Calendar of Events

This Holiday Season, let The District Gallery help wrap up your holiday shopping in a special way. Our staff is ready to assist with everything from great gift ideas, customized wish lists, and spectacular gift wrapping... And don't forget our distinctive custom framing and gift certificates!
Featured artist: Dawn Whitelaw.
Be sure to ask about our Holiday Wish List!
Holiday Hours:
Open Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. & Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The District Gallery & Framery | 5113 Kingston Pike | Knoxville | TN | 37919
(located next to Gourmet's Market) | 865.200.4452 | www.thedistrictgallery.com

December First Friday at Bliss Home, 29 Market Square Knoxville, TN 37902 featuring the artwork of Elizabeth Kidder.
Friday, December 6, 2013 through the end of the month.
Opening Reception on Friday, December 6, 2013 6pm to 9pm

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

Elizabeth's December exhibit is comprised of illustrations that invite the viewer to walk around the landscape, become the figure and read the underlying tale.
Elizabeth Kidder is a freelance illustrator currently living in Knoxville, TN.

Beginning on December 6, the gallery at the Plateau Creative Arts Center (PCAC) will feature art in the theme of Food for Thought. The public is invited to the PCAC gallery to view original artwork in the form of oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastels, colored pencil, photography, mixed media, pottery, sculpture, and jewelry, created by Art Guild members.
In addition to viewing this fine art work, visitors also learn about the many art classes available during the month, and depending on the day and time, may view a class in session, or watch the open painting, beading, or figure drawing sessions that take place in the studio. The gallery is also the perfect place to shop for a reasonably priced gift of art for Christmas.
The PCAC is open Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Beginning on December 24 the gallery hours will change to 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Monday through Saturday. Located at 451 Lakeview Drive (off Peavine), the gallery is handicapped accessible. The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade is a not-for-profit organization and an equal opportunity provider. For more information call 931-707-7249. www.artguildfairfieldglade.net.

Painter Lil Clinard of Loudon and ceramicist Gray N. Bearden of Knoxville, both award winners with works in many private collections, are the Art Market Gallery's featured artists for the month of December. Their recent works will be on exhibit at The Art Market Gallery through Dec. 29 with an opening reception to be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 6.

Lil Clinard's formal training in interior design has been put to use in designing bold paintings for today’s interiors. A self-taught artist who has painted and drawn ever since she could remember, the Tellico Village resident has been painting for more than 45 years and focuses on watercolors based on photographs from her travels to the beach, mountains, backyard and abroad, and uses rich colors in her flowers, landscapes and cityscapes. Rather than control of photographic detail, however, the Greeneville native’s goal is to express her response to the natural world through brushstroke, texture, color, light and composition.

Taking a break from the corporate world after many years in advertising and marketing, Gray N. Bearden signed up for a wheel-throwing pottery class and was hooked. She returned to college for studio art and art history, did further study at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, and now hand builds functional tabletop ware and sculptural pieces from rolled-out slabs of stoneware clay. Inspired by patterns, textures and symbols, architectural elements, textiles and other influences, this ceramic artist presses created and found objects, or carves, into the clay for decoration and finishes them at various stages with underglazes and glazes.

At the opening reception there will be complimentary refreshments and artisan-made ornaments created by gallery members to help support the Community School of the Arts, a nonprofit program providing free instruction in the arts to children from underserved areas of Knox County. Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists, Art Market Gallery, at 422 S. Gay St., is a few doors away from Mast General Store and next to Downtown Grill & Brewery. Holiday hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday. The gallery is wheelchair accessible, and parking in the abutting garage and on the street is free on weekends and after 6 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 865-525-5265, or visit artmarketgallery.net, or facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

The Farragut Folklife Museum invites the community to visit "An Old Fashioned Christmas" exhibit, on display Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, through Friday, Jan. 3, 2014 (closed Dec. 24 and 25). This special holiday exhibit will feature items from the Museum's collection of artifacts as well as items belonging to Folklife Museum Committee members.

The exhibit showcases a variety of antique toys, games and dolls dating from the late 1800s through the 1900s. A featured item is the Rice doll house, designed and built in 1929 by local architect Malcolm Rice and a National Architecture Award recipient in 1930. Originally with electricity, the doll house was enjoyed by three generations of the Rice family. Folklife Museum committee member Lou LaMarche has loaned several 1940s toys from his personal collection, including toy soldiers, a Rudolph radio and an electric football game. In addition, the exhibit features a 1940s toy steam engine donated by museum volunteer Malcolm Shell as well as 1970s Star Wars toys donated by Mayor Ralph McGill.

The Farragut Folklife Museum is committed to preserving the heritage of its East Tennessee community and features a remarkable collection of artifacts from the area, including an extensive collection of the personal belongings of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the U.S Navy and hero of the Civil War. Housed in the Farragut Town Hall located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more information about the museum or the exhibit, please visit www.townoffarragut.org/museum , like the museum at www.facebook.com/farragutfolklifemuseum, or contact Museum Coordinator Julia Barham at julia.barham@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

Zoo admission is half-price. Details TBA!

Knoxville Zoo, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.knoxville-zoo.org

Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee - Ongoing/Hayworth Gallery
This permanent installation, housed in one of the two large top-floor galleries, traces the development of fine art and craft in the region and the surrounding area over the past century. It tells the largely unknown story of the area’s rich artistic history and its connections to the larger currents of American art. Featured works are drawn from the KMA collection along with selected works on loan from several regional museums and private collections.

Currents: Recent Art from East Tennessee and Beyond - Ongoing/Faires Stokely Gallery
This exhibition showcases the exciting range of contemporary works by a stellar slate of more than 30 international artists and East Tennessee luminaries. The selection is grouped in thought-provoking juxtapositions that call attention to new directions in art and new approaches to the artistic process, and help viewers discover meaningful connections between featured works.

Thorne Miniature Rooms - Ongoing/Great Hall
Thorne Rooms are among America’s most well-known miniature diorama groups. The Thorne Rooms were developed in the 1930s and 40s by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago, who collected miniature furniture and accessories and used them to create dioramas built to a scale of one inch to one foot.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

The Knoxville Museum of Art and the Tennessee Art Education Association present the eighth annual East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition, which features artwork created by middle and high school students and offers students the opportunity to display their talents and be honored for their accomplishments in a professional art museum environment. This event is made possible by the generosity of presenting sponsor Regal Entertainment Group and additional sponsors Emerson Process Management, Home Federal Bank, Carton Services Inc, and the Tennessee Theatre.

Students, family, friends, and the public are invited to a reception and awards ceremony Tuesday, December 3 from 6 to 8pm. The ceremony this year will be held at the Tennessee Theater at 604 S. Gay Street due to the renovations taking place at the KMA. Student artwork will be on view at the museum. The event is free and open to the public.

The East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition is open to students in grades 6-12, attending public, private, or home schools in 32 counties across East Tennessee. Fewer than a third of the more than 1500 entries in this highly competitive show will make it through a rigorous jury process. The Best-in-Show winner will receive a Purchase Award of $500, and the artwork will become a permanent part of the collection of Mr. James Dodson, on loan to the Knoxville Museum of Art's Education Collection. This is the first exhibition to open in the newly renovated Clayton Building. Having been closed to the public since late August, the museum has undergone extensive renovations and is reopening in stages as work is completed. The two galleries on the museum’s main level will house the Student Art Exhibition and boast newly finished flooring, while new terrazzo flooring will greet visitors as they enter the front doors.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM; Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Wears Valley wants to take you back in time to the days of old-fashioned Christmas trees, horse-drawn wagon rides, hayrides, and storytelling. Lots of fun awaits you in the Valley during the holiday season. A four-week long event, "Christmas in Wears Valley" will begin with a tree lighting ceremony at 6:00 pm on Friday, Nov. 29, 2013 at 3601 Lyon Springs Rd in Sevierville, TN. The event will run through December 31st.

Special events are spread over four weekends, November 29-30, December 13-14, December 20-21, and December 27-28. The first weekend is the tree lighting ceremony on November 29. On November 30 professional storytellers will tell you stories that will make your jaws drop. Throughout the four-week event, you can enjoy a tree tour, hayrides, horse-drawn wagon rides, and shopping for a live Christmas tree – all available daily. Storytelling events will be held on Saturday afternoons. http://www.christmasinwearsvalley.com

The Art of the Creche II: Folk Art Nativities from Around the World
Featuring new selections on loan from a private collection.

Also showing - Selections from the Permanent Collection
Featuring International Artists including Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, Salvador Dali and many others.

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 16, 7 to 9 PM
Gallery Talk: 6:30 PM
The event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family!

Oak Ridge Art Center * 201 Badger Avenue * Oak Ridge
(865) 482-1441

Provides a look at the 1940's history of Oak Ridge as captured through the photographic lens of Ed Westcott, the official U. S. Army Manhattan Project photographer. This exhibition is sponsored by the Y-12 National Security Complex. AMSE 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

A book, a play, a poem – all form the basis of the literary arts. Regional artisits submitted original works for this juried art competition and exhibit that was inspired by a title, a line, a theme, or a character from a literary work.

Join us for an exhibit opening and awards ceremony on Tuesday November 19th:
6:00 pm – Opening Reception with light refreshments
7:00 pm – Awards Ceremony

Athens Area Council for the Arts: 320 North White Street, Athens, TN, 37303. Info: 423-745-8781, www.athensartscouncil.org