Calendar of Events

(Recommended for Adults) Join Ijams own green thumb, Peg Beute, as she gets down and dirty in the garden! Despite the summer heat, we'll try to stay cool in the shade as we start seedlings, tend the garden beds, and plant fruits and vegetables in our organic garden. We'll even end the morning with a frosty lemonade and tasty snack to celebrate a job well done! We guarantee you'll have some fun, enjoy the summer sun, and learn more about gardening. This program is FREE, but pre-registration is required. Please call Peg at (865) 577-4717, ext. 114 to register.

Wednesday, August 21 & 28- 9:00 am

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

Since No Child Left Behind was enacted, a growing and heartfelt opposition to what is considered too much standardized testing has echoed across the country. What should we do instead? Join Indya Kincannon, Knox County Schools board member and former chair, for a discussion of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough in this month’s Books Sandwiched In in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium, at 601 South Gay Street. “Paul Tough highlights the non-cognitive skills that lead to positive outcomes for kids and families,” Kincannon says. “ Academic (cognitive) skills are helpful, but what truly changes lives are traits like persistence, impulse control, and grit. Fortunately, his book shows that these traits are malleable. Schools and communities can nurture them, and we are doing so here in Knox County.” Kincannon points to Birth to K and Community Schools initiatives as ways that Knox County schools nurtures healthy character. “These programs address kids non-academic needs - basic stuff like physical and mental health, nutrition, glasses,” she says, “but also give kids and their families the tools they need to develop important traits like persistence, impulse control, patience.”

Kincannon has served on Knox County Board of Education since 2004 and as Chair from 2008 to 2011. In addition to experience as a high school Spanish teacher and as tutor for inner city elementary and high school students, she supports her community with involvement in a number of organizations including Great Schools Partnership, Project GRAD, Knoxville Empowerment Zone, and North Knoxville Business and Professional Organization. Kincannon completed a Master’s in Public Affairs and Urban & Regional Planning at Princeton University and a B.A. in History at Haverford College.

In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough asks why do some children succeed while others fail? The story is usually about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But, Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.

The public is invited to join the conversation. Bring your favorite sandwich or pick up something from a downtown restaurant. Copies of the books are available at the Library if you'd like to read one before the program.

Contact: Emily Ellis: 215-8723

A show with works by former Knox County art instructors: Charles “Chico” Osten, Suzanne Jack, Sue W. Lane, Christine Harness, Judy Jorden, Rikki Taylor, and Owen Weston. Rikki specializes in some of the best decorative pottery anywhere in the United States. The rest of the magnificent seven will be showing works in oils, watercolors, mixed media, and in Owen’s case, stunning nature photography.

Simultaneously showing at the Art Center will be transparent watercolors by the art students of Mary Baumgartner’s Wonderful World of Watercolor and handmade books by the students of Bob Meadows.

Exhibit Reception - August 16, 6:30-8:00 PM

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; Saturday, 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com

The Art Market Gallery will present a special memorial exhibition in celebration of East Tennessee’s history and in conjunction with the East Tennessee History Center’s History Fair on August 17. This show will display several works by Patricia Sprouls, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 90. One of the first members of the Art Market, she was well known in the Knoxville area for creating complex but delicate watercolor and pen-and-ink paintings illustrating local historic buildings replete with people of that time period.

Patricia Sprouls was born in The Bronx, NY, moving for health reasons to the Isle of Capri with her mother and sister as a young child. She spoke four languages: English, Spanish at home and German and Italian while in Italy. She remained fluent in Italian into her later years. A lifelong fine-art career began under her mother’s tutelage. She was awarded "Best Foreign Art Student" in all of Italy, winning a full four-year scholarship to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Naples. Trapped there during World War II, and surviving their apartment’s bombing in an air raid shelter, Patricia and her family never gave up hope and were able to return to the United States in 1947. She married in 1948, raised a family in New Jersey, and continued her art career. She exhibited in New York City, and in New Jersey, where she was president of the state chapter of the American Artists Professional League, a board member of that national organization, and a past instructor at the Ridgewood Art Institute of New Jersey, considered one of the nation’s best community art associations. Also serving on the board of the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York City, Patricia Sprouls was one of the first women to become a member of the exclusive and prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City, the nation’s oldest art club. She exhibited in many national shows and had several solo shows in the metropolitan area. Moving with her husband Joe to Tennessee and settling in Norris in 1987, she continued painting with local art groups and, five years after its establishment for the 1982 World’s Fair, was juried into The Art Market Gallery, where her work was shown for more than 20 years.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM; Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

People's Choice Exhibit at the Denso Gallery
Reception on September 27, 5-8 PM

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

Javier began photography years ago as a hobby; however, it quickly turned into a passion that he has pursued with ambition and talent. Much of Javier's work draws inspiration from nature, showcasing the beauty and wonder in a world that often goes by unnoticed. His photography has been featured at The Frist Center, Palette Gallery, Fire Hall Gallery, Williamson County Library, Cheekwood Museum, Knoxville Museum of Art, and other group shows throughout Nashville.

Gallery hours: M-F 10-5. HoLa Hora Latina: 865-335-3358, www.holafestival.org

Recent works by potter Linda Sullivan of Oak Ridge and paintings by Linda Johnson of Loudon will be featured during the month of August at the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville.

Linda Sullivan, who received her MFA in Ceramics from Northern Illinois University, will exhibit recent clay pieces. She likes to alternate between making wheel-thrown and hand-formed stoneware and porcelain work, and fires both types to 2300 degrees in electric kilns to achieve a clean, bright look.

On a whim, Linda Johnson took a painting class 12 years ago while living in California, and has continued learning at workshops around the country. It was a natural fit for someone who likes working with her hands, from gardening to cooking. “I fell deeply in love with expressing myself through the vibrant colors, delicate lines and curves of flowers in God’s magnificent world about us,” she says. Her medium is watercolors and her preferred subject matter children and flowers. She belongs to the Tennessee Watercolor Society, Southern Watercolor Society and the Tellico Village Art Guild.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 2, during Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk. There will be complimentary refreshments and easy-listening American music and vocals in a Southern style by Elijah Harris on guitar and drums, and many member artists will be on hand to meet and mingle with patrons.

Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists who also run the gallery, the Art Market is located at 422 South Gay St., a few doors away from Mast General Store, and next to the Downtown Grill & Brewery. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday. The gallery is handicapped accessible and parking in the abutting garage is free after 6 p.m. and on weekends. For more information, call 865-525-5265, or visit artmarketgallery.net, or facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

Bliss Home is pleased to present Knoxville artist, Erika Smith, for August's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, August 2nd from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary Steamboat Sandwiches will be provided and Erika's art will be featured the whole month of August.

Erika's mixed media collage style has been largely self-taught and inspired by the world around her. She sees the appeal of not only the typical sense of beauty, but the life and splendor in decay as well. One man’s trash is Erika’s treasure, as she can be found rooting through the discarded to incorporate antique photos and paint with broken glass, rusty nails, cast away doll parts, and a myriad of elements that seem unnatural but work so well together with Erika’s touch.

Bliss Home 29 Market Square Knoxville, TN 37902

Professional artist, Sam Hill, has an art exhibition as Artist of the Month during the month of August. Many watercolor paintings are displayed. Sam is the winner of many top awards at the PCAC and Oak Ridge Art Center and is a signature member of the Ohio Watercolor Society, Whiskey Painters of America, and an associate member of the American Watercolor Society.

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

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new “side by side” exhibition featuring mixed media, encaustic, watercolor, acrylic, sculptures, and more by the Artists Association of Monroe County and young artists from VSA Arts Tennessee. This exhibition is the first time the two organizations have partnered together and will be displayed in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from August 2-30, 2013. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on August 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

The Side by Side, Diverse Arts of Monroe County exhibition will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, from August 2-30, 2013. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, August 3, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. 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 “From the Expansive to the Intricate,” a new exhibition featuring large and small scale works by Kathy Holland of Oak Ridge and Althea Murphy-Price of Knoxville. Holland will exhibit landscape paintings of New Zealand and Southern Appalachia, and Murphy-Price will exhibit alternate processes of drawing, printmaking, and fibers-based sculpture. The exhibition’s title reflects the range of subject matter as both artists explore the concepts of attraction and distortion in their work: Kathy Holland’s paintings portray extraordinary geographic terrains, defined by travel and translated through photography and memory, and Althea Murphy-Price’s work examines how artificial, manufactured hair can be a beautifying embellishment and symbol of personal expression. The exhibition will be displayed in the Emporium Center from August 2-30, 2013. A public reception will take place on Friday, August 2, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and chocolate fondue from the Melting Pot.

“From the Expansive to the Intricate” is on display August 2-30, 2013 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, August 3, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit our Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

UTK School of Art, MFA Class of 1993 Exhibition
First Friday Opening Reception August 2, 5 - 9pm
Closing Reception, August 23, 5 -- 9pm

This exhibition features the work of 14 MFA artists from the UTK School of Art Class of 1993. Artist's will be displaying work that is current or important in their journey in fine arts over the last 20 years. The UT MFA program attracts students from different regions of the United States as exemplified in this exhibition, which include artists from Mississippi, Florida, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Artists included in the exhibition;
Scott Palmer -- Ceramics
Annette Bongers - Ceramics
Melody Reeves -- Printmaking
Rob Tarbell -- Painting
Eric Fracassi -- Sculpture
David Deitrick -- Graphic Design
Eric Smith -- Graphic Design
Joel House -- Sculpture
Melanie McLaughlin -- Graphic Design
Kris Rehring Jones -- Graphic Design
Debi Henry Danielson -- Painting
Brad Cantrell -- Ceramics
Laurie Robichaux -- Ceramics
Earl Watson -- Graphic Design

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