Calendar of Events

Blount Mansion is proud to host the works of East Tennessee’s own Richard LeFevre. He focuses on the history of the American Civil War (1861 – 1865) through 32 of its most significant battles. LeFevre combined his love of history and his skill as an illustrator, using inventive mixed-media techniques to create powerful images inspired by his personal investigation into that most terrible and definitive era. As part of the First Friday’s the opening reception will be from 5:00 to 7:30 on Friday March 7th here at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center at 200 West Hill Avenue in Knoxville. There will be drinks and light refreshments available. It is a free event and all are welcome. The exhibition is on loan from Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee, and is supported through the Tennessee Arts Commission & Knox County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. www.knoxcivilwar.org and will run through the end of May 2014. More information is available at our Facebook page, facebook.com/blountmansion

Blount Mansion Visitors Center, 200 West Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902; 865-525-2375 or www.blountmansion.org

Free and open to the public. Opening reception March 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m. Exhibit runs March through April 2014.

Terri Swaggerty: Where Soul Meets Body (from the song “Soul Meets Body” by Death Cab for Cutie)
Where soul meets body . . . the first time I heard those words on the radio they resonated deep within my being. I realized those four words were the perfect articulation of where I exist when I am discovering or creating art. I can dwell there for hours, or just for a moment. The journey begins with looking and seeing. Sometimes I am actively looking for art but more often, not. I find art, or maybe it finds me, at any moment any day. Traversing a sidewalk in Apalachicola, or strolling through our city, I discover it. Driving down a country road I find it. Walking through the woods, looking at the beauty, the contrast, the compositions, textures and patterns around me, I am living there . . . where soul meets body. Often during my creative processes the tangible becomes abstract. Sometimes the colors begin to blaze and complement and breathe new life into old structures. And sometimes the magic is already there and the image is perfect for the beholding. Terri Swaggerty is a native of Knoxville, TN. She studied Fine Art at the University of Tennessee and has worked as a professional photographer for the past 16 years.

Christine Beard: The Nature of Graphite
I am a pencil artist. I have been drawing my whole life. During my school years and growing up I took every art class that was offered. As an adult I took several drawing courses at the local community colleges, but for the most part I would have to say I am a self-taught artist, always learning new and different things every time I create a new drawing. Graphite pencil is my medium of choice. It’s all about the detail for me; I create each piece with as much detail as possible. Graphite is such a versatile medium and can also be very forgiving. Various techniques can be executed with graphite, such as layering, shading, blending with blending stumps and lifting out areas with an eraser. In the art world I feel there can and should be more recognition for works done with graphite pencil. Hopefully I can change that with each and every graphite drawing I create.

Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Paulk + Co. presents a unique First Friday Event this March 7th, 6-10pm, featuring artisan food in addition to the Fine Art of Denise Stewart-Sanabria. The show Eat Me Two will be on exhibit in the newly renovated Paulk + Co Alternative Art Space. Sushi Academy of TN will be demonstrating the art of sushi making. Organic produce and artisan baked goods will be available from local vendors. Free, covered parking is available adjacent to Paulk + Co. in the City lot under the bridge.

Eat Me Two
An exhibit of Paintings of Culinary Drama, by Denise Stewart-Sanabria
Humans do things that amaze, entertain, and occasionally horrify Stewart-Sanabria. If she documented them literally, she would probably have constant censorship issues. As a solution to this dilemma, she uses food as a stand in for humans, figuring that not only would it be amusing, it could even be delicious! Over the years, she hasimpaled maraschino cherries on nails, had pears enact Inquisition scenes, and encouraged donuts to enact the seven deadly sins and various fertility rites. Still Lifes, or Vanitas, which is the genre these works most closely fit in with, were originally domestic images containing items symbolic of life and death. The items in Stewart-Sanabria’s act out dramatic narratives.She is also known for her life size charcoal figurative drawings on plywood, which are cut out, mounted on wood bases, and staged in installations. Several of these will also be on exhibit. Denise Stewart-Sanabria was born in Massachusetts and received her BFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. She has lived in Knoxville, TN since 1986. Recent exhibits include: Continuāre: The Figurative Tradition in Contemporary Art at Ewing Gallery at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the 55th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Art, Evansville, IN,In the Flesh, Target Gallery, Alexandria, VA, The 26th Tallahassee International, at theFlorida State Museum of Fine Arts, 2012 Red Clay Survey at the Huntsville Museum of Art, 2012: Contemporary RealismBiennial at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, American Art Today:Figures, at The Bascom, Highlands, NC, and "From These Hills: Contemporary Art in the Southern Appalachian Highlands", at the William King Museum, Abingdon, VA, 2013. Denise Stewart-Sanabria: www.stewart-sanabria.com, www.denisestewart-sanabria.blogspot.com

After March 7, call for a viewing appointment: 865-414-8641.
510 Williams Street, Knoxville, TN 37917, events@paulkandco.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

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

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.

"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

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

We are partnering with the Square Room to present live jazz every Tuesday evening! Your $5 cover is redeemable with a food or beverage purchase of $15 or more.

No jazz on Tues, April 15.

At the Square Room. Knoxville Jazz Orchestra: 865-573-3226, www.knoxjazz.org

Ongoing Classes meet Tuesdays at 6:00 PM and Saturdays at 10:30 AM.
Fee: $12 per class

Alexia School of Middle Eastern Dance: 865-977-6761; www.alexia-dance.com, alexia@alexia-dance.com

In West Knoxville/Farragut area
Spice up your dance routine with flamenco dance classes. Our routines will challenge your coordination and stamina and will help you acquire stage presence. Our classes are geared towards beginners and intermediate dancers. Feel free to come and try it out! Classes are ongoing and drop ins are welcome at anytime!

Beginner classes will meet on Tuesdays from 6:30-7:45 PM. Class rates are as follows: Drop-in: $16; one month paid up-front (4 and sometimes 5 weeks) $60, 2 classes $100, 3 or more classes $130. You can pay by cash or check. Please check our website for additional details. All classes are held at the Tennessee Conservatory for Fine Arts 8701 Unicorn Drive, Knoxville, TN 37922. Info: www.flamencowestknox.com

Just like at your favorite meat n’ three, the WDVX Blue Plate Special® is served up piping hot. This fresh and free daily helping of live music during the lunchtime hour that features performers from all over the world and right here in Knoxville has put WDVX on the map as East Tennessee’s Own community supported radio.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special® is a live performance radio show held at noon, with your host Red Hickey Monday through Friday and Doug Lauderdale on Saturday, at the WDVX studio inside the Knoxville Visitor Center. It’s always free to join in so please don’t be shy. Make yourself at home as part of the WDVX family. From blues to bluegrass, country to Celtic, folk to funk, rockabilly to hillbilly, local to international, it all part of the live music experience on the WDVX Blue Plate Special. You’re welcome to bring your lunch.

Previous performing artists include Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Avett Brothers, Old Crowe Medicine Show, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Jim Lauderdale, Marty Stuart, Nickel Creek, Red Stick Ramblers, Rodney Crowell, String Cheese Incident, The Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien, Yonder Mountain String Band, David Grisman, Claire Lynch Band, Brett Dennen, Tommy Emmanuel, Uncle Earl, The Infamous Stringdusters, the Jerry Douglas Band, Joan Osborne, John Oats, Mary Gauthier, Darrell Scott, and many many more! There’s plenty of great music to go around! http://wdvx.com/program/blue-plate-special/

Free 2-hour visitor parking located next door to the Knoxville Visitor Center. One Vision Plaza, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: 865-544-1029, http://www.wdvx.com