Calendar of Events

Jessica Schatz, the Artist of the Month at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, has been an artist for as long as she can remember. She also remains busy as an interior designer, specializing in staging and new construction, and is also a pet portrait photographer. She also donates her photography services, photographing homeless pets in order to help them find homes. Jessica and husband, Robert, recently became Fairfield Glade residents. They have been coming to Fairfield Glade for 27 years, as she has family in the area. Originally from the Midwest, she once ran a Gallery called “Widow’s Weeds” that featured both Civil War reenactment photography and more contemporary art. . Perhaps the most fascinating part of her artistic history is how she became the only woman at that time to photograph camp life and battle reinactments of the Civil War. “I hate war , but I love history, and the genre of photography of that time”. So when she was asked to record the reenactments by Prince William County, VA (site of two Civil War Battles) Jessica said “yes”.

Jessica first became interested in photography by using her mother’s point-and-shoot camera as a young girl. A friend of hers, who had been badly injured in the war in Viet Nam, gave her her first Nikon,as he was unable to use it. She has been a professional photographer, specializing in hand-painted black-and-white photography, until recently. She also enjoys another near “lost art” painting floor cloths, the precursor to linoleum. Thomas Jefferson had a floor cloth as a rug. Itinerant artists used to go house-to-house, painting the floor cloths. They can also be utilized as placemats, table runners, and as wall hangings (one is hanging in her exhibit).

Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-F 9AM-4PM; Saturday-Sunday 1-4PM. Information: 931-707-7249; www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

In an extraordinary exhibit, Lens and Brush: The Visual Textures of East Tennessee, acclaimed watercolor artist Sandy Brown elucidates illusions of texture in Jim Caldwell’s breathtaking photographs of the environs of eastern Tennessee. Two artists, working in different mediums; one artist finding inspiration through his love of the land and the other artist finding inspiration in her ability to reinterpret texture, structure and light transitions.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Tuesday, May 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

522 West Madison Avenue, Athens, TN 37303. Information: 423-745-0329

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is famous as an international destination for all manner of aspiring artists and craftspersons—students seeking exposure, guidance, or simply practice at media ranging from jewelry-making to glass-fusing. The public tends to be less aware that Arrowmont’s historic campus is also a powerful attraction for a large, diverse and enormously talented family of instructors. For professional artists, instruction at Arrowmont offers an opportunity to ply their livelihood, certainly. But they also have the chance to demonstrate, discuss and refine their techniques in modern studios where lively conversation and exchange of knowledge enrich the entire group. For teaching academics, Arrowmont provides incentive to winnow away at a semester’s worth of teaching and determine what is essential and possible for a weeklong workshop. Both students and instructors say it’s common to cover more than a semester’s worth of collegiate art education during the span of one Arrowmont workshop.

Stefanie Gerber Darr joined Arrowmont as Gallery Director in April, following work at prestigious institutions in Denver and Nashville. “Every summer Arrowmont invites over one hundred artist instructors to share their talents and teach classes to students from all over the country,” says Darr. “They are conduits of creativity that help make Arrowmont an educational, expressive, and inspiring force in the world of arts and crafts. In addition to showcasing their abilities through the classes offered, the annual instructor exhibition presents the artist instructors’ work to the students as well as the greater community and visitors to the region. Representing diverse styles and media, the exhibition complements the educational experience of the individuals attending class sessions while also signifying the trajectory of contemporary craft.”

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

May 10, 6:00-8:00 PM: Opening Reception for Three Femmes Exhibition
Elaine Barnes, Annamaria Gundlach, and Lauren Karnitz will present their works through the end of May at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville. The exhibition is titled “Femmes and Forms”.

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

May’s themed art exhibit is titled “Stormy Weather”. Visit us to view how members of the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade interpret this theme.

Once a month, the PCAC gallery exhibit changes, so monthly visits are advantageous for viewing quality artwork, including watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastels, colored pencil, photography, mixed media, and 3-D work, including pottery, sculpture, and jewelry. The gallery is also a perfect place to shop for one-of-a-kind decorations or gifts at reasonable prices. PCAC visitors not only enjoy the latest gallery exhibit, they also learn about the many art classes and day trips offered by the Art Guild. In addition, visitors often get to see a class in progress or watch the open painting, beading, or figure drawing sessions taking place in the art studio.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-F 9AM-4PM; Saturday-Sunday 1-4PM. Information: 931-707-7249; www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

Opening First Friday, May 3, 2 Many Pixels photo gallery is proud to present a collection of photographs by young artist Jake Wheeler. The work (more than 40 large format images) depicts urban decay and the distress of individuals coping with adversity. The images are mounted on reclaimed plywood, emphasizing a sense of deterioration. The photographs are all for sale, gallery archival prints, signed and numbered by the artists.

Hope to see you all for the opening on Friday night, May 3rd., 6pm to 9:30pm!

130 West Jackson avenue, suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: M-F, 10AM-5PM and after hours or weekends by appointment or chance: 917-532-4913 or patrice@2manypixelsphoto.com

The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture is pleased to announce our Annual BFA Honors Exhibition. Graduating seniors in the School of Art and the College of Architecture and Design are honored each year when selected by committee as the top students among their peers. This exhibition will feature work from students in ceramics, painting and drawing, design, architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design. There will be a First Friday opening reception on May 3 from 3-5pm in the Ewing Gallery. Come out to see some fine examples of student work from our undergraduate programs before heading downtown for evening First Friday events.

UT Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture - A+A Bldg. 1715 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville, TN 37996. ph: 865.974.3200 - email: ewing@utk.edu - web: www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition featuring needlepoint pillows by Coral Grace Turner and monoprint/chine collés by Marilyn Avery Turner.

“Recent Works by Coral Grace Turner & Marilyn Avery Turner” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from May 3-31, 2013. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 3 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, May 4, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 27, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition featuring contemporary Polish printmaking and media art at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 3-31, 2013. Artists in the exhibition include professors, tutors and students with the Faculty of Graphic Arts and Media Art from the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wroclaw, Poland. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on May 3 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Students from the University of Tennessee Print Club will demonstrate screenprinting and relief printing during the May 3 reception.

“The Wroclaw Faculty of Graphic Arts and Media Art Exhibition” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from May 3-31, 2013. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, May 4, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 27, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Bliss Home is pleased to present Knoxville artist, Jill Sanders, for May's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, May 3rd from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary snacks will be provided and Jill's art will remain for the month of May.

Jill pulls on her experience as a wood printmaker and graphic designer to create art that features richly colored patterns and natural materials. Jill describes her art as 'narrative scenes with objects and figures, richly layered with patterns and embellished with bits of typography'. Jill is often inspired by her dreams and the places she has seen, which gives her art 'rich sensibility'.

The month of May will feature master artist Eric Buechel in an exhibit at the Shanks Center for the Arts, Crossville TN, which demonstrates Buechel’s wide variety of artistic accomplishments.

Buechel began at an early age learning to draw and paint from his father who is an artist and model-maker born in Koblenz, Germany. At the young age of 16, Buechel purchased a 19th century engraving which later grew into a substantial collection and began his interest in art conservation. During his high school years, he won several art scholarships and attended DCret School of Art, Plainfield, New Jersey and worked under Dr. Furman Finck, an Official Presidential Portrait Artist in his NYC studio. Continuing to enter professional competitions, Buechel graduated from Broward College, Fort Lauderdale FL, was quickly hired as an illustrator for FLM Graphics, Fairfield, New Jersey and continued to freelance with Sikorsky Aircraft, Curtis Wright Corporation, NASA, Strategic Medical, Communications and several pharmaceutical and advertising companies in New Jersey, Manhattan, and Connecticut.

Buechel opened a Design and Advertising Company called Tec-Art and in 1990 formed a new environmental company, Pioneers e-Waste, which was the first to recycle cathode ray tubes. His company, Advanced Recovery, was the featured story on the front page of the New York Times, followed by National Geographic, the Newark Star-Ledger, Chicago Tribune and Popular Science and other media worldwide for the development and marketing of the process of recycling computer and electronic materials and components. Other development processes continued, and in 2001, he was contracted to clean up 6,000 pallets full of technology equipment after the 911 attack on the World Trade Center. After that project, Buechel sold the company and moved to Tennessee.

In 2006, Buechel opened The Artist Corner and Gallery on Main Street in Crossville, but had to close it after three years when he was diagnosed with 4th stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2011, following treatment and recovery, Buechel began teaching adults and youth painting and art history classes at the Shanks Center of the Arts, Crossville TN. The Buechel exhibit, opening May 2 with a reception from 5:00 - 7:00 pm, will showcase a wide variety of styles and mediums.

Shanks Center for the Arts, 140 North Main Street, Crossville, TN 38555. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10AM-4PM. Information: 931-787-1936, www.shankscenter.org

The Market Square Farmers' Market opens for the 10th season! Hours are Wednesday from 11a.m. to 2p.m. and Saturday from 9a.m. to 2p.m.

The Market Square Farmers' Market is an open-air farmers'™ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, free-range meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee and artisan crafts. With interactive fountains, delicious local food and entertainment, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. For events, please visit the events page on this website.

Free parking is available in the Market Square, Locust St. and State St. Garages, and at meters, on Saturdays. Parking is $1 per hour on Wednesdays in all three garages. All KAT transit routes serving the Knoxville Station Transit Center are a few convenient walking blocks from Market Square. And fare-free KAT trolleys also provide nearby service. Visit www.katbus.com for more information.

On the Saturdays before Christmas each December, many of our vendors return for our annual Market Square Holiday Market. The peak growing season may be over, but many root crops, hearty greens, hydroponic vegetables, meat, eggs, dairy and more can still be found from noon-3pm. From noon-7pm, craft and artisan food vendors will be set up along Market Street to provide all your holiday shopping needs.

The market is located on historic Market Square in downtown Knoxville. http://marketsquarefarmersmarket.org