Calendar of Events

The Ethan Parker band, based out of Tampa Bay, is on a 60-city tour and will continue across the U.S. “Our goal is to make a difference, but more specifically, spread hope in the lives of orphans and at-risk youth. These kids need to know that they are valued,” said the band leader Ethan Parker. The band is performing free concerts aimed at recruiting mentors for youth.
The band will be in Knoxville on Thursday June 18 playing at 7:30 p.m. at The Square Room, 4 Market Square.

Ethan Parker started Project Primavera to bring attention to the mentoring needs of these kids. Recently, Parker’s organization teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters and hopes to make a difference. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mentoring program is proven to improve children’s odds for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles.

Last year Big Brothers Big Sisters placed mentors with thousands of kids across the U.S., but the need for help is always growing. There are still thousands of kids waiting for mentors.

Thursday June 18 playing at 7:30 p.m. at The Square Room, 4 Market Square in downtown Knoxville.
For more information on how you can become a part of this movement or to attend an upcoming show, visit www.projectprimavera.org.

New York Times Bestselling author Amy Greene will host a writers’ retreat in Historic Rugby, Tenn., Wednesday, June 17 through Saturday, June 20.

She encourages anyone who isn't familiar with Rugby to visit its website at www.historicrugby.org. The retreat will include group discussions, writing time and individual conferences with the author, whose first novel, "Bloodroot," was one of the Top 10 Novels of 2010 by Booklist, Kirkus Reviews and Amazon and whose second novel, "Long Man," was named a Best Book of the Year by the Washington Post and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Instructors fee for the retreat is $200. In addition, there are several lodging and meal package options. The complete package, which includes three meals per day and a private room at Newbury House, is $105 plus tax per night. The lodging only package is $80 plus tax per night for a private room at Newbury House. Rooms will be reserved June 17 through 19, with check-out on June 20. Attendees can also purchase a meals only package, which includes three meals per day for $50 plus tax per day. Individual conferences with the author can be scheduled during free time, for one-on one writing advice.

To register for the retreat, please contact Kelly McCauley at rugbylegacy@highland.net. Additional information about Greene and her most recent book, "Long Man," can be found at www.amygreeneauthor.com.

Tickets are $20 for each evening or $85 for a weekly pass, excluding the 4:15 concert on June 24.

Monday, June 15, 2015: Jim Pankey, Sarah Morgan, Steve Kilby, Keith Yoder
Tuesday, June 16, 2015: Richard Smith; April Verch, Robin Kessinger, Erynn Marshall
Wednesday, June 17, 2015: Dennis Caplinger, Tyler Grant, Chris Proctor, Linda Thomas
Thursday, June 18, 2015: Beppe Gambetta, Tony McManus, Evie Laden, Josh Goforth
Friday, June 19, 2015: Steve Kaufman, Happy Traum
Monday, June 22, 2015: Emory Lester, Molly Tuttle Becky Buller, Gary Davis, Keith Yoder, Chris Quinn
Tuesday, June 23, 2015: Annie Staninec, Mike Kaufman, Paul Glasse, Roberto Dalla Vecchia, Tim May, Ivan Rosenberg, Will Maring
Wednesday, June 24, 2015: Curtis Burch, Scott Nygaard, David Harvey, Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, Dede Wyland
Thursday, June 25, 2015: Alan Bibey, Dennis Caplinger, John Moore, Marcy Marxer, Andy Hatfield, Jimmie Heffernan, Steve Roy
Friday, June 26, 2015: Steve Kaufman, Bobby Hicks, Alan Munde, John Reischman, Mark Cosgrove
For the above evening concerts, Open Mic Begins at 7PM - Concert Showtime at 7:30PM

Wednesday, June 24 Matinee: Audie Blaylock & Redline Tickets $10.00 Showtime: 4:15-5:30pm

Performer information at http://www.flatpik.com/kamp-faculty

At Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Tickets are available at the Clayton Center Box Office M-F 10AM-6PM or by phone or online: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

The American Museum of Science & Energy will open Nikon Small World, a traveling exhibit showcasing 20 award winning photomicrographs from the 40th annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition. This year’s winner is Rogelio Moreno of Panama for capturing a rarely seen image of a rotifer’s open mouth interior and heart-shaped corona. A computer system programmer by occupation, Moreno is a self-taught microscopist whose photomicrograph serves to show just how close the beauty and wonder of the micro-world truly is - not just for scientists, but anyone willing to open their eyes and look for it. Moreno is recognized along with over 80 other winners from around the world for excellence in photomicrography. Winners from Italy, the United States, Austria, Spain and Australia also ranked in the top ten, for exceptional images selected based on both artistic quality and masterful scientific technique.

“Since the competition began 40 years ago, the caliber in quality and range of subject matter of the images, is matched only by the scientists and photographers who submit them,” said Eric Flem, Communications Manager, Nikon Instruments. “So much has changed in science and technology in the past forty years, opening the door for more and more scientists and artists alike to capture and share their stunning images with the world. A look at our gallery is like a time capsule of the advancements made in the last four decades and truly shows the legacy a Nikon Small World continues to build.”

Rogelio Moreno is a first-time first-place winner of the Small World competition, though he has placed each time he has entered the contest starting three years ago. That success is a testament to his incredible skill, as he only began taking photomicrographs in 2009.

Judges awarded Moreno’s shot of a rotifer caught open-mouthed and facing the camera – for its exemplary technique. Capturing the perfect moment when the rotifer opened its mouth for the camera required extreme patience from Moreno, who watched for hours waiting for his opportunity. With the rotifer in constant motion, he utilized the flash to freeze the movement as soon as the mouth opened – still leaving him with only a one- or two-second window to take the photo, and possibly only one shot to get it right. He also used differential interference contrast (DIC) to enhance the coloration in unstained, transparent samples, and to provide a more detailed image of the rotifer.

“When you see that movement, you fall in love. I thought - wow, that is amazing. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. This is something very, very beautiful,” said Moreno of his winning image. “I hope now it can inspire others as much as it has inspired me – to learn about science, to look closely and notice something truly amazing.”

As the 2014 winner, Moreno joins the ranks of 36 other photomicrographers, artists and scientists from all over the world who have taken the top prize. This year’s competition received over 1,200 entries from more than 79 countries around the world. Top images from the 2014 Nikon Small World Competition will be exhibited in a full-color calendar and through a national museum tour. For additional information, please visit www.nikonsmallworld.com, or follow the conversation on Facebook and Twitter @NikonSmallWorld.

American Museum of Science & Energy, 300 S. Tulane Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Monday-Saturday 9AM-5PM, Sunday 1-5PM. Information: 865-576-3200, www.amse.org

Showcasing a variety of 3-D and 2-D works. Opening reception for the exhibit will be Friday, June 12, 6:30 - 8:00 PM.

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tu-Th 9-5, F 10-5, Sa 9-1. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com

The 2015 nief-norf Summer Festival (nnSF) moves to Knoxville to offer a concert and lecture series open to the greater Knoxville area. The nief-norf Summer Festival (nnSF) is an interdisciplinary summer music festival, which brings together dozens of performers, composers, and scholars to collaborate on the performance, creation, and discussion of contemporary solo and chamber music. The nnSF is held in the beautiful facilities of the University of Tennessee’s Haslam Music Center (Knoxville, TN) and presents inspired and devoted performances of modern music, aiming to encourage both appreciation and support for live music and contemporary art.

Since its inception in the summer of 2011, the festival’s performance, composition, and research seminars have attracted undergraduates, graduates, and professionals from institutions across the United States and abroad. Each summer, these fellows present some of the most challenging and boundary-pushing contemporary music, including world premieres of works by composers-in-residence at the nief-norf Summer Festival. As former performance fellow Joshua Spaulding recalls, “I can’t think of another festival in the country that has such an amazing atmosphere, incredible faculty, and the opportunity to play 4-5 concerts of splendid music in the span of 10 days!” Artistic Director Andrew Bliss explains that “this festival is designed as a think-tank environment for performers, composers, scholars, and lovers of contemporary music. We are very fortunate to have our festival hosted in Knoxville –– a city with an unquenchable thirst for new music and an incredible curiosity for the unfamiliar and the experimental.” In addition to concerts and lectures at the University of Tennessee, the festival is excited to offer events throughout the Knoxville community--at locations including the Square Room, Remedy Coffee, and the Birdhouse.

The festival features wind, string, percussion, and piano fellows, as well as nine composition fellows and regular visiting scholars who will collectively offer 7 concerts and 8 lectures throughout the 13-day festival. One highlight of the festival will include a portrait concert of Philip Glass’s music at Knoxville’s Square Room on Wednesday, June 10, at 8PM. The festival’s final marathon concert will conclude with a performance of Gérard Grisey’s Le Noir de l’Étoile, a 1-hour masterwork for percussion sextet inspired by the late-1960s discovery of pulsars and the periodic
radio signals they emit. nief-norf thanks the UT School of Music for hosting this festival’s daily events and preparations. Unless otherwise noted, all events occur in UT’s Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall and have a $10 suggested donation. All events are open to the general public. For more information, please visit www.niefnorf.org or contact Andrew Bliss, nnSF Artistic Director, at contact@niefnorf.org. Regular news surrounding the nief-norf Summer Festival, as well as the organization’s yearly activities, can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/niefnorf and on Twitter @niefnorf.

nnSF CONCERT SERIES
(All concerts in UT Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall with $10 suggested donation unless otherwise noted)
Concert One: nief-norf Project (festival faculty), Sunday, June 7 @ 8:00 PM
Featuring music by Adler, Eckardt, Løffler, Wubbels, Munakata
Concert Two: Philip Glass Portrait Concert, Wednesday, June 10 @ 8:00 PM – The Square Room
Tickets $10 available in advance at ww.thesquareroom.com - $12 at the door
Concert Three: Solo Works, Thursday, June 11 @ 8:00 PM – Remedy Coffee House
Featuring solo performances by nnSF15 Performance Fellows and Faculty
Concert Four: Collaboration, Saturday, June 13 @ 8:00 PM
Featuring music by Birtwistle, Vierk, Lunsqui, and two nnSF International Call for Scores winners
Concert Five: Music of Steve Reich and David Lang, Tuesday, June 16 @ 8:00 PM – The Square Room
Tickets $10 available in advance at ww.thesquareroom.com - $12 at the door
Featuring David Lang’s child and Steve Reich’s Four Organs, Concert Six: World Premieres, Wednesday, June 17 @ 8:00 PM
Featuring seven world premieres and music by Donatoni, Greenstein, and Mackey
Concert Seven: Final Marathon Concert, Friday, June 19 @ 5:00 PM
Featuring music by Aperghis, Rowan, nnSF Composer-in-Residence Nicholas Deyoe, two world premieres, one nnSF International Call for Scores winner, and Gérard Grisey’s Le Noir de l’Étoile

nnSF LECTURE SERIES
(All talks in UT Sandra G. Powell Hall and are free and open to the public)
Lecture One: Jason Eckardt, nnSF Composer-in-Residence, Monday, June 8 @ 1:30 PM
Lecture Two + Three + Four: Music as Theater, Wednesday, June 10 @ 10:30 AM
“Concept and Drama: The Influence of Fluxus upon Ligeti’s Theatrical Works”
“Laughter is Preferable to Tears”: John Cage and the Golden Age of Television”
“Music as Transduction: John Cage’s Variations VII (1966)”
Lecture Five: David Chapman, nnSF15 Guest Scholar, Wednesday, June 10 @ 1:30 PM
“Theatricality, Presence, and the early minimalist music of Philip Glass”
Lecture Six: Music as Theatre Lecture Recital with strike/speak percussion duo, Sunday, June 14 @ 1:30 PM – The Birdhouse (800 N. 4th Ave. - $5 suggested donation)
Featuring music by Adler, Aperghis, Hall, Schwitters
Lecture Seven: Nicholas Deyoe, nnSF Composer-in-Residence, Monday, June 15 @ 1:30 PM
Lecture Eight: Robert Honstein, nnSF International Call for Scores Winner, Thursday, June 18 @ 4:00 PM

June 06, 2015 XTERRA Trail Run
June 06, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 06, 2015 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: On Top of Ol’ Smoky
June 06, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 06, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 07, 2015 XTERRA Knoxville Triathlon
June 10, 2015 IJAMS BROWN BAG SERIES: All About Bees
June 13, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
10 am, 2 pm, 3 pm ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
(All Ages) Have you met all the animals that call the Ijams Visitor Center home? If not, be sure to stop by every Saturday for a chance to get nose-to-beak with some of our resident furred and feathered ambassadors. This program is FREE, but donations to support animal care are welcome. Pre-registration is not required for this event.

June 13, 2015 IJAMS BIRDING SERIES: Birding Picnic with Ijams - 10 AM - 12 PM:
Join Ijams naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales for this road trip to Sequoyah Hills to observe Osprey nesting. Last year, we were fortunate to watch parents begin the intricate training of their young fledglings. Brunch will be a hearty continental breakfast provided by our newest gourmand Kodie Underwood. The fee for this program is $12 for Ijams members and $15 for non-members. Please call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110 to register.

June 13, 2015 TN NATURALIST PROGRAM: Mammals
10 am - 2 pm TN NATURALIST PROGRAM: Feathered Friends
(Ages 16 and up) This program is part of the Tennessee Naturalist Program, an ongoing series that introduces participants to the wonder of the state's amazing natural resources. This session will focus on the furry friends of the mammalian world. This program is open to registered participants only. For more information about the Tennessee Naturalist Program, visit our website at http://ijams.org/tennessee-naturalist-program.

June 13, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 13, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 18, 2015 IJAMS OUTDOORS: Summer Slam at Mead’s Quarry
June 20, 2015 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
June 20, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: 2015 Rain Barrel and Compost Bin Sale
June 20, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 20, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 20, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
June 21, 2015 IJAMS CREATIVE SERIES: Family Drum Circle
June 21, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: Jazz at Ijams
June 24, 2015 IJAMS BROWN BAG SERIES: Eating Your Yard
June 27, 2015 SPECIAL EVENT: Meadow Lark Music Festival

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

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

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.