Calendar of Events

Diana Scott-Auger of Greenback who paints in acrylics and Harriet Smith Howell of Rutledge who creates hand-painted wearable silk are the Art Market Gallery’s featured artists for April. Their recent works will be on exhibit at The Art Market Gallery through April 27, with an opening reception to be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, April 4, during the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown Knoxville. At the opening reception visitors may enjoy complimentary refreshments and live music performed by the Tennessee Valley Accidentals.

Besides the featured artists' exhibit, April is the month for the gallery's popular annual silent auction. This year it will be held April 1-27 with an even greater variety of works than before, and with a new option: a "Buy It Now" price, set at 80 percent of an artwork's retail cost, which allows a customer to pay for it and take it home immediately.

Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery, at 422 S. Gay St., is a few doors from Mast General Store and next 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. For more information, call 865-525-5265, or visit artmarketgallery.net, or facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

The finest progressive artists of our region will showcase their work in the Regional Fine Art Exhibition! Fine art encompassing all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists will be selected by renowned juror, Julie Levin Caro, for exhibition.

At the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM, Sat 11AM-3PM. Information: 865-523-7543, www.knoxalliance.com

Opening reception: Friday, April 4, 5:00-9:00 pm
Award Ceremony: Friday, April 4, 8:00 pm
Dogwood Arts Festival: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

KNOXVILLE’S CASA HOLA PRESENTS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOCUSING ON MEXICAN “GUEST WORKERS” IN THE US
Hola Knoxville, the local Hispanic organization that promotes communications between Latinos and the people of our community, will host a series of special events during April that focuses on the experiences of bracero workers and their families. The bracero program (bracero means “manual laborer”) which brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the US just after the end of WWII, ended in 1964 under mounting criticism for exploiting Mexican workers and depriving jobs from American workers. Since most Americans know very little about bracero, the nation’s largest experiment with guest workers, these programs provide an understanding that is so especially important in current times. In 1962, Cesar Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association, later to become the United Farm Workers. Under his leadership, farmworkers with allies in other unions, churches and community groups, were able to put enough pressure on politicians to end the bracero program and to work toward improving the conditions of farmworkers. Chavez died in 1993. The bracero program was controversial in its time and braceros experienced exploitation but also opportunity. The program was truly bittersweet and an overlooked chapter in American history.

Hola Knoxville, the Hispanic organization that promotes unity and communication between Latinos and the larger community, will host the “Bittersweet Harvest” exhibit during the month of April. This very special exhibit, created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Services and made possible by Humanities Tennessee, examines the experiences of bracero workers and their families and provides rich insight into Mexican American history. The exhibit will be displayed at Casa Hola in the Emporium Building on North Gay Street in Knoxville and will consist of six panels of freestanding, illustrated banners and photographs on loan from the Smithsonian, a poster by local Lourdes Gaza, figurines and other art materials by Angel Luna, a Telamon mural designed by children of migrant workers, and audio and visual excerpts of a documentary on Cesar Chavez who organized the United Farm Workers union. Chavez’s great-great granddaughter, Julz Chavez, will attend the reception.

The opening reception for this very special exhibit will be April 4th from 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM in suite 109 of the Emporium Building, 100 South Gay Street. The public is invited and refreshments will be served. The “Bittersweet Harvest” exhibit will be the central event for a number of other Hola-sponsored events focusing on this theme and will include a round table discussion and Knox county school appearances by Julz Chavez. For details of these events, go to casahola@holafestival.org or contact the Casa Hola manager at 865 335-3358.

The “Bittersweet Harvest” exhibit, created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibit Services and made possible by Humanities Tennessee, is a display of banners, posters and other art that examines the experiences of these bracero workers and their families. The exhibition will be on display in the Casa Hola suite in the Emporium building (100 South Gay St) throughout the month of April with a special opening reception scheduled for April 4th at 5:30 PM.

African American Appalachian Arts, Inc., (AAAA, Inc.) at the Downtown African American Gallery will be hosting a First Friday Open House and Radio Listening Party. In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month during April, the Downtown African American Gallery will be presenting a Visual Exhibition of local visual and performing artists, Kelle Jolly and Emily Mathis. AAAA will also host a listening party to celebrate the debut of WUOT’s newest radio show, Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly. Guests will be able to listen to the show while viewing the artwork in the studio.

Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly celebrates great, classic and contemporary voices of jazz. The Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly is an hour long show that includes recordings, live performances and interviews of local, national, and international artists on the jazz scene.

On April 30th, 2013, Mayor Madeline Rogero recognized April as Jazz Appreciation Month and April 30th as Jazz Day in Knoxville to celebrate the important cultural, social and even economic contribution that jazz makes to the Knoxville community.

African American Appalachian Arts: 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 106, Knoxville, TN 37902. 865-217-6786, downtownafricanamericanart@gmail.com

As one of the Dogwood Arts Festival’s featured exhibits, NEXUS, showcases national and international artists working in contemporary sculpture and 3D media. Indoor sculptures comprising all styles and genres from emerging and established artists will be selected by esteemed professor, Laticia Bajuyo, for exhibition at the University of Tennessee’s Downtown Gallery. Leticia R. Bajuyo is an Associate Professor of Art and Hanover College in southern Indiana. In 1998 she received her BFA in Sculpture from the University of Notre Dame, and in 2001 she earned her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Leticia grew up in the Midwest and draws much of her inspiration from her experiences living there. More specifically, growing up in a multicultural surrounding helped her to develop her style of blending dissimilar materials in her pieces. She constantly strives to learn new and inventive ways of creating.

Leticia Bajuyo maintains an impressive resume with many exhibitions in various categories including solo, outdoor, two- and three-person, and group. She has given numerous lectures and panel talks. Additionally, she has penned several articles, weblogs, and publications and has been the recipient of many honors and grants including receiving the Hanover College Faculty Development Major Grant three times. Most recently, she worked on a two- and three-person exhibition entitled Singularities on display at the West Street Art Center in Madison, Indiana, and she is currently working on a solo exhibition due to be displayed at Myers South Gallery, Living Arts in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2014 entitled Dual Wielding.

Where: U.T. Downtown Gallery, 106 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Times: Monday- Friday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm; Saturday, 10:00 am-3:00 pm
Opening Reception: Friday, April 4, 5:00 – 9:00 pm
Award Ceremony: Friday, April 4, 6:30 pm

Dogwood Arts Festival: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 3, 5:00 – 9:00 pm
Award Ceremony: Thursday, April 3, 7:00 pm

A combined art exhibition featuring the work of East Tennessee's K-12 art students alongside the work of their teaching artists.

At the Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Hours: M-F 10AM-6PM. Info: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com.

Dogwood Arts Festival: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

Pellissippi State Community College launches its annual Student Juried Art Show; the event is free and the community is invited. The Art Show takes place in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

“The exhibit will include student works from a variety of media: drawing, painting, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, ceramics, even blacksmithing,” said Jennifer Brickey, a Fine Arts assistant professor. “We really want to showcase the students that take studio art classes at Pellissippi State. It’s a really great show.”

The opening reception and awards ceremony are 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 2. Awards will be announced at 4 p.m. The exhibit is juried by Pellissippi State’s art faculty. The grand prize for the show is the “purchase award,” in which Pellissippi State buys a student’s artwork for the college’s permanent collection. The award is worth up to $500. Other awards include $25 gift cards to Jerry’s Artarama, given to four runners-up.

The annual Student Juried Art Show is part of The Arts at Pellissippi State, which 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

Reception: Friday, March 28, 5:30-9 p.m.
The District Gallery is pleased to present Terra Madre: Women in Clay, a group show featuring the work of more than twenty female artists with diverse approaches to clay. Terra Madre was formed in 2000 by a small group of artists from East Tennessee. The group’s members are as distinct as their creative work. Each woman comes to the group with her own artistic experience and unique expressive style. “Our mission is to support one another in our clay work, to advance the appreciation of ceramics in East Tennessee, and to encourage each other in the pursuit of our dreams as artists and as women,” said Jackie Mirzadeh, a functional potter and teacher at the Knoxville Arts and Fine Crafts Center. President Patricia Herzog says, “We all need encouragement at times, and I find that talking to women with similar interests and experiences helps me to continue my artistic endeavors with renewed energy.”

The exhibit will include both functional and sculptural ceramics as well as jewelry. Participants are: Elaine Barnes, Gray Bearden, Judy Brater, Jane Cartwright, June Crowe, Tina Curry, Valerie Eiler, Annamaria Gundlach, Candy Finley-Brooks, Amy Hand, Janet Harper, Patricia Herzog, Liz Howell, Lisa Kurtz, Karyn Kyte, Stephanie Levy, LeAnn Lewis, Patty Lewis, Jane Longendorfer, Wendie Love, Sandra McEntire, Jackie Mirzadeh, Shauna Stevens, Linda Sullivan and Belinda Woodiel-Bril.

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

Based on the gripping science-fiction thriller by Lois Lowry. The play will be presented March 28 through April 13, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM & 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

The Giver won the 1994 Newbery-Medal for the Best Children's Novel, and the book has sold more than 5.3 million copies. In the not-too-distant future, Jonas is nervous about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, in which every person in The Community is assigned a lifelong occupation. Jonas is singled out to become The Receiver of Memories, an Elder position who alone holds memories of the world's past... memories of all that humans have experienced, no matter how pleasant or painful. At the ceremony of Twelve, Jonas will receive the Truth. And there will be no turning back.

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

The Creative Arts Co-op is proud to present the 8th annual high school level musical... 'CHICAGO!'

Fifteen high school students representing four high schools and the home school community will take the stage this season. Represented schools include: Harriman High School, Oliver Springs High School, Rockwood High School, Roane County High School, and the home school community. The annual events offers local students the opportunity to participate in a musical production - a daunting endeavor for smaller high schools.

Join us at the Creative Arts Co-op Visual & Performing Arts Center, 426 Ruritan Road, Harriman on March 28, 29, April 4, 11 & 12, 2014 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $10.00 at the door.

Need more information? Call the Co-op at 865/765-1129 or visit www.creativeartsco-op.com.

Come see why the '20's Roared...!

Anne V. McGravie’s semi-autobiographical story about Navy servicewomen during World War II will play in the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre March 27-April 13, 2014. The corporate sponsor for this production is Stowers Machinery. Due to popularity, seating is extremely limited. A first-come-first served waiting list will begin forty-five minutes prior to curtain for sold out performances. Should seating become available through ticket donations, release of house seats, or other means, these seats will be released to patrons based on the order of the waiting list.

McGravie said that the thought of “going away and being on my own” was the main draw of joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). “It was a different life in every way and opened my mind and the whole world to me. I enjoyed everything about it, and when the war was over I didn’t know what to do with myself,” she said.

Tracey Copeland Halter (Director) will make her directorial debut with this production. She received her MFA in Theatre from New York University and served on the UT Theatre faculty from 2005-2013. Her CBT acting credits include: “Black Pearl Sings!”, “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” “Charley’s Aunt,” The Who’s Tommy,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Intimate Apparel,” “Fences,” and “A Christmas Carol.” She also has performed on Broadway, at the NY Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center, the Alliance Theatre, Georgia Shakespeare Festival, and others.

“There are so many universal themes for women in this play. Who am I? What role do I play in history? What's my legacy? What happens to a life that has been compartmentalized (inside and out) in such a small space for so many years?” Copeland-Halter said about the production. The cast is comprised on graduate and undergraduate Theatre actors.

Ticket prices range from $5 to $15. As a participating member of the Blue Star Theater family, the CBT welcomes U.S. military personnel, spouses and children as well as U.S. veterans and offers discounted tickets to active-duty military and immediate families, as well as returning veterans for our productions. Tickets are limited to two per household and are based on availability.

Clarence Brown Theatre / Carousel 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

The last Wednesday of every month, 5:30-7:30PM, join friends of historic preservation for a drink and good conversation. Who knows what topics will be covered, but it's fun to gather together. No need to RSVP, just stop by The crown and Goose, 123 S. Central Street in the Old City.

Knox Heritage: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org