Calendar of Events

On Tuesday, January 10, UT anthropologist Jan Simek will speak about the petroglyph cave in Cumberland County. This cove is reported to contain more than 500 Native American petroglyphs, the largest number yet discovered in any one place.

According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, "What makes this cave in Middle Tennessee remarkable is that it contains what's believed to be the richest assemblage of prehistoric Indian art in North America. Over the last 12 years, archeologists have surveyed and mapped more than 500 rock engravings - or petroglyphs - inside the cave, and they expect to find more. To protect these cultural resources, The Nature Conservancy and volunteers from local caving clubs recently spent the better part of a week building a steel gate at the mouth of the cave, whose name and location must remain anonymous."

The meeting will take place in the Green Room of the The Palace Theater, 113 W. Broadway, Maryville, TN. at 12:00 noon. Lunch will be provided for a small donation.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Exhibit
Knoxville Museum of Art executive director David Butler, sales manager Diane Hamilton, and administrator Shirley Brown present "The Spirit of Place: Landscapes That Resonate."
January 7, 2012 through March 2, 2012
Opening reception Friday, January 7, from 6 to 7:30 pm; artists' talks at 7 pm
Free and open to the public
Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new group exhibition opening Friday, January 6, at 5:00 PM in the Balcony of the Emporium Center featuring seven regional artists:

- Pamela Neal Almeling (Knoxville) - Contemporary abstract impressionist paintings; http://penstudio.carbonmade.com

- Terrie Boruff-Yeatts (Knoxville) - Oil paintings that revisit the characters of Alice in Wonderland; www.terrieyeatts.com

- Tony Henson (Kingsport) - Abstract paintings that express emotion through liquid color, movement, and texture; www.tonyhensonart.com

- Chuck Jensen (Crossville) – Large, abstract paintings featuring vibrant acrylic colors; www.chuckswoodstock.com

- Barry McManus (Louisville) – Serious, humorous, and varied photographic tryptichs.

- Sue Messer (Dandridge) - Oil, watercolor and acrylic works featuring the Great Smoky Mountains; www.suesfineart.com

- Jalyn B. Weston (Sweetwater) - A depiction of the dreams of a future paleontologist.

The group exhibition will be displayed in the Balcony at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from January 6-27, 2011. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on January 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hours d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, January 7, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Thursday 1/5, Jack Herranen and the Little Red Band

Friday 1/6, Jack Rentfro Ben Maney and Friends

Monday 1/9, Carolina Still

Tuesday 1/10, The Ragbirds, Pat Hull115 Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Wednesday 1/11, Wallace Coleman

Thursday 1/12, Acoustic Burgoo, Tumbleweed Company

Friday 1/13, Jerry Butler and the Blu-J's

Saturday 1/14, The Sarah Mac Band

Monday 1/16, Julia Haltigan, Freddie Stevenson

Wednesday 1/18, Miss Tess, Conservation Theory

Thursday 1/19, Mando Saenz, Clark Paterson

Friday 1/20, Hot Shot Freight Train, Tenn Pound Hammer

Saturday 1/21, Fred Eaglesmith

Monday 1/23, TheSpinning Leaves

Tuesday 1/24, Chet Vincent

Thursday 1/26, Jim Hurst

Friday 1/27, Wise Old River

Saturday 1/28, Little Johnny Kantreed

January 2-29, Art Market Galley of Knoxville is pleased to present an exhibit of recent works by Nelson Ziegler of Sevierville and Hollie LaRue of Maryville.

Nelson Ziegler will be exhibiting a collection of his wood turned works. An accomplished painter for over thirty years, he has been turning wood since 1994 and merges his turning and painting skills into his wood works by carving and painting the surface of his wood turned pieces.

Hollie LaRue will be exhibiting a collection of her paintings which are minimalist compositions rendered in Encaustic, one of the oldest forms of painting. She creates her paintings by layering multiple coats of beeswax (which she procures from local beekeepers) with acrylic resins and oil paints. Ms. LaRue also teaches art in the Knox County school system.

A First Friday Reception for the exhibit is planned for January 6 from 5:30-9 pm with complimentary refreshments and live music.

Art Market Gallery is located a 422 South Gay Street in Knoxville next to the Downtown Grill & Brewery. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm and Sunday 1-5 pm. For more information, call 865-525-5265, visit artmarketgallery.net or join us on facebook: facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery

Thursday 12/22
Wade Hill and the Hillians

Friday 12/23
Todd Steed and the Christmas Sons

Saturday 12/24
Robert Anderson
Bella Corda Children's Ensemble

Tuesday 12/27
The Harp Dogs

Wednesday 12/28
The Skipperdees

Friday 12/30
Oona Love
Barstool Romeos

Saturday 12/31
Naughty Knots

Tuesday 1/3
Barbara Lamb
Caroline Doctorow

Wednesday 1/4
WestWend

Friday 1/6
Jack Rentfro and Ben Maney

Monday 1/9
Carolina Still

Tuesday 1/10
The Ragbirds
Pat Hull

Wednesday 1/11
Wallace Coleman

Thursday 1/12
Acoustic Burgoo
Tumbleweed Company

Friday 1/13
Jerry Butler and the Blu-J's

Saturday 1/14
The Sarah Mac Band

Drawing from the Museum's extensive collection of ornithological prints, Curator Gerald Dinkins has selected 90 examples of aquatic bird prints by ten artists. In general, the term waterbirds is used to describe species within several worldwide families, and includes the vast array of sea birds and waterfowl. The artists represented are Eleazar Albin (1713-1759), Mark Catesby (1682-1749), Xaviero Manetti (1723-1784), Alexander Wilson (1766-1813), John James Audubon (1785-1851), Prideaux John Selby ((1788-1867), John Gould (1804-1881), Daniel Giraud Elliot (1835-1915), Henry Eeles Dresser (1838-1915), and Rex Brasher (1869-1960). All of the prints are hand-colored and comprise engravings, lithographs, and in the case of Brasher, photogravure.

The following taxonomic groups are represented: Alcidae (Auks, Murres, and Puffins), Procellariiformes (Tubenoses, including Albatrosses, Storm Petrels, Petrels, and Shearwaters), Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans), Stercorariidae (Jaegers), Gaviidae (Loons), and Podecipedidae (Grebes). Many of the artworks depict birds interacting in their natural settings, and show the two worlds they occupy – water and sky.

Frank H. McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

The Knoxville Museum of Art celebrates the season with the first-ever holiday display in the Thorne Miniature Rooms, on view until early January 2012.

East Tennessee miniature artisans and Thorne Room experts Annelle Ferguson and Jolie Gaston designed a display which includes eight period vignettes representing the American home during the holidays. The vignettes contain a variety of 1/12 scale furnishings, many of which are adorned with miniature needlework in the form of quilts, samplers, rugs, tablecloths, and chair seats hand crafted by Ferguson. In addition, Ferguson and Gaston transformed one of the KMA’s nine Thorne Miniature Rooms, the Victorian Parlor, by adorning it with a selection of miniature Christmas toys and a small decorated tree based on mid-19th century English designs.

The Knoxville Museum of Art's Thorne Rooms are among America's most well-known miniature diorama groups. They were developed in the 1930s and 40s by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago. The Knoxville Museum of Art is one of five museums in the country to have a collection of Thorne Rooms.

The museum is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World’s Fair Park and is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10 am–5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm-5 pm. Admission and parking are free. For more information, contact Angela Thomas at 865.934.2034 or visit www.knoxart.org.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present its National Juried Exhibition of 2011, a new exhibition featuring selected works from 38 artists in the Southeast and Midwest . The National Juried Exhibition was developed in 2006 to provide a forum for local artists to compete on a national scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition features both traditional and non-traditional work and will be displayed at the Emporium Center Gallery from December 2, 2011 - January 27, 2012. A public reception will take place on Friday, December 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM with a brief awards ceremony at 6:00 PM in which $1,000 in cash awards will be announced.

The reception on Friday, December 2, is free and open to the public, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served. The National Juried Exhibition of 2011 is on display December 2, 2011 - January 27, 2012 at the Emporium Center , 100 S. Gay Street , downtown Knoxville . Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturdays, December 3 and January 7, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Please note that the Emporium will be closed December 22 – January 1. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit our Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

An exhibition, utilizing audiovisuals and interactives, to explain a major international research project with the goal of demonstrating the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. The U.S. ITER Project Office is hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, with partners Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in New Jersey and Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina. AMSE Second Level.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM; Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

The Knoxville Museum of Art Celebrates Elementary School Art Programs and features Ritta Elementary School through January 29, 2012 in the
Art Education Gallery .

Students in grades K-5 from the East Tennessee region, under instruction of their art teachers, created artworks around different themes, personal expressions and classroom lessons. The students at Ritta Elementary studied Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portraits with Crazy Hair, and Color Wheels. The KMA recognizes the creative efforts of these talented young students, and the invaluable opportunities made possible for them by their dedicated teachers, Bobby Mooring and Lori Sloan.

The museum is located in downtown Knoxville at 1050 World's Fair Park and is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 10 am -5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm-5 pm. Admission and parking are free. For more information, contact Angela Thomas at 865.934.2034 or visit www.knoxart.org.

Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War examines how President Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the Civil War - the secession of Southern states, slavery, and wartime civil liberties. The exhibition is composed of informative panels featuring photographic reproductions of original documents including a draft of Lincoln's first inaugural speech, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Thirteenth Amendment. Most importantly the exhibit helps visitors understand why Lincoln's struggle with the Constitution still matters today.

Admission to this exhibition and the museum is free.
East Tennessee History Center | November 20, 2011 - January 13, 2012