Calendar of Events

Bob Patterson, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center Director announced the opening of Child's Play: 100 Years of Toys located inside the Proffitt's Gallery in Main Gallery of the Heritage Center Museum. This exhibit will bring back many childhood memories and a full range of emotions for those who come and see this exhibit. They have a wonderful collection of toys made of metal, porcelain, iron and plastic that represent toys over the past 100 years. The exhibit which will be on display through June 2014 is made possible through the generous support of the following individuals who donated their childhood toys to be a part of this exhibit. Exhibit Highlights includes: Louis Marx Toy Company / Tin Walt Disney Doll House, Toy Soldiers, Tonka Toys, Barbie Dolls, Metal Trucks, Kenton Trucks, Buddy L trucks, Porcelain Dolls, Circus, Lionel train, Winnie the Pooh, Shirley Temple, Tinker Toys, and more.

The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is 501 c3 Museum and Cultural Center. The Heritage Center is open Monday thru Saturday 10 am - 5 pm and on Sunday 12 noon to 5 pm starting in April. Admission is free for Heritage Center members, Adults $6.00 ,Seniors 60 plus and children ages 6 - 17 $4.00, children 5 and under are free. Closed Easter Sunday. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is a not for profit museum and is located between the traffic light and the national park entrance, on scenic Highway 73. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

The Arts at Pellissippi State kicks off the new year with a special art exhibit, “Art Histories,” featuring the work of S. L. Dickey and Tom Wegrzynowski. An opening reception takes place from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16.

The artists are showing together for the first time for this unique exhibit at Pellissippi State Community College. Dickey, chair of the department of art and design at the Mississippi University for Women, is known for creating dimensional screenprints and for “The Piedmont Sideshow,” performance art that explores perceived conflict.

Wegrzynowski is a painter and instructor at the University of Alabama. His work deals with the nature of myth and symbolism as a foundation for identity. “S. L. Dickey’s work is more informed by a pop history, and Tom Wegrzynowski’s work, while it does come from history, has an alternative narrative to it,” said Herb Rieth. Rieth is the curator of the exhibit, as well as an assistant professor of Liberal Arts at Pellissippi State.

Bagwell Center Gallery Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

Huck Finn is on the run from his criminal father, along with his friend Jim, adrift on the mighty Mississippi River. The two fall prey to two con men, calling themselves the King and The Duke, and get involved in a number of outrageous schemes. If Jim can get far enough up river, he can become a free man, and Huck discovers there may be a fortune for him too!

Performances begin: Friday, January 16 at 7:00 PM
Performances end: Sunday, February 1 at 3:00 PM

2013-2014 Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Season
In January the orchestra will welcome guest conductor Sean Newhouse to the stage for a New Year’s-themed concert. Maestro Newhouse was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by Maestro James Levine in February 2011 after stepping in on two hours’ notice to conduct Mahler’s Ninth Symphony and held this position until the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. The concert will open with Strauss’ Overture to Die Fledermaus and will then be joined by guest pianist Louis Schwizgebel for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. Currently studying at The Juilliard School in the classes of Emanuel Ax and Robert McDonald, Louis is a world-class pianist who studied at the Lausanne where he passed the soloist diploma at age fifteen. The second half of the program includes Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty: Suite Op. 66a and Strauss’ Emperor Waltzes.

At the Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Brooklyn-based artist Lothar Osterburg will present a public lecture on his work in Art and Architecture room 109. The lecture is free and open to the public. His visit is sponsored by the UT Print Club. Osterburg makes photogravures of small, sculpted models of windmills, lighthouses, sailboats among others, staged in evocative settings. Built from memory of readily available materials, the models have a dreamlike quality that is enhanced by the placement of the camera within their world; the perspective is that of a person within the set, obscuring the actual size of the objects. The viewer, drawn into the scene, fills the gap created by the absence of people. The smallest models are photographed through a magnifying glass or with a macro lens. With this extremely short focal range, the scenes become ambiguous, mysterious, or even ominous while somehow retaining the playful quality typical of Osterburg's hand.

Osterburg received a diploma with excellence in Fine Arts from the Hochschule für bildende Künste, Braunschweig, Germany in 1990. Prior to this he studied at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. His works are in the permanent collections of the New York Public Library, NY; Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Fine Arts Museum Houston, TX; Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI; Spencer Art Museum, Lawrence, KS; Light Work permanent Collection, Syracuse, NY; Kunstverein Hannover; Kunstverein Helmstedt; Kunstverein Salzgitter; and Kunstverein Frechen, all in Germany. Website: http://www.lotharosterburgphotogravure.com

Info: 865-974-3202

As part of the Community Cinema film series, East Tennessee PBS will hold an advance screening of the documentary Las Marthas on Thursday, January 16, 7 p.m. at the station, located at 1611 East Magnolia Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public.

Las Marthas enjoys unprecedented access to an exclusive border celebration in honor of George Washington, where Mexican-American debutantes dress as American Revolutionaries. Every February, one of the largest celebrations of George Washington’s birthday in the world takes place in the border town of Laredo, Texas. This 116-year-old tradition has evolved into an entire month of inventive reenactments and bicultural celebrations, many of them involving Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, their sister city across the border. The most preeminent event of them all, however, is the invitation-only Colonial Ball hosted by the elite Society of Martha Washington.

Produced and directed by Cristina Ibarra, Las Marthas will make its television premiere during Independent Lens on Monday, February 17, 2014 (George Washington’s birthday), at 10 p.m. on East Tennessee PBS.

For information about the screening and East Tennessee PBS’s Community Cinema series, contact Amy Hubbard, ahubbard@easttennesseepbs.org, 865-595-0230.

Research and Practice in Mass Grave Exhumations: Current International Projects at the UT Anthropology Research Facility, Dawnie Steadman: The East Tennessee Society of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and the McClung Museum present Dr. Dawnie Steadman of the Anthropology Department at University of Tennessee, Knoxville speaking on “Research and Practice in Mass Grave Exhumations: Current International Projects at the UT Anthropology Research Facility.”

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

Join us for the 2nd Annual Bijou Awards where local high school students will show off their talent to compete for a $1000 scholarship and $500 donation to their school or organization. As the final round of the competition, the top 5 performers in each category will perform before a live audience and a panel of judges who will select the winners!

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Thursday, January 16, 2014 at 8pm
Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall
Interfaith Health Clinic presents Paul Thorn

InterFaith has been serving the communities of East Tennessee since 1991. Throughout the years, the mission of the InterFaith Health Clinic has remained the same – to provide accessible, affordable, and quality health care to the low-income, working uninsured in our community.

Paul Thorn is an Americana singer-songwriter whose style is a mix of blues and rock music.

Tickets are $35

For more information please visit www.claytonartscenter.com
Call the Clayton Center Box Office for ticket information (865) 981-8590

Ever wonder about the history buried beneath the pavement and buildings of downtown Knoxville? A special Brown Bag Lecture at the East Tennessee Historical Society on January 16 will introduce us to the history of one such site, the old Peter Kern home that once stood between Locust and Walnut streets and recently excavated in preparation for the building of a new multi-level parking garage. Examples of items discovered will be on display.

The excavation discovered the foundations of Kern’s home and a vast assortment of remnants of everyday life in early downtown Knoxville. Also unearthed were artifacts associated with an early hotel, mission house, and a grocery store that once served downtown residents. Project archaeologists and researchers Hunter Johnson, Ted Karpynec, Keith Little and Travis Rael will discuss the project and findings, as well as the importance of learning about and documenting everyday life in Knoxville during the past 150 years.

Free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org.

Please make plans to join us in 2014 for another year of celebration and commemoration honoring the life and legacy of the Dream and the Dreamer!

+ January 15, 12:00 PM - Celebration Prayer Service

+ January 16, 8:30 AM - Leadership Educational Symposium, Knoxville Marriott
The Honorable A C Wharton, Jr. Mayor of Memphis, will be the special guest for the annual Leadership Educational Symposium on January 16th. Mayor Wharton has served as Mayor of Memphis since fall of 2009 and also served two terms as Mayor of Shelby County. During the morning Symposium, he will lead a roundtable discussion on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as speak on topics relevant to business, education, and mayoral issues.

+ January 16, 12:00 PM - Leadership/Awards Luncheon, Knoxville Marriott
One of the featured events during the celebration is the annual Leadership Awards Luncheon at noon on January 16th and the keynote speaker will be John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center and former President of the American Society of Newspapers Editors. For 43 years, he served as an award-winning journalist for The Tennessean, Nashville’s morning newspaper. He was founding editorial director of USA Today and served in that position for a decade. The trustees of Vanderbilt University created the John Seigenthaler Center and Middle Tennessee State University endowed a chair in his name. He continues to be a strong advocate of First Amendment rights of free expression and will provide a stimulating and moving address.

+ January 17, 5:00-7:00PM - Gallery of Arts Tribute - Opening Reception and Exhibit
At Beck Cultural Exchange Center with artists Ramon Emanuel Stewart II, Jacqueline Holloway, Hawa Ware Johnson, Eddie Lamar Davis, and Alan M. Jones

+ January 17, 7:00 PM - Community Peace Forum - Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Beck Cultural Exchange Center

+ January 18, 8:30AM-2:00PM - Teacher In Service Training

+ January 18, 8:30AM-2:00PM - Youth Symposium, Austin East High School

+ January 18, 1:00PM - Y.W.C.A. Race Against Racism, YWCA Phyllis Wheatley Center

+ January 19 - A Night With the Arts Tribute (at Bijou)

+ January 20 - Memorial March Parade (Line up 8:30AM/Step Off 10:00AM)

+ January 20, 11:45 AM - Memorial Tribute Service at Greater Warner Tabernacle AME Zion Church
Culminating the commemorative events will be the Memorial Tribute Service at noon on January 20th, the official MLK Holiday and Dr. George McKenna, III will be the featured keynote speaker. Dr. McKenna has been a teacher, superintendent, and administrator as well as educational consultant to numerous school districts and other organizations. Because of his accomplishments, he has received over 400 citations and awards as well as special recognition by President Reagan. In addition to print and TV media coverage, Dr. McKenna is the subject of the CBS television movie, “The George McKenna Story” starring Denzel Washington.

Except for the ticketed Awards Luncheon on January 16th, all of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorative celebration events are open to the public without charge. www.mlkKnoxville.org or 865-573-2994

January 11, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
January 11, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 11, 2014 THE URBAN WILDERNESS: South Loop Piece-by-Piece
January 11, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 11, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 11, 2014 FAMILY WILDLIFE SERIES: Owl Prowl
January 16, 2014 IJAMS SOCIAL SERIES: Happy Hour Full Moon Hike
January 18, 2014 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
January 18, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
January 18, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 18, 2014 Nature Writing and Journaling Workshop
January 18, 2014 IJAMS GARDENING SERIES: Winter Gardening and Tools
January 18, 2014 SCOUT BADGE WORKSHOP: Geology
January 18, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 18, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 25, 2014 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
January 25, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 25, 2014 IJAMS GARDENING SERIES: Seed Swap
January 25, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 25, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
January 31, 2014 IJAMS SOCIAL SERIES: Last Friday Single Mingle

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