Calendar of Events

Wild Thyme Players (WTP) will begin offering general interest, drop-in acting and theatre classes every Sunday at the Broadway Academy of Performing Arts, 706 N Broadway. These classes will be open to all interested individuals aged 16 and up, regardless of experience in performance. Each class will have a different focus week to week, ranging anywhere from character development and improv to puppetry and stage combat. See wildthymeplayers.org for the latest schedule of classes. Students are encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and athletic shoes, as some classes will include movement exercises. The classes will be taught by established theatre artists from around the Knoxville metro area. The fee is $10 per class ($8 for students/seniors/military with ID). For more information call 325-9877 or email director@wildthymeplayers.org.

The mission of ACT-UP! is two-fold:
To reach out to our area's latent talent – individuals seeking to "break in" to Knoxville's diverse theatre community; and to provide a forum for established local artists to share wisdom, develop teaching skills and promote their work.

September/October schedule:
September 15 – Acting Warmups/Getting into Character with Jennifer Bolt (of Tennessee Stage Company)
September 22 – Motivation & Movement with Margy Ragsdale (of Theatre Knoxville Downtown)
September 29 – Puppet Theatre with Bran Rogers (of Theatre Obsolete)
October 6 – Improvisation with Paul Simmons (of Einstein Simplified)
October 13 – Storytelling with Jennifer Alldredge (of Tiger Lily Theatre)
October 19-20 & 27 – SPECIAL SEMINAR & WORKSHOP: Pop-Up Theatre with Nashville Stagecraft

Contact: Carolyn Corley, director@wildthymeplayers.org, www.wildthymeplayers.org, 865-325-9877

The Farragut Folklife Museum will host a free "Civil War Afternoon at the Movies" in the Farragut Town Hall Board Room. The movie will begin at 2 p.m. with intermission and refreshments at 4:15. This event is offered as part of the museum's celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War's Battle of Campbell Station in November. "Gettysburg" is a war drama depicting one of the biggest events of the American Civil War. The massive three-day conflict begins as Confederate General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen) presses his troops north into Pennsylvania, leading to confrontations with Union forces, including the regiment of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels). As the battle rages on and casualties mount, the film follows both the front lines and the strategic maneuvering behind the scenes. The movie is rated PG and has a running time of approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes. Seating will begin at 1:45 p.m. with a ten minute intermission at 4:15; light refreshments will be provided.

11408 Municipal Center Drive, Farragut, TN 37934. Info: 865-966-7057, julia.barham@townoffarragut.org

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker present “Heroes and Hard Times: American History Through Song and Story” The whole family is invited to join the journey on Sunday, September 15 at the East Tennessee History Center

For over 50 years, Sparky Rucker has been changing the world through stories and song. He and his wife, Rhonda, have carried their message to stages and classrooms all over the country. Knox County Public Library is pleased to present Sparky & Rhonda Rucker in a performance of “Heroes and Hard Times: American History Through Song and Story” on Sunday, September 15 at 3:00 pm in the auditorium of the East Tennessee History Center at 601 Gay Street. Admission is free.

“Heroes and Hard Times” takes the audience on a journey that spans over three centuries of American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement. This concert is the first in a series of Sunday and Thursday concerts to be presented in the friendly low-key atmosphere that is the public library.

"The Science Maze" where visitors get lost in science facts as they discover interesting tidbits of science fields from astronomy to zoology. 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

A juried, mixed-media exhibition open to all artists and intended to showcase exceptional work produced throughout our region. Juried by Jeffrey Adams, Director of the Appalachian Center for Craft.

Opening reception: September 14, 7-9 PM with a gallery talk at 6:30 PM.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Set in 1930's. When Elyot and Amanda, a formerly married couple, meet by chance while honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, old sparks reignite and the two impulsively elope. But, after only a few days of being reunited, their alternating passions of love and anger remind them of why they divorced in the first place. Matters only escalate when their aggrieved recent spouses arrive and new partnerships are formed.
PRODUCTION RUNS: September 13 - 22

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture is pleased to present Fransje Killaars: Color at the Center from September 12 - October 21, 2013.

Fransje Killaars is a remarkable colorist who approaches her medium – textiles – in challenging and innovative ways that are as much cultural statements as they are vigorously conceptual. Killaars places color at the center of her practice, production, and viewer’s experience. Her installations exist in a space that merges art, architecture, fashion, and interior design.

Killaars’ primary media has strong associations with the handwork of craft traditions. At the same time, her work is also discussed within the context of deskilling, the continued removal of the artist’s hand from the creation of art, an artistic practice embraced by artists primarily with the advent of Modernism.

Killaars will be lecturing on Thursday, September 12 at 7:30 pm in room 109 of the Art and Architecture Building on the UT Campus. There will be an opening reception for Color at the Center immediately following the lecture in the Ewing Gallery. All events are free and open to the public. The Ewing Gallery is open Monday - Friday from 10 am - 5pm and on Sundays from 1-4pm. Additional evening hours may be added at a later date.

Ewing Gallery of Art & Architecture
1715 Volunteer Boulevard
Knoxville, TN 37996

865.974.3200
www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

The Red Velvet Cake War, a comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, opens the Athens Community Theatre season with dinner theatre on Thursday, September 12, 2013 at The Arts Center in Athens. Other show dates are September 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 at 7:30 PM and September 15 at 2:00 PM.
Show dates are SEPTEMBER 12-15 and 19-21, 2013 in the Sue E. Trotter Theater at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, Athens, TN.

The Red Velvet Cake War is a fast-paced comedy by playwrights Jones, Hope & Wooten. ACT fans may recall enjoying other hilarious titles by this trio, such as Dixie Swim Club, Southern Hospitality, Christmas Belles, and Dearly Beloved. The play is a southern-fried, family-focused riot. The play is directed by veteran Athens Community Theatre director Art Kimball. For more information, please contact Lauren Shepherd at director@athensartscouncil.org or at The Arts Center, 423-745-8781.

Pueblo pottery of the Southwest is one of the most beautiful and enduring artistic traditions in all of Native North America. It is a tradition rich with history—not only as an expression of cultural identity, but also to serve as a reflection of the relationship between Pueblo peoples and the influences from outside their own community. Today, there are about twenty pueblos with a total population in excess of 50,000. It is a practice flexible enough to adapt as necessary over time, while still adhering to established social norms.

Pottery-making in the American Southwest is a tradition that first emerged about two thousand years ago. Historically, it was a functional art form, passed from generation to generation over the span of centuries by people living in permanent villages known as pueblos. The pottery of each pueblo was unique and distinguished by a variety of characteristics, such as the individual clay source and shape of the vessels and designs, or lack thereof, painted onto the surface. By the latter part of the nineteenth century, these traditions were well established; and as more and more people began to travel and move to the Southwest, pottery production was quickly transformed from a functional art form (used primarily within Pueblo communities) to a highly marketable cultural expression.

Curated by Bill Mercer, this exhibition consists of seventy-four Pueblo Indian pottery vessels and supporting materials, dating from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twenties centuries, illustrating the remarkable variety of pottery created during that very dynamic time of transformation. Some of the vessels in the exhibition are very conservative and adhere to the traditional style of a particular pueblo, while others incorporate innovations specifically designed for the retail market.

It is also during this time period that certain individuals, such as Nampeyo from Hopi and Maria Martinez from San Ildefonso, became recognized for the quality of their work. The exhibition includes outstanding examples of their work as well.

Through this exhibition, drawn exclusively from the rich collections of the Kansas City Museum and Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, visitors will be introduced to the various styles of Pueblo pottery, as well as an understanding of the narrative behind its continued development.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 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

"Collage as a Strategy for..." an exhibition of work by Jean Hess.
Reception, Friday, September 20, 2013, 6:00-7:30 PM. Artist talk at 6:30 PM.

Jean Hess’s work is influenced by her studies in cultural anthropology as well as in art. She creates obscure and playful collage paintings, combining natural materials and recycled ephemera to reference dream, memory and nostalgia as well as issues of loss, particularly environmental degradation.

Solo shows include the University of Tennessee, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Tennessee Arts Commission, University of Alabama – Huntsville, East Tennessee State University, University of North Carolina – Charlotte, Maryville College, Association for Visual Arts (Chattanooga), Callanwolde Fine Arts Center (Atlanta) and Savannah College of Art and Design. Hess’s solo show at the Huntsville Museum of Art in 2004 was accompanied by an award-winning catalogue. Her work has been included in juried or curated shows at Hunter Museum of Art (Chattanooga); Knoxville Museum of Art; William King Museum, Abingdon, VA; Huntsville Museum of Art; Evansville Museum of Art, Science and History; Carroll Reese Museum (Johnson City); Clarksville (TN) Museum and Cultural Center; McKinney Avenue Contemporary (Dallas); and University of Texas – Dallas. Hess’s mixed-media collage paintings are in numerous private and public collections, including the Huntsville Museum of Art; Evansville Museum of Arts, Science and History; University of Virginia.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: Monday-Thursday 9AM-5PM; Friday 9AM-4:30PM; Sunday 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

African American Appalachian Arts, Incorporated (AAAA, Inc.) is hosting an Opening Ceremony for an Artist Exhibition at the Downtown African American Art Gallery. Artist Hawa Ware Johnson native of Liberia West Africa, who now resides in Knoxville, will install a Visual Art Exhibition. The exhibition will be on display in the office of African American Appalachian Arts, Inc., Suite 106 of The Emporium Building, 100 South Gay Street, Knoxville TN, 37902.

Celebrating the Ten Year Anniversary of “First Friday” - Baba Beats & Edutainment will be conducting a Drum Circle/Jam session. Feel free to bring an instrument; some hand instruments will be provided. Djembe Gear drum bags and gear will be for sale and on display. On Friday, October 4th, 2013, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the office of African American Appalachian Arts, Inc., Suite 106, The Emporium Building, 100 South Gay Street, Knoxville TN, 37902. A taste of Liberian cuisine will be available.

African American Appalachian Arts: 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 106, Knoxville, TN 37902. 865-217-6786, kuumbafest@gmail.com

On First Friday September 6th., “2 Many Pixels” photo gallery is proud to present a collection of photographs by photo-journalist and artist CHAD GREENE. This exhibit is a collection of Knoxville portraits, from the traditional family business owners to the fastest women of Knoxville and their motorcycles. The artist will perform a live installation during the opening, taking photographs of the public and hanging these impromptu portraits on the gallery walls. 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 September 6th., 6pm to 9:30pm. The photos will remain on the walls through the months of September and October.
2 Many Pixels: 130 West Jackson Avenue, Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: M-F 10-5, other times by appointment. Information: 917 532 4913 or patrice@2manypixelsphoto.com