Calendar of Events

“We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the time I lived there so successfully disguised to myself as a child.” So begins the famous short piece entitled “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” by James Agee. This year marks the centennial of his reminisced summer of 1915. Knox County Public Library and the City of Knoxville invite the public to celebrate Agee’s famous prelude from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 21 in James Agee Park with an ice cream social, music of the era led by Nancy Brennan Strange, and a public reading of the piece. The park is located at the corner of 331 James Agee Street and Laurel Avenue in the heart of Fort Sanders neighborhood. Attendees should bring lawn chairs or quilts for the program. The event is free, and parking is available on the streets in Fort Sanders.

The Library is also honoring the centennial by publishing "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" notecards featuring photographs of the Agee family and scenes of Knoxville in that timeframe. The cards will be given as a reward to participants in the Adult Reading Challenge for reading 4 books over the course of the summer. Other events celebrating "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" are being planned and will be announced soon.

In 1935, James Agee wrote his improvisational piece reflecting on the summer evenings of his boyhood. It was originally published in 1938 in the Paris Review and was later attached as a prelude to his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Death in the Family. In 1948, Metropolitan Opera star, Eleanor Steber, commissioned Samuel Barber to put excerpts of the piece to music, which she debuted with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky.

Agee was born in Knoxville, TN in 1906 and lived as a young boy in the Fort Sanders neighborhood. His childhood unraveled in 1916 when his father was killed in an automobile accident at age 45. He recounted the events surrounding his father's accident in his book, A Death in the Family, which was published posthumously and earned the Pulitzer Prize. Other works by Agee include a collabaration with Walker Evans entitled "Let Us Now Praise Famous Men", screenplays for "The African Queen" and "The Night of the Hunter," and for his film criticism. Info: (865) 215-8767

In celebration of World Environment Day (WED), Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) and Birdhouse Knoxville (4th and Gill Neighborhood Association) will host a free public community event, as part of the Birdhouse’s Sunday Dinner series. The event will feature works of art and literature from Knoxville area young people as well as local artists and musicians Obayana Ajanaku and the Kuumba Kan Unity Drummers. There will also be an auction that will include items from Rwanda, Madagascar and areas closer to home.

Knoxville Chapter member and Board representative, Drocella Mugorewera, will be the guest speaker, and SOCM’s Board President, Patrick Morales, will MC the event. Drocella is a former member of the Rwandan Parliament and was Rwandan Minister of Land, Environment, Forestry, Water and Mines. She has a unique perspective to contribute to the environmental discussion, and will be on hand to answer questions. Being a part of the celebration gives SOCM an opportunity to share our ideas and activities for making our world cleaner, greener and brighter. We hope to make this an annual event.

WED, held every year on June 5th, is an annual United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) event that is held to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action. It is the climax of environmental activities being undertaken all year round by UNEP and other organizations and individuals around the world. This year's UNEP theme is "7 Billion Dreams", with our celebration's theme being "Why your environmental footprint matters - African and American experiences."

Members and guests are encouraged to bring along a potluck item.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1448227028829165/

6:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, June 21 – potluck supper begins; 7:00 p.m. – program begins
Open to the public! At Birdhouse Knoxville, 400 N. 4th Avenue, Knoxville, 37917
Info: Heather Davis, Communications Coordinator, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, 865-456-9070, heather@socm.org; Adam Hughes, Community Organizer, Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment, 865-249-7488, adam@socm.org

5:30 PM: FROG & TOAD DIXIE QUARTET
7:00 PM: SWINGBOOTY
Plus music by Wesley Wyrick, an art exhibit and an art slam.

Bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs, kick back, and enjoy the music, awesome food and beverages including beer & hard cider. Dancers, hoopers, and other poi folks are welcome... we love you! Admission: $2 ...kids under 15 free. Bring a cooler if you like. Bring your dancing shoes or enjoy the grass between your toes!

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

Join us for the June edition of the award-winning SAFTA Reading Series featuring visiting prose writers Andra Watkins and Darren Jackson!

Andra Watkins is the author of the memoir Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, nominated for the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction. Her other works include her debut novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis and the photography collection Natchez Trace: Tracks in Time.

Darren Jackson’s recent poems have appeared in The Pinch, The Laurel Review, The Offending Adam, Bluestem, and other journals. He has also translated Life in the Folds by Henri Michaux (Wakefield P, forthcoming Fall 2016); “The White Globe,” an essay by Bertrand Westphal, included in the The Planetary Turn: Art, Dialogue, and Geoaesthetics in the 21st-Century (Northwestern UP, 2015); and, with Marilyn Kallet and J. Bradford Anderson, Chantal Bizzini’s Disenchanted City (Black Widow Press, 2015). He was nominated for a Pushcart for fiction in 2015 and holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee.

As always, the SAFTA Reading Series is free and open to the public! We look forward to seeing you there! At the Birdhouse Knoxville, 800 N 4th Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37917.

Sundress Academy for the Arts: (865) 560-6106, http://www.sundresspublications.com/safta/

From Hitchcock to Spielberg there's something for everyone in the 17th Annual Summer Movie Magic lineup. Movie-goers will travel back in time and see these American classics as they should be: in a historical theater, with a bag of popcorn in their lap, and a cold drink in their hand. This season is the first season all films will be shown with a digital projector! Come experience some of your favorite classics in a completely unique way.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Friday, June 19 • 8 PM and Sunday, June 21 • 2 PM

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.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

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