Calendar of Events

Opening reception Feb. 12 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.

Heather Hartman is interested in the constant flux of the visual world, and our temporary space within it. Through common distortions of light, shadow and atmosphere the familiar can become abstracted and unfamiliar. Thus -- for a fleeting moment -- the mundane is transformed into the sublime. Using a material-driven painting process, her work explores how these phenomena affect her sense of perception and physical location. She uses reductive abstraction to synthesize memories, found images and photographs of her surroundings into multilayered compositions. She has developed a process that involves painting on layers of paper and translucent polyester mesh, allowing her to explore illusionism both in paint and in actual space. The resulting images are a combination of blurry, atmospheric forms and distorted shadows that lie beneath washes of color, and intense passages of light. http://heatherhartmanart.com

Jessica Payne - This series of paintings developed after Payne took three years off from painting to focus on art journaling. After enrolling in a number of online technique courses, she found that she most enjoyed learning about and playing with layering. In her current work, Jessica uses bold color and extensive layering to create depth and mystery. She builds up many layers of paint by constantly painting over her work while leaving some of the previous layers exposed, creating windows or portals to other worlds. She uses glitter, mica flakes and iridescent paint to catch the light and allow the painting to dramatically change, depending upon the light source. Her approach to her art is very spontaneous and playful and draws inspiration from color and imagery found in the garden and forest surrounding her house. www.JessicaPayneArt.com

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: 10 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Thursday and 10 AM – 1 PM, Sunday. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Blount County Public Library has been selected to be one of nine sites in the nation to host Discover Earth: Our Changing Planet, a national traveling exhibition exploring the fascinating world of earth science.
Discover Earth: Our Changing Planet explores Earth’s ever-changing physical and biological systems using stunning media and interactive experiences. Earth science topics in the exhibit include topics such as short and long-term time changes, the differences between weather and climate, and what it means to be a steward of our amazing planet.

The exhibition will be displayed at the library from February 3 through April 29. Blount County Public Library will also offer a related series of public events to bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programming to children, teens and adults.

The Grand Opening and kick-off event will be on Saturday, February 6, at 2 p.m. Mike Maslona, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger, will give a presentation “National Park Service – 100 Years Old” describing the mission of the National Park Service, in its 100th anniversary year, to conserve over 400 diverse park units throughout the United States and their rich natural and cultural history while also providing for their enjoyment unimpaired for future generations.
Among other presentations during the exhibit will include “Reporting the Weather” by WATE-TV meteorologist, Matt Hinkin, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 20. “The Natural History of Southern Appalachia” will be presented by Dr. Paul Threadgill, Biology Professor at Maryville College, on Monday, February 29, at 7 p.m. Other programs will be announced soon and will be available on the library website at www.blountlibrary.org or on calendars or call 865-982-0981.

When visiting the exhibition, plan to spend at least one to two hours or plan several visits. Because there are many interactive exhibits, plan sufficient time to explore the numerous topics and sciences.

The exhibition is free and open to the public during library hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Discover Earth: Our Changing Planet was developed by Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), the American Library Association’s Public Programs Office, the Lunar and Planetary Institute and the Afterschool Alliance. Blount County Public Library, located at 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville, where services are an example of your tax dollars at work for you.
For further information about library programs or services, call the library at 982-0981 or visit the Web site at www.blountlibrary.org .

Vienna Coffee House presents “Art for the Heart, The Conversations Exhibit” and the Harrison Inman Exhibit. These exhibits will be displayed through March 5 at 212 College Street in Maryville. http://viennacoffeehouse.net/

Knox County libraries will host the New Play Festival's table readings. The Carter, Fountain City, Bearden, Farragut and Lawson McGhee branches provide a free venue for three of this year’s plays. Audience members are encouraged to stick around after the readings and tell the playwright what they think of each play. The playwright then has the opportunity to adopt the suggestions and improve upon his/her play.

Caves by Jean Battlo (Kimball, WV) – Rita Rochella-Baker lives in a dying coal town in West Virginia. Now she must construct a past to save her town’s future.
2/6/16 1:00 pm at Carter Branch Library
2/16/16 6:00 pm at Farragut Branch Library
2/20/16 2:00 pm at Fountain City Library
2/28/16 12:00 pm at Lawson McGhee Library

Four Old Broads by Leslie Kimbell (Winder, GA) – Life in a retirement community can be dangerous…or hilarious. It depends on your approach to life.
2/6/16 2:00 pm at Fountain City Library
2/13/16 2:30 pm at Bearden Branch Library
2/20/16 1:00 pm at Carter Branch Library
2/27/16 2:30 pm at Lawson McGhee Library

Under the Esso Moon by Linda P. Marion (Knoxville, TN) – In the week she turns thirteen, Vera Lee Phillips experiences awakening, change and danger in an apartment above an Esso station.
2/8/16 6:00 pm at Fountain City Library
2/13/16 1:00 pm at Carter Branch Library
2/20/16 2:30 pm at Bearden Branch Library
2/28/16 2:00 pm at Lawson McGhee Library

The New Play Festival presents un-published, un-produced plays for their worldwide premiere. Tennessee Stage Company accepts new play submissions throughout the year from all over the United States. In October, the company selects which plays it will produce from the submitted works. Info: 865-546-4280 or www.tennesseestage.com

Broadway Studios and Gallery (1127 N. Broadway) is pleased to host artist Marianne Ziegler (Knoxville) with her recent body work entitled "Alley Cat"

Marianne, better known as "Ziggie", frequently photographs the abandoned areas about town and describes the "Alley Cat" series as a journey which reveals vivacity within the decay of the places we pass by every day. The results are an exhilarating look into our back alleys and abandoned spaces which are often thought of as eyesores.

Her work will be shown Feb. 5th through March 1st. in the main gallery.
Opening reception is First Friday Feb. 5th from 5-9pm
Light refreshments will be served and parking is free.

Broadway Studios and Gallery are located at 1127 N. Broadway in Wight Place next to Vinyard Flooring one block from WATE Greystoke Mansion.
Main gallery and gift shop are both open from 11-7 Thursday, Friday, Saturday. All work is for sale ranging from magnets to wall sized masterpieces.
For more info: BroadwayStudiosAndGallery@Gmail.com or www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

The Art Market Gallery will present a member Valentine exhibit February 2 through February 28. The exhibit, themed heART 2 heART, will feature a wide variety of media showcasing the many talents of Art Market artists. Painting, printmaking, photography, clay, glass, wood, gourds, and more will explore the Valentine theme. An opening reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., February 5 during Downtown Knoxville's monthly First Friday Art Walk, with complimentary refreshments and music performed by The Accidentals. .

Owned and operated by more than 60 professional regional artists, the Art Market Gallery, at 422 South Gay St., is a few doors away from Mast General store and next to Downtown Grill & Brewery. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The gallery is wheelchair accessible, and parking in the abutting garage and on the street is free on weekends and after 6 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 865-525-5265, or visit artmarketgallery.net or facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will exhibit recent works from its members at the Blount County Public Library from February 1 through February 29, 2016.

Regular hours for the Blount County Public Library M-Th, 9 am to 9 pm, and F-S 9 am to 5:30 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 5:30 pm. Location: 508 North Cusick Street, Maryville, TN 37804 Library Phone: 865-982-0981
For more information about the Knoxville Watercolor Society, membership requirements and to view members' art works go to www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

"Touche" a collection of Paintings, Drawings, and Photos by Jennifer Brickey at Westminster Presbyterian Church's Schilling Gallery through February 28.

6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919
Phone:(865) 584-3957

The Knoxville Museum of Art is proud to present the first-ever exhibition dedicated to the history and legacy of the groundbreaking artists who worked and exhibited together in the fifties and sixties and eventually became known as The Knoxville 7. The KMA-organized exhibition features more than 60 works culled from the museum’s extensive holdings, augmented by loans from collectors around the region.

The brash, ambitious artists who exhibited together as The Knoxville 7 shared the common visual language of Abstract Expressionism, producing what are likely the first abstract art works in East Tennessee and establishing a foothold for modern art in the region. In the early 1950s, C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, first head of the University of Tennessee’s art department, recruited a group of young artists—initially Carl Sublett, Walter Stevens, Robert Birdwell—who exhibited actively in Knoxville and throughout the Southeast. While Sublett and Stevens shared an exclusive interest in the landscape as a point of reference for their abstractions, Birdwell and Ewing often found inspiration in urban settings and the human figure. Sometimes they exhibited as a foursome and other times as The Knoxville 7 with fellow artists Joanna Higgs Ross, Richard Clarke, and Philip Nichols. This important exhibition brings into focus a richly productive period in the art history of the region and also attests to the depth of the museum’s growing holdings of works by Knoxville 7 artists.

The opening for the exhibition is Thursday, January 28, 2016 from 6 to 8pm with a short program at 6:45pm.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Maya: Lords of Time explores the time-ordered universe through the Maya’s intricate calendar systems and investigates how their history and culture followed a rhythm set by the motion of heavenly bodies. Learn the story of how divine kings used their control over the calendar and its grand public rituals to assert their power.

With award-winning interactives, numerous full-sized monumental replicas, and many Central American artifacts, visitors can trace the rise and fall of the Maya kingdoms and follow how ideas of time and the calendar changed before and after the Spanish conquest.

This exhibition also explores how those long-standing beliefs can still be found in Mayan regions today.

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

These works radiate warmth by their energy and vivid color. One thing that is noteworthy about the show is the lack of conventional landscapes, still lifes and florals. Most of the pieces are about people. They range from polished, formal oil portraits of comfortable well-to-do subjects by John Simms to spare sketchy oil pastel drawings by Gwen Johnson of people in African settings.

The Oak Ridge Art Center is open to the public seven days a week. Admission is free, but donations are very welcome.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Cost - $10

Mondays & Wednesdays - Drum Classes (5:45-6:30 PM) and Dance Classes (6:45-7:45 PM)
Saturdays - Drum Classes (1:30-2:15 PM) and Dance Classes (2:30-3:45 PM)

At 748 N. 4th Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Info: indigenousvibes15@gmail.com or ifaa2012@gmail.com