Calendar of Events

A new exhibition featuring botanical photographs by retired University of Tennessee, Knoxville, botany professor Alan S. Heilman, opens at UT's McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture. "Through the Lens: Botanical Photography of Alan S. Heilman" explores the art and science of 60-plus years of Heilman’s award-winning botanical photography of leaves, buds, flowers, fruits, seeds, mosses, lichens, cones, and bark of plants native to or grown in the East Tennessee region. The 55 photographs on view include images of plants from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the UT Gardens on the Agriculture Campus, and highlight Heilman's fascination with color, texture and plant structure.

"Images in the exhibit are products of a lifelong scientist who became an artist painting through a lens," said exhibition curator Gary Crites, McClung Museum curator of paleoethnobotany. "The exhibit offers an exciting blend of plant structure, which has been at the core of Heilman's decades as a student, educator and advocate for habitat appreciation and protection, and the artist's eye for color, form and function in nature." Highlights of "Through the Lens" include the diversity of plant species, types and parts photographed. There are veterans of various photograph competitions, including regional and national award winners. A sunflower image in the exhibit was awarded first place in the Natural World Photographic Competition held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 1996.

Heilman began his career as a science photographer in the 1940s, when he used his Kodak Recomar 33 and a darkroom in his family's basement to experiment with making microscopic enlargements of dissected plants. He continued to take thousands of photographs of plants in the field and under the microscope over the next decades, amassing an archive of images, many of which are available today as digitized color-film photographs housed at the UT Libraries. They can be viewed at http://kiva.lib.utk.edu/heilman.

The exhibition includes prints produced from digital files held by UT Libraries, as well as prints gifted by Heilman to the UT Gardens.

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

Fridays, June 5 & 12 and July 3-31, Fridays at 4:00 PM

This is an introduction to flamenco class for children (ages 8-14) with no flamenco dance experience. Adults may take this introductory class as well, and for every paying adult, up to 3 children may attend for free. Class size 8-15 students. Pre-registration is required.

Contact: 865-202-0740 | 8701 Unicorn Drive Knoxville, TN 37922 | www.flamencowestknox.com

Bliss Home is pleased to present the latest works by Knoxville artist, Brian Murray, for June's First Friday. Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, June 5th from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary snacks from Old City Java's Bakery, Wild Love, will be provided and Brian's art will be featured for the month of June. Second reception on July 3, 6-9 PM.

Brian Murray is a local photographer who has been taking pictures for the past twenty years. His 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. He is a resident artist at Bliss Home and sells his prints there and at the Market Square Farmers' Market.

Brian's June exhibit will reflect his fascination with all of the different architectural styles that Knoxville has to offer. Brian's focal point for this show will highlight historic churches, which capture the diversity in architectural features.

Bliss Home 29 Market Square Knoxville, TN 37902. shopinbliss.com

It's Summertime and our scruffy little city is alive and kicking! We're honored to present local artist Lindsey Teague as our June First Friday artist. She photographs beloved places in Knoxville and then prints the images on wood.

Come see us from 6-10pm this upcoming Friday (June 5th, 2015) to check out the new work and meet the artist. Also, if it was ever your dream to own the Bijou Theatre, now is your chance...
323 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
Phone:(865) 525-7888

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition by Ryan Blair and Robin Surber entitled “Made in South Knoxville”. The exhibition features mixed media works and paintings by two artists who call South Knoxville their home and will be displayed in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center from June 5-27, 2015. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, June 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson & Friends from 7:00-8:45 PM in the Black Box Theatre. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available and chocolate fondue will be provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville.

Ryan Blair is an artist and art educator creating since childhood and teaching since 2001. Blair graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Art Education and an emphasis in painting. When not in the studio, he teaches art full time to 650 local elementary students and has twice received Teacher of the Year honors. Blair’s current work consist of paintings and mixed media pieces based on his observations and experiences of living in the south. His work can be seen in May at the International Biscuit Festival, featured in Cityview magazine, and in June at the Tipton Gallery on the campus of East Tennessee State University. Blair lives in Knoxville with his wife, two sons, and daughter. For more information, please visit www.ryanblairart.com.

Robin M. Surber was born in Louisville, KY and received her BFA from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She has had yearly exhibitions at Bennett Galleries for the past twelve years and has done murals in corporate and private locations nationwide. She participates in group shows in Knoxville at the Emporium Center and McGhee Tyson Airport and has been a Featured Artist at L’Amour du Vin hosted by the Knoxville Museum of Art. Her work appears in public collections throughout Tennessee. She is currently a full-time studio artist and restoration artist at the Tennessee Theatre. Her mixed media artwork often incorporates relics that relate to the south. Surber frequently writes about her work: “The more you look, the more you see”. Additional artwork can be found at Bennett Galleries. For more information, please visit www.robinsurber.com.

“Made in South Knoxville” is on display June 5-27, 2015 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours 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 the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present the third annual Knoxville Photo 2015, a juried exhibition featuring selected works from 32 artists throughout the region. Knoxville Photo was developed to provide a forum for photographers to compete on a national scale and display their work. The exhibition encompasses photographs depicting all subjects and genres, including streetscapes, cityscapes, landscapes, environmental portraiture, portraits, abstracts, and more, and will be displayed in the Emporium Center from June 5-27, 2015. Most of the works are for sale. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, June 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM with a brief ceremony at 6:00 PM in which over $1,000 in cash awards will be announced. The First Friday reception also features a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson & Friends from 7:00-8:45 PM in the Black Box Theatre. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available, and chocolate fondue will be provided by the Melting Pot of Knoxville.

David Simchock served as juror for the exhibition and viewed images from more than 85 artists to select the exhibition. A native of New Jersey, David J. Simchock has lived and traveled overseas for many years and, since returning to the States in 2002, quickly established himself as a reputable freelance photographer and artist. His images have been published in major publications around the world, and he has exhibited his work in numerous galleries and venues from New York City to Asheville and beyond.

View a temporary gallery of selected images at https://plus.google.com/photos/116432219839177047995/albums/6146128999098794961.

Knoxville Photo 2015 is on display June 5-27, 2015 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition 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 our Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

Carol Conrad’s greatest pleasure comes from re-creating beautiful landscapes. An exhibit of these lovely pieces will be on display throughout the month of June, and they will be highlighted at the Fun and Wine Friday reception June 12th, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., where she will be the Featured Artist.

Carol paints largely in pastels, a medium that has been around for centuries, but still retains the brilliance for which it was known. It is that brilliance that she loves as well as the immediacy of working with pure pigment as she applies it to archival paper or board. Her care extends to the way she frames each piece so that it never comes in contact with the glass, except in the case of smaller works, where this is not generally thought to be necessary. Carol, who claims that she came to art late in life and is mainly self-taught, has been juried into art shows and has won several awards for her landscapes.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-Sa 9AM-4PM. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

During the month of June, HoLa Hora Latina's Casa HoLa will feature both hand-made masks from prehistoric man and dramatic black and white images captured during expeditions into the East African bush.

Local artist Stephen R. Hicks will exhibit masks based on ancient culture from which our origins started. Since childhood, Hicks has always loved everything that Mother Nature has to offer and focuses on natural materials for his creations. The wood he uses was collected locally and driftwood from area lakes is a favorite material that he develops into expressive art. Hicks has always been especially interested in the ancient Mayan culture and many of his masks reflect that culture. His fascination for ancient funeral masks in what drives his art today.

Complimenting the display of masks will be a collection of black and white photographs by Nicole A Perez-Camoirano, a clinical psychologist, avid traveler and passionate photographer. She has chosen “The Roots of Mankind” as the theme for her exposition and the dramatic photo “Walking Masai” as the centerpiece. The entire collection is a photographic journey into the dynamics of being in the world. Her purist approach to photography engages observers in the interplay between photographer and movement; highlighting the tension between man, beast, earth, and sky. Perez-Camoirano was born and raised in Puerto Rico and attributes her Caribbean roots as the driving force behind her interest in the human condition both by professional and cultural background. While Knoxville is now her home, she and her husband continue to do extensive foreign travel and engage in humanitarian efforts whenever possible. Her photography will benefit the Steven Weru Education Fund in Kenya.

The exhibit “Origins” opens with a gala reception for the artists at the Casa HoLa artists on Friday, June 5 from 5:00 PM until 9:00 PM and the exhibit will be open to the public without charge during normal business hours.

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holafestival.org

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present The Hobbit, a stage adaptation by Patricia Gray of the classic novel by J. R. R. Tolkein. It's unusual for a modern work to become a classic so quickly, but Tolkien's "ring" stories, which began with The Hobbit, clearly are in this very special category. They stir the imagination and intellect of everyone they touch. Bilbo, one of the most conservative of all Hobbits, is asked to leave his large, roomy and very dry home in the ground in order to set off as chief robber in an attempt to recover an important treasure. It's the last thing that any sensitive Hobbit would want to do, but great benefit eventually results—not only for Bilbo but for all of the Hobbits who inhabit Middle Earth.

KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of stage plays for children. The Hobbit is the 68th play to be produced by Knoxville Children’s Theatre.

COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Friday 6/5 at 7 PM, Saturday 6/6 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 6/7 at 3 PM
Thursday 6/11 at 7 PM, Friday 6/12 at 7 PM, Saturday 6/13 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 6/14 at 3 PM
Thursday 6/18 at 7 PM, Friday 6/19 at 7 PM, Saturday 6/20 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 6/21 at 3 PM

TICKET PRICE $12; SPECIAL RATE for any adult & child entering together $10 each

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com. Reservations: www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/tickets

Fridays: June 5, 12 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays: June 6, 13 and 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: June 7, 14 and 21 at 3:00 p.m.
Thursday: June 18 at 7:30 pm

The UT School of Music Choral Area and Tennessee Valley Players present the globally popular musical “Les Misérables” with book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg; based on a novel by Victor Hugo; with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; and lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. "Les Misérables" is the epic and uplifting tale about the survival of the human spirit; the story is set against a nation in the throes of revolution. The musical features such songs as: "On My Own," "One Day More," "Do You Hear the People Sing?" and "I Dreamed a Dream," performed by a cast of over 50 multi-talented singers and actors. The show is presented “in the Round” at Carousel Theatre next to Clarence Brown Theatre on the UT Campus. Tennessee Valley Players is producing the show in collaboration with the University of Tennessee School of Music.

General admission is $20 a ticket. Tickets can be purchased on the Tennessee Valley Players’ website with a credit card ahead of time. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office starting 1 hour prior to each show with cash, check, or credit card. Festival seating.

Carousel Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Avenue on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37916; http://www.tennesseevalleyplayers.org or call (865) 201-5913.

After playing to sold out houses in recent years with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, the Encore Young Stars are returning this summer with the stage version of The Lion King. This special co-production of Encore Theatrical Company and Walters State Community College will play for three weekends at the Walters State Community College campus in Morristown.

The Lion King, JR follows the adventures of lion cub Simba, his father King Mufasa, and his uncle Scar’s plan to usurp the throne. All the favorite characters from the film appear in the stage version, including Rafiki the Baboon, Nala, Timon, Pumba and more. The cast includes over 40 actors, all age 18 or younger, with many making their stage debut. “This has been an incredible production to bring to the stage,” said Micah-Shane Brewer, Encore’s artistic director, who is serving as stage director for The Lion King, JR. “The Encore Young Stars never fail to amaze me with their dedication and talent.”

Almost all of the 40 actors play multiple roles, which meant constructing over 100 costumes, and 85 African style masks representing the animals being portrayed. Encore company members Heidi Williams, Mary Wallen, and Debbie Bennett led a brigade of parent volunteers to create the show’s unique aesthetic. The show’s upbeat, light rock score was written by Grammy winning artist Elton John and includes such popular titles as “Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Directing the music for this production is Laura Ritter, the director of choral music at Walters State.

The Lion King, JR begins on Friday, June 5. Evening performances are June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 at 8pm. Matinee performances are June 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 at 2pm. Adult tickets are $15. Students and youth tickets are $8. The fastest way to purchase tickets is on the Encore website at www.etcplays.org, where guests can select their seats, print their tickets, and bypass the box office line entirely. Additionally, tickets can be purchased by calling 423-318-8331.

What does the area around Great Smoky Mountains National Park have in common with Malaysian jungles? Answer: synchronous fireflies.

June 5 or 7 from 7:30-11 p.m., the non-profit organization Discover Life in America is sponsoring events that allow guests to experience and explore the mystery behind the synchronous fireflies. "We know of 19 species of fireflies — actually, they're a unique group of beetles — currently inhabiting the area around the park," says former Smokies curator Adriean Mayor. "There are 12 species that 'flash' and seven species with no 'flash.' This 'flashing' phenomenon is caused by a chemical reaction in the fireflies' lower abdominal organs called bioluminescence."

So why don't fireflies in the average backyard synchronize? What makes the fireflies in the park so special? Those questions and more will be answered at a DLIA fundraising event that also features the firefly. With exclusive access to the Norton Creek Sanctuary, a property contiguous to Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundaries, and a firefly expert on site, attendees will be able to learn the answers to questions while enjoying the amazing “flashing” display firsthand. Heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be provided.

Make your reservation now while spots are still open for the June 5 or 7 event! The cost is $100 per person, and your participation supports biodiversity research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For reservations or more information, e-mail Todd at todd@dlia.org or call 865-430-4757.