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.

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.

Open Monday - Saturday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Features selections from the History Center's collection of works from the 1800s to the 1900s. Extended through October 14, 2012.
Exhibition open daily, Mon. - Fri. 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Sat. 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM,
Sun. 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Admission: ETHS members free, children 16 and under free, Adults $5, Seniors $4.
For more information call 865 215 8830 or visit www.eastTNhistory.org.
The Museum of East Tennessee History is located in the East Tennessee History Center at 601 South Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

Jazz on the Square returns to the Market Square stage beginning next Tuesday, May 1st from 8 to 10pm and will continue every Tuesday night through August.

The band includes:
Greg Tardy, tenor saxophone
Vance Thompson, trumpet
Keith Brown, piano
Clint Mullican, bass
Kenneth Brown, drums

Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: 865-573-3226, www.knoxjazz.org

Art in Public Places Knoxville is a monumental installation of large-scale outdoor sculptures by regionally and nationally acclaimed artists. The sculptures enliven downtown Knoxville as well as McGhee Tyson Airport. Awards for the Art in Public Places exhibition will be presented by world-acclaimed sculptor, Allen Peterson. The ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Nouveau Classics on 128 South Gay Street on April 6.

Most of the Festival’s wide range of arts events, performances, and exhibitions are offered to the public free of charge. For more information, including a complete Festival Calendar of Events and ticket information, visit dogwoodarts.com

Horizons is an installation by noted Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir. The exhibition includes 12 androgynous, life-sized iron figures in the KMA’s South Garden. Each is unique in pose and expression, and has a polished glass band inserted in its torso. The artist explains this juxtaposition of glass and iron, “The color of the iron signifies their primal quality—as if they are emerging from the earth” while “Glass as a material has a lot of different connotations. It can be fragile, yet dangerous. It can be translucent, or solid . . . It's like water, but also like air.”

Thorarinsdottir has exhibited widely in Europe, Japan, and Australia over the last 30 years, as well as in the United States, where Horizons has been traveling for the past three years. The installation is featured in the documentary Horizons by independent filmmaker Frank Cantor, which won the CINE Special Jury Award in Washington as the best documentary of 2008. Thórarinsdóttir’s work is held by collectors worldwide, and she has been commissioned by both the Icelandic and English governments for major sculptural installations. She has received numerous awards including the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland in 2009.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Tennessee Mountain Writers January Jumpstart workshops - January 13-15, 2013
Tennessee Mountain Writers will present "January Jumpstart XIII" featuring a fiction workshop led by Darnell Arnoult, Writer-in-Residence at Lincoln Memorial University, and a poetry workshop led by Nashville poet Bill Brown. The event, to be held at the Magnuson Hotel in Sweetwater, will open with an informal social hour on Friday evening; workshop sessions will run from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Participation is limited to 20 per workshop. The registration fee of $110 includes lunch on Saturday; there will be an optional catered dinner at the hotel Saturday night for an additional $16. For registration information, see www.tmwi.org, or email theorrs@usit.net.

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