Calendar of Events

An entertaining evening of the various writings of the Bard, presented during the summer in Market Square. An old blanket or lawn chair is all you need to view the free performances under the stars. Donations of $5 are always welcome. Performed on a rough replica of the new Globe Theatre in London (a reconstruction of Shakespeare’s original theatre), the plays will be presented in the timeless style of Elizabethan Theatre presentations. The Tennessee Stage Company encourages the audience to spend an evening on the Square: do a little shopping, have a nice dinner, see the play and maybe stop by a pub afterward. All of this and more is available on Market Square nightly. So come early and see the Square!

Thursday-Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM
“As You Like It” July 12, 14, 20, 22, 26 28, and Aug. 3, 5, 9, 11
“Julius Caesar” July 13, 15, 19, 22, 27, 29, and Aug.2, 4, 10, 12

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

When the schedule was being negotiated for the featured exhibits at the Shanks Center for the Arts, Crossville Tennessee, it was not expected that we would be in the midst of a heat wave. The natural temperature of caves in this area is mid-50 degrees F. So the original idea was that a gallery guest would experience the feeling of coolness at the exhibit. But now, the unusual heat wave, plus the un-air-conditioned Warehouse Gallery, has provided a need for more imagination on the part of viewer. Fortunately the exquisite photographs make up for the temperature difference.

Alan Cressler, a Georgia resident, is a professional photographer who accompanies Dr. Jan Simek, a Distinguished Professor of Science in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, into caves in the area of middle Tennessee. Together they have explored hundreds of caves, many of which have drawings that were made thousands of years ago as determined by carbon-dating charcoal from half-burned slivers of cane. Native American people who made the artwork did so at personal risk, crawling in some cases, miles underground with cane torches. Today’s explorations are not much easier, except that the researchers have helmets with lights to guide their way through the complete darkness, often in mud, water, or very tight places.

The Shanks Center for the Arts is exhibiting twenty-nine enlarged photographs in their Warehouse Gallery beginning July 5 and continuing until Friday August 31, 2012. The Shanks Center is located at 140 North Main Street, across from the Depot, Crossville, Tennessee. Business hours are Thursdays 10 - 7, Fridays & Saturdays 10 - 4, Central Daylight Time.

An exhibit featuring the talent of both the artists and the athletes.
3 photographers are showing their images:
Andrew Kornylak from Atlanta, GA
Janine Hill from London, UK
John May from Knoxville, TN

Opening reception - First Friday August 3, 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

A traveling exhibition about General Groves and includes insight into his family, West Point graduation, leadership style, personality and achievements in overseeing the Manhattan Project through eye-catching graphics and a 10-minute documentary film. AMSE Lobby.

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

A traveling exhibition that follows the progress of the crisis, when for 14 days in October in 1962, the U.S. and the Soviet Union faced each other in a standoff over the USSR's installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba. Artifacts, audiovisuals, and posters tell the story. 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

With guide commentary for U.S. citizens (10 years and up) with photo identification. This Public Bus Tour is offered Monday - Friday, once a day, except government holidays July 4 & 5. Bus Tour registration begins at 9 am, when AMSE opens. AMSE admission includes the DOE Facilities Public Bus Tour, when participants complete the Registration Sheet upon entering AMSE. Tour participants begin loading bus at 11:45 am, bus departs at 12 noon and returns to AMSE at 3 pm. Space is limited and some restrictions apply. Participants have four off-the-bus stops including Y-12 New Hope Visitor Center, Bethel Valley Church and Graphite Reactor, a national historic landmark, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the K-25 Overlook. Tour also includes a drive by of the Spallation Neutron Source.

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

Men's Work: Rickey Beene, Bill Capshaw and Charles (Chico) Osten will be featured at the Oak Ridge Art Center June 30 - August 12, 2012.
There will be an artists' reception on July 7, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, with a gallery talk at 6:30.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday through Monday 1:00 - 4:00 PM.

Oak Ridge Art Center
201 Badger Rd Oak Ridge, TN 37830
(865) 482-1441

THE ART BEHIND DESIGN
An Art and Design Exhibition & Cocktail Party! June 21, 2012, 5:00 - 8:00 PM

Alfred Williams & Company
716 Division Street, Nashville
Free Valet. Cocktails. H'ordeuvres. Music. All welcome.
$5 Suggested Donation benefiting
The American Institute of Architect's Community Partner.

Whether it's a brilliant idea on an old napkin, a beautiful hand-rendered sketch, or a delightfully intricate model, this exhibition will unearth and present the hidden artifacts of the art behind design. It's a rarity that an audience can formally experience the creative intimacy behind Nashville's most influential architects and interior designers.

The exhibition will highlight intriguing blueprints, sketches, photographs, models and various other fine art works by leading architects and designers. These are the ideas and outlets that amount to the aesthetic growth of our city and communities.

This will be Alfred Williams & Company's 5th quarterly, charitable art and design exhibition. 100% of donations and fine art proceeds will benefit Rebuilding Together Nashville, who's volunteers provide free rehabilitation and critical repairs to the homes of low-income Americans. Many of Nashville's flood victims have received significant help from this organization. Let's support them with a $5 suggested donation at the door.

Joining the festivities is Nashville's first mobile boutique, The Trunk as well as The Grilled Cheeserie. 10% of proceeds will benefit Rebuilding Together Nashville.

Dates of Exhibition: June 21- August 23. Free and open: M-F 9am-5pm.

Athens Area Council for the Arts announces its upcoming exhibit “CLASSWORK: ADULT STUDENTS OF THE ARTS CENTER 2011-12”. Exhibit dates are June 8 – August 24, 2012. AACA has been offering classes in the visual and performing arts at The Arts Center for children and adults since opening in 2005. This exhibit is intended to showcase works by adult students who have taken classes in the past year. A variety of media has been taught by an impressive array of instructors, including this year’s instructors Sandy Brown (watercolors), Joy Merckson (acrylics and drawing), Billie Stevens (stained glass), and Andy Phipps (clay). Many of the students were beginners who had never had a course in their chosen medium, while others have taken many classes at The Arts Center and other venues. A sampling of their works that were either done in class or while taking a class will be on display to show the impact The Arts Center has had on their art. Landscapes, abstracts, portraits, and other subject matter will reveal the extent of their training, as some of the students had never picked up a paint brush before beginning classes here, while others enrolled to improve their skills and explore new directions.

The Arts Center invites you to view this exhibit and be as amazed and as proud as we are by the abundance of talent present in our community. The public, artists, family and friends are also invited to attend the opening reception on Tuesday, June 12, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. The Arts Center instructors and many of the students will be on hand to talk about their experience and their art.

The Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or directions, call (423) 745-8781 or visit our website at www.athensartscouncil.org. All programs of AACA are funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission.

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.

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.