Calendar of Events

Jewelry Television (JTV) will premiere their new summer JTV Experience at their headquarters in Knoxville. This week-long event combines JTV’s Jewel School Customer Appreciation Workshop and the Gem Lovers’ Conference.

The Jewel School Customer Appreciation Workshop (July 19-21) opens the world of jewelry making to attending customers from across the nation. Professional jewelry artists will lead classes in techniques such as soldering metals, wire wrapping, art clay metal smithing, glass bead making, and bench jeweler techniques. The workshop originated from the on-air show Jewel School and caters to all skill levels. There will be a behind the scenes show experience on Monday, July 20, for customers to participate in the Jewel School audience.

To commence the Gem Lovers’ Conference this year, JTV is introducing a new Jewelry Showcase on Wednesday, July 22. The showcase will feature jewelry lines unique to the network, such as Bella Luce®, Moda Al MassimoTM, Splendido OroTM, StratifyTM, Southwest StyleTM, Vanna KTM, Genusis PearlTM and more. Additional brands such as BELLARRI and Lisa Nik will be available for purchase. The event will conclude with an evening fashion show and dinner to celebrate JTV’s jewelry and jewelry brands. The Gem Lovers’ Conference allows Jewelry Television to join forces with internationally- renowned gemstone experts to educate customers, enthusiasts and designers about precious gemstones and jewelry. The Gem Lovers’ Conference continues to draw attendees from across the U.S., the Virgin Islands and more than six different countries. “This conference gives our customers an opportunity to learn from the best in the business,” said JTV’s Timothy B. Matthews, JTV’s President and CEO, Esq., JD, FGA, DGA, GG. “It also gives us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy time with our JTV family of customers.” Attendees will gain valuable insights, with exposure to approximately 41 world-renowned gemstone experts. Classes will be conducted by industry leaders including Doug Hucker, CEO of the American Gem Trade Association; James Riley, CEO of Gem-A; Antoinette Matlins, author and former Gemology Editor of National Jeweler magazine; Craig Lynch, owner of esteemed jewelry appraisal firm Ouellet & Lynch; and Bryan Lees, Collector’s Edge Minerals, Inc. Gem Lovers’ Conference classes and lectures will be held on Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24.

For conference information and registration visit www.jtv.com/jsi

Event Link: http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/events/plant-and-garden-photography-07-19-2015/

Summary: As part of programming related to our current special exhibition, Through the Lens: Botanical Photography of Alan S. Heilman, join us at McClung Museum to learn the basics of plant and garden photography with UT Gardens Director, Dr. Sue Hamilton. Dr. Sue will provide tips on using your digital camera or smart phone to take images in this demonstration in the Museum Auditorium. Free and open to the public.

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

THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN BLUES SOCIETY proudly presents its line-up for its ever popular “BLUES CRUISE” for the summer of 2015. For five consecutive years, the SMBS has presented monthly warm-weather Sunday afternoon/early evening concerts on the Star of Knoxville Riverboat. These 3 hour musical journeys on the Tennessee River are featuring some of the best local and regional Blues Musicians. The schedule for this year brings a wonderful cross section of Blues stylings and danceable favorites. The bands and dates for 2015 cruises:

July 19, 5-8 PM: Slow Blind Hill - https://www.facebook.com/events/207158045981849, www.slowblindhill.com
Aug 16, 5-8 PM: Al Coffee and da Grind, https://www.facebook.com/AlCoffeeDaGrind/
Sept. 20, 3-6 PM: Jenna and Her Cool Friends, https://www.facebook.com/coolfriendsblues/, www.jennaandhercoolfriends.com
Oct. 18, 3-6 PM: The Romeo Kings, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Hay-The-Romeo-Kings/149845911796328/, http://www.reverbnation.com/theromeokings

Cruises depart at 300 Neyland Drive, next to Calhouns downtown Knoxville. Tickets are available at the Tennessee Riverboat Company where you will also board the authentic paddle-wheeler, or by calling 865-525-7827 and online at http://tnriverboat.com/event/blues-cruise/. Advance purchase and Smoky Mountain Blues Society membership tickets receive a discount. SMBS advance purchase $13 - Public advance: $16. SMBS day of: $16 - Public day of : $19. Info: 865-288-0672, sfkrempasky@gmail.com, www.smokymountainblues.org

What good is sitting alone in your room? Come here the music play as Encore presents Kander and Ebb’s award winning musical “Cabaret.” Based on Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories,” “Cabaret” takes audiences into the nightlife of the Kit Kat Klub on the eve of Hitler’s rise to power in Weimar Germany. It follows the interlocking stories of a cabaret singer, a writer from America, and the denizens of Berlin as they are caught up in the swirling maelstrom of a changing society. Led by the enigmatic Emcee, “Cabaret” is an thrilling theatrical experience
Written by the same team that brought “Chicago” to the stage, “Cabaret” features well-known classics of the musical stage such as “Don’t Tell Mama,” “Maybe This Time,” as well as the title song. “Cabaret” opened on Broadway in 1966 featuring Joel Grey and won 8 Tony Awards in 1967. It has been revived numerous times and is currently enjoying another revival on Broadway at Studio 54. It was made into a film version in 1972 which was directed by Bob Fosse and starred Liza Minelli, Michael York, and Joel Grey.

“Cabaret” will run July 17- August 2 at Walters State Community College.

Encore Theatrical Company: 423-218-8331, www.etcplays.org

Encore Theatrical Company is asking, “What good is sitting alone in your room?” as it prepares to open Cabaret, the next production in its 2015 season. This award-winning musical will begin performances July 17 for three weekends at Walters State Community College in Morristown.

From the creators of the musicals Chicago and New York, New York, the show Cabaret takes audiences into the decadent nightlife of Weimer Germany on the eve of World War II. The story follows the ambitious singer Sally Bowles and the denizens of the notorious Kit Kat Club as they seek fame, fortune, and the rewards of a life on the stage. As the world outside the Kit Kat Klub becomes ever more dangerous, Sally and her fellow performers strive to keep the world inside the club beautiful.

“This show has special meaning for me,” said Micah-Shane Brewer, Encore’s artistic director who is also serving as stage director for this production. “Cabaret was one of the first musicals I directed, almost 14 years ago, and I’m revisiting the piece now with the advantage of time and age. Today, we are still dealing with many of the same issues that we did both in the time period when the play is set as well as the late 1960s when the show was first produced. It’s no wonder the show has endured and remains popular all over the world.”

Cabaret premiered in 1967 and was later turned into an Oscar winning film in 1972 starring Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey. It has seen hundreds of productions around the world and enjoyed numerous revivals on Broadway, most recently this past spring. The last time it was produced in Morristown was in 2001, when Brewer originally directed and starred in the show.

The show opens Friday, July 17 and plays for three weekends through August 2. Performances are Friday and Saturday nights at 8pm and Sunday afternoons at 2pm. There is one additional Saturday matinee on Saturday, August 1 at 2pm. It is recommended for mature audiences only. Tickets can be purchased on Encore’s website at etcplays.org or by calling 423-318-8331.

The first wave of 2015 Forecastle artists have been announced and are ready to rock the Louisville Waterfront! Led by Louisville hometown heroes My Morning Jacket, soulful breakout star Sam Smith, southern rock heavyweights Widespread Panic, indie veterans Modest Mouse, electrifying Kentucky natives Cage the Elephant, and many more, we've got a killer weekend waiting for you that can't be topped! The three-day music celebration, now in its 13th year, will take place July 17–19, 2015, at the award-winning Waterfront Park, a sweeping green space on the banks of the Ohio River framed by the skyline of downtown Louisville.

AC Entertainment: 865-523-2665, www.concertwire.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Tennessee Stage Company presents Shakespeare on the Square 2015: Performances of The Taming of the Shrew and Macbeth alternating Thursday to Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM from July 16 until August 16 on the Market Square Stage. Shakespeare on the Square annually features two of the magnificent plays of Williams Shakespeare, comedies, tragedies and histories, rotated nightly outdoors on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. A blanket or a lawn chair is all you need to view these performances. While we perform with no admission charge for general seating, we do appreciate your donations – we pass a basket nightly and we suggest a $10 donation per person. Special VIP seating is available on the Square for $15. Shakespeare on the Square productions are performed on a rough replica of the new Globe Theatre in London (a reconstruction of Shakespeare’s original theater. The plays are presented in the timeless style of Elizabethan theatrical presentations.

The Taming of the Shrew: Renowned as Shakespeare’s most boisterous comedy, The Taming of the Shrew is the tale of two young men, the hopeful Lucentio and the worldly Petruchio, and the two sisters they meet in Padua. Lucentio falls in love with Bianca, the apparently ideal younger daughter of the wealthy Baptista Minola. But before they can marry, Bianca’s formidable elder sister, Katherine, must be wed. Petruchio, interested only in the huge dowry, arranges to marry Katherine – against her will – and enters into a battle of the sexes that has endured as one of Shakespeare’s most enjoyable works.
July 16, 18, 24, 26, 30, Aug. 1, 7, 9, 13, 15 - 7:00 pm nightly outdoors on Market Square

Macbeth: One of the great Shakespearean tragedies, Macbeth is a dark and bloody drama of ambition, murder, guilt, and revenge. Prompted by the prophecies of three mysterious witches and goaded by his ambitious wife, the Scottish thane Macbeth murders Duncan, King of Scotland, in order to succeed him on the throne. This foul deed soon entangles the conscience-stricken nobleman in a web of treachery, deceit, and more murders, which ultimately spells his doom. Set amid the gloomy castles and lonely heaths of medieval Scotland, Macbeth paints a striking dramatic portrait of a man of honor and integrity destroyed by a fatal character flaw and the tortures of a guilty imagination.
July 17, 19, 23, 25, 31, Aug. 2, 6, 8, 14, 16 - 7:00 pm nightly outdoors on Market Square

Macbeth is directed by Greg Congleton with Taming of the Shrew directed by Jennifer Alldredge and Tom Parkhill. The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audiences to spend an evening on the Square: do a little shopping, have a nice dinner, see the play and maybe stop by a pub afterward. All of this and more is available on Market Square nightly. So come early and see the Square!

Tennessee Stage Company P.O. Box 1186 Knoxville, TN 37901. Information: 865-546-4280, tennesseestage@comcast.net, or www.tennesseestage.com

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

Bambi: Life In The Woods - A stage adaptation of the classic conservationist novel by Felix Salten.

Visiting director (and former KCT intern) Jennie Cunic will direct the production. Jennie is a sophomore at University of Evansville, which boasts one of the nation’s most prestigious theatre departments.

Bambi: A Life in the Woods is an eloquent and haunting tale of growing up and a superbly sensitive work of theatre, appealing to children and adults alike. Bambi becomes heir to his father, the great prince. After Bambi encounters the feelings of love, fear, loneliness and independence, he comes to understand that all of Earth's creatures are guided by a greater force than themselves - all are dependent on each. Intertwined in this great story is Bambi's growing awareness of the fragility of the forest environment and the impact of human encroachment on all of the forest inhabitants.

Performances: Friday 7/10 at 7 PM, Saturday 7/11 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 7/12 at 3 PM
Thursday 7/16 at 7 PM, Friday 7/17 at 7 PM, Saturday 7/18 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 7/19 at 3 PM
Thursday 7/23 at 7 PM, Friday 7/24 at 7 PM, Saturday 7/25 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 7/26 at 3 PM

Knoxville Children's Theatre: 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917, (865) 208-3677, knoxvillechildrenstheatre.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