Calendar of Events

This 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program is an intensive 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation exploring the relationship between your mind, body, health, healing, and stress. Each week you will learn different forms of mindfulness meditation including breathing, eating, walking, yoga, body scan and more. Currently, MBSR is being offered in over 250 medical centers across the United States, including many Veteran Hospitals and clinical centers.

Begins: Wed July 15
Ends: Wed Sept 2
Time: 5:45 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: The Emporium Center (Annex Room)
Cost: $240 (scholarships available)

To register, call: (865) 219-3210. To learn more, please click here: http://themindfulcenter.com/event/mindfulness-based-stress-reduction-veterans/

A slave is a stranger, says author Saidiya Hartman, torn "from kin and community, exilted from one's country, dishonored and violated." Hartman went to Ghana in search of strangers and tells about her journey in Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route. Knox County Public Library invites you to join Michelle Commander, UT Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies, for a close look at Hartman's journey at this month's Books Sandwiched In, a program series of Knox County Public Library sponsored by the Friends of Knox County Public Library. This program was originally scheduled for February but was cancelled because of snow and ice.

In the East Tennessee History Center auditorium, 601 S. Gay Street. For more information, call Emily Ellis at 865-215-8754 or email eellis@knoxlib.org.

This week, the honky-tonkin' of JP Harris & the Tough Choices revs up Tennessee Shines. Poet Dawn Coppock returns for some more East Tennessee poetry.

Tennessee Shines Radio Show is performed for a live audience every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Boyd’s Jig & Reel musical pub in Knoxville’s historic Old City. Admission is $10 at the door ($5 with student ID), available beginning at 6 p.m. Information: 865-544-1029, www.wdvx.com

The Athens Area Council for the Arts announces Me and the Gazelle showing work by Angela Dittmar Posey, regional artist and adjunct professor of art at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Angela Dittmar Posey earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a Master of Fine Art in Studio Art from the City University of New York, Hunter College. During her Masters studies, Posey studied at University College London, The Slade School of Fine Art, in London, England. Posey executes various types of work, from paintings to performances, which solicit moments of self-awareness. She teaches Painting, Drawing, and General Education courses at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The exhibit reception is Friday, July 17, 2015 from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. Posey will be on hand to informally discuss her art. The reception will include light refreshments and is free and open to the public. After the reception, AACA’s Youth Theatre Workshop will present Shaking Up Shakespeare at 7:30 pm in the Sue E. Trotter Theatre. This event is also free and open to the public.

Athens Area Council for the Arts: 320 North White Street, Athens, TN, 37303. Hours: M-F 10-5. Info: 423-745-8781, www.athensartscouncil.org

The time is 1955. Chad, a guitar-playing roustabout just out of the jailhouse and in need of a mechanic, rides his motorcycle into a square little town in a square little state. There he is intro-duced to Natalie, the town mechanic, who is instantly smitten and promises to fix his bike. Dreaming of love and adventure, she yearns for one true love to take her away, never realizing that her best friend Dennis has a secret crush on her. But before long, the drifter shakes up everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical romance that features the music of Elvis Presley and will have you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes!

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

Free and open to the public; Opening reception July 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit runs through end of August

Art Group 21: Friends and Artists
Art Group 21 is comprised of many award-winning artists with professional art training from all over the United States as well as from other countries. Established in the early 1980's by a small group of art graduates needing the fellowship and support of like-minded, working artists, Art Group 21 is a work/study group for mutual support and artistic growth of the members in their pursuit of excellence in the arts. Programs include workshops, lectures, critiques, field trips and group exhibits. The group maintains that the various art forms are a part of the aesthetic total and are mutually reinforcing, thus encouraging the uniqueness of each artist’s vision.
“Friends and Artists” features the recent work of several members.

Lisa Kurtz: Clay for the Wall
Inspired by the sea, “Clay For The Wall” focuses on texture, forms and creatures found in and on sand and water. Kurtz calls these three dimensional canvases: sculptural explorations integrating texture, form, clay and glaze to highlight her two muses – the ocean and clay. She throws and hand builds her clay pieces and often integrates the two methods to create her sculpture, wall art and functional pottery. Her work emphasizes the malleable qualities of clay with lots of texture. By stretching and altering the work while it is still wet, Kurtz welcomes and encourages the spontaneous “happy accidents” that take place while working in the medium and in the firing process. Her current work explores the contrast between raw, earthy, stretched slabs of clay and smooth, thrown glazed forms. Kurtz has been a potter for over 36 years. An award-winning ceramic artist, she currently teaches clay at Cleveland State in Cleveland, Tennessee.

At Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: Mon-Thurs 9 AM - 5 PM and Sunday 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

We're about to have our one year anniversary on July 1st and want to thank Knoxville for being so welcoming to us! We've met some of the most amazing people, enjoyed meals at great venues and have found Knoxville is the best place to be passionate artists. We've got lots in store to celebrate in the coming month such as new "Paint Your Pet" classes, Cookies and Canvas classes for the kids, flash sales to be on the look out for, a special on our Private Events and even a special Christmas in July! We'll be kicking it all off at the Festival on the Fourth at Worlds Fair Park so make sure to come out and paint with us at our booth.

Wednesday, 7/8, 6 - 9 pm
Dragonfly at R.J's Courtyard

Sunday, 7/12, 2 - 4 pm
Bugged Out at Basement Community Art Studio

Monday, 7/13, 6 - 9 pm
Stadium at Chuy's

Tuesday, 7/14, 6 - 9 pm
Still Life 1 at Downtown Grill and Brewery

Wednesday, 7/15, 6 - 9 pm
Dogwoods at Club LeConte

Thursday, 7/16, 6 - 9 pm
Purple Meadow at Baneberry Golf and Resort

Monday, 7/20, 6 - 9 pm
"Paint Your Pet" at Carolina Ale House

Thursday, 7/23, 6 - 9 pm
Night Owl at Original Copper Cellar

Monday, 7/27, 6 - 9 pm
Full Moon's Ride at Knoxville Uncorked

Tuesday, 7/28, 6 - 9 pm
Birch and Poppies at Mind Yer P's and Q's (Farragut)

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

July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 04, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 11, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 PUBLIC PROGRAM: Wagging Walk
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 18, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 19, 2015 IJAMS CREATIVE SERIES: Family Drum Circle
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature
July 25, 2015 ANIMAL PROGRAM: Ijams Creature Feature

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 Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition by Susan V. Adams and Barb Johnson entitled “ORGANIC AND MECHANIC”. The exhibition features mixed media works by two artists who have been friends since they both moved to Knoxville in the late 80s. Susan V. Adams developed her work while exhibiting in local shows and her gallery, and Barb Johnson has been connected to the art world through her background in art education and teaching. “ORGANIC AND MECHANIC” will be displayed in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center. A public reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on Friday, July 3, 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.

Susan V. Adams loves to create. She is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, has exhibited in galleries and shows throughout Knoxville, and has done commissions for several private collections. The focus of her art is botanicals of the East Tennessee and the Appalachian regions. For this show, she has also forayed into farmer’s markets for vegetables and berries, hence the reference to “organic” in the exhibition’s title. Adams photographs, collects and researches botanicals and draws inspiration from antique botanical art.

Barb Johnson finds art as a staple in her everyday life, translating scenes and subjects into works of art. For many years she taught art in a Knoxville high school, which proved her full-time priority. Today, creating art is a full-time passion, and she offers private art lessons in her West Knoxville studio. The word “mechanic” in the exhibition’s title refers to Johnson’s series of acrylic paintings of the large Mendelson Warehouse in Dayton, Ohio, where old mechanical objects were displayed and sold. Every shelf in the warehouse provided opportunities for painting compositions. The “Mendelson” series has won several awards in area juried art shows, and one work is currently in Knoxville’s Arts in the Airport exhibition. For more information on Barb Johnson, please visit www.barbjohnsonart.com.

“ORGANIC AND MECHANIC” is on display July 3-31, 2015 at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 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 a new group exhibition by the Artists of 17th Street Studios titled “Amalgam Volume 3”. 17th Street Studios is located at the corner of 17th Street and Highland Avenue in Redeemer Church of Knoxville, and at any given time, houses painters, sculptors, illustrators, drawers, and graphic artists. This is their third annual group exhibition, which features original work by eleven local artists: Ashley Dawn Addair, April Bachtel, Jalana Cooper, Michael Giles, Jon Hendricks, Michelle Jephcott, Carri Jobe, Sarah McFalls, Janet McMullen, Beth Meadows and Tony Sobota. “Amalgam Volume 3” will be displayed at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from July 3-31, 2015. An opening reception will take place on Friday, July 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features a Jazz Jam Session hosted by Vance Thompson and 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.

The artists and designers who make up the 17th Street Studios each have a unique background and a specific creative inclination. Their differing goals as artists result in bodies of work that notably contrast from one another. Yet, as these professionals inhabit the same space, a conversation is sparked, similarities are discovered, and a fusion of ideas begins to take shape. The mission of 17th Street Studios is to host artists in Knoxville by providing studio spaces and a working community. These studios serve as workshops for artists to develop their art practice and fulfill their calling. For more information, please visit http://17thstreetstudios.gutensite.com.

“Amalgam Volume 3” will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM - 5:00 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.

Reception, Friday July 3, 5-9PM

The Land Report Collective deals with landscape in fundamental ways and as a foundational reference point. Brown considers the politics of mountaintop removal in his construction of objects and installations. Jobe crafts meeting places for public interaction through the delineation of pathways and works with stacked brick and wood. Jones responds to desert environments with model scale sculpture and stop-motion animation. Kikut incorporates a lifelong interest in the horizon line in a new series of paintings with flat Midwestern landscapes as his muse. Shadwell views landforms from a non-traditional lens creating mountains out of matchbooks and photo-realistically drawing facets of garbage bags and diapers to appear as monumental.

Jason S. Brown
Brian R. Jobe
David L. Jones
Patrick Kikut
Shelby Shadwell

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM, Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

“CUBA: TRANSITION, DREAMS, AND TRANSFORMATION”
Knoxville’s Hispanic Organization, HoLa Hora Latina, will present a dramatic display of photographs of Cuba during the month of July. A special reception for the three photographers, who are experienced Cuban travelers and leaders of the Hispanic community in Knoxville, is scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 3rd 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM in the Casa HoLa suite #112 of the Emporium Center. The photo exhibit will be open to the public at the Casa HoLa suite during normal business hours through the end of July. There is no admission charge to attend the opening reception or to visit the photo exhibit during July.

The photos of Cuba are unusual because they visually reveal how Cubans are dreaming and also how visitors might be dreaming of Cuba. The collection of photographs shows the results of intensive visits to Cuba. With the changing diplomatic relations, Cuba has come into the limelight and media coverage has been intense since travel to Cuba by American is now a realistic dream of change.

The photographers of this special exhibit include:
Maria B. Clark, PhD, Associate Professor of Spanish language and literatures at Carson-Newman University. She visited Cuba in 1992 and 2014 to participate in international literary conferences. While hailing from Germany, she is well traveled in Latin America because of her research interests and love for Hispanic peoples and cultures. The selected photos from her recent trip focus on some iconic places as well as everyday public spaces of Havana in transformation, as thriving tourism creates new crossroads and dreams for its inhabitants.

Astrid Galindo, a local artist, was in Cuba during the difficult time after the Soviet Union collapsed and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Cuban people were stoical and creative and suffered with fortitude. Artistic creativity was latent during that period that she called "The Bicycles Period” because riding bicycles was almost the only means of transportation and, as demonstrated in her photographs, was an art form.

Rosa Mar is currently the Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and an active leader in the Hispanic Community. She is a member of the class of 2012 Leadership Knoxville, a recipient of the YWCA awards for women’s achievement, and a board member of the HoLa Hora Latina. Her trip to Cuba was part of a program sponsored by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and gave her special insight, as well as photo opportunities, into the Cuban culture.

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Gallery hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holafestival.org