Calendar of Events

Peace is Patriotic by Mark Joseph Runge

“Peace is Patriotic: A Soldier’s (mis)Remembrances” is a collection of drawings and sculptures by Mark Runge, who expresses his memories, or mis-remembrances, through his artwork. This body of work that encompasses pieces from the last 8 years is an ongoing exploration and will be on exhibit in the Denso Gallery March 1 – 25. There will be a spoken-word performance at the Artist Reception on March 25 (6-8 PM) at 7pm.

Runge’s art training wound its way through community college, the Maryland Institute, College of Art, and the University of South Florida’s MFA program. Runge currently makes art in Maryville, TN, where he continues to experiment with a variety of media to express his ideas, including making hollow body, stringed instruments.

Artist Statement: About the same time every year–I begin to have nightmares. By the time Val wakes me up, I am aware that I have been dreaming, but I can’t do anything to stop myself. Val saves me. The echo of my screams remain in my head, and I must live the day after my nightmares with the memory, or maybe residue, of the desert life that haunts my senses still. Yet memories of childhood wargames commingle with memories of adulthood wartime. Like the nightmares, memories and realities fade slowly, if at all. I cannot always verbalize this struggle, but it shows up in my work. Toys stand in for those who live in my memories–myself included. The burning of images on paper is my attempt to share with the viewer my recollection of burned flesh, and there is nothing like the smell of burning flesh. The smell enters your nose, but it lives on in your mouth as a gritty and acrid taste. I brushed my teeth a lot while I served in the Iraq. I was there for only six months and one day, but I still feel as if I was there for a lifetime. I lived and died there, but not like the burning bodies. They would never go home, or, maybe they already were home, where they became the residue of my war in the desert.

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

"To Kill A Mockingbird," the unforgettable Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, comes to life on the KCT stage with its unique mix of warm nostalgia and frank realism. The lives of young "Scout" Finch and her big brother Jim are about to change forever, when their father Atticus, a lawyer, is appointed to defend a black man accused of attacking a white teenage girl. Meanwhile, the children become fascinated by their reclusive neighbor "Boo" Radley. All their worlds collide in the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama, as its citizens confront their fears and prejudices.

Dennis E. Perkins directs the play, and Wheeler Moon assists. Jaden Lily Branson is the stage manager.

Performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

by Earnest J. Gaines; adapted by Romulus Linney. At the Carousel Theatre. “The story’s wrenching power lies not in its outrage but in the almost inexplicable grace the characters must muster as their only resistance to being treated like lesser beings.” The New Yorker

It’s 1948 in a small plantation community in the heart of Cajun country. A young man, jailed for a murder he did not commit, will soon lose his life and has lost his self-respect. A young teacher, with most of his life ahead of him, has lost respect for the situation in which he lives. Both men teach each other the lessons they need to face their very different futures with dignity and strength. The CBT is pleased to be partnering with the Knox County Public Library on a series of ancillary events associated with this production.

Pay What You Wish Night - Wednesday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased Feb. 24 at the CBT Box Office from 12 to 7 p.m. Cash in full dollar amounts is accepted and limited tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.

Post-Performance Salon Discussions - Tuesday, March 1 and 8, following the 7:30 p.m. performance
Audience-driven, providing patrons and community members the opportunity to discuss their thoughts, experiences, and issues raised after attending the performance.

Sunday Symposium with Dr. Michelle D. Commander - Sunday, March 13, following the 2 p.m. performance
Dr. Michelle Commander will lead a post-performance discussion on the play and its themes. Dr. Commander received her Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California. She teaches courses and conducts research on twentieth and twenty-first century African American literature, cultural studies, diasporic literatures, and Black social movements.

Clarence Brown Theatre / Carousel Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

History, Food, & Fun! Enhance your time in Historic Downtown with Knoxville’s Award Winning, Original Tour! Enjoy a complete Knoxville experience in just a few hours – enjoy tastings of specially selected dishes from some of Knoxville’s best new and iconic restaurants featuring local, regional, Southern & Appalachian cuisine; add pairings of beer from local and craft breweries, wine flights, craft cocktails, Tennessee whiskey, or even moonshine; hear the history of the city and notable buildings. A must for locals and visitors!

Reservations Required. Purchase Tickets at www.knoxvillefoodtours.com or call 865-201-7270.

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 .

A weekly class on Saturdays to learn Improv for ages 7-17. Cost is $5-20/class or $35-120 for the six-week series. No class February 20th or March 5th. Karl Hess will instruct the class. He performs regularly with The Improv*bales and is a trained Special Education teacher. He has worked with kids of all ages for ten years in the public and private school settings. He has been practicing Improv for two years and is active in the acting and performing arts community.

We will meet at The Birdhouse (800 N. 4th Ave.). For more info contact: karlalanhess@gmail.com or 865.208.9206

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

Beginning Jan. 18, the Farragut Museum will feature a new special exhibit - "The Farragut Farmers." This exhibit will be on display through May 27, 2016.

As late as the early seventies, the Farragut area was a sprawling rural community dotted with beautiful farmlands. This exhibit will feature artifacts related to farming in the area, photographs of barns and landmarks, and information about the Farragut Schools and their agricultural background. Specific artifacts on display include a barn door from the former Spencer Smith Farm off Smith Road (current site of Smithfield subdivision), a corn sheller with a large rotary handle, and a milk crate from the former Russell Dairy.

The Farragut Museum is committed to preserving the heritage of its East Tennessee community and features a remarkable collection of artifacts from the area, including an extensive collection of the personal belongings of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the U.S Navy and hero of the Civil War. Housed in the Farragut Town Hall located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more information, visit www.townoffarragut.org/museum, like Farragut Museum on Facebook, or contact Museum Coordinator Julia Barham at jbarham@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

Mixed media in the voices of Fictional Characters Anna Grace Tollett and Pearlie Bean, by Ghost Artist - Anne Powers, author of "Smoke from Small Fires".

Anne Powers is a multimedia artist who resides on the Rockwood side of Watt's Bar Lake . In past adventures she was the head of Roane State's Computer Art and Design program and the RSCC Art Department, the recipient of national awards in watercolor and digital media, taught digital media for five summers at Stanford University, and authored a book on 3D animation which is used worldwide. Examples of her work in traditional and digital media can be seen on her website at www.ANNIEMEDIA.com.

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

Select Saturdays: January 9th & 23rd, February 6th & 20th, March 5th & 19th, April 2nd & 16th

Nourish Knoxville’s 2016 Winter Market, held in the Historic 4th and Gill neighborhood, will host farm & food vendors selling pasture-raised meats, eggs, winter produce, honey, baked goods, coffee, artisan foods, and more by vendors from the Market Square Farmers’ Market. Outside, food trucks will be serving up lunch from locally sourced ingredients.

At Central United Methodist Church, 201 East 3rd Avenue, Knoxville, TN. For more information, contact Nourish Knoxville: info@nourishknoxville.org or (865) 805-8687

Saturday mornings from 10:30am-12:00pm, come to this FREE class and brush up on your improv skills!

At The Birdhouse, 800 N 4th Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Info: karlalanhess@gmail.com
http://birdhouseknoxville.com/about-we/regular-programming/improv-comedy-class/