Calendar of Events

September 10-13, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts will present the Figurative Association: The Human Form symposium on the Arrowmont campus in Gatlinburg. The symposium begins on September 10th with an exhibition opening and keynote address. The keynote speaker is Dr. Nancy Etcoff, evolutionary psychologist at Harvard University. In her talk, Neuroaesthetics and the Human Figure, Dr. Etcoff will discuss the new field of neuroaesthetics and the insights it offers into figurative art. Dr. Etcoff is the founder of the Program in Aesthetics and Well-Being at Massachusetts General Hospital and the author of Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty.

James W. Sullivan, professor of sculpture and design will moderate several panels. Guest writer Edith Garcia will write and blog during the symposium. There will be numerous presentations and demonstrations by the eight renowned national and international artists and nine invited artists plus two figurative sculpture exhibitions. Presenting artists: Robert Brady, Christina Cordova, Susan Hagen, Doug Jeck, Kris Kuksi, Elizabeth Higgins O’Connor, Bob Trotman, Christina West, Thaddeus Erdahl, Dustin Farnsworth.

Glenn Harper, editor of Sculpture magazine is the closing speaker. Titled Transfiguration: The Sense of an Ending, Mr. Harper’s talk explores the ending of figural art and what figurative sculpture says about being human today.

The Exhibition in the main gallery, August 30-November 8, 2014, is free and open to the public and includes 38 figurative sculptural works from Presenting and Invited Artists. Along with the two exhibitions, the Symposium includes a total of 20 different rotating studio demonstrations and two evening panel discussions. For more information or to register, call 865.436.5860 or go online to www.arrowmontfigure.org.
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Two notes. That’s all it takes to recognize the voice of Michael McDonald. Distinctive and soulful, it is one of the most yearningly emotive instruments of our times. The five-time Grammy-winning McDonald is that rare thing in contemporary pop -- an artist whose work is both timeless and ever-evolving.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Most natives of Appalachia are aware that their speech differs from others but may not understand exactly why and how. Paul Reed will explain the variations and contributing factors and how their rich linguistic system is critical to local and regional identity, forming a central part of what it means to be an East Tennessean. A native of Hancock County, Tennessee, Paul Reed is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of South Carolina, with a research focus on the variation and change in the English varieties of the American South, particularly the Appalachian region, and even more so, East Tennessee.

The program is sponsored by 21st Mortgage Corporation and is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available for purchase. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824.

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

They call themselves “Live-wired, straight-shootin, dirty-mouth’d, pelvis-pushing juke music”, and it couldn’t be said better. Blues-rock quartet Vintage Trouble hails from Los Angeles and started playing together in 2010. Since then, the James Brown-esque frontman, Ty Taylor, sets out to recreate the soulfulness of the juke-joint era. Don’t miss the opportunity to see them at the Bijou on September 10.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Some very important lessons in life aren't covered in school. Knox County Public Library is pleased to offer programs for teens this fall. Life 101 is a short series focusing on sharing knowledge on important issues for teens and their families. The free workshops will be held on Saturdays at 2:00 at Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave.
September 20 and again on October 4 - Circuit Training for Teens. Andrew Freeman, from the Lindsay Young YMCA, will be teaching easy circuit training exercises.
In a future workshop Shannon Reynolds from the University of Tennessee Medical Center's "Healthy Living Kitchen" program will be talking about the importance of establishing healthy eating habits and showing teens how to make a quick and healthy snack.
For additional information, please call 215-8700.
All classes are held at Lawson McGhee Library, 500 W. Church Ave. at 2:00.

As part of its community service and education programs, Jubilee Community Arts is offering a two-session workshop which will provide an introduction to audio setup, equipment, and mixing for concerts. Designed for musicians and volunteers interested in a basic introduction to live sound mixing, this workshop will present the basics of microphone usage, gain settings, monitor and house mixing, house and channel EQ, and use of mixing boards.

There is no charge for the workshop, but all participants will be expected to volunteer 6 hours of time over the next year to aid production of Jubilee Community Arts activities.

The workshop will be presented by Dr. Lou Gross, Volunteer Sound Engineer for the Laurel Theater.

Jubilee Community Arts, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

Alan Moore will be on view at the downtown Knoxville Tomato Head Restaurant from September 8th thru October 4th. He will then exhibit at the West Knoxville Gallery Tomato Head from October 7th thru November 3rd.

The Moores have recently embarked on their most ambitious exhibit schedule to date. Over 100 pieces of the Moore’s southern-fried folk art will be on display in three states over the next five months. Alan and his daughters Isabella (age 13) and Emma (age 11) have been creating their iconic bottle cap fish for their junk art tour they call “Catch!” – inspired by their two home states of Florida and Colorado. Recently the Moore’s went “paintless” in their folk art bringing all the color to their work through the medium of vintage soda/beer cans and bottle caps. The Moore’s new palette includes over 4000 soda and beer cans to choose from, all dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. Their studio also boasts of having over 60,000 neatly organized bottle caps-vintage and modern, domestic and international. It is not rare for Alan or one of the girls to make a fish with caps and cans from Germany, Russia, Canada, Thailand, S. Korea, the US and several other countries.

Tomato Head: 12 Market Square, Knoxville, 865-637-4067, www.thetomatohead.com

Saturday, September 6 & 13 - Registration: 10:30 a.m.
Kerr Building / Chilhowee Park

Participate in the Tennessee Valley Fair's fourth annual Lego Extravaganza. Individuals and teams of all ages are welcome to enter this live Lego build event. No preregistration required. Hundreds of individuals and families competed in this event in 2013.

Prefer to take your time building your Lego masterpiece at home? Entries are also being accepted for the Lego Build Exhibit. Entries are submitted prior to the Fair and remain on display all 10 days, September 5-14. Categories include: Original Free Build, Children's Toy and Patriotic. The registration deadline for the Lego Build competition is August 22.

It is our immense pleasure to invite the community to the next First Friday Art Opening at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center. We are privileged to have acquired many wonderful pieces over the years, and now we are going to display them for our visitors. This exhibit will showcase some of the best art that the Blount Mansion Association has collected since 1926. These prints and portraits help to make the house truly an amazing experience and help to tell the story of Knoxville, Tennessee, and the United States. The show will include portraits of some of our most famous Tennesseans, such as Territorial Governor William Blount and his half-brother, Tennessee Governor Willie Blount, as well as Charles McClung and John Sevier. Visitors will also see great historical figures such as George Washington, Henry Knox, and Louis Philippe, King of France. Knoxville’s prominent citizens are featured here as well, with portraits of Charles McClung and Mary Boyce Temple. There is also a set of three John Catesby prints and other decorative pieces that will showcase the breadth of the collection here at the Governor’s House.

As part of the First Friday, the opening reception will be from 5:00 to 7:00 on Friday September 5th here at the Blount Mansion Visitors Center at 200 West Hill Avenue in Knoxville. There will be beverages and light refreshments available. This is a free event and all are welcome. Please come and enjoy the event and have fun!

info@blountmansion.org (865) 525-2375

Recent works by painter Victoria Simmons of Knoxville and jeweler Sissy Caldwell of Maryville will be on display at the Art Market Gallery for the month of September. An opening reception for this featured exhibition will be held from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sept. 5, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk. There will be complimentary refreshments and live music by the Accidentals.

Victoria Simmons is an award-winning artist whose works are in private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Besides two solo exhibitions, her paintings have been juried into many regional and national shows. A long-time hiker and birdwatcher, Victoria has spent most of her life creating images from nature. Although dogs and horses remain her favorite subjects, she loves painting animals of all kinds, and wildlife and birds of the Smokies will be featured for this show.

Soon after retiring as an executive from TVA, Sissy Caldwell discovered a bead shop with exquisite seed beads and crystals that could be stitched into jewelry. Always having sewn and done embroidery, quilting, crocheting, and knitting, she took classes in off-loom bead weaving, andFeatherbells jewelry was born. Sissy’s artistic signature is a blend of various jewelry-making techniques, such as off-loom bead weaving with precious metal clay or glass, in order to create distinctive jewelry and gifts.

Owned and operated by about 60 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery, at 422 South 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.

Bliss Home is pleased to present Secret Life of Plants by Knoxville photographer, Dennis Sabo, for September's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, September 5th from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary Steamboat Sandwiches will be provided and Dennis' art will be featured for the month of September.

Dennis Sabo, a Loudon resident, is an internationally honored photographer specializing in contemporary abstract, and landscape photography. His award-winning work has appeared in various publications, television, the Internet and institutions, among them NOVA, PBS, National Geographic, and Blue Planet. A frequent lecturer and workshop instructor, Sabo is mostly known for his fine art abstracts of the natural world. He has refined the fine-art photograph into an interpretive collage of color and texture. The title for this exhibition is Secret Life of Plants an impressionistic and expressionistic art view of this very special component of nature. www.dsabophoto.com

shopinbliss.com | 865.394.6951

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of photography entitled “America Divided” by Antuco Chicaiza of Sweetwater. The work in “America Divided” is meant to create a dialog about the division that government and society has created in America today. Several pieces only show a rectangle with eyes on a white canvas. “The rectangle not only shows the part of a person on which we usually focus, but it is also means to represent the hyphen, that separates us as a nation,” says Chicaiza. The exhibition will be displayed in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from September 5-27, 2014. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, September 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres provided by The Melting Pot and music by Cat’s Away. The First Friday reception also features a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and Friends from 7:00-9:00 PM in the Black Box Theatre.

Antuco Chicaiza has shown his work in solo exhibitions at Casa HoLa in Knoxville, the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, The Rose Center in Morristown, The Nashville International Airport, the Embassy of Ecuador in Washington, DC, and the Latino Arts Center in Milwaukee, WI.

“America Divided” 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.