Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly announces four unique exhibitions by SGC International. In the main gallery, the 2015-2018 Southern Graphic Council International Member’s Traveling Exhibition features an array of 51 original prints, created by SGC International members from around the world. Juried by artist, distinguished professor, and 2015 SGCI Printmaker Emerita Award Recipient Ruth Weisberg, the work selected for the exhibit will travel though the United States for three years. Artists include Beauvais Lyons and Koichi Yamamoto, School of Art faculty at the University of Tennessee.

Knoxville Collects Yee-Haw will feature letterpress prints from Yee-Haw Industries collected by the people of Knoxville. The exhibition seeks to celebrate the legacy of Yee-Haw Industries and its significance for people living in East Tennessee. Organized by B.J. Alumbaugh, MFA student in Studio Art (printmaking) at the University of Tennessee, the exhibition will include text panels for each print with a short paragraph by the owner about why the work is of significance for them. Works will be on display in the Balcony gallery.

Approximate Exactitude: The Diagram and the Book will feature a selection of original artist books by fourteen artists in the display case. The books in this show celebrate, occasionally spoof, and often times elevate the significance of the diagram as an element of the book. The exhibition is curated by Sarah Smith, the Special Instructor/Manager of the Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.

Prints by UTK Faculty will present selected prints by University of Tennessee, School of Art faculty members Koichi Yamamoto, Althea Murphy Price, and Beauvais Lyons on the North Wall of the gallery. The three participating artists in this exhibit are also hosts of the 2015 Southern Graphics Council International Conference held March 18-21 in Knoxville.

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from March 6-29, 2015. A public reception will take place on Friday, March 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM. 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.

Gallery hours for the SGC International exhibitions are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Additional special hours are posted at www.theemporiumcenter.com/visit.html. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

The A1LabArts Gallery will open A Show of Hands, an exhibition of prints and photographs curated by Adam Finkelston and James Meara, on Friday, March 6 from 6 – 10 p.m.

A Show of Hands exhibition is a part of the Southern Graphics Council International SPHERE conference and will be open at The Center for Creative Minds through March 28. Finkelston and Meara, co-editors of The Hand Magazine, will be in attendance at the exhibition’s reception on Thursday, March 19 from 6 – 9 p.m. at The Center for Creative Minds.

Since April 2013, The Hand Magazine has published hundreds of images from some of the most interesting contemporary artists working in reproduction­based media. The Hand is dedicated to the promotion of hand­made images that utilize techniques invented for and generally thought of as being mechanical in nature. In addition to exploring this paradox, The Hand seeks to unite the photographic and print communities and give a new audience to established practitioners of these arts. The Hand reaches out to established and emerging artists alike, in an effort to recognize the history of hand­made reproduction as well as the future.

A1LabArts @ the Center for Creative Minds, 23 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: www.a1labarts.org

Tennessee Stage Company Presents its 18th Annual NEW PLAY FESTIVAL & World Premiere Production of Scott Strahan’s I AM THE WAY

I Am The Way, a World Premiere play by Scott Strahan presented as the featured production in the 18th annual New Play Festival, produced by the Tennessee Stage Company.
Theatre Knoxville Downtown 319 N. Gay Street
March 6 – 22
Thursday – Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm
Sunday afternoons at 3:00 pm

Tickets are on sale now. General Admission is $ 15.00

I AM THE WAY By Scott Strahan

McRae Allen hates his job, so he finds a new one. He becomes an Internet evangelist and watches the cash, and death threats, come rolling in. I Am The Way runs March 6 – 22, Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm, at Theatre Knoxville Downtown

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

Ijams Hallway Gallery Presents: The Artwork of Broadway Studio and Gallery Artists

This month's Hallway Gallery shows off the amazing collaboration of the artists of Broadway Studio and Gallery. Bright, colorful, and diverse- you won't want to miss out on seeing the first group showing of these talented artists.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. 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 Southern Graphic Council International Printmaking Conference is March 18-21. The Art Market Gallery is exhibiting "Mapping the Mississippi", one of 15 Southern Graphic Council portfolio exchanges that will be on display. Exhibition dates are March 3-29. There is a night walk on Thursday March 19 and the Art Market Gallery will be open 5:30-9:00 PM for visitors on this evening. Refreshments will be served.

Owned and operated by 62 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 Thursday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; and 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.

Southern Appalachian Photography Society exhibition

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; 2nd and 3rd Saturdays, 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com

March 2: "5 Wine Bottles" - Barley's (Maryville), 6 pm

March 4: "Colorful Stony Shore" - Blue Coast Grill, 6 pm

March 10: "Masquerade" - Mimi's Cafe, 6 pm

March 12: "Birds on a Wire" - Hurricane Grill and Wings, 6 pm

March 17: "Tennessee Theater at Night" - Dead End BBQ (Maryville), 6 pm

March 18: "On Top of Ol' Smoky" **DATE NIGHT** - Blue Coast Grille, 6 pm

March 22: "Blue Willow" - Mind Yer P's and Q's (Farragut), 5 pm

March 25: "All that Jazz" - The Crown and Goose, 6 pm

March 26: "London Police Box" - The Original Copper Cellar, 6 pm

March 27: "Champagne Glasses" - Meadow Country Club (Louisville), 6 pm

March 31: "Psychedelic Seascape" - Stir Fry Cafe, 6 pm

Wine & Canvas: Knoxville, TN, 865-356-9179, http://www.wineandcanvas.com/knoxville-tn.html

March 01-31 Ijams Hike-A-Thon 2015
March 10, 2015 SCIENCE CAFÉ: Plugging in to the Future
March 13, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: Friday the 13th Horror Movie Night
March 14, 2015 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
March 14, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 14, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 14, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 14, 2015 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: Woodcock Supper Walk
March 20, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: Carpetbag Theater Salon Performance
March 21, 2015 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: Backyard Birding Basics
March 21, 2015 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
March 21, 2015 PEG’S KITCHEN: Breakfast is Served
March 21, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 21, 2015 SPECIAL PROGRAM: Mason Jar Crafts
March 21, 2015 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: Junior Backyard Birding Basics
March 21, 2015 TENNESSEE NATURALIST PROGRAM: Introduction
March 21, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 21, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
March 27, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: Magical Harry Potter Cocktails
March 28, 2015 IJAMS SANCTUARY SERIES: Shinrin Yoku Walks
March 28, 2015 TENNESSEE NATURALIST PROGRAM: Ferns and Flowers

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

Fountain City Art Center cordially invites you to attend the opening reception for the Knoxville Book Arts Guild, along with Watercolors by students of Mary Secrist and Kate McCullough, and the Southern Appalachian Photography Society exhibition. The reception will be held 6:30-8:00 PM, Friday, March 6.

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 9AM-5PM; Wednesday & Friday, 10AM-5PM; 2nd and 3rd Saturdays, 9AM-1PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com

This is the fifth installment of an annual group show of 3-4 artists living and working in East Tennessee. LIFT: Contemporary Printmaking in the Third Dimension examines the work of international contemporary artists who use a variety of strategies to bring a sculptural dimension to printmaking. Featured artists include Enrique Chagoya, Lesley Dill, Olafur Eliasson, Robert Gober, Red Grooms, Jane Hammond, Hideki Kimura, Nicola Lopez, Leslie Mutchler, Oscar Munoz, Marilene Oliver, Dieter Roth, Graciela Sacco, and Jonathan Stanish. This exhibition is the culmination of a series of lectures, demonstrations, studio visits, and the creation of an online video archive documenting each artist’s studio practice. The series is intended to garner support for contemporary art in East Tennessee, and is accompanied by an illustrated publication. Organized by the KMA. Located in the Hall & Rogers Gallery.

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

Contemporary Focus is vital to the KMA’s mission to support and highlight art and artists of East Tennessee, bring them together with the museum’s audience in meaningful ways, and provide incentive for them to maintain their studio practice in the region. The public is invited to a free opening preview at the museum Thursday, January 29 5:30-7:30pm. Contemporary Focus 2015 artists will be on hand to answer questions about their work: Caroline Covington, Mira Gerard, and Karla Wozniak. The three artists selected have a common interest in creating works that examine the uncertain terrain between personal experience and external reality, abstraction and representation, and civilization and nature.

Contemporary Focus is an exhibition series launched by the KMA in 2009 that recognizes, supports, and documents the development of contemporary art in East Tennessee. It features the work of innovative emerging artists who are living and making art in this region, and who are exploring issues relevant to the larger world of contemporary art. The exhibition gives artists an opportunity to exhibit recent work, or consider creating a new body of work. In addition to giving feature artists the opportunity to showcase their latest work in a museum setting, it also allows them to engage with KMA audiences in gallery talks and lectures about their approach to making art, and about the challenges and benefits of basing their studio practice in East Tennessee. In several cases, inclusion in Contemporary Focus has created important new exhibition opportunities for the featured artists.

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

Drawn from the McClung Museum is an innovative exhibition project involving 28 artists, each of whom will produce original prints in response to objects from the collection of the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. The exhibition will pair the objects and the prints to address how we perceive and interpret art, science, and culture. Like the museum itself, the objects are varied, ranging from a mastodon mandible and an Egyptian ibis mummy, to a Victorian hair necklace and an Ojibwa men’s ceremonial dance apron.

The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the SGC International Printmaking Conference, which will bring 1,500 printmakers to Knoxville from the United States and abroad March 18–21, 2015.

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