Calendar of Events

Darkhorse Entertainment, LLC, invites you to go back to the early Middle Ages (c. 500) and celebrate King Arthur and Camelot at the second annual Tennessee Medieval Faire, situated in Harriman just 30 miles west of Turkey Creek. This rugged outdoor festival opens on May 14 and runs the last three weekends in May, including Memorial Day.

Leading the charge is The Royal Joust performed three times a day by the Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre. There will also be sword fighting at the Warriors’ Chess Matches, performed twice daily. Between arena shows, Unicorn and Warhorse Rides will be offered. Rotating on three stages will be professional, interactive, family-friendly shows. Acts returning this year include Aaron Bonk’s “ridiculously dangerous” Fire * Whip * Sword Show; The Jackdaws, previously named Banish Misfortune; Professor DeWitt’s Punch and Judy Puppet Show; Albi Belly Dance; and Aristotle Simplified, aka Einstein Simplified. New acts this year include Topsy Turvy, an acrobatic duo; Feckless Fear Dearg, a Kentucky Celtic band; Tom Smiter--Bizarre Feats of Rhythm and Melody; and Dendarah Middle Eastern Dance with Raks el Anwar. There will be other musicians, interactive folk dancers, fairy tale shows and medieval games. The Royal Players, who roam the Faire and interact with patrons, include the characters of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and Merlin. Performance schedules will be posted on the festival website by May 11 and will be available at the Faire.

Enjoy nearly 50 medieval village merchants: Artisans will sell their handcrafted wares made of leather, wood, clay, metal, glass, cloth, etc. Hungry patrons can enjoy delicious medieval fare including turkey legs, gyros, hearty soups, scotch eggs, dragon jerky, fresh fruits and desserts. Hot and cold beverages including beer will also be available.

The Tennessee Medieval Faire will be open on May 14-15, 21-22, 28-29-30; rain or shine. Hours are 10-5 EDT. Ticket prices are $16.95 for ages 13 and up, $8.95 for ages 5 to 12, and will be free for ages 4 and under. Parking is free, and tickets will be available for purchase at the gate with cash or credit. Onsite camping for patrons is not included, but public campgrounds and hotels are nearby. The festival is located at 550 Fiske Road, Harriman, TN. For Faire rules, guidelines and more information, please visit www.TMFaire.com or like them on Facebook.

The Tennessee Watercolor Society (TnWS), founded in 1972, has represented the finest artists in the state for 44 years and hosts yearly juried exhibitions and biennial exhibitions. The biennial exhibition showcases 55 watermedia paintings chosen from nearly 200 entries. Juror John T. Salminen is a signature member of numerous art societies such as the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, and the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and recipient of more than 220 national and international awards. Prizes for the TnWS Biennial Exhibition total $10,000. A juried collection of 30 paintings from the exhibition will later travel across Tennessee into January 2017 to six locations for public and visual arts outreach, including Memphis, Humboldt, Columbia, Chattanooga, Elizabethton, and Clarksville.

The following artists’ works will be shown:
+ From Region I (Memphis, Clarksville and points far west): Bill Bailey, Angela Broyles, Sandra Carpenter, Ronda K. Coop, Judy Duke, Robert Eoff, Tim Hacker, Larry Hughes, Susan Hyback, Floyd Speck, Mary Spellings, and Tuva Stephens
+ From Region II (Nashville, Franklin, and surrounding areas): Glenna Cook, Abby Eblen, Pam Francis, Vinci Kolodziejski, Frank Lott, Pam Pate, Patricia Patrick, Noriko Register, and John Wilkison
+ From Region III (Chattanooga, Cleveland, Signal Mountain, and surrounding areas): Sandy Boone, Sandy Brown, Phyllis Burkhart-Wilson, Helen Burton, Harriet Chipley, Joan Clark, Leslie Dulin, Marie Spaeder Haas, Jennie Kirkpatrick, Mary Britten Lynch, Effton Mitchell, Denton Ridge, Ann Rutledge, Alan Shuptrine, Sandra Washburn, Lana Wilson, and Patricia Wilson
+ From Region IV (Knoxville, Maryville, Oak Ridge, Tellico Plains, Tellico Village, Rarity Bay): Kate Aubrey, Claudia Balthrop, Lil Clinard, Thomas Eckert, Loretta Lee Edge, Linda Johnson, Judy Lavoie, Kate McCullough, Susan Miller, Brenda Mills, Max Robinson, Laurie Szilvagyi ,Mary Ann Valvoda, and Ulla Veiro
+ From Region V (Johnson City, Tri-Cities, Bristol): Barbara Wilson Carter, Jim Stagner, and Thomas White
For more information on the Tennessee Watercolor Society, visit http://tnws.org/.

A public reception will take place on Friday, June 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

This exhibition and others are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM; Sundays, May 15, June 5 & 19, 3:30-6:30 PM; Friday, May 20, 5-7 PM; and Saturday, May 21, 11 AM - 3 PM. Info: 865-523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

Lew Bolton started performing Jack’s adventures at the Jack Tales Storytelling Theater as trickster-hero Jack, celebrating his 30th season. Adults and youth take part in these interactive tales. Jack Tales are rooted in traditional folk stories from Appalachian settlers. Richard Chase, in a 1943 folk classic, The Jack Tales, published part of our rich cultural heritage. Bolton has also published Smoky Mountain Jack Tales of Winter and Old Christmas for the family to read at home. NEW in 2016, enjoy professional storytelling from the *Smoky Mountain Storytellers Association (info: www.smokymountaintellers.org)

Most events occur on Saturdays and Sundays with occasional performances on Wednesdays and Mondays. See the website for full schedule.

At ABC (Adventure Bound Camping Resort) 4609 US 321, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Supporting Jack Tale Theater since 1987. Info: (865) 436-4434 or www.Smokymountainjacktales.com

Also featuring Selections from the Permanent Collection - featuring International Artists including Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, Salvador Dali and many others.
And in the Foyer Gallery - A Summer Thing: Summer Class Instructors

Artists Reception: Friday Evening, May 13, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM with Gallery Talk at 5:30 PM
The event is free and open to the public. Bring your friends and family!

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

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center will hold its annual Plant Sale starting Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and running for about 2 weeks during shop hours.

Appalachian Arts Craft Center: 2716 Andersonville Highway, Clinton, TN. Hours: M-Sa 10-6, Su 1-5. Information: 865-494-9854, www.appalachianarts.net

FULL STOP is an elaborate, room-sized installation fabricated entirely of cardboard and ink by New York-based painter Tom Burckhardt. It takes the form of a mythical modern artist’s studio, complete with hundreds of lifelike tools, paint brushes, and other supplies, each painstakingly constructed of cardboard, the details rendered in ink with great attention to the smallest details. Organized by the Columbus College of Art and Design, Columbus, Ohio. Presenting sponsor for FULL STOP: Tom Burckhardt is McCarty, Holsaple, McCarty Architects and Interior Designers.

The public is invited to an exhibition preview reception on Thursday, May 5, 5:30-7:30pm, preceded by a gallery talk by Full Stop artist Tom Burckhardt at 4:30pm. Free and open to the public.

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

Contemporary Focus 2016 is part of a series of exhibitions organized by the KMA that spotlights significant but under-recognized artists living and working in East Tennessee. John Douglas Powers, assistant professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville School of Art, is this year’s featured artist. His larger-than-life motorized machine-like sculptures and video projections combine cinema, engineering, computation, music, and physical space, drawing from areas as diverse as natural history, architecture, and the history of technology.

The public is invited to an exhibition preview reception on Thursday, May 5, 5:30-7:30pm. Contemporary Focus 2016 artist John Douglas Powers will give a talk at the museum on Wednesday, June 15, 5:30-7pm. These events are free and open to the public.

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

Rhenda Clevenger’s art is currently on Exhibit at Newport Printing & Office Supplies during the months of May & June. Address: 315 E Broadway St, Newport, TN 37821

A casual Artist reception will be held on June 22nd, 2016 from Noon-3PM. Come an experience beautiful art that will make your heart sing. Everyone is cordially invited to meet and greet with Miss Clevenger at this event which is Free & Open to the public. Stop by and ask questions or let her know how much you enjoy her creations.

Learn more about Rhenda Clevenger by visiting her online member Portfolio here: http://www.dnatn.com/rhenda-clevenger-meet-artist

“Spring into Art” is the title for the annual spring art show at the Plateau Creative Arts Center (PCAC). The “Spring into Art” Show will be filled with outstanding original art created by the members of the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade. Art Guild members will exhibit some of their best artwork, hoping to win one of the show’s coveted award ribbons. The art in the gallery will include paintings, photography, pottery and jewelry, and more. The “Spring into Art” Show’s opening reception will be on Friday, May 6, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.

New to this year’s show will be the member’s response to a “Winter Challenge”. Members were challenged to produce art in one, two, or three subject areas including: “Think Spring”, “Produce”, and “Something with a Barn”. The Winter Challenge artwork will be a special part of the show, exhibited in the North Gallery, and will be included in the voting along with all of the other show entries. Each visitor to the show will be given a ballot so they can vote by writing down the titles of their three favorite artworks.

The public will have until the end of May to do their voting. At that time, ribbons will be posted on the three artwork entries that received the most votes. The ribbons will remain on the paintings until June 15, so there will be time to come back and see if your choices were fortunate enough to receive ribbons.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-Sa 9-4. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

Reception: May 6th from 3-5pm at the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture

Initiated by the Ewing's Director Sam Yates 26 years ago, this exhibition recognizes outstanding students graduating from The University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Art, College of Arts and Sciences; a Bachelor of Architecture or Bachelor of Science, Interior Design, a Master of Architecture, and a Master of Landscape Design from the College of Architecture and Design.

Selected by a School of Art Faculty Scholarship committee, seven art students from various art disciplines were chosen from the qualifying applicants for this year's exhibition. These students are Youn Lee, Brandon McBath, Ashley Layendecker, Mark Bender, Anna Weible, Santiago Ortiz-Piazuelo, Alex Rudd, and Alex Raykowitz.

The College of Architecture and Design participants were selected by the faculty-at-large, and by outside review teams. These exhibitors are to be announced.

Hours through May 15, 10am - 5pm M-F and Sundays 1-4pm.
Hours May 16 - June 5, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 12-5pm.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Join us as we kick-off our Biscuit Art Exhibition. The exhibition will open May 6, 2016 at Coffee & Chocolate, Rala, and 30 Market Square in Downtown Knoxville and will last through May 30th, 2016.

Featuring artwork with a Biscuit theme, last year’s entries came from across the nation. http://www.biscuitfest.com/art-exhibition

Opening Reception: Friday, May 6th, 2016 6pm to 9pm. Complimentary treats from Wild Love Bakehouse will be provided

Bliss Home is pleased to be a presenter for the Biscuit Art Exhibition! This is a premier event of the International Biscuit Festival which will be celebrated with new biscuit-themed art by Knoxville freelance artist and calligrapher, Hannah Holder!

Hannah C. Holder graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a degree in fine art in 2002. Though her focus at that time was drawing, during her senior year she had the privilege to study briefly with internationally-known calligrapher Timothy Botts, an opportunity pivotal in the direction she took following college. Since 2003, she has completed a wide array of calligraphy and lettering work around East Tennessee and beyond—quotations on the walls of a college library, verses and poetry on the walls of various homes, hundreds of wedding invitation addresses, three wedding invitation designs, baptismal certificates, church membership statements and creeds, mission statements for two local financial institutions, four awards for distinguished alumni of the University of Tennessee’s Department of Accounting and Information Services, birthday and thank you cards, pieces hanging in doctors’ offices and nurseries, a marriage certificate, poetry in the style of an illuminated medieval manuscript, and personalized labels for a violin maker. Hannah currently has a large piece of calligraphy touring the country with a Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) exhibit, Scribes of Hope II, now in its third year on the road. She has also submitted work three years to The Graceful Envelope Contest, sponsored by the Washington Calligraphers’ Guild and the National Association of Letter Carriers in D.C., where she placed in the top ten contestants the first two years and was the 2015 Best in Show.

Though calligraphy continues to be her primary focus and she has several murals to her name, Hannah has also created and exhibited drawings (graphite or pen and ink) and watercolors—en plein air work of the Smokies and downtown Knoxville with the Tuesday Painters, architectural details of Europe and landscapes in Maine, historic sites in Knoxville, commissioned renderings of clients’ first or favorite homes, a rooster for a poultry show website, playful M. C. Escher-like tessellations, and… BISCUITS! Last year she was a runner-up in the International Biscuit Festival Art Show, leading to this year’s adventure of putting on a biscuit-themed solo show at Bliss Home in Market Square. As a calligrapher and artist with a bent toward realism and detail, it was an exciting yet daunting prospect for Hannah to create more than a dozen pieces of art on the theme of biscuits. For Hannah's May exhibit, she had the opportunity to use random hoarded supplies she has been wondering how to use for years and a Dictionary of World Languages to turn baking into art while memorializing a building that once housed a beloved flour factory (now lofts). Artist's Website: www.hannahholder.com

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