Calendar of Events

Photographer Dennis Sabo and jeweler Kristine Taylor are the Art Market Gallery’s featured artists for March. Their recent works will be on exhibit at The Art Market Gallery through March 30, with an opening reception to be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, March 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 Sunshine Station.

Dennis Sabo of Loudon is an award-winning fine-art photographer specializing in natural contemporary abstracts and landscapes.

Kristine Taylor's jewelry art has evolved into a contemporary look inspired by the ethnic cultures she grew up around in California and the beautiful natural colors of East Tennessee.

Owned and operated by 63 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery, at 422 S. Gay St., is a few doors 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.

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

Richard Whitehead was classically trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in painting and drawing. Rick's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, and In Antwerp, Belgium, and Murcia and Barcelona, Spain.

Rick's March exhibit will tell a story of exploration, which is told through compressed charcoals, solarized photos of clouds and paintings inspired from aboriginal art.

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

At Rala 323 Union Ave Knoxville, TN 37902
Opening Reception: First Friday March 7, 6-9pm
Work on display through March 30

Artist Statement: Back in Knoxville, there are hand-painted signs all over, my favorites being an ice-cream cone and miniature football players holding up a giant hoagie. I go square dancing and watch hipsters dance with silver-haired sweethearts. And then there is this other side of things. I drive around singing the lyrics of catchy pop songs and follow some of the world's most famous fashion designers on Instagram. Some artists use innovation as their driving force while others have tradition in mind. Some people paint a sign without thinking too much about anything at all. Through my artwork, I give a nod to what is esteemed today while delving deeper into the rich heritage of The South. http://withbearhands.com/withbearhands/2014/3/5/art-opening-march-7-at-rala

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents “Hand Made Here: A Tennessee Craft Chapter Exhibition,” featuring original works of basketry, clay, fiber, glass, wood, metals, leather, handmade paper, mixed media, printmaking, photography, and more by artists who are current residents of Tennessee. The 27 selected craft artists were chosen by the Tennessee Craft Plateau Chapter. The purpose of the exhibition is to help promote inter-chapter activity and membership involvement and to strengthen Tennessee Craft’s presence in East Tennessee.

Works will be displayed in the main gallery of the Emporium Center from March 7-29, 2014. A public reception will take place on Friday, March 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres available and chocolate fondue provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville. The First Friday reception also features a flamenco dance performance by Pasión Flamenco from 6:00-6:45 PM and a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM, both in the Black Box Theatre.

“Hand Made Here: A Tennessee Craft Chapter Exhibition” is on display March 7-29, 2014 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00AM - 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 “A Bird in this World,” a new exhibition of mixed media works by the Southern Art Soul Sisters (SASS) Collective. Featured artists in the exhibition include Karen Bertollini, Lynn Corsi Bland, Cynthia C. Cox, Susan Edwards, Betsy Hobkirk, Suzanne Wedekind, and Jennifer Willard; their works will be displayed in the Balcony of the Emporium Center from March 7-29, 2014. A public reception will take place on Friday, March 7, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres available and chocolate fondue provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville. The First Friday reception also features a flamenco dance performance by Pasión Flamenco from 6:00-6:45 PM and a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM, both in the Black Box Theatre.

The Southern Art Soul Sisters Collective came together in 2012 when a group of local Knoxville women artists met in a printmaking class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Members of the SASS Collective are dedicated to supporting each other as artists and to sharing their work and vision through group exhibitions. “A Bird in This World” is the collective’s first gallery exhibition in Knoxville. This southern saying captures the spirit of SASS members who draw from eclectic influences and explore a variety of themes.

“A Bird in this World” is on display March 7-29, 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.

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

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