Calendar of Events

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.

We've picked up a few new venues for June! We're really excited to add Baneberry Golf Resort, Tennessee Valley Winery and Gettysvue Polo and Golf club to our list of venues. We've also added a few new artists and as always have loads of great new paintings awaiting your brush! We look forward to seeing you out at class! Life's too short for blank walls!

Thursday, 6/4, 6 - 9 pm
Dandelion Dance at Baneberry Golf and Resort

Monday, 6/8, 6 - 9 pm
JFG Coffee Sign at Chuy's

Tuesday, 6/9, 6 - 9 pm
Tennessee Moonshine at Mimi's Cafe

Monday, 6/15, 6 - 9 pm
Flip Flops on the Beach at Mind Yer P's & Q's - Farragut

Tuesday, 6/16, 6 - 9 pm
Bluetiful at Stir Fry Cafe

Saturday, 6/20, 6:30 - 9:30 pm
Blue Sky Butterfly at Tennessee Valley Winery

Monday, 6/22, 6 - 9 pm
Zen at Uncorked

Tuesday, 6/23, 6 - 9 pm
Red Moonrise at Barley's Maryville

Wednesday, 6/24, 6 - 9 pm
Dessert First at Gettysvue Polo and Golf Club

Thursday, 6/25, 6 - 9 pm
Light Saver at Original Copper Cellar

Monday, 6/29, 6 - 9 pm
Strawberry at Carolina Ale House

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

Jean Robinette (Robbie) Anderson, is a native of East Tennessee. Robbie works predominately in the medium of painting but delves in various mediums, from clay to natural materials, as well. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a focus on art history and education.

In the DENSO Gallery. Artist Reception June 4, 6-8pm

Gallery open 10 am to 6pm M-F and during events
At Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Info: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Recent works by painter Marjorie Horne and ceramic artist Hugh Bailey, both of Knoxville, will be on display at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists will be held during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk beginning at 5:30 p.m., June 5, with complimentary refreshments and live music performed by The Accidentals.

Marjorie Spalding Horne’s colored pencil drawings and watercolors span an array of subject matter, but recurring themes are transparent and reflective surfaces and how they are affected and enhanced by their environment. She has received numerous purchase and merit awards in regional and national exhibitions and has had several one-person shows. This Indiana native’s colored pencil works have been juried into six international exhibitions. A signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, she was one of the top 100 winners in the PaintAmerica Competition. Her BFA is from the University of Tennessee.

When watercolor painter Hugh Bailey also started to show his ceramics, he noticed that other artists were making functional ware. Wishing to do something different and combine it with his interest in sculpture, he saw an opportunity to create animal forms. “Turned out to be a good choice,” the Bristol native says of the high-in-demand whimsical clay pieces. Hugh’s B.A. is from Berea College, in Kentucky, with an M.F.A.from Indiana University, Bloomington. He belongs to the Foothills Craft Guild, Highland Handicraft Guild, the Knoxville Watercolor Society, and is a charter member (1982) of the Art Market Gallery.

Owned and operated by 62 professional regional artists! Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM-6PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

By Robert Harling / Directed by James Fisher

Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching—and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville. Info: 865-544-1999 or email: info@theatreknoxville.com. www.theatreknoxville.com

For the fifth year, the East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) is pleased to announce its participation in Blue Star Museums to offer free museum admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel and their immediate families, as well as National Guard and Reserves, from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2015. Blue Star Museums is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and 2,000 other museums across America. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The program provides families an opportunity to enjoy the nation's cultural heritage and learn more about their new communities after completing a military move. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

“As the Volunteer State, Tennesseans are always among the first to respond to our country’s call,” says Cherel Henderson, ETHS executive director. “The Blue Star Museums is a wonderful way for us to give back and to say thank you for your service and sacrifice.”

This year, more than 2,000 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer. This year’s Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts museums, but also science, history, and children’s museums, and nature centers.

About Blue Star Museums
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. The program runs from Memorial Day, May 25, 2015 through Labor Day, September 7, 2015.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps - and up to five family members. Please see the chart of the acceptable IDs (PDF). Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. The site includes a list of participating museums and a map to help with visit planning.

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

This year's Dollywood BBQ & Bluegrass Festival features over 250 shows in 15 days including The Del McCoury Band, The Earls of Leicester, The Boxcars, J.D. Crow, The Gibson Brothers, Rhonda Vincent, and many more. And all the barbeque you can eat. http://www.dollywood.com/themepark/festivals/Barbeque-and-Bluegrass.aspx

Opening Reception on Friday, May 22, 2015, 5:30 - 7:30pm in the Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery.

The exhibit features expressive woodworking by artist and professor, Kim Winkle. The opening reception and exhibition are free. Community members are encouraged to attend with their family and friends.

Kimberly Winkle uses hardwood to create unique forms based on traditional wooden utilitarian objects, and then activates the surfaces with paint and graphite with varying arrangements of lines and dots. “My interest lies in the pursuit and potential of the medium as an expressive device,” states Winkle about her work. This results in playful objects, characterized by a sense of spontaneity and calculated gesture.

Kimberly Winkle is an Associate Professor of Art at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN. She has a BFA in Ceramics from the University of Oklahoma and an MFA in furniture design from San Diego State University. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, and her work has been included in a number of publications, including Fine Woodworking and Woodworker magazines, and books—500 Tables, and 500 Chairs. She was awarded artist residencies including the Windgate Artist Residency at SUNY Purchase, and the International Turning Exchange at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. She was also awarded a State of Tennessee Individual Artist Award in 2011, and the Society of Arts and Crafts (Boston) John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship in 2014. To see more of Winkle’s work, please visit her website: www.kimberlywinkle.com.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Gallery hours: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su 10AM-4PM. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites the public to the Opening Reception of the 2015 Instructor Exhibition, June 5, 2015, 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Sandra J. Blain Gallery.

The Exhibition showcases the work of over 100 Arrowmont instructors who are teaching during the 2015 workshop season. Both the opening reception and the exhibition are free and open to the public. Community members are encouraged to attend with their family and friends.

“The Instructor Exhibition is an annual Arrowmont tradition and offers the work of nationally and internationally recognized artists who make up Arrowmont’s faculty. They come from across the globe to share skills and ideas, foster new thinking, artistic growth and creative camaraderie. We are pleased to provide the community with the opportunity to view these outstanding works of art,” Bill May, Arrowmont Executive Director said.

The exhibit features a wide range of diverse media including woodworking, glass, ceramics, painting, fiber and textile work, metals, jewelry, book arts, photography and printmaking. The show celebrates Arrowmont’s instructors and functions as an educational tool, demonstrating the skills and techniques that the instructors focus on in their workshops.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is a national arts education center. The School offers weekend, one- and two-week workshops for the beginner to advanced artist, taught by national and international practicing studio artists and university faculty. Students work and learn in professionally equipped studios on a 14-acre residential campus in Gatlinburg, TN. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the workshop immersion by registering for on campus housing and meals offered by Arrowmont.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Gallery hours: M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa-Su 10AM-4PM. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

The Town of Farragut Arts Council presents Carol Erikson as the featured artist for May and June. Located at the Farragut Town Hall, the exhibit highlights her photographic art, titled "Images that Inspire."

A New Jersey native, Erikson's exhibit features a mix of customer favorites and her newer work, including birds in South Texas, the Tybee Island lighthouse, and angel statuary from cemeteries in Savannah and Ohio. Her photography focuses on local nature images, especially waterfalls, wildflowers, old barns and landscapes. Mainly self-taught, Erikson has taken non-credit photography and editing courses at the University of Tennessee. A Rutgers University and University of North Carolina graduate, she works as an analytical project manager in Oak Ridge, supporting the ongoing decontamination and decommissioning work on the Oak Ridge reservation.

Each month, the work of an artist or group of artists is featured in specially designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in the Farragut Town Hall. For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist of the Month application, please contact Lauren Cox at lauren.cox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057 or visit www.townoffarragut.org/artsandculture.

The Farragut Town Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office.

Showing work by Athens’ Mayfield Dairy entrepreneur, Goldie Mayfield. The exhibit is scheduled at The Arts Center, 320 North White Street, Athens, Tennessee. AACA invites community members with original work by Goldie Mayfield to loan pieces to this special exhibit. Goldie Mayfield, one of Athens’ most prolific local artists, is among the women fundamental in bringing the visual arts to our community by teaching and supporting other local artists and by starting our Community Artist’s League. Her work was often featured in Mayfield Dairy’s Christmas cards in the 1980s and early 1990s. She used various mediums and is known for her expert use of watercolor.

Goldie was known for graciously giving away her work to friends and family. Community members who loan work to the exhibit will be duly credited as donors.

The exhibit reception is Friday, May 22, 2015 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Mayfield’s friends and family will be on hand to informally discuss her art. The reception will include light refreshments and is free and open to the public.

Athens Area Council for the Arts, 320 North White Street | Athens, TN 37303. Info: 423.745.8781 or www.athensartscouncil.org