Calendar of Events

Plays about troubled families have long been predominant in theatre and movies from Ibsen to Strindberg to Chekov. In “Other Desert Cities,” the upcoming production at Oak Ridge Playhouse, playwright Jon Robin Baitz deftly balances funny and fierce, elevating the subject of familial conflict to another level.

The play surrounds once promising novelist Brooke Wyeth’s return home after a six-year absence. Celebrating Christmas in Palm Springs with her brother, her aunt, and her parents, former members of the Reagan inner circle, Brooke brings with her a memoir that focuses on a devastating chapter in the family’s life. Turmoil ensues as the wounded parents discover her intent, and the Wyeths struggle to come to terms with secrets from their past.

Purchase tickets online 24 hours a day: www.orplayhouse.com.
Purchase by phone or at box office: 865 482 9999, 12:00-5:30PM Mon.-Sat. during performance weeks.

Pellissippi State Community College students will be the stars—and writers and directors—of the upcoming theatre production “Freedom Circus,” Feb. 21-23. “Freedom Circus” premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, in Pellissippi State’s Clayton Performing Arts Center, on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Additional performances are 7:30 p.m., Feb. 22, and 2 p.m., Feb. 23.

“Expect the funny, weird, shocking and poignant all in one sitting, in this collection of short plays written and directed by, and starring, students from Pellissippi State’s Theatre program,” said Charles R. Miller, Theatre program coordinator and professor. Admission is free, but donations are accepted at the door. All proceeds go to the Pellissippi State Foundation to support the Theatre program and scholarships. Ample free parking is available.

“Freedom Circus” is one of the events that make up Pellissippi State’s arts series, The Arts at Pellissippi State. The series brings to the community cultural activities ranging from music and theatre to international celebrations, lectures, and the fine arts.

Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

Intensive, joyful exploration of many facets of cello playing, through master classes, technique seminars, lectures, cello ensemble playing, concerts, and cello competitions. Approximately150 cellists from throughout the United States attend this three day event. Free concerts, open to public.

TCW Pre-College Competition Performances
Friday, February 21, 2014 at 5:30 p.m and 8:00 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
TCW Faculty Recital
Saturday, February 22, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
TCW Final Cello Ensemble Recital
Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus. Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events. View additional UT Music concerts and events including all student recitals on the website.

By Horton Foote; Directed by Kate Buckley
The award-winning “The Trip to Bountiful” starring Carol Mayo Jenkins will play on the Clarence Brown Mainstage. The heartwarming play tells the story of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who yearns to return to her home in Bountiful, Texas one last time, against the wishes of her overprotective son and domineering daughter-in-law. Written by one of America’s greatest writers, Horton Foote, “The Trip to Bountiful” is an unforgettable portrait of a woman with incredible strength and dignity,

Foote’s first play, “Texas Town”, was produced Off-Broadway in 1941. Since then he has had plays produced on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway and at many regional theatres throughout the country. He received Academy Awards for his screenplay adaptation of “To Kill A Mockingbird” and his original screenplay, “Tender Mercies.” He received the Pulitzer Prize for his play, “The Young Man from Atlanta”, the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway and the Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award for the Signature Series of his plays. In 1996 he was elected to the Theatre Hall of Fame. In 1998 he was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and at the same time received from the Academy the Gold Medal of Drama for the entire body of his work. In 2000 he received the PEN/Laura Pels Foundation Award for Drama, New York State Governor's Arts Award and, in December of that year, was given the National Medal of Arts Award by President Clinton. In 2006 his play, “The Trip to Bountiful”, won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival and he was given the Drama Desk Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of work.

Foote’s success has been attributed to his honest examination of the human condition, and why some people survive tragedies while others are destroyed. His central themes of the “sense of belonging” and “longing for home” have resonated with audiences for more than 60 years.

"The trip to Bountiful is a journey home, which brings our heroine a sense of dignity and proof that her life was well lived. Carol Mayo-Jenkins’ beautiful portrayal of Carrie Watts enriches this profound story,” said director Kate Buckley.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Riding a bike is all fun and games until someone gets a flat. Knox County Public Library is pleased to introduce a new series called Life 101 to help teens develop some practical skills, including bike maintenance. Life 101 will be held at Lawson McGhee Library on Saturdays at 2:00 pm. It's aim is to teach teenagers some important life skills for their future. The programs are free and open to all area teens. No reservation required.
February 15: Bike safety
The first leg of this 2-part program will focus on urban bike safety. Local organization, Kickstand, will be on hand to guide participants through the rules of the road and offer other suggestions on how to become a safer, more aware cyclist.

March 1: Bike maintenance and repair
Flats, broken chains, and wobbly seats, oh my! Meet up with volunteers from local organization, Kickstand, to learn essential bike maintenance and repair techniques.

March 8: Stress management: yoga for teens
March 29: Financial literacy

For more information, please contact Bess Connally at bconnally@knoxlib.org, or (865) 215-8767

by Jones, Hope & Wooten. This poignant comedy follows five Southern women whose friendships began many years ago on their college swim team. The play is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where the women meet at the same beach cottage, the same weekend every August. Captured at ages 44, 48, 54 and 77, their lives unfold and they increasingly rely on one another, through advice and quick-witted repartee, to get through all the challenges life throws their way. The second act takes a poignant and surprising direction that makes this one of the Jones, Hope and Wooten franchise’s best. The cast includes Freddi Birdwell, Cheri Compton, Bonny Pendleton, Tracy Wolfgram Walker and Judie Douglas. Directed by James Fisher.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $10 plus fees for Thursday & Sunday performances and $15 plus fees for Friday & Saturday performances. If available, tickets will be sold at the door.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown has open seating. Doors open 30 minutes prior to show time. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to pick up your tickets and claim your seats. TKD reserves the right to seat walk-in patrons during the final 15 minutes prior to show time.

Tickets: 865-523-7521; www.KnoxTIX.com. Information: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

Athens Community Theatre announces their upcoming musical production of Into the Woods, book by James Lapine, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
Show dates for Into the Woods are February 13-23, 2014.

In this fairytale mash-up of epic proportion, familiar faces embark on the unknown: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack (of beanstalk fame), dwell in a sylvan community where a meddling witch and a baker are next-door neighbors and the handsome princes from classic fables are competitive and comically vain paramours. Propelled by Sondheim’s majestic score, these characters venture “Into the Woods” and down a different path than that of the stories you’ve heard. The baker and his wife travel in search of a cow, a red cape, yellow hair, and gold slippers to lift a spell placed on them by the haggard witch. Cinderella, Jack, and Little red, too, have set out on inspired quests of their own. As the plot unfolds, these characters’ individual stories intersect through unexpected plot twists, and cameos by other characters of fairytale lore add to the thrill of the journey. In turn farcical and contemplative, James Lapine’s book examines themes of childhood and parenthood, ambition and desire, and takes on allegorical gravity when the tale does not end with “happily ever after.”

Performances are February 13, 14, 15, 18, 20, 21 and 22 at 7:00 PM and February 23 at 2:00 PM. Tickets for all performances are $15 for adults, $8 for students, except for February 14, which is BE MY VALENTINE NIGHT, when you can bring your prince or princess to the theatre for a “buy one get one $3 off” ticket deal; and February 20, which is FAIRYTALE FUN NIGHT, when you can come at 6:00 PM dressed in a fairytale costume for a complimentary magic potion (hot beverage) and $1 off ticket price.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 16th and will be available online at www.athensartscouncil.org, by phone at 423-745-8781, or in person at The Arts Center, 320 N. White St., Athens, Tennessee. For more information, contact The Arts Center at 423-745-8781.

Painter Diana Dee Sarkar and wood-turner Gordon Fowler, both of Knoxville, are the Art Market Gallery’s February featured artists. Their recent works will be on exhibit with an opening reception to be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7, during the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown Knoxville. At the opening reception visitors may enjoy complimentary refreshments and live music performed by Living Room Roots.

Gordon Fowler, whose background includes carpentry and a degree in microbiology from University of Tennessee, studied at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts and the Kentucky School of Craft. He has been turning wood since 2002, concentrating on creating pleasing shapes with an eye to proportion. "I love the symmetry and symbolism of circles, and am inspired by the patterns and contrasts found in nature," he says. With his three children now grown, this fulltime stay-at-home dad spends time in the kitchen, tending to the chickens, volunteering, and at the lathe, where he enjoys creating works from recycled logs that would otherwise have gone into someone's fireplace or the landfill.

Diana Dee Sarkar grew up in Wichita, KS, with a formal education focused on chemistry and medicine. Painting portraits, still life and landscapes on her own, she became serious about art in 2005, studying various media with Hongnian Zhang at the Woodstock (NY) School of Art, Lois Woolley, Anthony Ryder, Susan Ogilvie, Nelson Shanks and others. She holds a certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and is completing work on an MFA at Academy of Art University. Her paintings have been juried into a show at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art Museum, and the International Miniature Painting competition. She paints representationally, currently in oil and pastel.

Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery, at 422 S. Gay St., is a few doors away from Mast General Store and next to Downtown Grill & Brewery. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday 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.

Silvia has been on a journey punctuated by artistic endeavors and service to others; a journey where her love of painting and her desire to help victims of domestic coexist. Having worked as bilingual advocate for a domestic violence program she is now in the process of creating a non-profit organization tohelp immigrant women in similar situations. As opposed to her first book, “I Wish…I Wish…I Wish…” which she wrote for children, Silvia’s current book, inSpanish, is on domestic violence. Silvia is a graduate of Leadership Plenty, the Citizen Police Academy, and the Knox County Community Action LeadershipProgram. And when she has extra time, Silvia is a professional chef and loves making fine custom jewelry.

HoLa Hora Latina: 865-335-3358, www.holafestival.org

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present its National Juried Exhibition of 2014, a new exhibition featuring selected works from 36 artists in the Southeast region. The National Juried Exhibition was developed in 2006 to provide a forum for local artists to compete on a national scale and display their highest quality work. The exhibition encompasses all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists working in a variety of media such as drawing, photography, digital media, watercolor, oil painting, encaustic, ceramics, and woodworking and will be displayed in the Emporium Center from February 7 – March 1, 2014. Most of the works are for sale. A public reception will take place on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM with a brief awards ceremony at 6:00 PM in which $1,000 in cash awards will be announced. The First Friday reception also features a performance by Tennessee Stage Company from 6:30-6:45 PM and a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM, both in the Black Box Theatre. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available and chocolate fondue will be provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville.

Paul Collins served as juror for the exhibition. He is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Nashville. Collins makes drawings, paintings and sculpture that combine humor, tactility and observation to examine the world around us. He has an MFA from Yale and has been a resident at Skowhegan, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and the Vermont Studio Center. Collins works as Gallery Director and Assistant Professor of Art at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville. “This exhibition offers a powerful view of artists’ narratives and responses to the challenge of creating images in today’s day and age,” says Paul Collins. “The works all evidence a strong sense of voice in answering their own questions of what makes us vital as people and what compels us to make artwork.”

The National Juried Exhibition of 2014 is on display February 7 – March 1, 2014 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit our web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents “Afghanistan: Unordinary Lives”, a new exhibition of 20 photographs by Slovenian artist Manca Juvan that portrays civil society in Afghanistan. Juvan made several trips to the country between 2003 and 2009, documenting the lives of Afghans who, after the fall of the Taliban, had been promised much by the international community. Their lives, unfortunately, were little changed for the better. The images have been published in a book of the same title that aims to encourage continued discussion of Afghanistan, particularly of the daily lives of ordinary citizens who are usually omitted from the political/war discussions in the media. The photographs will be displayed in the Balcony of the Emporium Center from February 7 – March 1, 2014. A public reception will take place on Friday, February 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres available and chocolate fondue provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville.

“Despite the international community’s efforts to crush the Taliban regime in Afghanistan after 9/11, and its promises of bringing democracy and rebuilding to this war-torn nation, the ongoing war and instability continues to diminish the hopes of the Afghan people,” says Manca Juvan. “Stories on the lives of ordinary Afghans caught in this endless conflict of interest and the ongoing struggle for money, power, and overall control remind us what the real images of war and poverty, of lives far from ordinary, look like.” Prior to exhibition in Knoxville, the collection of images has shown at Gallery MC in New York; Ljubljana Castle, Koroska Gallery of Fine Arts, STOLP Gallery, and Museum of Modern Art in Slovenia; Photomed festival in France; the Federal Parliament of Belgium; and the Abbaye de Neumünster in Luxembourg. For more information on the Afghanistan: Unordinary Lives project, visit www.mancajuvan.com/unordinarylives.

Born 1981 in Slovenia, Manca Juvan has worked as a freelance photographer since 2000 after completing her studies at the Slovene School for Photography. She has been selected as Photographer of the Year in Slovenia for her reportage work in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and has been twice commended for her work on Afghanistan by the Slovenian Association of Journalists. Her book Afghanistan: Unordinary Lives was published by Sanje publishers in 2010 with an English edition following 2012. In 2011 she was chosen as one of three recipients of a scholarship for NYU/Magnum Foundation Photography and Human Rights Program. Juvan has published photographs and stories on Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, India, the United States, Serbia and the EU countries, among others in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, National Geographic (Slovenia), Time.com, Marie Claire, and The European Voice. She is a member of the International Association of Photojournalists called SPUTNIK. She has worked as a mentor on photo documentary workshops and more recently university photography programs, and she prepared several solo exhibitions and participated in many group displays home and abroad.

Her visit has been coordinated by the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington and Lydia Pulsipher, Professor of Geography, Emeritus at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Honorary Consul for the Republic of Slovenia to Tennessee. For more information on Manca Juvan, visit www.mancajuvan.com.

At the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit our Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

Bliss Home is pleased to present Knoxville artist, Christi Shields, for February's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, February 7th from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary Steamboat Sandwiches will be provided and Christi's art will be featured for the month of February.

Christi's February exhibit is a collection of paintings which express emotions from the past through continued experimentation in innovative, edgy and modern acrylic techniques. Christi uses a very action oriented process along with layer techniques and color to create depth. By using bold colors, texture and movement, Christi aims to evoke an emotional response from the viewer.

Admission: Free
Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-329-8868, www.shopinbliss.com