Calendar of Events

Rala is proud to present Brian Pittman, aka The Cathedral Guy, as our November First Friday artist. Brian works as an architect, however, his long time passion for drawing imaginary cathedrals has made him an established part of the arts community. With no preconceived notion of the finished product, Brian illustrates his cathedrals using only a basic grid and a fountain pen. Even his frames have an interesting relationship with the image: "I start by finding old, used frames in rummage sales and flea markets. I like using old frames as the format that guides my drawing. I cut the paper to fit the frame instead of the other way around."

We invite you to stop by this Friday, November 6th, from 6-10 pm, to meet Brian and view his latest work. Come show your support for one of Knoxville's favorite local artists! You can also check out his brand new Knoxville Skyline T Shirt carried exclusively at Rala and available in our online store.

RALA, 323 Union Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-7888, http://shoprala.blogspot.com

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.

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

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

Historic Westwood was built as a “wedding promise” in 1890 by John Edwin Lutz and his wife, Ann Adelia Armstrong Lutz, on property owned by her grandfather, Drury P. Armstrong. The couple moved into the Queen Anne Victorian mansion from Adelia’s parents’ home, Bleak House, a short distance away on Kingston Pike. The Lutzes’ home, designed by notable architects Baumann Brothers, was constructed of brick and stone with a slate roof in the grand Richardsonian Romanesque style popular in the late 19th century and originally was surrounded by 12 acres. Four generations of the same family lived in the house between 1890 and 2012. The distinctive serpentine wall was constructed in 1933 for the wedding reception of Cecil Holloway, Adelia and John’s granddaughter, to Albert Matheny II, who were married at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Tours: Monday-Thursday, 10am-4pm or by appointment
Info: 865-523-8008, 3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. http://historicwestwood.org

The Mabry-Hazen House Museum, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on six acres atop Mabry’s Hill in Knoxville,TN. Built in 1858 and housing three generations of the same family from 1858-1987, the Mabry-Hazen House served as headquarters for both Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War. This stately, elegant home of the Victorian and Civil War periods showcases one of the largest original family collection in America. Containing original artifacts including china, silver, crystal, and antique furnishings, this home is a rare view into the past. The Civil War, a gunfight on Gay Street in 1882, and a Breach of Promise lawsuit in the early 1930’s are only a few stories that bring life and color to those who visit the museum.

Tours: Monday-Friday: 11am – 5pm; Saturday: 10am – 3pm (or by appointment)
Info: 865-522-8661, 1711 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. www.mabryhazen.com

Located on Bethel Avenue and down the road from the Mabry-Hazen House, the Bethel Cemetery contains more than 1,600 Confederate dead, including roughly one hundred who were killed in the battle of Fort Sanders. In addition, around 50 “Union Men” and 20 Civil War veterans are interred here. The monument to the Confederate dead was erected by the Ladies Memorial Association and was unveiled on May 19, 1892. The cemetery was cared for and maintained by the Winstead family from 1886-1989. The last family descendent and caretaker, Miss Mamie Winstead, willed the cemetery to the Hazen Historical Museum Foundation in 1989. Meeting her wishes, the Foundation recently opened a small museum which details the history of the cemetery as it pertains to the Civil War in Knoxville.

Tours: Saturday: 10am-3pm or by appointment
Info: 865-522-8661, 1917 Bethel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915.

James White, The Founder of Knoxville, came here in 1783 from North Carolina. Having served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War he was given a land grant of 1,000 acres for his service and here he built his two story log house in 1786. Two years later he enclosed the house and outbuildings with a stockade fence for protection from marauding Indians and the wild animals. James White was a friend to the Cherokee Indians and he assisted in the negotiation of several of their treaties with the settlers. The area surrounding the Fort would have been cleared of trees and in their place were gardens along with orchards and fields of corn and tobacco mostly for White’s family and slaves use. In October 1791, James White laid off part of his land to establish the town of Knoxville, named for Henry Knox, Secretary of War under President Washington’s. The town at first was the Capital of the Territory South of the River Ohio and later became the first Capital of the State of Tennessee in 1796.

Tours: (April – November) Monday – Saturday: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
(December – March) Monday – Friday: 10 am – 4 pm
Phone: 865-525-6514. Address: 205 Hill Avenue SE, Knoxville, TN 37915. Website: www.jameswhitesfort.org