent a single vision of the people of our town. There is a shared bravery and trust poured into the making of these portraits, and I hope that they show something of the struggles and joys of life in a small Appalachian town".

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday 9AM-5PM; Friday 9AM-4:30PM; Sunday 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Each Thursday, browse through the collection of salvaged architectural pieces such as doors and hardware, wood flooring and trim, pedestal sinks, light fixtures, and more.

The Carriage House at Greystone, 1300 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org

Classic movies to be shown this summer:
June 24: "North By Northwest" with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint
July 8 & 10: "The Sound of Music"
August 5 & 7: "Some Like It Hot"
August 13 & 14: "Gone with the Wind"
August 19: "West Side Story"

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

Korean artist Kwang-Young Chun (b. 1944) began work on his series of Aggregations in the 1990s. Today, he is recognized internationally for these sculptural forms. The basis of his work is individual, triangular, Styrofoam shapes. Individually, these shapes are minuscule. Taken together, however, their visual impact is immense. This concept of the aggregate is what drives Chun’s work.

The Styrofoam shapes are covered in Korean mulberry paper. In Korea, the paper is a mainstay and has many utilitarian uses from floor and window coverings to candy and medicinal wrappers. It also resonates with personal meaning for the artist, who recalls trips to an herbalist as a small child. Medicines wrapped in mulberry paper hung from the ceiling of the shop, the paper protecting the contents from dampness and insects.

Chun uses pages recycled from old books to cover the geometric forms. These pages are covered in Korean and Chinese characters, adding another layer of cultural and personal meaning. He hand ties the paper over each shape, twisting pages into string to complete the wrapping. In this way Chun is able to integrate traditional materials into a contemporary context.

There will be an exhibition preview party Thursday, June 9, 2011 from 5:30-7:30pm.
Curated by Susan Moldenhauer. Funded in part by the National Advisory Board of the UW Art Museum and the Wyoming Arts Council through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature.

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