Calendar of Events

Pellissippi State Community College features the paintings of three area artists in its “Abstractions” exhibit. The event highlights works of John Bissonette, Jennifer Brickey and Heather Hartman, all of whom explore non-objective imagery in various forms. Brickey also is an assistant professor at Pellissippi State.

“The paintings all make use of color, space and structure to convey various ideas,” said Herb Rieth, curator of the exhibit and assistant professor at Pellissippi State. “The paintings are engaging, witty, mysterious and intense without using concrete images.”

This event is curated by Art faculty member Herb Rieth. See a brief write up in the Knoxville Daily Sun:
http://www.knoxvilledailysun.com/entertainment/2014/abstractions-exhibit.html#.VBCBzphJkeR

The exhibit is in the Bagwell Gallery on the Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts or call (865) 694-6400.

Join us for a morning out as our museum educator leads engaging gallery tours for parents and caregivers and their young ones. Crying and wiggly babies welcome!

This month we explore animals in art in our Decorative Arts Gallery.

The event is free, but limited, and all attendees must register to attend online. Registration opens a month in advance and closes the day before the tour.

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

September 15: Greg Trooper with poet Susan O'Dell Underwood

The places singer-songwriter Greg Trooper has lived—as well as the names of the artists who have recorded his songs— serve a kind of shorthand for his songcraft. The New Jersey native has fans in Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Billy Bragg, and over the years he's developed as an artist in Greenwich Village, New York; Lawrence, Kansas; Austin, Texas; and Nashville, Tennessee. Trooper will play songs from his latest acclaimed CD, Incident on Willow Street. http://gregtrooper.com/venue-media-support

Tennessee Shines is a weekly radio show performed live for an in-studio audience at the Knoxville Visitor Center Mondays at 7pm and broadcast live on WDVX FM and WDVX.com. Hosts are Bob Deck and Paige Travis. Tickets are $10, free for students with valid ID and children ages 14 and under. Tickets are available in advance at the WDVX Blue Plate Special, noon weekdays and Saturdays at the Knoxville Visitor Center, or at the door beginning at 6 p.m. on the night of the show. For more information, visit WDVX.com.
Information: 865-544-1029, www.wdvx.com, http://www.tennesseeshines.com

WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-544-1029, www.wdvx.com

To celebrate the opening of its new flagship store and to honor 40 years of professional theatre at the Clarence Brown Theatre, Marc Nelson Denim will host a fundraiser to benefit the theatre at 700 East Depot Street.

Attendees can stop in anytime and enjoy an exclusive tour of the brand new Knoxville production facility plus receive an inside look at the Clarence Brown Theatre’s costume design process for the season-opening production of “Hank Williams: Lost Highway.” Marc Nelson Denim will have men’s and women’s denim offered at a one-night-only rate of $125 per pair, of which, $60 will benefit the Clarence Brown Theatre.

Complimentary drinks will be provided along with a special CBT pint glass while supplies last. Food will be available for purchase from Knoxville food truck favorite, Savory & Sweet, and an exciting raffle will be conducted. Cast members and the creative team from the CBT’s production of “Hank Williams: Lost Highway” will be on hand to mix and mingle with guests. For more information, please contact Robin Conklin at (865) 974-2497 or rconkli1@utk.edu.

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 Cultural Attractions Committee is proud to cosponsor with the Office of Multicultural Student Life on the office's event "But All My Friends Are..." on in the University Center Auditorium at 7:00 PM!

“But All My Friends Are…” is a collection of 10 plays performed in 90 minutes. Each short play deals with an aspect of being a person of color in the United States and is portrayed through comedy, poetry, dance, as well as many true to life performances. The show offers one of the most innovative means of examining diversity and tolerance from Here and Now Theatre Company, a critically acclaimed theatre of color. “All My Friends Are…” is certain to have a lasting impact as it will encourage attendees to celebrate diversity in its many forms.

Cultural Attractions Committee: cac@utk.edu, http://activities.utk.edu/cpc/cac/

So you’re a writer of serial books and finding it hard to keep your readers interested during the time between when your books are published? Joe Shumock, author of the Letter series, will offer a solution with his presentation, “Character Blogs: Keeping your readers interested (and entertained) between books.”

Shumock, formerly of East Tennessee, has so far written and published three books in the Letter series: “A Letter to Die For,” “The Lost Letter,” “Letter from the Dark,” and he’s working on his fourth--which required a research trip to Prague. Location is usually a sub-character in Shumock's novels and has him traveling to various places for details. However, during the interim between books, Shumock wanted to keep his readers in touch with the characters in his series and engaged in their stories. Although he maintains an interesting and updated website and has a presence on Facebook, that wasn’t enough personal contact with the reader. So he created character blogs.

During his speech at the library, he will discuss these aspects of character blogs: 1) What are character blogs? 2) Why have them? 3) What kind of information should they contain? 4) Where should I keep them? 5) How often should I post to them? 6) Should I charge my readers to access them? 7) How do I advertise and explain what they are? Shumock will lead a general discussion and then answer any audience questions.

Free and open to the public, the program is sponsored by the Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville. Phone: (865) 982-0981, website: www.blountlibrary.org

St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral presents a Noonday Organ Recital! Performing will be James Garvey, Music Director at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension. James will perform 4 selections from 24 Pièces de Fantaisie by Louis Vierne: Carillon de Westminster, Clair de Lune, Naïades and Les Cloches de Hinckley.

St. John's Episcopal Cathedral: 413 Cumberland Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902,
(865) 525-7347, www.stjohnscathedral.org

The Guild of the Knoxville Museum of Art presents Art Fair KMA 2014 September 14-20 at the museum. Art Fair KMA 2014 encompasses Artscapes, the Guild’s popular annual art sale and gala, as well as a day of family art activities. Festivities begin with a kickoff brunch and sale preview on Sunday, September 14; continue with a gala masked ball and art auction on Friday, September 19; and wrap up with an exciting day of free family art activities on Saturday, September 20. The purpose of Art Fair KMA 2014 is to raise money for museum programs and engage a broad and diverse segment of the community in museum activities.

The kick-off preview brunch on Sunday, September 14, noon-3pm, features a first look at the Artscapes art offerings. Preview brunch reservations are $40 per person.
Items for sale can also be previewed free of charge during regular museum hours Tuesday September 16-Friday September 19.
The gala Artscapes art auction begins on Friday evening September 19 with a reception and silent auction at 6:30, and dinner and live auction at 8:30, with a stellar group of more than 70 carefully selected works by artists of regional and national reputation. This year Artscapes has a masked ball theme. Another new feature is the offering for sale of sculpture specifically designed for outdoor display, as well as painted ceramic plates and bowls painted by local young people and inspired by the KMA collection. Artscapes: A Masked Ball reservations are $150 per person.

Art Fair KMA culminates in a full day of family art activities on Saturday, September 20 10am-6pm. Approximately 50 artists will offer live demonstrations and have work available for sale around the museum grounds. Visitors can enjoy a display of vintage motorcycles organized by Time Warp Room Motorcycle Club, and delicious meals from the food trucks parked around the museum. Family activities will also extend across the street, where the Kids of Fort Kid Committee, a team of volunteers, will be hosting a work day to preserve the much-loved playground and city landmark.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Admission and parking are free. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Saturday, September 13 - 3:00
Kerry Madden – “Offsides,” memoir

Thursday, September 18 - 6:00
Amber Roessner – “Inventing Base-ball Heroes,” non-fiction

Friday, September 19 - 6:00
Carol Bradley – “The Last Chain on Billie,” non-fiction

Wednesday, September 24 - Noon
Bookaholics Book Group - “The Good Lord Bird,” fiction

Tuesday, September 30 - 6:00
Perre Coleman Magness –“Pimento Cheese: The Cookbook”

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902, (865) 951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

Drawing on the collections of the McClung Museum, the University of Tennessee Library’s Special Collections, as well as private collections, this exhibit explores the fascinating intersection of art and science in the tradition of natural history illustration and features over fifty rare books, prints, and objects.

From 16th century imaginings of fantastical beasts, to the extremely accurate 19th illustrations of plants and animals, the works on view highlight how increasing access to travel, technology, and books, as well as the evolution of the field of science, changed how these artful illustrations were created and interpreted. The curators of the exhibit, Catherine Shteynberg and Christine Dano Johnson, are available for interviews or walkthroughs of the exhibit, and can be contacted directly at: cshteynb@utk.edu, 865-974-6921.

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

Photography exhibit, David Habercom
Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
Free and open to the public

Opening reception Sept. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit runs Sept. through Oct. 2014

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery: 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918, www.davidhabercom.com

Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" tells the story of an American family caught up in the struggle between personal responsibility and duty to their country. Join the cast and special guests for a post-show discussion of the themes in the play and how they appear in our own communities. Presented in association with the Knoxville Theatre Workshop, directed by Jessica Magers-Rankin. This play contains mature subject matter and is not recommended for children.

$10 per ticket. 100 seats per showing. Complimentary tickets for Society Members who join by September 10, pending ticket availability. Church Street UMC. Parish Hall West (stage end).