Calendar of Events

Historians have long mulled over the big and small questions surrounding the American Civil War. Scholars and enthusiasts alike look at the 1860s from every angle and still come up with new theories and ideas. As part of a four month sesquicentennial celebration of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, Knox County Public Library invites the public to join in a free five-part reading and discussion series called “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War.” The library is one of 65 public libraries nationwide receiving grants to host the book discussion series developed by the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Library has multiple copies available for check out of each of the three books being discussed. Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch as well as an appetite for meaningful discussion. All programs begin at noon and occur in the East Tennessee History Center Auditorium, 601 South Gay Street , Knoxville , Tennessee , 37902 :

November 2 at 12 PM, March (2005), by Geraldine Brooks

November 23 at 12 PM, Selections from America’s War: Talking about the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries (2011), by Edward L. Ayers

January 4 at 12:00 PM, Selections from America’s War: Talking about the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries (2011), by Edward L. Ayers

January 25 at 12:00 PM, Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam (2002), by James McPherson

February 22 at 12:00 PM, Selections from America’s War: Talking about the Civil War and Emancipation on their 150th Anniversaries (2011), by Edward L. Ayers

For more information about the series please visit www.knoxlib.org/lincoln or contact Mary Pom Claiborne, 865-215-8767.

November 1 - Dec. 30 "NOISE!" a traveling exhibition, features 10 interactive exhibits that take a playful look at the physics of sound waves, as well as how music and sound affects out mood. Appropriate for students in K-8. AMSE Second Level.

The American Museum of Science and Energy, located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am - 5 pm and Sunday 1 - 5 pm. Admission is Adults $5, Seniors (65+) $4, Students (6 - 17) $3 and Children (5 and under) free. Group rates are available for 20 or more with advance reservations. For more information on AMSE memberships, exhibits, programs, and special events, go to www.amse.org. To schedule a group visit, call AMSE at (865) 576-3200.

November 1 - Dec. 4 "Notable Trees of Tennessee" a photography exhibit of 36 trees selected by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. The trees photographed include different species, a cross section of both rural and urban locations throughout the state, and a mix of historic and live trees. Examples of leaf venation and cross section of tree species are displayed. AMSE Lobby

The American Museum of Science and Energy, located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge, is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am - 5 pm and Sunday 1 - 5 pm. Admission is Adults $5, Seniors (65+) $4, Students (6 - 17) $3 and Children (5 and under) free. Group rates are available for 20 or more with advance reservations. For more information on AMSE memberships, exhibits, programs, and special events, go to www.amse.org. To schedule a group visit, call AMSE at (865) 576-3200.

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

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

"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

WDVX Radio and the multi-talented Sean McCollough of The Lonetones and the John Myers Band have teamed up to create "Kidstuff," a fun and educational weekly radio show, airing Saturday mornings at 9:00 A.M. Kidstuff is a show full of high-quality music geared to the young and the young at heart. The show presents live and recorded music and will eventually include a live audience once a month. Listeners will hear traditional music and original music from a variety of genres, cultures, and even music performed by kids themselves.

WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-544-1029, www.wdvx.com

The Market Square Farmers’ Market is a open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, free-range meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee and artisan crafts.

Market Square District Association, Market Square | PO Box 2263, Knoxville, TN 37901. Information: 865-405-3135. knoxvillemarketsquare@gmail.com, www.knoxvillemarketsquare.com or www.marketsquarefarmersmarket.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