Calendar of Events

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Beverly Semmes: Starcraft June 8-September 9, 2012.

Semmes, a Brooklyn-based artist, is known internationally for her unique multi-media installations. She challenges the conventional definitions of craft and “women’s work” by creating completely non-functional pieces out of traditional materials such as fabric, clay and glass.

The KMA hosts a preview party Thursday, June 7, from 5:30-7:30pm. The party is free and open to the public and includes a cash bar. Semmes will host a gallery talk earlier that day at 4pm, and will attend the preview party as well.

The Knoxville Museum of Art 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.

Featuring Memoirist, novelist and journalist Bryan Charles

The event is open to the public and is held at the Laurel Theater at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Street in Fort Sanders. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. Additional parking is available at Redeemer Church of Knoxville, 1642 Highland Ave. Additional information about the KWG can be found at www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

Novelist Bryan Charles has experienced a life-changing journey from a small town in Michigan to the fall of the World Trade Center before landing in Knoxville. Charles will share his experiences and how it affects his creativity at the upcoming Knoxville Writers Guild meeting on Thursday, June 7.

The event, which will be open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. at the Laurel Theater, at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16th Street in Fort Sanders. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. Additional parking is available at Redeemer Church of Knoxville, 1642 Highland Ave.

Charles grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and followed a wave of post-collegiate creative energy to New York City. His dreams of being a writer led him to a job at Morgan Stanley in the World Trade Center. But that dream changed on Sept. 11, 2001. After he escaped the attacks and the collapse of the towers, Charles quit his job to devote his time to writing. He got his master’s degree in fine arts from Brooklyn College in 2003.

His first novel, “Grab On To Me Tightly As If I Knew the Way” was published by Harper Collins in 2006. Then he set out to publish a definitive memoir about his experiences, including his escape from the twin towers on 9/11. The result of that effort is “There’s A Road to Everywhere Except Where You Came From,” released in 2010.

Additional information about the Knoxville Writers’ Guild can be found at www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

Children's Mystery Theatre 'The Case of the Haunted Theatre'
June 7, 2012 2:00pm
$5.00

At the Creative Arts Co-op Visual & Performing Arts Center
426 Ruritan Road
Harriman, TN (Roane County)

This interactive children's mystery gets the audience in the act! Join our detectives as they solve yet another mystery - without the benefit of a giant canine mascot. Great for children of all ages.

For more information or to make reservations, please contact the Creative Arts Co-op at 865/765-1129 or visit www.creativeartsco-op.com.

Nikon Small World recognizes excellence in photomicrography, honoring images that successfully showcase the delicate balance between difficult scientific technique and exquisite artistic quality. Among this year's top five images, including the green lacewing larva, are a blade of grass, Melosira Moniliformis/living specimen; intrinsic flourescence in liverwort and a microchip surface/3D construction.

Additional information on this exhibition can be found at www.nikonsmallworld.com or follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter@nikonsmallworld

The exhibit will run from June 1 through August 5, 2012.

The American Museum of Science and Energy, located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge, is open Monday - 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) no charge. For more information on AMSE memberships, exhibits, programs and events, visit www.amse.org To schedule a group visit, call AMSE at
(865) 576-3218.

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