Calendar of Events

Circle Modern Dance proudly presents Spectre at Relix Variety Theatre June 2nd at 8:00 PM and June 3rd at 3:00 PM

The dances of Spectre create art out of fears and uncertainties found in all of our lives, conscious and subconscious alike. They are a call to attention to these ghosts often lurking unseen, and a reminder that confrontation and may be a necessary means to transformation, from a being of fear to a being of spiraling light... Spectre is us... what remain of us when we fight and fail to defeat our own shadows. This performance helps further the mission of Circle Modern Dance to provide opportunities to area dancers, musicians, and performance artists to showcase their work. It is Circle’s philosophy that everyone is a dancer and every body has the right to dance.

Audiences will enjoy multi-dimensionality with video projection, aerial dance, visual art, drama, beautiful dance choreography, and unique use of the space inside Relix Variety Theatre, nestled in the Happy Holler district of North Knoxville.

In keeping with the mission statement to provide an opportunity for area dancers, choreographers, musicians, and performance artists to showcase their work, this show concept also offers Circle community dancers an energizing performance experience, interaction with audience members, as well as collaboration with other participating artists.

Circle Modern Dance is supporting the Cancer Support Community of East Tennessee with a portion of ticket sales for Spectre. Circle will also host a fundraiser for our growing organization needs with a raffle, silent auction, and Sunday brunch. This performance is appropriate for all ages. For any additional information, please contact Maria McGuire and Laura Burgamy, Spectre Directors, Circle Modern Dance, 865-309-5309. Visit us at circlemoderndance@gmail.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter (@CircleModern)

At Relix Variety Theatre 1208 N. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Tickets: 865-523-7521 or www.KnoxTIX.com.

Presented by the Heritage Center Guild, this is a major fundraiser for the Center & the social event of the season.

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 3/4 mile east of traffic light at the Highway 321 and 73 intersection towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

On Saturday June 2, 2012 Knoxville Zoo will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of our annual Zoofari event. Over the past 25 years Zoofari has grown to become the premier fundraising event for Knoxville Zoo. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization the zoo relies heavily on the generosity and support of donors and Zoofari raises vital funds for education, conservation and animal care programs.

This year’s Silver Safari will highlight the majestic giraffe. Funds raised will also support a new breeding program, which will bring calves back to Knoxville Zoo for the first time in over nine years.

The evening will honor the Zoofari founders with a nod back to the first safari themed event in 1988. The evening will begin at 6:30 with a cocktail hour and silent auction followed by a delicious seated dinner, incredible live entertainment and a live auction full of surprises. Please join us for an evening beneath the stars celebrating 25 years of vital support for Knoxville Zoo. Seating is limited to 450 guests so be sure to make your reservations early.

Knoxville Zoo
3500 Knoxville Zoo Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37914

For more information Contact Sharon Moore
zoofari@knoxville-zoo.org">www.knoxville-zoo.org/Zoofari@knoxville-zoo.org / 865-637-5331 ext. 310

The Smoky Mountain Blues Society has announced the Nolichucky Vineyard Blues Festival on June 2nd. Mark your calendar now for the best entertainment value anywhere around.

This year’s “Blues in Vineyard” Festival at Nolichucky Vineyard on June 2nd will be one great show. You are guaranteed to enjoy some of the best talent in the area, along with two outstanding acts from Chicago, while enjoying the beauty of the Nolichucky Vineyard on the banks of the beautiful Nolichucky River. The gates open at noon and the music starts at 2. The line up in order is Barry Faust and the Bearden Harp Dogs, The Austin Crum Experience, Jenna and her Cool Friends, Labron Lazenby and LA 3, Joe Moss, and Mac Arnold. The evening ends with a red, hot and blues close out ceremony around 11:00pm.

A ticket for more than 10 hours of music is $20 and only $15 if you get them during in month of April. There is a large pavilion in case of rain and you can cool river if it’s too hot. On-site camping is optional for all attendees. Food and drinks are available and coolers are allowed. Bring chairs or a blanket and comfortable shoes. If you plan on going in the river bring river shoes, a float and a towel.

The Vineyard is at exit 15 off I 81 about 50 miles from Knoxville. For ticket contact robhigg@charter.net. Smoky Mountain Blues Society is a 501 3 C that support a Veteran's outreach and 'Blues in the School' programs that focuses on inner city children. Information: 865-919-1788 or pdoka@comcast.net

The Frank H. McClung Museum will offer a new exhibit, "The Owl and the Woodpecker", which will introduce museum visitors to the most important species of owls and woodpeckers in North America, using spectacular photos, informative text, and evocative audio recordings to illustrate how these birds define and enrich the specific habitats on which they depend, and to highlight the critical importance of conserving those habitats.

"The Owl and the Woodpecker" is based on a book of the same title by Seattle photographer and author Paul Bannick, who is knkown for his intimate wildlife photography which supports environmental conservation efforts.

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

Knoxville Zoo offers one of only three chances to experience the zoo’s Close Encounters of the Wild Kind program this summer. Close Encounters of the Wild Kind gives visitors the chance to take an intimate behind-the-scenes tour and meet some high profile residents at Knoxville Zoo. Visitors can go off the beaten path to meet giraffes, penguins, or giant Aldabra tortoises during these special encounters. They also have the opportunity to touch or feed their new animal friend, talk with their keepers to learn about them and take a souvenir photo of their personal introduction. This Saturday, June 23rd, as well as Saturday, July 28th, and Saturday, September 1st, three different animal encounters will be offered; Giraffe Gatherings, where visitors can offer Jumbe, Lucille and Patches a leafy treat at 11:00 a.m., the Penguin Party which includes
a special appearance by Gypsy or Jello penguin at 1:00 p.m. and Tortoise Time, an encounter with loveable giant Aldabra tortoises Al, Stand-Up and Patches at 2:30 p.m.
Reservations are required for Close Encounters of the Wild Kind and can be scheduled by calling the zoo’s ticket office at (865) 637-5331, extension 361 or at the zoo’s ticket window upon arrival to the zoo. Each Close Encounter session is $20 per person, or $50 per person for all three encounters and reservations for each session are limited. Advanced reservations are highly recommended. General admission to Knoxville Zoo is not included in the price of each Close Encounter ticket.

Bliss Home will feature Stacey Fletcher for June's First Friday. A reception will be held at Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday June 1st.

Stacey Fletcher hails from Georgia where earned her B.F.A. from Valdosta University. Stacey then moved to Knoxville, where she currently resides, to earn her M.F.A. Stacey is a cathartic painter, and her paintings illustrate her emotions and frustrations. Her current paintings are more energetic and playful, because her new source of inspiration, her baby Kable Grey, causes her to paint with more color and vibrancy. Stacey has shown her work nationally and internationally.

Stacey's new colorful exhibit is viewable beginning June 1st and will remain through the end of the month.

For more information, please contact Scott at info@shopinbliss.com

“Out of the Frame, Off the Wall”
Gallery 1010, 113 South Gay Street, Knoxville, Tennessee
Opening Friday June 1st 6-9pm

“Out of the Frame, Off the Wall” will exhibit artists whose work utilizes non-traditional forms of display that do not easily exist within the frame, or are of a sculptural nature, to create oversized or three-dimensional works of art. Each artist translated the use of paper in a unique way, and the exhibition will include: paper-casting, book-works, layered paper with cut-outs, 3D computer modeling, a wooden wheel that prints, preserved specimens, sewn paper, 3D optical images, matchboxes, and box designs.

“Out of the Frame, Off the Wall” integrates the print and paper work of University of Tennessee artists with international artists from Wales, Canada, and Mexico, as well as artists throughout the United States including New York, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Curated by UTK Students Jennifer Scheuer, Allison Olmstead and Katie Woodby, the show was inspired by the curators’ interest in celebrating the three-dimensional construction of graphic works.

For further information or additional images please contact Jennifer Scheuer at jenscheuer@yahoo.com or by phone 320-333-0866.

Evelyn Bryant and Sharon Webb, both artists with the Townsend Artisan Guild will show their work in the Denso Gallery at the Clayton Center for the Arts the month of June. The Gallery is open 9-6 Monday through Friday. Bryant and Webb will be showing pieces inspired by their love of the Smoky Mountains. There will be a reception during Last Friday Art Walk from 5-8 pm.

Bryant’s sculptures represent the beauty and struggle of the mountains. She does stylized sculpture and enhances her work by making her own glazes and using Raku firing which adds more texture and indigenous colors found in the mountains. Bryant says, “ My work continues to change and mature as I learn new methods.” Some of her works include large mixed media ponies and Native Americans.

Webb is a wildlife and nature inspired artist in both sculpting and painting. Growing up in East Tennessee helped shape her artistic direction. Her goal with each sculpture is to express the feeling and presence of the animal while capturing a moment frozen in time. Some of her sculpture portrays the tension between wildlife and the viewer. A quirk of the head, an attitude or a glint in the eye gives life to the form and makes the sculpture realistic and appealing. “When I am hiking the trails of the Smoky Mountains or on a family camping trip, the artist in me is always on the alert for new inspiration.” says the artist.

Townsend Artisan Guild brings working professional fine artists and fine craftsmen together in Blount, Sevier, Knox, Sullivan and more Counties of East Tennessee. www.townsendartisanguild.net

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Info: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

The University of Tennessee School of Art is pleased to announce a two-part series beginning this summer at the UT Downtown Gallery called On Location. This series explores traditional and non-traditional artistic approaches to interpreting the landscape. June’s exhibition will feature the works of “Five Tennessee Plein-air Painters” and July’s exhibition; “Land Portrait,” is a collection of multi-media works.

First in our series: These five artists have traveled the world exercising their craft by interpreting their experiences with brush and canvas in a quick, bravado style of painting. Each artist has been recognized across the country by galleries and arts organizations for their dedication and talent in the craft of painting on location, or “en plein-air." The five invited artists are: Roger Dale Brown, Anne Blair Brown, Lori Putnam, Brett Weaver and Dawn Whitelaw.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 1, from 5-9pm

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM; Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

A few months back, "2 Many Pixels gallery" was asked by the curators of the Knoxville Museum of Art to prepare a companion show to their "STREETWISE-Masters of the sixties" photo-exhibit. As a result and after months of research and photo-editing, "2 Many Pixels" is presenting "STREETWISE-Knoxville" featuring the work of 4 photographers (Don Dudenbostel, Lauren Lee, Martin Klima, Julie Oglesby) who captured the streets of our city from the mid-1960's to the present. The 90 photographs presented on June 1 are an artistic yet informative visual representation of the city of Knoxville through the past 50 years.

Hope to see you all for the opening on First Friday June 1, from 6pm to 9:30pm!

130 West Jackson Avenue, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37902. The gallery is open weekdays 10 am to 5 pm and after hours or weekends by appointment at 917 532 4913 or patrice@2manypixelsphoto.com

The Gallery at Main Street, located at First Baptist Church in downtown Knoxville, will feature regional artisans at its inaugural art exhibition on June 1. The exhibition will feature predominantly floral art. Mediums represented will include watercolors, oils, stained glass, acrylics, quilts, steel, photography, woodcarvings, and pottery. Two commissioned artisans, Darlene Bakos and Mike Oliver, will be exhibiting. The exhibition serves as an opportunity for artisans to exhibit their art or handcrafted items and also allows the public to tour the historic church listed on the National Register of Historic Places and one of Knoxville's most beautiful structures. The gallery will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on Friday, June 1. First Baptist Church is located at 510 W. Main Ave., next to the City-County Building.
More information on The Gallery at Main Street can be found at http://www.galleryatmain.com; 865-546-9661.