Calendar of Events

The Blount Mansion is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 with a traveling exhibition, Becoming the Volunteer State: Tennessee in the War of 1812. The exhibit will be on view at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center from June 10th, 2014 until August 19th, 2014 during our regular business hours: Tuesday – Friday, 9:30 – 5:00, Saturday, 10:00 – 2:00.

Blount Mansion Association: Blount Mansion, 200 W. Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-2375, www.blountmansion.org

June 07, 2014 PEG'S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
June 07, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 07, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 07, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 14, 2014 PEG'S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
June 14, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 14, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 14, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 21, 2014 PEG'S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
June 21, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 21, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 21, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 28, 2014 PEG'S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
June 28, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 28, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 28, 2014 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

THE MIND’S EYE: A collection of fine photographs and craft native to East Tennessee. First Friday Opening Reception of newest exhibit featuring the work of Gordon Fowler (turned wood) & Pat Postma (photographs). Works available for purchase.

East Tennessee Foundation: 625 Market Street, Suite 1400, Knoxville, TN 37902, 865-524-1223, 877-524-1223, www.easttennesseefoundation.org.

Marion Greenwood in Tennessee, will feature paintings, lithographs and other works on loan from local collectors who purchased them from Greenwood when she was a visiting UT professor from 1954-55. The show will also feature a 13-foot mural, Man's Partnership with Nature, which was installed in the Crossville, Tennessee, post office in 1940, and graciously loaned for the entirety of this exhibition. The Tennessee Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture commissioned Greenwood to paint the work, which depicts the impact of a Tennessee Valley Authority dam on everyday life.

Please join us for this opening reception. All events are free and open to the public.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM, Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Bliss Home is pleased to present Knoxville photographer, Brian Murray, for June's First Friday. Bliss Home will host an opening reception on Friday, June 6th from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary Steamboat Sandwiches will be provided and Brian's art will be featured for the month of June.

Brian Murray is a local photographer who has been honing his photography skills for the past twenty years. Brian's concentration is on local landmarks and historical buildings. He has had prints in several exhibits including the Arts in the Airport, Dogwood Arts Festival, National Art Exhibit at the Emporium, Knox Heritage Architecture Tour, and Art Alliance Exhibit at the Mayors' offices. Brian is a resident artist at Bliss Home and sells his prints there and at the Market Square Farmers' Market.

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

Two exhibits will be opening in June at the Art Market Gallery: recent works by photographer Mike Naney of Knoxville and potter Larry Gabbard of Kingston, who are the gallery’s monthly featured artists; and a commemorative show of paintings by the late Betsy Worden. These exhibits are sponsored by Stuart Worden and an anonymous donor.

The opening reception for both displays will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Friday, June 6, during the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown Knoxville. At the reception visitors may enjoy complimentary refreshments and folk blues and old-time harmonies, performed by Caring Community on the acoustic banjo and guitar.

Tools of digital photography transformed Mike Naney's interest in photography. Digital image capture combined with image-editing software and high-quality inkjet printing gave him complete technical and artistic control. Mike uses his geology training and passion for earth science and photography to capture images of ephemeral natural beauty.

Larry Gabbard became a potter after retiring and relocating to Watts Bar Lake, Kingston. He has attended classes at Oak Ridge Art Center, John Campbell Folk School, and workshops of well known potters. Most of his pieces are wheel thrown, but he works with distinctive alternative kilns and firing methods, among them raku, horse hair, saggar, naked raku, and pit firings.

A selection of works by the late Betsy Worden will be on display through June 29 to commemorate her essential role in the creation of the Art Market Gallery. This painter, tapestry weaver and printmaker was its cofounder in 1982, as well as an institution in the Knoxville art community.

A longtime instructor at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Betsy also taught watercolor at the Knoxville Museum of Art and co-founded the Community School of the Arts. A tireless benefactor, officer and board member for many state, regional and local arts organizations, she was honored in 1997 as Knoxville Arts Council Artist of the Year and in 2000 with its Lifetime Achievement award.

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 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.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of mixed media works by 25 members of the Depot Artists Association in Abingdon, Virginia. The exhibition will be displayed in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from June 6-28, 2014, and an opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on June 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by The Melting Pot and music by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day.

The works chosen to travel to Knoxville represent a portion of the Arts Depot’s Members as juried by Ed Chitwood during the Depot’s 25th annual Holiday Members Exhibition this past December. Chitwood has lectured and offered workshops on monotype, the history of printing, letter press for more than twelve years.

The following artists will be shown:
+ David Alexander
+ Jean Gay-Asher
+ Janice Borel
+ Jackie Dolpp
+ Karen Foote
+ Nancy Garretson
+ Leslie James
+ Mary Harrington
+ Margaret Helvey
+ Kathleen Jacobs
+ Elizabeth Johns
+ Nancy Johnson
+ Ned Johnson
+ Pat Lehmkuhl
+ Lisa May
+ Bunny Medeiros
+ James “Wes” Miller
+ Helen Morgan
+ Adelaide Moss
+ Rita Nabors
+ Sara Reese
+ Joyce Samuel
+ Ken Simmelink
+ Barbara “Kitty” Williams

Also on display in the Emporium during the same time frame:
Townsend Artisan Guild - Destination Townsend
Mixed media collage, watercolor, and oil works by Elaine Culbert
Abstract figurative works by Bill Womac

Gallery 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 www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition by the Townsend Artisan Guild (TAG) entitled “Destination Townsend”, featuring original paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculptures, and more by nearly fifteen local artists. The exhibition will be displayed in the main gallery of the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from June 6-28, 2014. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, June 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by Qdoba and music by Pistol Creek Catch of the Day from 6:00-8:00 PM. 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 Townsend Artisan Guild, founded in 2007, brings together working fine artists and fine crafts persons from East Tennessee to promote education, exploration, awareness, and development of arts. Through its 60 members, the group strives to promote community interest in and appreciation of the arts through participation in events, demonstrations, classes, and workshops. In April, the Guild presented the fifth annual Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival in Townsend. The Guild also provides opportunities for learning through a network of committed artisans, self-promotion through art exhibits and community activities, and meets on the first Tuesday of each month. Membership is open to actively working professionals, aspiring artists, and those sponsoring the Arts who are interested in working with other artisans to build a strong and supportive fine arts and fine crafts community. More information is available by visiting www.townsendartisanguild.org.

Artists featured in the exhibition include:
+ Deborah Adams (Fiber Art)
+ Lois Alexander (Pastels)
+ Evelyn Bryant (Sculpture)
+ Susan Cooper (Photography)
+ Rex Gullufsen (Photography)
+ Annamaria Gundlach (Clay Sculpture)
+ Ken LaValley (Photography)
+ Kathleen Marquardt (Fiber Art Clothing)
+ Gary Millar (Photography)
+ M.J. Montgomery (Watercolors)
+ Peter Mueller (Mixed Media)
+ Betty Polk (wood carving)
+ Suzanna Terrill (Encaustics)
+ Vicky Walker (Crocheted Fiber Arts)
+ Sharon Webb (Photography)

“Destination Townsend” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery 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 the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

Hector Saldivar was born and raised in Mexico City. He has lived near Knoxville for 26 years. Hector is a piñatero, a piñata maker. Four years ago, he expanded his art to include painting, at the encouragement of his sister, Patricia. He has also worked with local art instructor Margo Hayes. His alebrijes--colorful sculptures that originated in Oaxaca, Mexico--break with tradition in that they are not made of wood, but papier mache and wire. His work has been featured at UT, Casa HoLa, and an art installation in Nashville, TN. He will be displaying eleven sculptures and three paintings in this installation.

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 109, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holaknoxville.org, www.holafestival.org

Registration begins in person at 9 am at AMSE Admissions Desk. Must be U. S. citizen and at least 10 years of age. Must have photo ID. This Public Bus Tour which highlights the history of Oak Ridge and the history of science and technology at Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and K-25, is offered Monday – Friday once a day, except government holidays, July 3 & 4, 2014. First come, first served. Seating limited. Some restrictions apply. Board bus at AMSE at 11:45 am, bus departs at 12 noon, and bus returns to AMSE at 3 pm. Off-the-bus stops include Y-12 History Museum at New Hope Center, Bethel Valley Church and Graphite Reactor, a national historic landmark, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Drive by viewing of the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL and the former K-25 site at the East Tennessee Technology Park.

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

Free AMSE admission available to active-duty military ID holder and five immediate family members. Active duty military include Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members. Must show active duty military ID for this admission. Blue Star museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense and more than 2,000 museums across America.

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

We are excited to announce that we are hosting not one, but two special events for First Friday this May. Rala is helping host the "2014 Biscuit Art Exhibition". Join us that evening for a red carpet event right outside our door where the winners of the art contest will be announced. The biscuit art is also displayed at Coffee & Chocolate and Bliss Home throughout the month. This exhibit includes 30 biscuit themed pieces of art as interpreted by different artists.

We're also excited to bring you new work by one of our favorite local artists, Mike Ham. Father to WBIR's Abby Ham, Mike's work is inspired significantly by children's artwork. Here is just a taste of the fabulous work we're showing by this wonderful artist.

The Biscuit Exhibition will be up until the end of May and Mike Ham's artwork will be up until the end of June.

Our events start at 5:30 pm and end at 10 pm. We're looking forward to sharing SO MUCH great artwork with you!

RALA, 323 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-7888, http://shoprala.blogspot.com/