Calendar of Events

Jean Hess presents works “Surface Calm” at Clayton Center for the Arts Blackberry Gallery. “Surface Calm” uses surface as a surprise factor. Hess builds up 30-40 layers of resin, paint and phosphorescent dust. According to the artist, “ The depth of the layers hels refract light up from lower layers so there is a kind of glow that one could not achieve with a single layer.” Themes in the artists’ work include geometric patterns inspired by her gandfather’s fabric designs, a lifelong interest in botanical structure of flowers and plants, old family documents such as old school textbooks. To the artist, the issue of meaning involves the artists’ belief set, what the work of art is about and the viewer’s response. “Because of these three very different takes on works of art and their place in the social dialogue, it is very hard for me to claim that my own work has the same meaning to me as another. ….So the show title “Surface Calm” means one thing to me and perhaps many other things to viewers. “ says Hess.

The Blackberry Farm Gallery at Clayton Center for the Arts is one of two art galleries open to the public daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Info: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

November 1-27 Art Market Gallery of Knoxville is
pleased to present an exhibit of recent works by Lil Clinard of Loudon and
Elaine Fronczek of Knoxville.

Award-winning watercolor and acrylic painter Lil Clinard strives to express
her response to the natural world through brush stroke, texture, color,
light and composition rather than the control of photographic detail.
Fiber artist Elaine Fronczek fashions clothing and home décor items from
unique fabrics that she creates through a process called wet felting, a
method that dates back over 8000 years that she often combines with the more
modern technique of needle felting.

A First Friday Reception for the exhibit is planned for November 4 from
5:30-9 pm with complimentary refreshments and live music.
Member owned and operated by over 60 regional artists, Art Market Gallery is
located at 422 South Gay Street in Knoxville next to the Downtown Grill &
Brewery. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am-6 pm & Sunday 1-5 pm.
For more information, call 865-525-5265, visit artmarketgallery.net or join
us on facebook: facebook.com/Art.Market.Gal

Conceived by Rebecca Feldman; Music and Lyrics by William Finn; Book by Rachel Sheinkin; at the Carousel Theatre. This Tony Award winning musical comedy that's a hit with critics and audiences alike! Six lovable nerds, in the throes of puberty, battle for a spelling championship that is a perfect evening of musical F-U-N. Who knows? YOU may find yourself Season Ticketson stage!

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 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee plays October 27 through November 13 in the Carousel Theatre. This delightful new musical is a real time event where ten finalists compete for the chance to go to the national spelling bee in Washington DC. Through the course of the bee we get up close and personal with all the contestants and learn of their dreams and challenges. As participants gradually are eliminated we see the trials and tribulations of adolescence in high comic relief.

The Tony award winning musical was based upon C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E, an original improvisational play created by Rebecca Feldman and performed by The Farm, a New York-based improvisational comedy troupe. It opened on Broadway in 2005 and ran until January 2008. The musical is now produced in theatres across the country to rave reviews!

OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 13 Carousel Theatre.

“A WRINKLE IN TIME” PLAYS THROUGH NOVEMBER 5. CTK will present a special Halloween event: “A Wrinkle In Time,” a time-warping and space-bending play based on the Newberry Award-winning novel by MadelineL‘Engle, on weekends through November 5. Meg Murry has always felt like a misfit, especially since her father disappeared five years ago, while working on a top secret project for NASA. Her only friend is herbrother Charles Wallace, a six-year-old prodigy who hidesa secret of strange psychic powers. In one breath taking week, however, Meg meets three mysterious time-traveling ladies, battles a mysterious force called The Black Thing, travels to another galaxy, battles The Man With Red Eyes, comes face-to-face with a horrible entity called IT, and then meets the cutest and smartest boy ever! “A Wrinkle In Time” is a special family-friendly Halloween event, with just the right mix of creepiness, humor, and thought-provoking entertainment for the Halloween season. THE COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is: Thursday, October 27 at 7 PM, Friday, October 28 at 7 PM, Saturday, October 29 at 1 PM and 5 PM Thursday, November 3 at 7 PM, Friday, November 4 at 7 PM, Saturday, November 5 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 of10 AM 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.The play is being performed at CTK’s theatre in downtown Knoxville, located at 800 Tyson Street.

The universe is under attack by The Black Thing. Meg's father has been kidnapped and is trapped on the alien planet of Camazotz. A man with red eyes has hypnotized Charles, and he's now under the control of a giant, disembodied brain named IT. A sci-fi classic for Halloween, based on the Newberry-winning novel by Madeline L'Engle.

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

In observance of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is hosting an exhibition from the Tennessee State Museum, Common People in Uncommon Times: The Civil War in Tennessee. The exhibition focuses on how the war affected the lives of Tennesseans through personal stories of participants whose sagas illustrate a land divided.

The narrative of personal struggle and endurance during the Civil War is presented on 10 graphic panels taken from the State Museum’s collection of photographs and artifacts from the era, as well as from other collections across the state. Each panel portrays a different theme: Confederate leaders, Union leaders, African-Americans, civilian home front, common soldiers, war on the water, reconstruction and commemoration.

Admission to the special exhibition is included in the museum admission price, and free for Heritage Center members. For current hours and admission rates, visit www.gsmheritagecenter.org

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

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

"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

Featuring artists John Bissonette, Brian Jobe, and Greg Pond. Contemporary Focus is an annual KMA series that serves as a vital means of recognizing, supporting, and documenting the development of contemporary art in East Tennessee. Each year the series presents emerging artists who work in new and experimental ways. Contemporary Focus 2011 features three artists who work through different methods but share an aesthetic concern exploring concepts of space in innovative ways. John Bissonette uses traditional materials such as paint and canvas to produce colorful scenes of urban decay. His images reference banners or flags from abandoned storefronts and display windows once used to attract the attention of passersby, but now exist as mute abstract shapes. Brian Jobe transforms three-dimensional objects using brightly colored zip-ties. The thousands of ties extend otherwise ordinary objects into new, imposing forms. Greg Pond works with computer technology to program interactive, responsive sculptures, often using sound as a primary medium. His structures act as generative bases for tracking, manipulating, and projecting sounds made by audience members as they move through the exhibition space.

Opening reception is Thursday, August 25. KMA members are invited from 6-7pm, with the event opening to the public at 7pm. Artists will be on hand for questions and a cash bar will be provided.

Throughout the run of Contemporary Focus 2011, each artist will present a lecture or workshop about their artwork:
Saturday, September 17, 1-4pm Artist in Action with Greg Pond
Friday, September 23, 1-4pm Artist in Action with Brian Jobe
Wednesday, October 19, noon-1pm, Dine & Discover with John Bissonette
Saturday, October 22, 1-4pm, Artist in Action with John Bissonette

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Friday, 10AM-8PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org