Calendar of Events

“Finally Spring” at the Plateau Arts Center
That is the theme for the annual spring show at the PCAC, and it couldn’t come at a better time! The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade invites you to view and vote on your favorite selection among the new works displayed for the first time at the Plateau Creative Arts Center (PCAC).

Come and view this high quality art presented in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastels, colored pencil, photography, mixed media, pottery, sculpture, jewelry, and fabric. The theme of “Finally Spring” will be displayed starting on April 4. Voting will end on April 18. Ribbons will be awarded to the winners in the categories of People and Animals, Landscape, Floral, Still life, Sculpture and Mixed Media, and Showcase/Jewelry. Ribbon Awards will take place on Friday morning, April 25.

The PCAC is handicapped accessible and open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. M-Sat. Website: www.artguildfairfieldglade.net. Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN.

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

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

Opening reception: Saturday, April 5, 7:00-9:00pm. Admission is free and the public is invited
Each spring Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts hosts its annual resident artists’ exhibition, which celebrates the five artists who have lived and worked on campus during the past year. The artists-in-residence program, which fosters and advances the careers of emerging artists, is in its 22nd year and has seen over one hundred individuals pass through its ranks. This year’s residents, Lynn Batchelder, H.P. Bloomer, Rachel K. Garceau, Tally Locke, and Rena Wood present Five Lines, a culmination of their experiences, creativity, hard work, and dedication of their time spent here. Like explorers and cartographers of yesteryear these five are generating mappings of territories that benefit us all. Through their investigations of the mind, time, places, and memories each one is connecting us to their world and thoughts while encouraging us to be more mindful and introspective of our own. While the lines they walk have merged in their time at Arrowmont, soon they will diverge into new frontiers.

“This is an exciting time for this group of young artists,” says Arrowmont Gallery Manager Stefanie Gerber Darr. “There has been a palpable shared energy among them since they arrived last summer. It’s wonderful to see this work come together as a result of that energy. It represents closure, along with the great promise of what we can expect from these very creative people in the years to come.” The Arrowmont residents will also be involved in this year’s Dogwood Arts Festival.

Meet the residents and visit their Gatlinburg studios during the Dogwood Arts Festival Art DeTour, Saturday and Sunday, April 12 & 13, 10:00am to 5:00pm daily. And you can meet the residents and other arts and crafts demonstrators at Arrowmont’s booth at the Dogwood Arts Festival’s Market Square Art Fair in downtown Knoxville, April 25-27 Friday: 11 am – 9 pm, Saturday: 10 am – 9 pm, and Sunday: 11 am – 5 pm.

For more information about Arrowmont’s gallery schedule and upcoming exhibitions, visit arrowmontgalleries.org. To view or learn about workshops and other arts and crafts programming at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, visit arrowmont.org.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860.

East Tennessee Baskets, 1880-1940

Imagine doing away with plastic shopping bags, buckets, and storage tubs and depending instead upon wood baskets. The essential role these hand-woven containers played in bygone days would soon be realized. During the past year, ETHS has worked to document the traditional baskets of our region, including family stories and photographs when the maker's identity is known. Woven of Wood highlights selected examples from this survey and illustrates how East TN baskets were some of the most functional and creative possessions in everyday life.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM; Saturday: 10AM-4PM; Sunday: 1-5PM. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

The Athens Area Council for the Arts announces the annual High School Art Show showcasing art from McMinn county high school students. The work can be viewed at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, Athens, Tennessee. The goal of this show is to promote art by local high school students and to provide them with an opportunity to participate in an open art exhibit. The Visual Arts Committee of AACA will sponsor a gift certificate for art supplies as a “Best in Show” prize. The show features over forty pieces in a variety of media from pencil to printmaking and papier mâché. The opening reception is Friday, March 14 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. The reception will include light refreshments and is free and open to the public. Evening with the Stars, AACA’s annual event featuring local performing talent, starts immediately after at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students.

For more information, go to www.athensartscouncil.org, call 423-745-8781, or stop by The Arts Center at 320 North White Street in Athens, TN.

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

"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