Calendar of Events

The annual Kuumba Festival is a multi-event celebration and serves as the largest African American Cultural Arts Festival in East Tennessee. Entertainers, demonstrations, live music performances, dancing and an African Marketplace featuring an array of crafts and food vendors fill this four day and four night event. The festival takes place at multiple locations throughout Knoxville during the month of June each year. Highlights include:

Thursday, June 19-Kuumba Festival Kick-off & lunch in Krutch Park, Seeding the Garden of the Mind at Haley Heritage Square.

Friday, June 20-Junkanu Parade in downtown Knoxville, Live concert on Market Square.

Saturday, June 21-Community-wide West African Dance workshop, African Marketplace and concerts at Chilhowee Park with Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have risen like a phoenix out of the ashes of war and enflamed the passions of fans across the globe with their uplifting songs of hope, faith and joy. The band is a potent example of the redeeming power of music and the ability of the human spirit to persevere through unimaginable hardship and emerge with optimism intact. From their humble beginnings in West African refugee camps Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages and matured into one of Africa’s top touring and recording bands. The band has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, opened for Aerosmith, contributed a song to the Blood Diamond film soundtrack, participated in the U2 tribute album In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2, and earned praise and backing from Sir Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Ice Cube, Angelina Jolie and others. For more on their amazing and inspiriting story, check out sierraleonesrefugeeallstars.com

Sunday, June 22-Gospel in the Park and African Marketplace at Chilhowee Park, 25th Anniversary Closing Ceremony.

Info: 865-217-6786, kuumbafest@gmail.com, www.kuumbafestival.com

Discover Life in America will celebrate all life forms that call the Great Smoky Mountains National Park home. Activities include short, family friendly hikes, lively presentations, hands-on workshops, and presentations by field scientists and naturalists.

The three-day event is free and open to the public. Participants of all ages should arrive by 10 a.m. at Twin Creeks Science Center at 1316 Cherokee Orchard Road, located about one mile from downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn., in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Please bring your lunch, enough water for the day, and dress for being outside in the weather.

Thursday, June 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
An overview of centipede basics, followed by a look at some species examples, and then a “field trip” to collect and observe centipedes in the field will be the highlights of this workshop. Please call to register.

Friday, June 20, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
An overview of sponge basics, followed by a look at some species examples, and then a “field trip” to collect and observe sponges in the field will be the highlights of this workshop. Please call to register.

Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. – Sunset
Hike the trails with DLIA botanists and discover some of the most beautiful — and dramatic — fauna the park has to offer: Ferns! Please call to register and get information about where to meet. This event will not take place at Twin Creeks Science Center.

Discover Life in America: 1316 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, 865-430-4757, www.dlia.org.

Reno is the host of Top Hooker on Animal Planet and is the co-host of Blue Collar Comedy Radio's Chewin' The Fat with Leanne Morgan!

TICKET PRICES: $8 FOR GENERAL ADMISSION, $10 FOR PREFERRED SEATS ONLINE!
All tickets via phone or at the door are $2 more per ticket!
All tickets go up $2 on the day of the show.

Side Splitters Comedy Club - West Knoxville, 9246 Parkwest Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37923. 865.934.LAFF (5233) www.SideSplittersComedy.com

Circle Modern Dance is thrilled to present New Terrain, a summer showcase which will feature the work of 11 local choreographers who are breaking new ground and creating dances for a stunning new space in the heart of downtown Knoxville. This show brings together both professionals and community members and will highlight the stories of local refugees in a partnership with Bridge Refugee Services for World Refugee Day and will also include special guests from Momentum Dance Lab.

June 19-20th, "New Terrain" Summer Show 7:30pm both nights at the Standard, 416 W. Jackson Avenue.

In conjunction with World Refugee Day Celebrations, June 20th 5:00pm, a partnership with Bridge Refugee Services.

Circle Modern Dance: (865) 309.5309, www.circlemoderndance.com

Baseball the Band will play on Market Square.

Relating to the new exhibition "The Collector's Eye: American and European Art From The McClung Museum" will be a new monthly program in the decorative arts gallery, "Talking Pictures" short films about art. Light refreshments will follow. Free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.

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

FREE Screening, Scruffy City Hall, 32 Market Square, Knoxville. This event is open to guests ages 21 and up. A community discussion will follow the screening. For more info: 865-595-0230 or ahubbard@EastTennesseePBS.org.

The New Black - A film by Yoruba Richen. "Family, Faith and the Fight for Equality" Centering on the historic fight to win marriage equality in Maryland, The New Black takes viewers into the pews, onto the streets, and provides a seat at the kitchen table as it looks at how the African American community grapples with the divisive gay rights issue.

AMSE Science Explorer Camp for rising 5th (must be 10 years old by June 1, 2014), 6th and 7th graders at two identical one-week sessions June 9 – 13 and June 16 – 20 at Freels Bend Cabin in Oak Ridge. The AMSE Science Explorer Camp, sponsored by the American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation, costs $150 for AMSE members and $175 for non-members. Each camp session runs from 8:00 am – 3:30 pm Monday through Friday. The camp session also includes a tour Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the American Museum of Science and Energy.

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

June 16th - 20th. Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre. Tickets are $20 per concert or $85 for a weekly pass.

Monday June 16, 2014
Mitch Corbin – National Flatpicking and National Mandolin Champion
Steve Smith – Mandolin Guru
Eddie Collins – Bluegrass Banjo Master and Author
Barry Mitterhoff – Mandolin Maestro
Kate Campbell – Singer/songwriter
Becky Buller – National touring Bluegrass Fiddler and vocalist

Tuesday June 17, 2014
Doug Yeomans – Flatpicking and Fingerstyle Guitarist
Bruce Graybill – Mandolin Maestro
Gary Davis – Four Time National Banjo Champion
Jimmy Heffernan – Dobro Great
Annie Savage – Touring Fiddler/Singer
David Keenan – All Instruments – Rock-a-billy
Rusty Holloway – Jazz Bass Great

Wednesday June 18, 2014
Radim Zenkl – Mandolin Maestro
Wayne Taylor – Bluegrass Star – Flatpicking
Murphy Henry – Bluegrass Banjo, Creator of the Murphy Method of Teaching
Josh Goforth – Fiddle and Guitar Great
Steve Roy – Acoustic Bass Virtuoso
Mike Dowling – Jazz Guitar Great

Thursday June 19, 2014
Stacy Phillips – Grammy Winning Dobro and Fiddle Player
Chris Newman – World Touring Celtic, Swing, Traditional Guitarist
Mark Cosgrove – Flatpicking Champ
Roland White – Mandolin Legend
Annie Staninec – National Touring Fiddle player
Missy Raines – Multi Award Winning Acoustic Bass Player
Don Rigsby – International Bluegrass Star Vocalist/Mandolin

Friday June 20, 2014
Keith’s Klass
Chris and Sally Jones with Ned Luberecki – World Class Bluegrass
Carlo Aonzo – Italiano Maestro of the Mandolin
Kamp Kompanions Koncert
Steve Kaufman

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Join author George Ella Lyon for the grand opening of this unique exhibit on June 15 from 2-5 at the East Tennessee History Center.

More than 50 books are available to touch, read, and explore. The exhibit also includes representative clothes and toys from Appalachia, music, and hands on activities that bring the subject to life for kids of all ages. Exhibit runs June 16 - September 14.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: Monday-Friday: 9AM-4PM, Saturday: 10AM-4PM, Sunday: 1-5PM. Library: Monday-Tuesday: 9AM-8:30PM, Wednesday-Friday: 9AM-5:30PM, Saturday: 9AM-5PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

The McClung Museum is the University of Tennessee’s museum, and in that sense, has been the recipient of the varied objects that alumni have gifted to the University. Among those gifts is a significant grouping of American and European art, representative of major artistic movements from impressionism, to modernism, to neo-plasticism. Indeed, the studied taste of a handful of collectors has not only helped form the backbone of the McClung Museum’s art collection, but has also shaped the history of the museum itself. This exhibit—which features around fifty paintings, sculptures, and works on paper—explores the work of American and European artists, and the influence that art patrons and collectors have had on the McClung Museum.

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

June 14, 2014 through August 31, 2014!

Like many university museums, the McClung Museum has been gifted a wide variety of art since it opened its doors fifty years ago. From Matisse to East Tennensee artists, and from nineteenth century society portraits to twentieth century abstract art, these approximately 50 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper reflect collector’s tastes, and how history has shaped culture and art over time.
The McClung Museum is open to the public and admission is free.

The McClung Museum is located at 1327 Circle Park Drive on the UT campus.
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 a.m.­–5:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00–5:00 p.m.