Calendar of Events

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders are more evident in our society than ever, with an annual growth rate of 10-17% accounting for as many as 1 of 70 boys and 1 of 110 girls. For families and caregivers, the diagnosis can mean a significant change in lifestyle and personal outlook. Knox County Public Library is pleased to partner with three authors of a new book, I might be … you, to present a monthly series on Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. The series, which begins Monday, August 15 at 6:00 p.m. at Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave, is designed specifically for caregivers, families, educators, and practitioners. Each session will include three 30-minute presentations given by each author, who has a different view of Autism: a parent, a woman diagnosed with Autism, and a practitioner. Refreshments will be served, and there will be time for a brief question and answer period at the end of each program. The series is free and open to the public. For more information, please call (865) 215-8767.

Schedule and Program:
The A Word: What is Autism? August 15
“Inside Autism” Mary Donnet Johnson
An experiential exploration that offers novel ways to understand both the challenges and strengths of people with autism through the use of interactive props and exercises.

“Justice for All” Barb Rentenbach
I am not here to convince you that I am here. I am here that you may hear, “I might be…you.”

“What We Know from Those We Know” Lois Prislovsky, Ph.D.
Practical implications for parents, teachers, practitioners and those who struggle with ASD. Rethinking roles, expectations, intervention strategies, and empowerment.

The Diagnosis - September 19
“Learning to Breathe Again (Resilient Reactions to a Serious Diagnosis)” Mary Donnet Johnson
Find the flipside of challenges and create true happiness out of even the darkest moments. Learn how to get back in touch with your own precious life force and joy. Breathe. Laugh. Discover new coping techniques in an instant that can last for a lifetime.

“Purpose and Perseverence” Barb Rentenbach.
Know your part. Be your part. Play your part with pride and conviction. Hold your head up and project your voice.

“Transitioning from Overwhelmed to Overcome to Overabundance – Training for the Triathlon of Parenting a Child with ASD” Lois Prislovsky, Ph.D.
Exercises and discussions promoting self care to maximize the mind-body connection to improve stamina, the immune system, relationships, alertness, joy, and overall
quality of life while decreasing anxiety and depression.

Your Team -- October 17
“Make Every Team an A-Team” Mary Donnet Johnson
When working with a child with special needs, even the most well-intentioned team can become divisive and ineffectual. Yet, within every challenge there is almost always an opportunity to build and/or re-energize a team and boost a child.

“Teacher, please” Barb Rentenbach
An insider’s perspectives on the dos and please don’ts of teaching students with autism

“Treat Me” Lois Prislovsky, Ph.D.
Encouraging psychologists and other practitioners to adapt best practices for ASD treatments that include transparency, accountability, mental freshness,
humility, and collaborative equality with families and individuals with ASD (empowering parents to be more informed psychoeducational consumers).

Life Everlasting -- November 21
“Here Come Hormones!" Mary Johnson
Coping with a Teen on the Autism Spectrum” Mary Donnet Johnson
Eating, sleeping, privacy, self care, exercise, self-image, social life, age-appropriate activities, aggression, meds, and backtalk (even from nonverbal children). Learn how you can guide your child with autism through the agony of adolescence and live to tell the tale.

“Connection” Barb Rentenbach
Overcoming communication, behavioral, and isolation difficulties – a plan for living with autism and everyone else.

“Finding Purpose Through Service Evaporates Isolation” Lois Prislovsky, Ph.D.
Pity is not empowering. Let it go. Connecting with individuals with ASD to help them visualize and actualize their highest potential. Non-patronizing, respectful approaches to communication, motivation, and goal setting are highlighted.

The Oak Ridge Art Center announces their annual juried, mixed media exhibition. The exhibition is intended to showcase exceptional work produced throughout our region.

The opening reception is September 17 at 7 PM. A gallery talk will precede the opening at 6:30. Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Lucy Maud Montgomery's enduring classic of love, fun, friendship, and sacrifice on Prince Edward Island has all the story's famous characters: Marilla, Gilbert, Diana, Matthew, and more.

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

CTK will present “Anne of Green Gables,” a warmly funny
and touchingly dramatic play based on the classic novel by
Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are a lonely brother and sister,
who work tirelessly on their farm in rural Nova Scotia.
They decide to adopt a boy to help them, but Matthew
can’t resist an imaginative, headstrong girl he meets at
the orphanage. She is Anne Shirley, a fiercely independent
girl with red hair and freckles. Anne’s adventures with her
school friends, her on-again, off-again flirtation with
Gilbert Blythe, her struggles to fit into Canadian society,
and her triumphs as well as her failures are all brought
vividly to life by 18 remarkable young actors. In this
multi-layered, modern version, Anne’s story serves as
an escape for a young girl, reading the book, proving
the plot of “Anne of Green Gables” is as relevant today
than ever.

THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is:
Friday, September 16 at 7 PM
Saturday, September 17 at 1 PM and 5 PM
Sunday, September 18 at 3 PM
Thursday, September 22 at 7 PM
Friday, September 23 at 7 PM
Saturday, September 24 at 1 PM and 5 PM
Sunday, September 25 at 3 PM
Thursday, September 29 at 7 PM
Friday, September 30 at 7 PM
Saturday, October 1 at 1 PM and 5 PM.

Reservations are strongly recommended for all CTK
performances. To reserve tickets for the production,
e-mail the number of adult and child tickets needed,
along with your requested performance date and time, to
tickets@childrenstheatreknoxville.com at any time. Or
you may call us at (865) 599-5284 between the hours
of 1 PM and 5 PM.
Tickets are $12 per person. CTK is continuing our special
Adult & Child Combination rate for this production: If an
adult and a child enter together, these two may be admitted
for $10 each.

Traveling Exhibition: "Common People in Uncommon Times: The Civil War Experience in Tennessee"

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Townsend, TN 37882.
Hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday
Closed on Sunday
For Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

Exhibit by Hispanic artists that live and work in the U.S., particularly in the Southeast region and the Knoxville area.

Opening: October 14, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Exhibit: Sept. 15 through Nov. 5, 2011

It might seem impossible to condense the three-plus-millennium history of Chinese writing into one art show, but a new exhibit opening at Pellissippi State Community College accomplishes the feat with both style and substance.

“The Genesis of Chinese Writing and the Art of Calligraphy” debuts Sept. 15 and remains on exhibit through Sept. 21. Free and open to the community, the exhibit features 12 panels depicting the history of Chinese writing, as well as a collection of works that pay homage to the symbolism and beauty of the ancient art of calligraphy. Together, the separate components represent a concise yet comprehensive survey of all the major script types—from the earliest ceramic signs, symbols and oracle bone script to the simplified Chinese characters used today.

SuiWah Chan and He BingWu are the artists behind the works on display. Chan is an associate of the Confucius Institute and the China Mirror Project at the University of Michigan . BingWu, a master artist, is a professor and the director of the Institute of Ancient Texts at the Academy of Social Sciences in Xian, Shaanxi province. Though his works are widely published in China , this calligraphy exhibit is BingWu’s first in the United States .

Reception: Sun. Sept. 11, 2-4:30pm

Public Lecture: Thurs. October 27, 7:30pm

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

"Windows to Heaven: Treasures from the Museum of Russian Icons, Clifton, MA" brings together historically significant works from the collection, dating from 1590 AD to present day. This spectacular exhibition helps demonstrate how religious structures and organizations are created by civilizations to reflect their own spiritual, social and political needs.

Frank H. McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN
Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

The 13th Biennial International Juried Enamel Exhibition and the 8th International Juried Student Exhibition are hosted at Arrowmont in conjunction with The Enamelist Society conference 2011; Transformation in Contemporary Enamels, Alchemy. The exhibition premiers at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts then travels to the Knoxville Museum of Art and on to the National Ornament Metal Museum. 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

Do you LOVE the movie Gone With the Wind? Then you HAVE TO SEE the play Moonlight & Magnolias at the Clarence Brown! True Story: Three weeks into production, David O. Selznick shut the movie down and fired the screenwriter and director. He then pulled director Victor Fleming off the set of The Wizard of Oz and hired script doctor Ben Hecht. With A WEEK to get the job done, he locked himself, Hecht and Fleming in his office – with only bananas and peanuts to eat – to knock out a workable screenplay.
The comedy, Moonlight & Magnolias, imagines what went on during those days of captivity as the three Hollywood giants acted out the book chapter by chapter to create the movie. The show runs on the Clarence Brown Theater main stage from September 8-25, 2011. Caution: Peanuts and PG-13 language will be used in the show. If you have a peanut allergy, please consider not attending this production.

Clarence Brown Theatre 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

The Athens Area Council for the Arts is pleased to present “The Space Between”, an exhibit of artwork by Toneeke Runinwater Henderson, September 7 – October 28, 2011, at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, in Athens, Tennessee.

The public is invited to meet the artist at an opening reception at The Arts Center on Friday, September 16, 2011 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

Toneeke was born and spent her early years in the West before moving to Florida as a teen. She flourished in the prominent art communities there and was encouraged by famed wildlife artist, Guy Coheleach, and Bill Grinstead, known for his floral paintings and painting knife oils. A long time resident of Calhoun , Tennessee , Toneeke has gained a measure of regional and national recognition for her eclectic and prolific approach to her art. Working in almost all media, she has made each her own as she experiments, combines, and synthesizes her life’s experience. From delicate watercolor landscapes to large scale textural assemblages, she strives to exceed boundaries and explore the “challenges of her heart and mind”. Manipulated photography, sculptures using traditional and found media, and texturized acrylic paintings are all used to define thoughts and explore ideas. Also a spiritual therapist, certified in several techniques, she uses these skills to encourage self-healing through art classes designed to help others remove creative blocks or work through issues by the process of directional and meditational art therapy.

The Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or directions, call The Arts Center at 423-745-8781, or visit the website at www.athensartscouncil.org.