Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present "In Absence", an exhibition of new works by Brandon Woods, Emporium Center Artist-in-Residence from April – September 2011. The exhibition opens Friday, September 2, at 5:00 PM in the Balcony of the Emporium Center. This solo exhibition catalogs the six months of Woods’ residency and includes oil paintings and photography. Woods' work explores the imagery of abandoned buildings, portraying them as symptoms of a consumer-driven culture. In a society that is constantly changing, he views abandoned spaces as "tangible fragments of a discarded history...tossed aside and left to be forgotten in the wastelands of time". As a result, in this exhibition he hopes to illuminate mankind to their sense of loss in the face of consumerism and technology.

His process involves digital photography and graphic design software to create digital drawings on which he then bases his paintings. The finished work is minimalistic, incorporating simple forms and pure colors. "Ultimately, the finished paintings are silhouettes and caricatures of the actual environments," says Woods. "They are observations of a forgotten world through the eyes of modern technology, leaving us to ponder the fading memories of our culture, our definition of progress, and what we are willing forsake for it."

Brandon Woods was born in 1987 in Knoxville. He received his B.F.A. at Middle Tennessee State University. He is an award-winning artist, most recently receiving a Personal Development Support grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. For more information, visit his web site at www.brandonwoodsart.com.

Please note: the Emporium will be closed on Monday, September 5, for the holiday. Arts & Culture Alliance at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM. Information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com

HoLa Hora Latina is pleased to present “Frutos Latinos II”, an exhibition by Hispanic artists that live and work in the United States, particularly in the southeast region and the Knoxville area. The exhibition is hosted by the Arts & Culture Alliance at the Emporium Center and is on display in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage month in Knoxville and HOLA Festival on September 24. The exhibition opens Friday, September 2, at 5:00 PM in the main gallery of the Emporium Center. Fourteen artists will showcase works in the following media: oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic, collage, and more. These artists will also display small works at the Knoxville Museum of Art, opening September 15.

This exhibition shows the diversity of media and style produced by contemporary Hispanic artists who explore what it means to now live and work in the United States. The artists included in the exhibition are: Antuco Chicaiza (Ecuador); Rafael Casco (Honduras); Valeria Eiler (Chile); Astrid Galindo (Mexico); Jorge Gómez del Campo (Mexico); Stella C. Martin (Colombia); Aida Reyes (El Salvador); Dina Ruta (Argentina); Patricia Tinajero (Ecuador); Loren Velázquez (Puerto Rico); Eugenio Wade (Argentina); Patty Wade (Argentina); Ruth Chang White (Perú); and Jorge Yances (Colombia).

“Frutos Latinos II” will be displayed in the main gallery of the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on September 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, September 5, for the holiday. For more information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com.

Bliss Home will feature Todd Witcher for September’s First Friday. A reception will be held at Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, September 2. Witcher is executive director for Discover Life in America. DLIA is a small non-profit organization based in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its goal is to learn of all the species that call the Smokies their home and share the information with scientists and the public. With his nature-focused career, Witcher pulls from his surroundings to create his artwork. This month enjoy photographs of the Ferns of the Smokies. Each fern is a new scientific finding and the high-resolution photographs allow every detail to be seen. Witcher will be featured beginning September 2 and remain through the month.

For more information, contact Anne at anne@shopinbliss.com
Bliss; www.shopinbliss.com; 865-216-1237; 24 Market Square; Knoxville, TN 37902

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of watercolor paintings by local artist Thomas H. Windham. This collection of works chronicles the history, challenges, and accomplishments of this artist, who has a neuromuscular disorder that makes this exhibition special.

An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on September 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine.

Reception Sept. 2, 6:30-8:30 PM

213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; Saturday, 9AM-1PM. For information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityart.org

Art Market Gallery of Knoxville is pleased to present an exhibit of recent works by Gordon Fowler of Knoxville and Pat Delashmit of Maryville. Gordon Fowler is a wood artist who creates heirloom-quality bowls, platters and hollow forms using a woodturning lathe. Inspired by the symmetry and symbolism of circles, his primary focus is functional pieces, his favorite being the salad bowl: “Something that looks great on your countertop, feels wonderful when you pick it up and makes a dandy serving piece for your food; with a little care, it should last for generations.” Pat Delashmit is a fiber artist who creates woven tapestries, soft sculpture and mixed media pieces. Her primary focus is tapestry, and the inspiration for many these pieces is the East Tennessee landscape. She says, “The changing seasons, weather and light of each day are images that inspire me.” She works from photographs as well as scenes remembered or imagined.

A First Friday Reception for the exhibit is planned for September 2 from 5:30-9 pm with complimentary refreshments and live music. 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

Now on display at Farragut Town Hall, Farragut Arts Council member Pam Ziegler is showcasing her collection of "Woodland Creature and Dogwood Blossom Pottery" by Douglas James Ferguson. Founder of Pigeon Forge Pottery (which closed in 2000), Ferguson created internationally known handmade pottery for more than 50 years. In addition, Farragut resident Carlyle Urello has loaned her collection, "Butterflies of the World," by McCulloch.

For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist of the Month application, please contact Lauren Cox at lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057 or visit www.townoffarragut.org.

Featuring nineteenth century Tennessee-made earthenware and stoneware
Tennessee Turned: Earthenware and Stoneware Made in East Tennessee 1800-1900 is a major exhibition of nineteenth-century pots made in East Tennessee. This once-in-a-lifetime grouping of more than 200 distinctive regional pieces will make for an unforgettable exploration of this chapter of Tennessee history.
“This pottery, of which we are justifiably proud, provides a unique link in the continuum of the American potting tradition as it spread across the United States.”

The exhibit will explore all aspects of nineteenth-century pottery production in East Tennessee, as well as featuring comparative examples from other parts of the state. Visitors will learn how to “read” a pot, how a pot was made in the nineteenth-century, the difference between earthenware and stoneware, and the importance of pottery for households.

On Friday, June 3, ETHS will host the Smoky Mountain Pottery Festival at the History Center for an opening reception, pottery demonstrations, and a viewing of the Tennessee Turned exhibit. Two special “Pottery Day” events to be held June 25 and September 17 will invite the public to bring in pottery objects they may have in their families for possible identification and to be documented photographically for historical purposes.

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

Now in its fifth year, this world-class exhibition of 25 large-scale sculptures can be viewd in downtown Knoxville and the McGhee Tyson Airport. The 2011 exhibition juror will be John Henry and will feature up to 35 large-scale, outdoor sculptures. The selected sculptures will be exhibited in downtown Knoxville. For more information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com