Calendar of Events

Rose Center Presents Their First Outdoor Production: The Hobbit the Musical! Join the area's most talented youth as they lead you through Middle Earth!

This enchanting musical begins with a song by the greatest of all witches: Gandalf (Rachel Bass). And as she sings, we hear the spirited marching song of the dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (David Keck), who pour down the hills surrounding the theater and onto the stage, singing bravely as they come. The reluctant Hobbit hero Bilbo Baggins (Carson Grimes) is asked to join the band, for they can hardly hope to succeed as an unlucky thirteen. Bilbo finally agrees to the adventure! They encounter the dangerous trolls (Brooke Boring, Lindsey Talley, Dean Griffey), then escape into Goblin country where Bilbo finds a gold ring with magical power protected by the infamous Gollum (Britney Newman). Bilbo is cautious and thoughtful but saves them in every crisis, even in the climactic scene with the dragon Smaug (Brooke Boring).

The Hobbit the Musical marks Summer Player's 24th annual summer production. Join us at the Cherokee Park Amphitheatre, July 23-25th at 6PM and July 25 & 26th at 2PM. Cost of admission is only $7 per guest.  Bring your own fold-up chairs or blankets for the performance! Directed by Nathan McGhee. Stage Managed by Candace Moore. Musical Directors are Dean Griffey and Lauren Holt.  Choreographed by Sophia Cardone. Special thanks to Hamblen County, United Away, Tennessee Arts Commission, WCRK, and the Knoxville Children’s Theatre.

Reserve your tickets today by calling 423.581.4330 or visiting www.rosecenter.org. 

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

The next show is one which the Fountain city Art Center has been eagerly anticipating for the past year! We are honored to have a four-artist show featuring four remarkably talented people: Aurora H. Bull, oils; Tracy Gray, watercolors, Terry Chandler, acrylics, and Marty McConnaughey, mixed media gourds.

The opening reception will be Friday, July 17, 6:30 – 8:00 PM.

Among Aurora’s works from her travels will be scenes from Italy, the Netherlands, and the deserts and mesas of the American West. Terry will also include works from some of his trips in East Tennessee and around the country. Tracy’s works are brilliant with color, each one a true gem in transparent watercolor. Every work by Marty is a treasure in itself! She uses items from nature to embellish her decorative work on large gourds. The end result must be viewed to be believed! Everyone is encouraged to attend the opening reception. No entry fee is charged to FCAC exhibits.

Gallery Hours: Tu, W, Th 9-5; Fri. 10-5; Sat. 9-1. At 213 Hotel Rd, Knoxville, TN 37918. Info: (865) 357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com

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

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 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

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

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.