Calendar of Events

Adam Alfrey, exhibits curator for the East Tennessee History Center, will discuss the life and work of Knoxville artist Lloyd Branson, whose work is the subject of a major exhibition at the Museum of East Tennessee History. Celebrating a Life in Tennessee Art: Lloyd Branson, 1853-1925, features an unprecedented gathering of more than 40 paintings highlighting the ambitions and achievements of the artist and his region. The exhibition will be on display at the East Tennessee History Center through March 20, before traveling to Nashville where it will be on display at the Tennessee State Museum. In the decades after the Civil War, Lloyd Branson rose from a precocious sketcher on his family’s East Tennessee farm to become an accomplished artist and Knoxville’s most popular portraitist. He won acclaim in his studies at the National Academy of Design in New York City, and upon his return to Knoxville established an emporium with photographer Frank B. McCrary. Branson was a leader on the local art scene and mentored such artists as Catherine Wiley and the African American painter Beauford Delaney. Although well known as an artist in his time, some aspects of Branson’s life remain a mystery or have become distorted. Adam Alfrey will share insights from his research into the life and career of this important figure and will unveil new information that answers many questions, as well as raising new ones. Following the lecture, Alfrey will answer questions about Branson’s work in the exhibition.

Adam H. Alfrey is a native of Knoxville and a graduate of the University of Tennessee. He currently serves as operations manager and curator of exhibitions for the East Tennessee History Center and is active within the state’s museum and history community, serving as president of the Tennessee Association of Museums and the director of media relations for the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball. Adam is also author of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A Postcard History.

The Brown Bag lecture is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. At the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit www.EastTNHistory.org

THE MAJOR OPENING OF THE MLK CELEBRATION IS TRADITIONALLY AN INTERFAITH PRAYER SERVICE TO BRING PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITY FROM ALL FAITHS TOGETHER IN WORSHIP.

This year’s interfaith service will be held at Lennon-Seney United Methodist Church, 2084 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915, where the Reverend Donald Swift is the Senior Pastor. This very special lunch-hour service will feature leaders from a variety of faith groups to produce a true spirit of interfaith worship. Musical selections will underline the interfaith theme, followed by lunch, offered free of charge.

Please make plans to join us. You may Contact the Interfaith Chair for more information at Interfaith@MLKKnoxville.com.
At Beck Cultural Exchange Center, 1927 Dandridge Ave, 37915

January 11, 6-9 PM: Cold Country Road - Waterfront Bar and Grill - Maryville
January 12, 7-10 PM: First Snow - Quaker Steak and Lube - Sevierville
January 14, 6-9 PM: Whimsical City - Original Copper Cellar
January 18, 6-9 PM: White Flowers - Gibby's Dining & Drinks (inside Holiday Inn)
January 19, 6-9 PM: Blue Willow - Le Noir Restaurant - Lenoir City
January 25, 6-9 PM: **SPECIAL EVENT** Birch Tree Wine Glasses - Blue Coast Grill
January 26, 6-9 PM: Apples - KaTom Restaurant Supply - Kodak
January 27, 6-9 PM: Silent Snowfall - Carolina Ale House
January 28, 6-9 PM: A Touch of Winter - Tellico Village Yacht Club - Loudon
January 28, 6-9 PM: Local Brew - Casual Pint - Farragut
January 30, 5-9 PM: **SPECIAL EVENT** Paint Your Pet - Off Leash K9 Training - Alcoa ($45)

Classes are $35 unless otherwise noted. Wine & Canvas: Knoxville, TN, 865-356-9179, http://www.wineandcanvas.com/knoxville-tn.html

Opening reception January 8, 6 PM. The first 20 attendees will receive a complimentary print! 20% of all sale proceeds will benefit the Sevier County Food Ministry.

Ronda and her family moved to Sevierville from New Jersey. She works in mixed media and her pieces cover many subjects and styles.

Held at Armada Bar, 116 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-801-1036 or www.facebook.com/twistedstixartstudio

The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission are pleased to present the second annual Gallery of Arts Tribute. This juried exhibition, developed to recognize local artists and honor the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will be displayed at the Emporium Center. Works included in the exhibition will feature African and African American artists in the Greater Knoxville area as well as works that pertain to the themes of Unity, Community, Love, Reconciliation, Social Justice, and Civil Rights. “The Emporium is delighted to be included in this distinguished and important event,” says Liza Zenni, Executive Director of the Arts & Culture Alliance. “We look forward to seeing the work that will honor Dr. King and his legacy.”

The exhibition will be on display in the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. An opening reception will take place on Friday, January 8, from 6:00-8:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday, January 17, 3:30-6:30 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 18, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Emily's paintings and sketches will be on display in the Hallway Gallery for the entire month of January. To see more of her work go to: https://www.facebook.com/emilytaylorpaintings

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

Kendo (剣道, kendō), meaning “Way of the Sword”, is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu. Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements. – Wikipedia

Supported by Asian Culture Center of TN. K-12 students are welcome to participate in the practices!

Wednesdays, 7-8 PM at Cedar Bluff Middle School Gym, 709 N Cedar Bluff Rd, Knoxville, TN 37923. Contact: Shigetoshi Eda, seda@utk.edu

Bliss Home, located at 29 Market Square, will host an opening reception on Friday, February 5th, from 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary treats from Wild Love Bakehouse will be provided and Starr's art will be featured for the month of February.

Ocean Starr Cline was born in San Francisco and raised in Alabama on an 11 acre farm. She moved to Knoxville almost 10 years ago after finishing her BA and MA in English Literature at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama. After arriving in Knoxville, she immediately began showing and selling her work on Gay Street as well as Gatlinburg, in addition to her nationwide internet based sales. Cline is a self taught full-time artist. She has been painting for over 20 years. Her inspirations come directly from her experience living on a farm in the country and her education in English Literature. Many of her paintings are heavily textured, which causes them to change through the day as the light passes through a room. Cline's January exhibit focuses on ideas of identity and the mix between the faces we would show to the world and the ones we hide even from ourselves. https://www.etsy.com/shop/OceanStarr

Bliss Home, 29 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-329-8868, www.shopinbliss.com

Recent works by painter Lil Clinard and fiber artist Julia Malia will be on display at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists will be held on January 8.

Lil Clinard has enjoyed drawing and painting ever since she can remember. She has been fortunate to live in and travel to many beautiful places and take photographs as references she paints. She particularly loves to recall these enjoyable places and times as she paints. Through reading, taking workshops from renowned artists, observing fellow artists and painting every chance she gets, she has been able to acquire sufficient skill to portray the world around her.

Julia Malia is a fiber, jewelry, and stained glass craftswoman as well as a watercolorist and musician. As a fiber artist specializing in wearable art, she uses a variety of fibers and techniques. The styles of her original designs are usually either classical or folk-style in nature, drawing inspiration from historic or ancient themes. For instance, she often bases garment designs on her family’s Irish and Scottish roots by using ancient Celtic shapes and symbols. She also favors Japanese kimono garment shapes. Rich textures and colors are central to her life and her work, and she utilizes techniques that combine and enhance color variegation.

Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery is a few doors away from Mast General store and next to Downtown Grill & Brewery. Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

Art exhibit featuring work by Nick DeFord and Kate McCullough at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Free and open to the public. Opening reception Dec. 18 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talks at 6:30 p.m.

Nick DeFord is an artist, educator, and arts administrator who resides in Knoxville, TN. He received his MFA from Arizona State University, and a MS and BFA from the University of Tennessee. He exhibits nationally, with recent exhibitions at the University of Mississippi, Vanderbilt University, Lindenwood University and the William King Museum in Virginia. He has had artwork or writing published in Surface Design Journal, Elephant Magazine, Hayden Ferry Review, and Willow Springs. He has upcoming exhibitions and lectures at Coastal Carolina University and Eastern Carolina University. Currently, Nick is the Program Director at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee. This series is the culmination of a multi-year effort that examines the confusion and abstraction of text and language. DeFord manipulates words in his fiber arts as well as in his poetry.

Kate McCullough began painting in watercolor about 12 years ago after a 35-year hiatus from art. Initially her studies at Villa Maria College and SUNY College at Buffalo included general design, art history, and oil and acrylic painting. When she returned to painting she decided that watercolor was a medium that she would like to explore, and she has not looked back. She started with courses with Marcia Goldenstein and Whitney Leland at the University of Tennessee and then moved on to workshops at Arrowmont with Don Lake and Sue Archer, Kanuga with Linda Baker and Don Andrews, Cheap Joe's with Linda Kemp, Gibson County with John Salminen, and a couple of workshops with Paul Jackson. She presently teaches two watercolor classes at the Fountain City Art Center and is the president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society and a member of the Art Market Gallery, The Tennessee Watercolor Society, and Fountain City Art Guild.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: M-Th 9-5, Su 10:30-1. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2015 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join.html. Most of the works in the 2015 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition as holiday gifts.

The exhibition will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from December 4, 2015 – January 29, 2016. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on December 4 from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Gallery hours for the 2015 Members Show are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sundays, December 6 & 20 and January 3 & 17, 3:30-6:30 PM. Additional special hours are posted at www.theemporiumcenter.com/visit.html. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 24 – January 1 for the holidays. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Artist reception: Fri Dec 4, 5-9 PM
Closing reception Friday, January 29, 5-7pm

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of editorial cartoons by Knoxville News Sentinel cartoonist Charlie Daniel. The exhibition will feature a large selection of “Rosy’s Diner” cartoons as well as a variety of subjects and themes from the past two decades. Charlie Daniel came to Knoxville in 1958 as the editorial cartoonist for The Knoxville Journal. He moved to the Knoxville News Sentinel in January 1992 and has been the editorial cartoonist here ever since.

Free admission! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sat 10-3. The gallery will be closed from December 24 - January 2 for the holidays. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown