Calendar of Events

The East Tennessee Historical Society is pleased to partner with East Tennessee PBS and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to commemorate the 8th of August as the date traditionally observed as the day on which Andrew Johnson freed his slaves. Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, it did not apply to Tennessee, since it was no longer in rebellion to the United States government. On August 8, 1863, Andrew Johnson, then military governor of Tennessee, took the personal step to free his slaves, sparking a celebration that spread throughout the region and into other states. It is still observed today in some communities.

As part of First Friday, August 5, from 7:30-9:00 p.m., East Tennessee PBS will premiere the film 8th of August: Tennessee’s Celebration of Emancipation, a documentary covering the history of this special day, its different forms, and our communities that continue to celebrate the 8th of August. The film will be followed by a Q&A facilitated by Renee Kesler, director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center.

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

The Streamliners Swing Orchestra

Alive After Five is a unique live music series that takes place in the smoke-free, casually elegant setting of the Ann and Steve Bailey Hall in the Knoxville Museum of Art. There is a live band on stage, seating at tables, two cash bars, food from area restaurants, free freshly popped popcorn, and free parking. Audience members can enjoy listening to music, dancing, and browsing the museum’s art galleries. Admission is $15 for general and $10 for museum members and college students with ID. Ages 17 and under are admitted free.

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

As part of our organization's growth, we are excited to announce that Dogwood Arts is taking root in the Old City. Our new office at 123 W. Jackson Ave will be open August 5th from 5:30-8:30. Please join us for First Friday as we celebrate the art, culture and natural beauty of our region.

We believe that a vibrant and dynamic community reflects the investment and commitment to the arts and culture of all stakeholders and residents of the region. Mediocre arts and culture leads to complacent and uninspired citizenry. Dogwood Arts can and must be the trailblazer because we showcase all of the arts reaching all ages, sexes and races with our programming. Our programs are structured to advance all artforms and highlight the talented artists of our region while engaging and inspiring the public to be more active and creative. Learn more about our efforts at our Open House!

Please RSVP by emailing info@dogwoodarts.com or joining our Facebook Event. We can't wait to see you on First Friday!

Vocalist Kelle Jolly and Saxophonist Will Boyd are two of East Tennessee's most celebrated jazz musicians. They are the 2015 MLK Art Award recipients of Knoxville, where they currently reside. They have served as ambassadors of jazz, traveling to Muroran, Japan as Knoxville's Sister City representative at various jazz festivals and events. Their latest cd, DREAMS OF MURORAN, is dedicated to people of Muroran. They were married there in 2008. Will Boyd is a member of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, The BluePrint and The Streamliners. He possesses a Masters in Jazz Studies from the University of Tennessee where he studied with Jerry Coker and Donald Brown. Kelle Jolly is the host of Knoxville's newest radio show on WUOT 91.9FM, Jazz Jam with Kelle Jolly, an hour-long show that celebrates great local, national and international singers of jazz. Kelle Jolly is the founder of the WOMEN IN JAZZ JAM FESTIVAL which will be held in Knoxville March 10th-12th, 2017. Their performance will include original music that tells the story of Kelle and Will's love for jazz and each other. Their show also features the music of blues women Ida Cox, who was living in Knoxville when her career was revived and Leola Manning. Leola Manning was a local songwriter who's music told stories of life in East Tennessee during the 30's and 40's.

Tickets are $15. BYOB; Doors open at 7:30. The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Hours: M-F 9-5. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

Join the East Tennessee Community Design Center for our Urban Home and Garden Tour Weekend.

The weekend consists of a Premier Party on Thursday August 4th from 5:30-7:30pm at The Holston, and a downtown Knoxville Home and Garden Tour on Friday, August 5th (5:30-8:00pm) and Saturday, August 6th (11:00am-4:00pm) with sign in at the Phoenix Building.

The tour will offer an opportunity to visit amazing downtown Knoxville homes with extraordinary outdoor spaces. All proceeds will benefit the East Tennessee Community Design Center. For full information or to purchase tickets, please visit ETCDC Home Tour webpage.

East Tennessee Community Design Center, 1300 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-525-9945, www.etcdc.org

Featuring recent works by watercolor artist Kate McCullough and glass artist Johnny Glass. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m. on August 5 with complimentary refreshments and music performed by Patrick Mulligan.

KATE MCCULLOUGH – ‘ROUND KNOXVILLE - Kate first studied art at Villa Maria College and SUNY in Buffalo, NY before switching to Interior Design which was her career until 2008. The fine art bug struck again in 2002 when she decided to pick up a brush again. Watercolor was her first choice and she has not looked back since. Kate took courses at the University of Tennessee and then workshops with John Salminen, Sue Archer, Linda Kemp, Linda Baker, Paul Jackson, Don Lake, Don Andrews and Keiko Tanabe. This exhibit will feature scenes from around Knoxville, mostly from the downtown area. My focus is to present these locations as either a place one may not often notice or familiar scenes presented just a little differently. www.katemcculloughwaterart.com

JOHNNY GLASS AND The “Occhi” Windows - Although Johnny Glass is a Knoxville native he began his glass career and training in Los Angeles, CA, where he was first introduced to glass at Santa Monica College. In 2010 Johnny started Glass by Glass LLC on the west coast which grew quickly from a hobby to Johnny’s full time job. In 2013, Johnny decided to expand his market and returned to Knoxville, Tennessee to open Glass by Glass’ east coast mobile hotshop and to finish his education. He spent 3 years at Tennessee Technological University's, Appalachian Center for Crafts, studying under world famous glassblower and teacher, Curtis Brock. He just recently graduated from TTU with honors and a BFA in Glass. Glass by Glass, has made it their mission to bring a new awareness and social practice to the art of glass blowing. Johnny has designed and constructed all of his own studio equipment to be completely mobile. Glass by Glass’s live 2016 glassblowing demonstrations can be seen at many art museums and over 10 craft festivals, in five different states. Johnny’s website is: www.GlassbyGlass.com

Who, What, Where Show Revisited
In celebration of East Tennessee History and in cooperation with the East Tennessee History Center, The Art Market will revisit our "Who, What, Where" show and contest. All artwork must have something to do with either a familiar person of East Tennessee (Who), a Familiar east Tennessee item (What), or a familiar place or landmark in East Tennessee.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net or www.Facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery

Artist Lela E. Buis presents “Whimsical Creatures,” an exhibit of painting and photography, at Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, August 1, 2016 - October 31, 2016.
Meet and greet with the artist August 19 from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

The artist finds that animals have an unusual attraction. They capture her with their colors, their expressions, their activity. Ordinary animals like chickens and cows are a tradition in East Tennessee, especially for anyone who has grown up on a farm, or had grandparents with a farm. This exhibit brings together paintings and photographs from around the area, featuring some of these whimsical creatures and the beautiful countryside of the East Tennessee farm country.

Lela E. Buis was born in Middlesboro, Kentucky, grew up in Tazewell, Tennessee, and lived in Central Florida for a long time. She worked at Kennedy Space Center for about 15 years, and currently lives in Knoxville. She has been drawing and painting since she was a child, and has sold photos and illustrations to a number of books and magazines. In 2015 she had a photograph featured in the Florida State Poets Association Anthology.

The Arts & Fine Crafts Center is located in North Knoxville at 1127B Broadway Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. The organization is affiliated with the City of Knoxville Parks and Recreation. Please phone 865-523-1401 for more information on the gallery and arts classes.

Featuring the History of the Fourth & Gill Neighborhood Center!

The Gallery reception and potluck dinner will start at 6:00 on Sunday, August 28th, the presentation starts at 7:00. The program will include a collection of speakers dating back through the forty-year history of the Neighborhood Center as a progressive community space with speakers from the Community Center’s more recent history as the Birdhouse.

Bird Feeder Gallery at The Birdhouse, 800 N. Fourth Ave. Please check the Birdhouse website for open hours to view the exhibition: https://birdhouseknoxville.com/events-calendar/

The East Tennessee Historical Society is pleased to partner with East Tennessee PBS and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center to commemorate the 8th of August as the date traditionally observed as the day on which Andrew Johnson freed his slaves. Although President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863, it did not apply to Tennessee, since it was no longer in rebellion to the United States government. On August 8, 1863, Andrew Johnson, then military governor of Tennessee, took the personal step to free his slaves, sparking a celebration that spread throughout the region and into other states. It is still observed today in some communities.

August 1-7th, the exhibition, Photo Recollection: 8th of August Jubilee will be on view at the East Tennessee History Center during regular operating hours and for First Friday from 5:00-9:00 p.m. on August 5. The exhibit is composed of photographs by Holly Raney and features celebrations in Newport and Greeneville.

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

Zoo Knoxville has declared August 1-7, 2016, as Pokémon GO Week. Players who show the Pokémon GO app on their mobile devices at the ticket window will receive $10 zoo admission for each member of their party to the zoo.

Zoo Knoxville has 15 Pokéstops and three gyms in the park, and to help attendees catch plenty of characters, lures will be dropped throughout each day of the week, with updates on their locations shared on the Zoo Knoxville Twitter feed (@zooknoxville). Zoo Knoxville has plenty of real creatures to admire as well, and visitors are encouraged to take a break from augmented reality to enjoy the zoo’s animals, keeper chats, shows and play areas while they incubate PokéEggs. Safety is always Zoo Knoxville’s top priority, and visitors are asked to keep their Pokémon hunt on the zoo’s public pathways.

Discounted admission for Pokémon GO players and their accompanying guests are good August 1-7, 2016, and valid at time of purchase for same-day admission only. This promotion cannot be combined with any other discount or offer.

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

FCAC will host their first ever all-FCAC Photography Competition, open to all photographers. Juried by Barry Seaton and Clay Thurston with $1,000 to be awarded.

Opening reception on Friday, July 29, 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, http://www.fountaincityartcenter.com/

By Mark Dunn; directed by Tiffany Tallent. Best described as "Several Horton Foote characters in search of an exit from a Sam Shepard play."

The action of this "Texas tragicomedy" whirls around one disastrous Memorial Day weekend at the Beckle cabin in the Texas hill country. Aubrey, his four daughters, and Great Aunt Tammy gather there for the first time since Mrs. Beckle's death. Nothing goes right. Aunt Tammy is trapped in the bathroom. Daughter Cesca arrives bearing scars from a new round with her abusive husband. Her sister Pidge, on sudden leave from the group home for the emotionally disturbed where she lives, shows up in Cesca's car with Cesca's chloroformed husband locked in the trunk.

The Beckles must pull together or the family will self- destruct. When all is said and done, it is the Beckle family's most alienated member who proves to be the one most invested in her family's happiness.

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com