Calendar of Events

Camp WILD is for grades 1-5. It runs Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It's a great way to have fun and learn about the terrific animals at Knoxville Zoo at the same time. Campers will also help make enrichment treats for several of our animals and watch them being enjoyed.

Knoxville Zoo, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.knoxville-zoo.org

Knoxville Zoo appreciates the support their Knox County neighbors give them throughout the year. To say “thank you”, the zoo is offering Knox County residents a special spring break discount on zoo admission from March 25th through 29th.

With the purchase of one regular priced general admission ticket, residents of Knox County can purchase a second ticket for half-price beginning Monday, March 25th through Friday, March 29th simply by providing proof of residence in Knox County. Limit one discount per transaction. This discount cannot be combined with any other promotion or discount and is valid for Knox County residents between the dates of March 25-29, 2013. Offer available only for tickets purchased at Knoxville Zoo’s ticket office.

Knoxville Zoo is Knoxville’s largest year-round attraction. Located off exit 392 from Interstate 40, the zoo is open every day except Christmas Day. Knoxville Zoo is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is committed to the highest standards in animal care and well-being, ethics, conservation, and education. Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Next-day admission is free after 3 p.m. For more information, please call 865.637.5331 ext. 300 or visit www.knoxvillezoo.org.

Saturday, March 23
10 a.m.HIKE-A-THON: Dog Walk with Alan Williams. WVLT's news anchor Alan Williams is one of Knoxville's most familiar faces. Join Alan and his canine friends as they explore Ijams Nature Center, one of Knox County's dog-walking hot spots! Open to all ages.
11a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Babies in Backpacks Hike with Jennifer. Grab your littlest hikers and join educator Jennifer Roder (and baby makes two) on the trails. This hike is designed for babies in backpacks and carriers; strollers are not recommended since we will not be on paved trails. Recommended for families with children under age 2.
2 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: History Hike with Paul and Jack Neely. Ijams Nature Center evolved from humble beginnings during the early twentieth century into a natural showplace known as the Bird Sanctuary. Join Ijams' Executive Director, Paul James, and Metro Pulse writer, Jack Neely, as they share tails of Knoxville's past. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
3 p.m. Family Program: Wildflower Hike at Hastie Park. Discover the colors of spring during this wildflower walk at William Hastie Natural Area, part of Knoxville's Urban Wilderness. You'll accompany wildflower enthusiasts, Bob and Lynne Davis as they share their love and knowledge of spring wildflowers. This program is free to members and $5 for non-members. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 110 to register. Leaders: Bob and Lynne Davis with Stephen Lyn Bales.

Monday, March 25
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Discovery Hike at Ijams with Samantha. Lace up your hiking boots and discover the wonders of wildflowers, animals, and trees at Ijams Nature Center. Open to all ages.
4 p.m.: Nature Fun Station. Join us each Monday afternoon for a different Nature Fun Station. You never know what kind of outdoor fun we'll be digging up each week. These programs are FREE and no registration is required.

Tuesday, March 26
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.

Wednesday, March 27
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Up and Over Hike with Sarah. Educator Sarah Brobst will lead intrepid hikers up Tharp Trace, Ijams Nature Center's most strenuous trail, which makes a one-mile loop around Mead's Quarry Lake. Due to the level of difficulty of this trail, this hike is not recommended for small children.
6 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Hiker's Happy Hour with Sabrina. See Ijams Nature Center in a whole new light! Everything changes after dark... the trails, the trees, and the entire park. Be part of the Ijams nightlife as we enjoy cocktails and snacks before exploring the trails. Recommended for ages 21 and up. ($20 for non-members; $15 for members)

Thursday, March 28
9 a.m. -- 4 p.m. Ijams Spring Break Camp. Join us and explore the exciting things that spring has to offer at Ijams Nature Center. You'll never know what we'll do each day... we may explore the quarries, stomp through the creek, or even meet a few of our animal ambassadors. Be prepared to get a little wet and a little dirty. Fun is mandatory and hilarity is recommended! Cost: $140/week for members and $160/week for non-members; $40/day for members or $50/day for non-members. Camp attendees can choose to attend individual days or all week. Extended care is available from 8-9 am in the morning and 4-5 pm in the afternoon for an additional fee of $10 per child per hour. Campers should bring a sack lunch and 2 snacks each day. Please call 865-577-4717, ext. 130 to register.
10 a.m. HIKE-A-THON: Little Tikes Hike with Sarah. Bring your little ones out to explore, dig, run and play. Each week has a different theme. Recommended for families with children aged 2-5.
2 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Ijams Explorers Hike with Sabrina. Even if you have been to Ijams before, you never know what you'll find on each new visit; each trip is a new experience! Open to all ages.
4 p.m. Backyard Birds FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatch data help scientists track bird populations. Join us each Thursday in March as we visit the feeders around Ijams Nature Center to identify and count the visiting bird species. At the end, we'll submit our bird counts to help with this research project. This program is FREE and registration is not required.

Friday, March 29
The Visitor Center will be closed for Good Friday. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the trails!

Saturday, March 30
1 p.m. Living Clean & Green: Gardening Up. Vertical gardening is a trend that is on the rise among those with a green thumb. A boon for those with space demonstrations, this technique can be used on any blank wall or bare fence that needs beautifying. You can tend edibles, annuals, even perennials with these vertical gardening ideas - all of which inspire high hopes for the season ahead. Join Ijams green thumb Peg Beute for tips on how to use wooden pallets, re-purposed display racks and other containers to achieve a terrific new look in your yard. This program is FREE to the public; please call 865-577-4717, ext. 110 to register.
1 p.m. Geology of Ijams and Quarries. Do you want to learn more about the stories that soil and stones have to tell? Then join geology expert Harry Moore as he shares the tales of earth's rocky path to the present. We'll explore the rocks and quarries of Ijams Nature Center, in search of clues to our geologic past. Come early and meet hike leader, geologist and author Harry Moore (He'll have books to sell). Free to members, $5 for non-members. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

HIKE-A-THON: Closing Events
5 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Closing Hike
6 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Closing Ceremony
7-10 p.m. HIKE-A-THON: Hikers Ball. After a full month of hiking, it's time to scrape the mud off your boots and kick up your heels at the Hiker's Ball! This event will feature hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and live music from The Bearded. Party attire is optional, but hiking boots are mandatory!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African-American Art March 22 through June 16, 2013.

Larry and Brenda Thompson have amassed a remarkable collection of art by African Americans from around the nation. The strength of the Thompson’s collecting process lies in their considered attention to artists who have typically not been recognized in the traditional narratives of African American art.

In addition to acknowledged “masters,” the Thompsons have collected works by artists who have been labeled “emerging,” “unknown,” “outsider,” “eccentric,” “vernacular,” “regional” and more. The result is a collection that redefines the landscape of American art, offering a more in-depth, inclusive understanding of African American artists and their aesthetic and social concerns.

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.

Art exhibits featuring students, faculty and visiting artists are regular occurrences at Pellissippi State Community College. So, too, are photography-related events showcasing the works of guest photographers. New this year is an exhibit that focuses solely on the work of Pellissippi State’s Photography students. The March 18-29 event is free and open to the public.

Gallery guests have the chance to explore images captured by Pellissippi State students in their travels near and far, in vivid color and in subtle black-and-white. Students who pursue the art of photography at Pellissippi State do so through the Photography concentration in the Media Technologies program. The degree program’s other three concentrations are Communication Graphics Technology, Video Production Technology and Web Technology.

The exhibit is one of the events that make up Pellissippi State’s arts series, “The Arts at Pellissippi State.” The series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures, and the fine arts.

An opening reception, also free and open to the public, takes place March 21, 3-6 p.m. The Student Photography Exhibit and opening reception take place in the gallery of the Bagwell Center for Media and Art at Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus. Regular exhibit hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. For additional information about the exhibit or “The Arts at Pellissippi State,” call (865) 694-6400 or visit www.pstcc.edu/arts.

As their time at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts draws to a close, artists Heather Ashworth, Jason Burnett, Erin Castellan, Ashley Gilreath and David Katz share a collection of new work developed during their 11-month stay on campus.

The Annual Artists-in-Residence Exhibition opens with a gallery reception on Saturday, March 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. in Blain Galleries. The exhibition will be on display from March 9 through May 4, and both the reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. This year’s Residents will exhibit works that include functional wood furniture, whimsical pottery, ceramic installations, embroidered paintings, metalsmithing and enameling.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865.436.5860

Every Wednesday. The goal is to integrate education, nature crafts, and physical activity in order to promote healthier living. Come read a book with us, and let's promote healthier living! Free and open to all pre-school aged children and their parents.

Information: whoward5@utk.edu

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, 2743 Wimpole Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914. Hours: Gardens open daily from dawn to dusk. Information: 865-862-8717, www.knoxgarden.org

Come enjoy the beauty of water media. This exhibit is free to the public with a reception to meet the artists on Friday, March 22 from 4:00 until 6:00 PM. On display are some of the finest examples of water media paintings created by award winning artists from the region. The DENSO Gallery and the KWS exhibit will be open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Friday and during public events such as plays and concerts. This is a free event!

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

Opening on March 1 is an exhibit of art quilts entitled “WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS”, produced by Sisters with Artistic Attitude, a sub group of the Village Quilters Guild of Loudon County, TN. This exhibit will remain on display through April 30, 2013. Members of the group embarked on a year and half long project to fashion individual quilts from the pieces and blocks given to them from the other group members.

Each member chose a theme and/or color scheme which formed the basis for the contributions. Each individual created a block each month for another member. Then came the challenge as each member had to merge the contributed blocks of various styles and techniques into a cohesive and attractive finished art quilt.

The public is invited to meet the quilters at an opening reception for “With A Little Help from My Friends” on March 8, 2013, from 5:30 – 7:00 pm at The Arts Center. Light refreshments will be served.

The Arts Center is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. For more information or directions, call The Arts Center at 423-745-8781, or visit the website at www.athensartscouncil.org.

"2 Many Pixels” photo gallery is proud to present "What She Saw", a beautiful mosaic of images by 3 young women and Knoxville photographers: Shelby Gordon, Erika Smith and Rachel Vykukal. This exhibit is an exploration of the female sensitivity and its transcription through the photographic medium. The photographs are all for sale, gallery archival prints, signed and numbered by the artists. The photos will remain on the walls throughout the months of March and April.
Reception on Friday night, April 5th., 6pm to 9:30pm
"2 Many Pixels"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

Mark Soppeland is this year’s artist-in-residence at Maryville College. While on campus March 25-29, he will teach workshops, participate in individual critiques with students and give a presentation about his work.
A collection of his recent work, titled “The House of the Mystery Cult,” will be on display in the Clayton Center for the Arts’ Blackberry Farm Gallery through March 29. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
A reception will be held on Mon., March 25 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Soppeland will give a presentation about his work in the Clayton Center for the Arts’ Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall at 7 p.m.

The Art Market Gallery of Knoxville will feature an exhibit of recent works by two members, jeweler Kristine Taylor of Knoxville and photographer Ronald Sullivan of Oak Ridge.

A First Friday opening reception for the exhibit is planned for 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, March 1, with complimentary refreshments and live music by Crispy Williams, who performs acoustic, folk and blues on guitar and banjo.

Member owned and operated by more than 60 regional artists, the Art Market Gallery is located at 422 South Gay St., next to the Downtown Grill & Brewery, and a few doors down from Mast General Store. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday. The gallery is handicapped accessible. For more information, call 865-525-5265, visit artmarketgallery.net, or Facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.