Calendar of Events

The Knoxville Museum of Art announces Romantic Spirits: Nineteenth Century Paintings of the South from the Johnson Collection, featuring more than thirty 19th-century masterworks from the renowned Spartanburg, South Carolina-based collection.

The paintings in Romantic Spirits present an evocative glimpse into nineteenth-century Southern life, and reveal the importance of oral tradition and “a sense of place” in the development of the Romantic Movement in the South. The exhibition seeks to present a balanced view of how Romanticism evolved in the North and the South, the genre’s ties to Europe, and how culture, customs, education, and travel influenced each artist. It also reveals connections between featured painters and their contemporaries, specifically authors and poets such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others. One of the highlights of the exhibition is a masterful still life of peaches by Knoxville artist Lloyd Branson.

The public is invited to an exhibition preview reception on Thursday, August 25 from 5:30-7:30pm.

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

By Mary Chase, directed by Stacy Littleton. Elwood P. Dowd is an affable man who claims to have an unseen (and presumably imaginary) friend Harvey — whom Elwood describes as a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall pooka resembling an anthropomorphic rabbit. Elwood introduces Harvey to everyone he meets. His social-climbing sister, Veta, increasingly finds his eccentric behavior embarrassing. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium. When they arrive at the sanitarium, a comedy of errors ensues. The young, handsome, and very flirtatious Dr. Sanderson commits Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion. When Elwood shows up at the sanitarium looking for his lost friend Harvey, it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood's delusion has had a strange influence on the staff, including sanitarium director Dr. Chumley. Only just before Elwood is to be given an injection that will make him into a "perfectly normal human being, and you know what bastards they are!" (in the words of a taxi cab driver who has become involved in the proceedings) does Veta realize that she would rather have Elwood the same as he has always been — carefree and kind — even if it means living with Harvey. Tickets: $13.00 online or $15.00 at downtown merchants and at the box office prior to performances.

The Lyric Theatre, 320 Grove Street, Loudon, TN 37774. http://www.lyrictheatrecompany.org/

The District Gallery presents: Terra Madre: Women in Clay
Opening reception: Friday, August 19, 5-8 p.m. The show continues through September 10.

Terra Madre: Women in Clay is a group show featuring the work of an eclectic group of women ceramic artists living and working in the metro Knoxville area.
Through their diverse approaches to clay, Terra Madre seeks to encourage excellence in ceramic art, to promote clay artistry in the surrounding community, and to form a supportive creative network for its members. Comprised of over 35 artists, the group shows work as a collective two to three times annually. Their work is also exhibited individually throughout the country and can be found in galleries, small businesses, craft shows, and in private and public collections.

We are pleased to present Terra Madre as they return for their second exhibit with The District Gallery, showcasing a dynamic compilation of ceramic artwork ranging from functional to sculptural, traditional to whimsical. Please join us opening night for a special evening of fine craft, food, and drink.
The show will be on display August 19 through September 10. The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. For more information, please visit our website, TheDistrictGallery.com, or call (865) 200-4452.

A live theatre version of the famous adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, especially adapted for young people and families. The play will be performed August 19 through September 4, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM.

To fulfull his dream of becoming a soldier, young d'Artagnan heads for Paris and into romance, intrigue and adventure. On the way, he meets a secret agent, confronts a mysterious swordsman, rescues the beautiful Constance, and ultimately joins The Three Musketeers in their fight against an evil Cardinal. When d'Artagnan learns of a plot to destroy the queen, he accepts the chance to prove himself worthy of Constance and of the uniform of a musketeer. With The Three Musketeers, he declares: "All for one and one for all."

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

The UT Downtown Gallery will host an exhibition of the incoming class of 2019 graduate students. The exhibition includes, Printmaking, Transmedia & Design, Painting, Sculpture, Ceramics and installations. These student artists have chosen UTK School of Art as their home for the next three years to complete their Master of Fine Arts Degree. The exhibition highlights their current work and their artistic accomplishments prior to arriving at the University of Tennessee.

Opening reception August 19, 6-9 PM

Exhibiting student are:
Cara McKinley - ceramics
Rachel Sevier - ceramics
Katherine Gentner - painting and drawing
Eric Hines - painting and drawing
Michael Tracy - painting and drawing
Miles Ingrassia - printmaking
Lila Shull - printmaking
Baxter Stults - printmaking
Holly Kelly - sculpture
Mengmeng Shen - transmedia and design

Free admission! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sat 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture Store at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is hosting a back-to-school sale through the end of the month. The sale will feature items at up to 70 percent off the original price. Museum members and UT students will receive an additional 10 percent off all purchases, including jewelry, toys, books, scarves and more. All proceeds from the store support the museum's free educational programs, which reach thousands of university and K-12 students in East Tennessee and across the region each year.

Museum admission is free, and the museum and museum store's hours are 9 a.m–5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1–5 p.m. Sundays. Free two-hour museum parking passes are available from the parking kiosk at the entrance to Circle Park Drive during the week. Free parking is available on the weekends. Free public transportation to the museum is available via the Knoxville Trolley Vol Line. Info: Kimberly Pack, store manager (865-974-6750, kpack2@utk.edu) or http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Townsend Visitor Center will exhibit "Art of Native Plants" to honor the centennial of the National Park Service. The exhibit will run 8/16/2016-08/28/2016 and will feature botanical illustration, sculpture, quilts and more. The exhibit will highlight plants used for medicinal value, ones used for food, tools and dyes and plants which are endangered species.

Townsend Visitor Center, 7606 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Townsend, TN. www.smokymountains.org.

Get out and see some live music!
Open Chord Music, 8502 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: (865) 281-5874 or http://www.openchordmusic.com/live-music-venue

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is exhibiting works by ceramic artist and longtime Arrowmont staff visionary Bill Griffith. This exhibit is in conjunction with Arrowmont’s Utilitarian Clay VII: Celebrate the Object National Symposium (September 21-24, 2016), a gathering of leading practitioners in the field which Bill initiated in 1992.

The Bill Griffith Recollective showcases ceramic work produced during his 27-year tenure as the Assistant Director and Program Director of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Among his many contributions to the school, he established the Artists-in-Residence Program in 1991, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. As an outgrowth of the Residency Program, he also established ArtReach – an annual program that has provided hands-on art instruction to more than 25,000 Sevier County students. Bill currently serves as Arrowmont’s Outreach and Partnership Liaison.

Bill received a BS in Art Education from Indiana State University and an MA in Art Education/Ceramics from Miami University, Ohio. He participated in the initial International Workshop for Ceramic Art in Tokoname, Japan and is a recipient of an Individual Artists Fellowship awarded by the Tennessee Arts Commission. Bill’s functional and sculptural works have been exhibited internationally and featured in numerous publications. He has work in private and public collections including Tennessee State Museum, Arkansas Arts Center, City of Orlando, Florida Permanent Collection, San Angelo Museum of Art, Texas, Tokoname Japan Cultural Museum and Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, China. For more information, visit his website at www.billgriffithclay.com.

In the Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery. Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

New Paintings by Michael Giles

O’Brien Art Gallery, Roane State Community College, O’Brien Building, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman, TN 37748. Information: www.roanestate.edu/art/gallery

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is exhibiting over 200 utilitarian ceramic works by 93 leading artists in the ceramics field. This exhibition is in conjunction with Arrowmont’s Utilitarian Clay VII: Celebrate the Object National Symposium – September 21-24, 2016. The Utilitarian Clay VII Symposium Presenters Exhibition features 32 works by 16 international and national ceramic artists whose work represents some of the most diverse utilitarian work being made today.

The Past Presenters Exhibition features 58 former Utilitarian Clay Symposium presenters from 1992-2012. The exhibition is on view August 15 – September 25, 2016 in the Drown Gallery.

Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturday 10am - 4pm. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

There's A Lobsta' See Here! By Land or by Sea, a lively collection of painted paper collage by Lesley Eaton, will be on view at our Market Square location until September 4th. Lesley curates, cuts, arranges and glues colorful papers to shape her happy collages, like this crusty crustacean. Her most recent collection incorporates peppered paper - large sheets of paper that at one time provided a surface to catch all of her spills and splatters. https://pepperedpaper.wordpress.com/

The Tomato Head, 12 Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902. Phone: (865) 637-4067, www.thetomatohead.com