Calendar of Events

A new exhibition of colorful landscapes in watercolor and acrylic, nature images, and abstract Rain Paintings. Many images are available as notecards.
Opening Reception Friday November 1, 5:30 to 8:00.

Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, 1127 Broadway Suite B, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-523-1401, www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation/arts

Oct. 1 - Nov. 4 "Cold War Patriots Remembrance Quilt" display to honor the nuclear workers and their contribution to America's safety. This one-of-a-kind Remembrance Quilt of 1,250 commemorative hand-written quilt squares forms an American Flag that measures 17 feet x 11 feet. Public invited to view. AMSE Lobby.

Oct. 1 "Public Reception for Cold War Patriots Remembrance Quilt" with special guests of Tennessee family members whose names appear on the quilt. Ray Smith, Y-12 Historian, will speak on the impact Oak Ridge workers had on changing the course of history. Public invited. 10 am to 11:30 am in AMSE Auditorium and Lobby.

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

An exhibit of paintings by Howard Hull and Clayworks by Paul Watkins
Paul Watkins and Howard Hull, retired art educators from the University of Tennessee exhibit their works in the DENSO Gallery October 1 through October 31. There will be an artist's reception Thursday, October 3 6:00 - 8:00 pm. To view their artist statements, please visit our website www.claytonartscenter.com

The DENSO art gallery is open Monday-Friday 10am to 6pm.

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

The Blackberry Farm Art Gallery
An exhibit of new, figurative works on paper by Maryville College Alumnus Jonathan Howe.

The Blackberry Gallery is open Monday-Friday 10am to 6pm.

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

Blount Mansion will host an exhibit opening from 5:30-7:30pm entitled Furniture on the Frontier, a showing of the Blount Mansion’s finest collection pieces on display at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center. Admission is free with light appetizers and a special gift for our members. Blount Mansion is currently closed to the public for a historic restoration and preservation project; the Visitors Center remains open Tuesday-Saturday 9:30-5 with the exception of Game Days in Volunteer country. This exhibit, Furniture on the Frontier, will be on display for the duration of the closure and is always free to the public, with a suggested donation! Come and see some of William Blount’s most valuable possessions and a wonderful example of the splendor of the Blount’s during the founding of Knoxville. Blount Mansion is the home of William Blount, Tennessee’s only signer of the United States Constitution, as well as where the Tennessee State Constitution was drafted and signed. It will be an opportunity for all Knoxville citizens to learn about their vital historical importance in the founding of our government. Blount Mansion is Knoxville's only National Historic Landmark given by the National Park Service and is the oldest house museum in Knox County. It is owned and operated by the Blount Mansion Association, Inc., a nonprofit, educational organization.

Blount Mansion, 200 W. Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-2375, www.blountmansion.org

"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

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

An art teacher at one of the Cumberland County Schools was trying to instruct one of her students when he boldly asked "Are you really an artist?" The art teacher replied, "Yes, I am." The student said "Well, I have never seen any of YOUR work." That was the inspiration for inviting the Cumberland County public school Visual Art Teachers to have their own exhibit at the Shanks Center for the Arts, Crossville Tennessee, which is entitled "Artists in their own right." The months of September and October 2013 were scheduled because during those months, every 4th grader in Cumberland County (over 600 students!) makes a school field trip to Downtown Crossville. One of the places they visit is inside the Shanks Center for the Arts.

The public is invited to a First Thursday Reception, Thursday September 5, 5:00 - 7:00 pm. Musical entertainment will be provided from 5:00 - 6:00 by North Cumberland Elementary School music teacher, Becky Bull. Ms Bull is the director of COCCO Children of Crossville Chamber Orchestra. The three front galleries will have been changed to an entirely new set of original works by local and regional artists. The Gift Shop also has new items. The First Thursday receptions are a time to mingle with artists, authors, musicians, and guests.

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