Calendar of Events

Paul Krainak is an abstract painter who also works with plywood and corrugated plastic installations. For "Topology", he has produced a series of painting studies on plywood panels and clustered them throughout the UT Downtown Gallery. "Topology" employs elements of early modern logic and its attendant forms in art and technology. It considers aesthetic and industrial incentives originating in rural America and calls into question modernism's strictly urban mythology. Grids, cruciforms, and wood grain details are embedded in extended patterns calling to mind Constructivist and Bauhaus Schools' principals of industrial hybridity and utopianism. But the site of industry here is agriculture with distilled forms taken from domestic textile design, land management diagrams, and vernacular architecture.

About Paul Krainak
Paul Krainak is an artist, critic, and Chair of the Art Department at Bradley University. He has exhibited widely in the US including the Southeast Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, NC, The Ukrainian Museum of Modern Art and The Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, Fay Gold Gallery in Atlanta, the Bemis Center for the Arts in Omaha, Artist Image Resource Center in Pittsburgh, Semaphore Gallery in New York City and NEXUS Gallery in Philadelphia. He has lectured at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Czechoslovakia, The Academy of Art in Bratislava, Slovakia, The Academy of Fine Art and Design in Bejing China and the School of Fine Art in Nanjing China. His work is represented by Ingrid Fassbender in Chicago. His writing has been published by Indiana University Press, Afterimage, New Art Examiner, Dialogue, Sculpture Magazine and Artpapers where he is the St. Louis Editor.

Please join us for this opening reception on March 7 from 5-9 PM. All events are free and open to the public.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM, Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Opening reception - Friday, March 7, 5-7pm

Susan Roberts is Associate Professor of Art at Walters State Community College.
One image is attached.

The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

Tic Toc, a World Premiere comedy by Gayle Greene presented as the featured production in the seventeenth annual New Play Festival, produced by the Tennessee Stage Company in collaboration with Tiger Lily Theatre and the Wild Thyme Players. Follow Debra, a successful photographer, as she sets out on a journey to fill her own photo album with memories, in "Tic Toc" a fast-paced romantic comedy by Knoxville's own Gayle Greene. Time flies, especially when you're having fun!

Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8:00 PM and Sunday at 3:00 PM.

For more than 10 years, the Tennessee Stage Company has presented a New Play Festival including World Premiere performances as well as readings and staged readings of new, un-produced scripts. With one paid adult admission per child, 10 Knox County children up to 18 years of age can purchase a ticket to the performance for $0.01.

At Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 N. Gay Street. Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

For his second photography show at The District Gallery, Judge Harold Wimberly, Jr. brings a new collection of offbeat documentary photos, including shots taken during his recent travels. The title photograph, “It was a good time,” depicts two rather disheveled looking dolls sitting outside in a weathered old dining chair amidst a dilapidated house, truck, and obscure rubble in the background. Wimberly did not pose the dolls; he simply documented the scene as he discovered it. To say it was the aftermath of “a good time” sums up the Judge’s sense of humor and irony revealed in many of his photographs. These dolls have a story to tell, a sort of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas kind of story…and it’s up to the viewer to decide if it really was such a good time.

Judge Wimberly's photography is printed by Thompson Photo using traditional film and wet process photo paper. The film is scanned and made into a file format, which is then printed on a world class Light Jet printer. Wimberly uses medium format film which results in incredible detail and virtually no grain on even large prints. Different types of paper are used depending upon the nature of the photo and the desired effect. Whether a landscape, urban scene, architectural or social document, his photos are taken with composition and space in mind. The formal qualities of the work are just a part of the viewing experience, as Wimberly captures anomalistic scenes that often tell a story or have a noteworthy history. His imagery often conveys a sense of surrealism through unusual subject matter coupled with shimmering effects of metallic photo paper.

Please join us for an opening reception Friday, March 7 from 5:30-9 p.m. The show continues through March 22.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Mon-Fri 10-5:30, Sat 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

"Homenaje a la Mujer" ("Tribute to Women")
A series of paintings by Argentine native, Dina Ruta, featuring prominent historical and contemporary women. The Pop Art style of her work reflects the influence of the years spent in Pittsburgh prior to moving to Tennessee; the selection of women speaks to Ms. Ruta’s appreciation of women’s accomplishments in diverse endeavors. Madres de Plaza de Mayo: First Lady, Michelle Obama, The Mayor of Knoxville, Madeline Rogero, Mira Ryczke Kimmelman, Pat Summitt, Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sotomayor, Rigoberta Menchu, President Dilma Riusseff, President Cristina Fernández, President Michelle Bachelet, Eva Peron, Tita Merello, Mary Cassatt, Dr. Mary Dawson, Hillary Clinton

Opening March 7, 5-9 PM
HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 109, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: 865-335-3358, www.holafestival.org

March 6-22, 2015
New Play Festival performed by the Tennessee Stage Company.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown
319 North Gay Street, KNoxville
865 544 1999 or email: info@theatreknoxville.com
www.theatreknoxville.com

"Atomic Energy: A Life Magazine exhibition prepared in consultation with the United States Atomic Energy Commission" is a 1948 panel exhibition prepared by Life magazine for distribution, and was announced in National Committee on Atomic Energy newsletter 66 years ago. The vintage photographic panel exhibit portrays the constructive uses of atomic energy, and the need for international control. Artifacts included are the panel display shipping crate, an exhibition pamphlet stamped American Museum of Atomic Energy, and at least one book mentioned in the pamphlet will be displayed. This exhibit was donated to AMSE in 2013 by the Samuel P. Hayes Research Library at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA. 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

Ijams Hike-a-Thon is an annual fundraising event for Ijams. Hikers collect pledges from family and friends and then spend the month of March 2014 hiking Ijams Nature Center and the Urban Wilderness Trail. Registration for the event begins February 3, 2014. The Ijams Hike-a-Thon is a super fun way to benefit Ijams Nature Center. The Hike-a-Thon gives you the opportunity to help preserve and protect the environment and provide educational opportunities while hiking and earning great prizes from generous Ijams Hike-a-Thon sponsors. You register for the event online and then create your own Ijams Hike-a-Thon fundraising webpage. It’s easy! By collecting flat or per-mile pledges from your friends and family, your efforts will add up fast! You’ll even get a webpage link that you can e-mail to your friends and family asking for their pledge. It’s that easy!
http://ijams.org/hike-a-thon-frequently-asked-questions/

Opening Reception February 21, 6:30-8:00 PM - everyone welcome!
Theme: Illumination

FCAC's 3rd Annual Theme Show, "Illumination," was open to all artists in both 2-D and 3-D media. The show has 88 stunning pieces in oils, watercolors, pastels, photography, and mixed media. The public is encouraged to view the show through March 22. On that final evening at 7 PM, the Fountain City Art Center and LeGrand Music Studio will be sponsoring "The Brazilian Quartet" with Richard Miller.
The judge for "Illumination" was well known area artist Ann Birdwell who had the task of choosing the ten works which best illustrated the theme. Awards went to: Lee Edge for a watercolor, Best of Show; Clark Miller for a photo, 1st Place; Kate McCullough for a watercolor, 2nd Place; Yvonne Bartholomew-Thomas for an oil, 3rd place. Six Honorable Mentions were awarded to: Genie Even, Aurora H. Bull, Charles E. Williams, Jr., Denise Retallack, Judy Sells, and Betty Fortenberry.

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

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

PEG'S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
If you are heading to Ijams this Saturday morning for a program, hike or simple walkabout, bring your appetite. Our very own green thumb/favorite cook Peg Beute will be serving breakfast. Tomorrow's menu features french toast casserole and sausage, plus fresh fruit, coffee or tea. All proceeds from Peg's Kitchen go to the Ijams education department. Come hungry! The fee for breakfast is $5 per person. No pre-registration is required.

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

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Sight and Feeling: Photographs by Ansel Adams January 31-May 4, 2014. This exhibition of 23 prints by Ansel Adams emphasizes the role of the artist’s intuitive and emotional response to the landscape in the creation of his powerful and enduring images. Also included in the KMA’s special presentation of this exhibition are three rare prints Adams made during his little-known visit to East Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains in 1948. Adams is widely considered to be America’s greatest landscape photographer. His ability to create black and white photographs with a remarkable range and subtlety of tones is legendary. Yet for all Adams’ technical mastery, he recognized that what made a compelling photograph was far more elusive.

Few are aware that in 1948 Adams traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park—his first and only recorded visit to Tennessee—in order take photographs as part of a Guggenheim Fellowship on America’s national parks and monuments. The resulting images represent an extensive and important artistic record of the Smokies approximately 14 years after the park was established.

There will be an opening reception Thursday, January 30 at the KMA, which includes a members-only preview from 5 to 6pm, and a public opening from 6 to 8pm.

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