Calendar of Events

The Town of Farragut Arts Council presents Fran Thie as the featured artist for January and February. Her work is featured in specially designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in the Farragut Town Hall. The exhibit features a variety of pastel landscapes and mixed watermedia abstracts. After exploring various career interests, Thie returned to her love of painting and drawing, with a focus on pastel, mixed media, watercolor and oil. Both self-taught and educated by nationally prominent artists, Thie's art reflects many influences and skills associated with her earlier involvements, specifically creative writing and literature. She strives to reflect the drama and contrast she finds in nature with the goal of communicating the spiritual sense she feels through nature. Thie has participated in numerous local and regional juried art exhibitions and has been a member of several local artists associations, including the Knoxville Watercolor Society and Tennessee Artists Association. Her work is currently featured in Knoxville's Art Market Gallery and has also been showcased at the Dean-Smith Gallery and Frame Smart Gallery.

For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist of the Month application, please contact Lauren Cox at lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057 or visit www.townoffarragut.org (Departments, Parks & Leisure Services, Arts & Culture). The Farragut Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office.

Big Head Todd and The Monsters' ninth studio album Rocksteady – finds the veteran Colorado band returning to their DIY roots and forging into surprising musical territory. Funky, lilting, and melodic, Rocksteady cuts across a broad swath of stylistic terrain. "It’s a soul/Caribbean record that rocks,” Mohr says. “We almost went out of our way to take all the rock out of it, but it really rocks. It’s the very first album we’ve ever done that’s this cohesive and focused. That’s what makes it shine and stand out from our other albums."

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

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents a brand new FREE recital series with the members of the Woodwind Quintet and the Principal Quartet. The Q Series remaining performance dates are:
Thursday, January 23, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at American Piano Gallery (Woodwind Quintet and Principal Quartet)
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at 12:00 p.m. at the Emporium Center (Woodwind Quintet and Principal Quartet)

“This is a brand new initiative for us,” said Rachel Ford, KSO Executive Director. “Launching the Q Series is made possible through a generous gift from the Aslan Foundation. The Foundation’s support has allowed the KSO’s five principal woodwind musicians to transition to full-time members of the core orchestra. The Woodwind Quintet will be active participants in the KSO’s educational programs in addition to joining with the Principal Quartet to perform this free recital series during the 2013-14 season. We are excited to introduce these musicians to the Knoxville community and to see the evolution of the Q Series.”

The Woodwind Quintet members are: Ebonee Thomas, flute; Phylis Secrist, oboe; Gary Sperl, clarinet; Aaron Apaza, bassoon and Jeffery Whaley, French horn. The Principal Quartet members are: Gordon Tsai and Edward Pulgar violin; Kathryn Gawne, viola and Andy Bryenton, cello.

The musical program includes Barthe’s Passacaille, George Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants, Paul Valjean’s Dance Suite for Woodwind Quintet, Gunther Schuller’s Suite for Woodwind Quintet, Gershwin’s Three Preludes, and Dvorak’s Quintet.

Information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

The Farragut Folklife Museum will feature an exciting special exhibit - "The Manhattan Project - Secrets Revisited" - beginning Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014, through Friday, May 2. The exhibit will highlight items from this momentous time in our region's history, including artifacts on loan from the private collection of Lloyd and Betty Stokes, as well as the American Museum of Science and Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex and K-25 in Oak Ridge.

Items on loan from the Stokes will include newspaper articles and framed Life Magazines from the 1940s, which illustrate scenes from World War II including bombers, planes, personnel, enemy soldiers and more. They collected their Manhattan Project artifacts over the course of 69 years while living and working in Oak Ridge. Lloyd's professional career spanned 40 years at Y-12, K-25 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The exhibit will also feature loaned artifacts and well-known Ed Westcott photographs taken during the Manhattan Project from the American Museum of Science and Energy as well as loaned artifacts from the Y-12 National Security Complex and K-25.

Folklife Museum Committee Member Steve Stow will give a special presentation on the Manhattan Project on Wednesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Town Hall. More details will be announced closer to the event.

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.

The University of Tennessee’s Creative Writing Program in the Department of English, in collaboration with the Department of Theatre, will host visiting playwright John Lazarus in residence January 21-25, 2014.

On Saturday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Art & Architecture auditorium (Room 109) a staged reading of a new, as-yet-unproduced play by Lazarus entitled “Sex with Feminists” will be performed by MFA actors from the Theatre Department. Lazarus will also answer questions from the audience about his work. This event is free and open to the public.

Students of Creative Writing, English, and Theatre won’t want to miss a series of Craft Talks with the playwright which will take place Tuesday-Friday, January 21-24, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in 1210 McClung Tower. Friday’s Craft Talk will be held in HSS 105. Lazarus will discuss the craft of playwriting, especially plot and dialogue. No prior experience is necessary. The Craft Talks can be attended as a series or individually and are free and open to anyone with an interest in writing or theatre.

Lazarus is a Canadian playwright and the author of some 20 produced plays. His first play, “Babel Rap,” was for years the most frequently produced play in Canada, and his play “Dreaming and Dueling” was the first Canadian play produced by the Shaw Festival. His plays have been produced across Canada and around in the world, including England, France, Germany, Israel, and Japan. Lazarus's other awards include the World Gold Medal for Children's Radio Drama, a Floyd Chalmers Award, and several Jessie Richardson Awards for Vancouver productions. He is a professor of drama at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

Lazarus’s visit is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English in association with the John C. Hodges Better English Fund and the Department of Theatre. For more information, please contact Margaret Lazarus Dean in English (mdean4@utk.edu) or Jed Diamond in Theatre (jdiamond@utk.edu).

Ebony Imagery XV, Creative CrackerJacks at the Art Center, and Selections from the Permanent Collection
Featuring International Artists including Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, Salvador Dali and many others.

Opening Reception: Monday Evening, January 20, 4-6PM
Gallery Talk: 5:30 PM
The event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family!

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

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is pleased to present Light of the Moon, a national juried exhibition. Fifty-two works by 41 artists from throughout the country will be on display in the Sandra J. Blain Galleries.

With the exhibition Light of the Moon, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts presents a midwinter celebration of contemporary arts and crafts, the theme of which harkens back to the myriad traditions, festivities, stories, and happenings that have been inspired or taken place by the light of the moon throughout the ages. Join us at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts on Saturday, January 18 from 4:00 – 8:00pm for a throw-down hoedown during the opening event. Festivities will include a short lecture and awards presentation by exhibition juror Namita Gupta Wiggers, director and chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Craft | PNCA in Portland, Oregon; screen-printing demonstrations by the University of Tennessee’s print club; dance performances by Knoxville-based Circle Modern Dance; demonstrations by Arrowmont’s artists-in­residence; tasty bites throughout the day prepared by Arrowmont’s chef; drinks from Ole Smoky Moonshine; and to round out the night, a musical performance by Firewater Junction. For a detailed schedule of Opening Event festivities, please visit http://arrowmontgalleries.org/light-of-the-moon/opening-event-saturday-january-18-400-800pm/

Open Monday - Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Please call for Holiday and Weekend hours. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

"Glass of the Ancient Mediterranean" explores the origins of glass production in the ancient world through 30 pieces from the Yale University Art Gallery, which is home to one of the best collections of ancient glass in the United States. Featuring objects from ancient Egypt and the Roman and Byzantine empires, these pieces of glass show three millennia of craftsmanship, artistry, daily life, trade, pilgrimage and luxury in the ancient Mediterranean.

"Brightly Beaded: North American Indian Glass Beadwork" investigates how the introduction of glass beads to American Indians changed and shaped the art of beadwork. From cradleboards to moccasins, this exhibit of more than 50 brightly beaded objects looks at the techniques and cultural importance of beadwork and how it continues to serve as an important expression of cultural identity today.

Members opening reception January 17, 5-7 PM. RSVP to 974-2144

"Brightly Beaded: North American Indian Glass Beadwork" is curated by Michael H. Logan, UT professor of anthropology. "Glass of the Ancient Mediterranean" is curated by Sarah Cole, Yale University Art Gallery.

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

Based on the comic novel by Judy Blume. Tales Of A Fourth-Grade Nothing began a hugely-popular series of books, detailing the lives of the Hatcher family and their friends, including Superfudge, Fudge-A-Mania, and Double Fudge. All of the uproarious adventures of Peter and Fudge come to life on the KCT stage, along with many of the characters from the series, such as Sheila Tubman, Jimmy Fargo, and Dr. Cone.

What happens when your cute little brother is sometimes a trouble-making, fussy, chaos-causing brat? Peter Hatcher feels like a “fourth-grade nothing” because everybody seems to give his brother Fudge so much attention, even if he’s behaving badly! Tales Of A Fourth-Grade Nothing follows a year in Peter’s life that is full of comic misadventures, such as the boys’ visit to the dentist, the day Fudge tried to fly, the morning Dad tried to cook an omelet, the night that Peter lost Fudge in a downtown movie theater, and much more. A faithful adaptation of one of the best books ever written about sharing life with a sibling.

Performances are generally Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com. Reservations: tickets@childrenstheatreknoxville.com

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