Calendar of Events

Brad Robertson has painted all his life. Born and raised in the coastal town of Mobile, Alabama, his earliest inspiration was the landscape—the indigenous pines and oak trees, and the waters of Mobile Bay. The coastal landscape is still a major source of inspiration for Robertson.

Robertson earned his B.F.A. in Graphic Arts at Auburn University. During his time in college an art professor nurtured the foundation for what would eventually become Robertson’s career as a professional painter, encouraging his unique ability to work with color and texture to create depth, complexity and expressiveness. Robertson has become an award-winning artist with collectors throughout the United States.

Please join us for an opening reception Friday, November 6 from 5-8 p.m.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of traditional woodenware from Slovenia presented by the Ribnica Handicraft Centre with support from the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington, DC and the Slovene Consulate in Knoxville. The exhibition of bowls, buckets, spoons, sieves, and other objects will be displayed in the Balcony gallery of the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from November 6-25, 2015. The opening reception on Friday, November 6, is free and open to the public from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

The Ribnica Valley lies in the southeast of the middle-European country of Slovenia. Wooden utensils and pottery have been the major products of Ribnica for perhaps 1,000 years thanks to the area’s abundant forest and clay resources. Until recently, nearly all people in the valley were engaged in agriculture, but many earned a major part of their living by means of their skills in making and trading useful household items of wood and clay. Sieves are products that can't be finished at home and then carried to the market; they simply take too much space. A much simpler solution was found by Ribnica crafts-people perhaps as early as five centuries ago: they packed side rims and bottoms separately and carried everything on their backs. When they sold a sieve, they finished it on the spot. Peddlers travelled from one fair, farm, or village to another, looking for buyers. Realizing that other wooden products would sell well too, they started exchanging goods with other local craftsmen. Soon they were able to complete their packs with all kinds of objects, trading those as well. The name 'kroönjar' came from the packs they carried ('kroönje' in the Slovenian language means “tree-top”). The peddlers carried these packs, as tall as two men, on their shoulders; the packs functioned as a portable display of everything that was for sale. Visible from a distance, the packs advertised the peddlers' purpose without a need for words. Sieve-making, in combination with the privilege to move freely across wide territories trading in woodenware and clay vessels, had an enormous economic and spiritual impact on average inhabitants of the Ribnica Valley. The traders brought back innovative ideas to the villages. Ribnica also gained notoriety as a center of humor, because to gain and retain customers, the peddlers were accomplished jokesters and raconteurs. To this day, Ribnica villagers are thought to be natural comedians.

The exhibition of traditional woodenware from Slovenia will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street for the month of November. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and special hours November 6-8. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.theemporiumcenter.com.

The Birdhouse Bird-Feeder Gallery/Cafe announces their November exhibition "Community Gardening." The exhibition opening will be on First Friday, November 6th from 6-9, in conjunction with and followed by the Labor Day Sunflower Project Winnowing party 6 - midnight.

On the second Sunday in November, November 15th, Angelia Rateike will be presenting her work on Community Gardens in Knoxville: Insight into Challenges Facing Community Garden Initiatives. So... don't put away your tools just yet!

The Birdhouse Bird-Feeder Gallery/Cafe, 800 N 4th Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: http://birdhouseknoxville.com, birdhouseknoxvillegallery@gmail.com

Get a head start on your holiday shopping this year with savings on fall and holiday items, books, toys and much more during the McClung Museum Store’s Annual Holiday Sale. The entire store will be 10% with sale table discounts up to 75%! Also check out our new stock from local artists including handmade wooden pens, unique jewelry, prints and pottery. Some exclusions will apply. Sale items available while supplies last.

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

Nov 2 Homeschool Tuesdays Spring Registration and Winter Wonderlabs Registration Opens
Nov 6 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 7 Saturday Science Connections 11:30-1:30 FREE with admission
Nov 9 Muse Mondays 10-11am FREE with admission
Nov 10 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 13 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 14 Saturday Science Connections 11:30-1:30 FREE with admission
Nov 16 Muse Mondays 10-11am FREE with admission
Nov 17 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 20 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 21 Saturday Science Connections 11:30-1:30 FREE with admission
Nov 23 Muse Mondays 10-11am FREE with admission
Nov 24 Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2
Nov 27 STEAM Sprouts Fairy Tale Engineering, 10 AM, $4, Knoxville Skies, 4:30, $2,
Nov 28 Saturday Science Connections 11:30-1:30 FREE with admission
Nov 30 Muse Mondays 10-11am FREE with admission

The Muse Knoxville, 516 N. Beaman Street, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-594-1494, www.themuseknoxville.org

Steve Foster was born and raised in Blount County. After spending his college years at the University of Tennesee, he returned to his home where he currently lives with his wife and three children.

The Denso Gallery is open 9am-6pm.

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

David Durbak, Pellissippi State faculty member, international speaker and exhibitor, and recipient of numerous ADDY awards, presents his personal work.

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 10-6:30. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

An exhibition of wildlife and landscape photography by Barrett Hedges, Photography major class of 2008, and award-winning photographer with the National Geographic Society.

Opening: Sat Oct 17, 9:30 AM - noon

Omega Gallery at Carson-Newman University, Warren Art Building, corner of Branner & S. College Streets, Jefferson City, TN 37760. Gallery hours: M-F 8-4. Information: www.cn.edu

This exhibition will take the viewer through the evolution of Himalayan artistic styles from the 8th century through the present. From gilded statues of deities, to complex and colorful paintings of religious figures, the objects in the exhibit explore how trade, travel, and the evolution of Buddhism helped foster a strong artistic tradition that continues today.

Exploring the rich history of Himalayan style art in a chronological fashion, the Tibetan bronzes and paintings featured will progressively lead the viewer through the major stylistic developments that took place and provide an introduction to the techniques used to produce these works as well as to the complex religious iconography depicted in them.

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

A weekly experimental comedy show on Mondays where Knoxville comedians and out-of-town guests find new ways of pushing the envelope and a great time is had by all. Pay what you want and 18+.

https://www.facebook.com/QEDComedy

Where: Downtown Knoxville and McGhee Tyson Airport
When: April 4, 2014-March 20, 2015
How Much: Free

Art comes in all shapes and sizes. We invite you to experience some of the larger variety with Art in Public Places, an annual event featuring large-scale outdoor sculptures in Knoxville’s downtown public spaces and also at McGhee Tyson Airport. These larger scale pieces are thought provoking and awe-inspiring.

By displaying these works outdoors, we celebrate not only the art of sculpture but Knoxville’s natural beauty during this year-round outdoor exhibition.

The exhibition presently on view, an interesting and inspirational collection of works by sculptors from across the nation, was selected and awarded by noted sculptor Kenneth M. Thompson. Kenneth holds a Master of Liberal Studies in Sculpture from the University of Toledo and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Siena Heights College, in Adrian, MI. While many of his sculptures are in Ohio and Michigan, Thompson’s work can be seen in other states. He has done 41 pieces of public sculpture across the country. Ken has been making sculpture for over thirty years out of his car-dealership-turned-studio in Blissfield, Michigan. From this facility he operates Flatlanders Sculpture Supply and Art Galleries as well as Midwest Sculpture Initiative, which provides exhibitions that feature outdoor sculpture. Fourteen shows are planned for next year, he says. He also serves or has served on numerous arts-oriented boards.

The Art in Public Places Knoxville program, the 2015-2016 year being its 9th is a featured presentation of Dogwood Arts in partnership with the City of Knoxville Public Art Committee. The 2014-2015 Art in Public Places Knoxville Co-Chairs are Bart Watkins and Jason Brown.

To purchase a sculpture, please call [865] 637.4561.

Dogwood Arts: 865-637-4561 www.dogwoodarts.com

Ijams Hallway Gallery Presents: The Artwork of Broadway Studio and Gallery Artists

This month's Hallway Gallery shows off the amazing collaboration of the artists of Broadway Studio and Gallery. Bright, colorful, and diverse- you won't want to miss out on seeing the first group showing of these talented artists.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. 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