Calendar of Events

Recent works by Dennis Sabo Photography will be on display at the Tomato Head Restaurant-Market Square in downtown Knoxville from October 5 - November 1 and at the Tomato Head-Bearden location from November 3-December 7. His art exhibit entitled "Leafing Impressions" is an impressionistic and expressionistic viewpoint of the autumn grandeur that Mother Nature has provided to us.

Sabo says, "I challenge myself to capture common subjects that are often overlooked and then refine the photograph into an interpretive collage of color, motion, and textures. With a global community very much focused on environmental impact and fragile ecosystems, my artwork captures natural images and color with a perspective people easily miss." Dennis Sabo is an internationally award winning photographer specializing in contemporary fine art abstract, and scenic photography. His fine art prints interweave his creative compositional expressions and vivid colors into nature’s greater scheme of things. Dennis has refined the photograph into an interpretive collage of colors, and texture. His artwork and photography has appeared in a variety of books and magazines that include Canon, NOVA, PBS, Living Southern Style, Hilton Hotels, NBC, Ocean Conservancy, Shedd Aquarium-Chicago, and Blue Planet. His fine art has been included in gallery exhibitions at the Blowing Rocks Preserve-Hobe Sound, FL., Arts in the Airport Spring 2011/13 Exhibition-Knoxville, TN, the National Juried 2012/13 Exhibition-Knoxville, TN, Emporium Gallery- Knoxville, TN, Red Line Gallery-Farragut, TN, the Dogwood Regional Fine Art 2012 Exhibition-Knoxville, TN, Bliss Home Designs 2013, and ongoing at "The Art Market Gallery", Knoxville, Tennessee. www.dsabophoto.com

Tomato Head - 12 Market Square Knoxville, TN 37902 | (865) 637-4067
Tomato Head - Bearden - 7240 Kingston Pike, Suite 172 | 865-584-1072

The Fountain City Art Center’s 8th Annual Membership Exhibit opens Friday night, October 4. Members entered artwork in both 2-D and 3-D categories: oils, acrylics, watercolors, mixed media, pencil, clay, mosaics, wood, a handmade book, and jewelry. The show will be on view for the public through November 14. Most of the work is for sale through individual artists. Judges Kenneth W. Clayton, Jr. and Charles E. Williams, Jr. judge this particular show each year by popular demand. Cash prizes were awarded to all main category winners. Best of Show was awarded to an oil painting by Gary Dagnan entitled “Dan at His Easel.”

Opening Reception: 6:30-8:00 PM Friday, Oct. 4
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

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

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

Inspired by the Afro-Brazilian Baterias (percussion groups) that parade during Carnival in Salvador Brazil, the second line traditions of New Orleans, and drum traditions from all over the world Bateria Appalachia is open to anyone who can drum dance or sing, and is willing to learn some basic rhythms. NOTE: While we often meet at 4th Pres church parking lot we are not a Christian organization. We are spiritually unlimited!

Drums, sticks, harnesses, and a guaranteed good time will be provided!We also have some bells and tambourines and would welcome any and all horn players or other musicians!

The drum rhythms are simple and ridiculously easy to learn, even for complete newbies. Some of us will also be singing with our percussion, adapting songs from Appalachia, New Orleans, Motown, Brazil, and anything else you think might work.

Come also if you just want to dance with us! Hoopers, poi spinners, ribbon dancers, belly dancers, shufflers, sambistas, all out booty shakers... all are welcome!

And bring your kids! They can jam with us (provided they stay in the groove) or play on the playground right next to where we will be practicing.

We will Jam EVERY FRIDAY at 6:30 somewhere near downtown. For now its going to be 4th Presbyterian church, except for 1st Fridays when we meet at the parking lot for the old Regas Restaurant 318N Gay at the intersection of Gay and Depot, for a procession down Gay St to the drum circle at Krutch Park Ext.

www.facebook.com/events/181842025302746/

Works of art by seven Oak Ridge artists depict historical structures, lifestyle and nature through framed prints and oil on canvas featured in the "Oak Ridge in Art" exhibition. One of the iconic images of bygone days captured by these artists is the 1920's arched Solway Bridge over the Clinch River on Hwy. 62 to join Oak Ridge to Knoxville. Built by Knox County and dedicated in 1930, the Solway Bridge was described as a 772 foot long concrete arch bridge with 20 foot roadway with 3 foot sidewalk on right. The beauty of the three arches of the Solway bridge could not compensate for a two-lane roadway only 20 feet in width, which was replaced in the 1970's by a four lane concrete bridge. To commemorate the beauty of the 1920's Solway Bridge, examine Nick Fielder's oil on canvas, Pat McWilliams Hopkins' print, Fred Heddleson's print and his series of prints recording the "Destruction of the Solway Bridge" in various stages dated from April 14, 1970 through April 15, 1979. Several 1940's buildings and activities are interpreted by the Oak Ridge artists in the museum exhibition. The Chapel on the Hill is shown in a print by Helen Guymon and an oil on artist board by Helen Bayless, which was donated to AMSE by Norman R. Miller. Of special interest is the oil on canvas works of Nick Fielder as he interprets "Gallaher Ferry, Oak Ridge, Clinch River 1943" and "Nuclear Day: Oppenheimer at Trinity, April 16, 1945". Irvin Grossman created an Alexander Inn print with its pink azalea landscape and porch spanning the outside of the first floor. Nancy Smith prepared a print of the American Museum of Science and Energy exterior. Helen Guymon developed the Oak Ridge 50th Commemorative Print "Oak Ridge Memories" with multiple images of Oak Ridge's townsite buildings, natural beauty in flora and fauna. AMSE acknowledges the exhibition loan of works by Oak Ridge artists from the collections of Bobbie Martin, Nick Fielder and Fred Heddleson. Available in the museum's Discovery Shop are Heddleson's Solway Bridge print and the Destruction of Solway Bridge print. The Discovery Shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 am - 4:45 pm and Sunday 1:00 - 4:45 pm.

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