Calendar of Events

The McClung Museum Store’s annual Spring Sale will be open to the public April 26 - May 6. Christmas merchandise, jewelry, books, and toys are just a few of the items that will be discounted up to 70%! As always, tax is included and all proceeds from the store sales go to support our free educational programming. Hurry in for Spring savings while supplies last.

The Store is open during regular museum hours: Monday–Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sunday: 1:00–5:00 p.m

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

A celebration of film and music, Film Score and the Scruffy City Film Music Festival features live musical performances, music documentaries, music videos, animation, shorts and feature films. Our festival is conveniently located in the epicenter of the Downtown Knoxville Renaissance, on Historic Market Square, where cafes, street musicians, magicians and shops keep our festival company. But the films are the focus. Out of around 400 submissions from all over the world, only fifty were accepted. The highly selective nature of the festival is an attraction, but Michael told me having a music focus is unique for a film festival and that, along with being in a state associated with music brings participants from all over.

Info & tickets: http://www.scruffycityfilmfest.com/

Italy’s Greatest Diva… Torture, Murder, Suicide… A Masterpiece of Corruption and Intrigue! Free Dress Rehearsal at World’s Fair Park Amphitheater – enter from North Side along the water.

Knoxville Opera is breaking all the rules of conventional opera production with the April 30, 2016 performance of Puccini’s masterpiece Tosca. For the first time in history, the artists, orchestra, and audience will travel among three venues in order to simulate the character’s experiences. You are invited to be one of only 1,400 people to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Performed in Church Street United Methodist Church, Knoxville Convention Exhibition Center, World’s Fair Park Amphitheater. Performed in Italian.

Tickets to the April 30 performance, and info from Knoxville Opera: 865 524-0795, http://www.knoxvilleopera.com/schedule/tosca/

Good vibes abound when iconic jam band Widespread Panic takes over the Tennessee Theatre for two nights this spring!

At the Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com

Presenting an Open House with Photographer Dean Rice on April 23, 4:30-7 PM. Showcasing his exhibit, "The Children of Zaatari": an exhibition of photographs of Syrian children living as refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari Camp.

The Golden Roast, 825 Melrose Pl, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916. Information: 865-544-1004

Kathie's third solo exhibition with the gallery, "Along the Way" is a collection of works in oil featuring simple and nostalgic scenes that too often go unnoticed. Kathie’s paintings are timeless interpretations of the atmosphere, light, and story in the landscape around her.

Day in and day out, we spend our time rushing from place to place in anticipation of whatever might be next. In our haste, countless vistas fly past us, hardly glimpsed. Kathie stops for us, beginning an unhindered dialogue with the landscape through the medium of oil paints. Skillful infusions of color, light and shade grant each image a special resonance. Whether a forgotten farmland, an ordinary cityscape, a common food truck or an unnoticed rural home, Kathie introduces us to the common made beautiful along the way. www.KathieOdom.com

An opening reception will be held Friday, April 22 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

Athens Community Theatre announces its spring 2016 production of Shadowlands, inspired by the life of C.S. Lewi, by William Nicholson. Show dates for Shadowlands are April 21 - 30, 2016.

This play is based on the real life love story of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters, and American poet Joy Davidman. Jack Lewis is smug in his convictions about God and His plan for the world until Joy and her young son enter his life and the bewildered man who theorizes about love in the abstract finally confronts its direct presence.

Shadowlands is directed by recent Oklahoma! star and ACT veteran actor, Whitney Kimball Coe.

Athens Area Council for the Arts: 320 North White Street, Athens, TN, 37303. Info: 423-745-8781, www.athensartscouncil.org

BAGWELL CENTER BUILDING AND GALLERY

This exhibit showcases the work of Pellissippi State’s Communication Graphics Technology students. Art from the exhibit will be on display from April 18-May 1.

The exhibit is free. 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

Featuring works by David Denton and Max Robinson. Opening reception April 22, 6-7:30 PM with artists' talk at 6:30 PM.

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

Special Public Opening: Friday, April 15, from 5:30-8:00 p.m.

In 1929 and again in 1930, Brunswick Records' Vocalion label set up a temporary recording studio at the St. James Hotel in downtown Knoxville and invited locals to come make records. These old-time, jazz, blues, and gospel recordings added Knoxville's voice to American popular music and inspired the next generation of country music stars. In an exciting new exhibition, the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound present a first-time look at the impact of these recordings and the region’s contributions to American popular music. The exhibition features an array of artifacts, videos, sound recordings, and photographs showcasing East Tennessee’s diverse musical heritage. Come to Make Records explores Knoxville’s growth in the early 20th century, the importance of fiddling contests in generating fans and driving record sales, the role of Sterchi Bros. in exposing local talent to a national audience, and examines why Knoxville was selected for the recordings. The exhibit offers a closer look at the St. James Hotel, the site of the Knoxville Sessions, an overview of the local talent that arose from the sessions, and a look at the next generation of artists, such as Chet Atkins and Roy Acuff. The exhibit includes a display demonstrating 130 years of recorded sound from the wax cylinder to the iPod, a re-creation of the St. James Hotel room where the Knoxville Sessions took place, Roy Acuff’s fiddle, Cal Davenport’s banjo, a Bairdola, and an assortment of other instruments. Other artifacts featured are original records from the Knoxville Sessions, a painting by Howard Armstrong, and Carl and Pearl Butler’s performance suits, designed by Nathan Turk. Special video presentations include a film produced by East Tennessee PBS on the Knoxville Sessions, a look at how 78 rpm discs are made, rare footage of Knoxville Sessions artists, and recordings of Roy Acuff, Uncle Dave Macon, and Carl and Pearl Butler.

Beginning at 6:00 p.m., Julie Belcher from the Pioneer House will display an art exhibition in the Bilo Nelson Auditorium of the East Tennessee History Center with music provided by saw player Robert Maddox. At 7:00 p.m. there will be a program with musical performances by local musicians, including Kelle Jolly, David Balle, saw player Robert Maddox, and the Tennessee Stiff Legs, of songs from the 1929 and 1930 Knoxville Sessions with remarks by Dr. Ted Olson, co-producer and co-author of The Knoxville Sessions box set book. The evening will conclude with a screening of rare film footage of Knoxville sessions artists Uncle Dave Macon, Willie Seivers, and Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong. Relatives and descendants of the musicians that recorded during the Knoxville Sessions will also be acknowledged during the program.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

Explore more than 60 miles of trails, open gardens, and camera site sites as you enjoy a walk, bike, or drive the time honored tradition of the Dogwood Trails and Open Gardens. Holston Hills is the 2016 Featured Trail.
For an online version of the Dogwood Trails & Gardens Guide please visit
http://www.dogwoodarts.com/trails-and-gardens/
Dogwood Arts: 865-637-4561

Knoxville Watercolor Society announces a new All Media art exhibit! The Knoxville Watercolor Society will exhibit recent works from its members. For more information about the Knoxville Watercolor Society, membership requirements and to view members' art works go to www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

Opening reception on Fri, Apr 8, 6:30-8:00 PM. Free and open to the public.

Exhibit viewing hours: Tu, Th 9-5; W, F 10-5; Sat 9-1. Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartctr.com