Calendar of Events

Opening reception: Friday, November 4, 5:00-9:00 PM

The works chosen for this show were inspired by places Marta Goebel-Pietrasz has traveled to in the past or wants to visit in the future. She is especially interested in searching for the unusual or even magical in locations we consider familiar. Her process starts with taking pictures and then creating imaginary worlds using mixed media techniques such as oil paint, tempera, watercolor, and colored pencils. Although each piece is based on reality and may resemble a photograph of a specific place or person, the subject matter is fully invented and does not actually exist.

Marta Goebel-Pietrasz started her art training at the Art School in Gdynia and Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland. She holds a BFA in Studio Art, concentration in printmaking, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UTK as well. Marta has taken part in about 40 art exhibitions in the United States and abroad, and she has taught art classes at the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning and in her home studio. For more information, please visit http://www.artmajeur.com/gebmart.

The exhibition is on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium is closed Thursday-Friday, November 24-25, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.knoxalliance.com

Opening reception: Friday, November 4, 5:00-9:00 PM

The Variety and Beauty of Friends is a collection from six artists, ranging in age from 30s to 80s, including Mike C. Berry, Steve Bryan, Tina Curry, Eun-Sook Kim, Cynthia Markert, and Ericka Ryba. Professional experience spans from none to nearly four decades, with work dated from 1968 to present. Various media are represented in styles from figurative to abstract. Curating this exhibit was fun, and we hope viewers will enjoy it as well.

The exhibition is on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium is closed Thursday-Friday, November 24-25, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.knoxalliance.com

Opening reception: Friday, November 4, 5:00-9:00 PM

Fiber art work is Eun-Sook Kim’s newest endeavor, which she started a few years ago. “It is truly exciting to explore with fiber all the possibilities beyond traditional techniques such as embroidery and quilting,” she says.

Eun-Sook Kim received her B.A. in English literature from Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul, Korea in the early 1960s. She was accepted into a graduate program at the University of Tennessee, and upon moving to Knoxville, she married and then stayed home with her children until they finished college. At that point, she resumed her graduate studies and received an M.F.A. in ceramics from UT in the 1990s. Her work has been featured in various juried shows throughout the U.S. and in Japan and Korea, and she has held solo exhibitions locally in Ewing Gallery, The Art Market Gallery, Oak Ridge Art Center, and the American Museum of Science and Energy. She founded and directed both the Corner Gallery and the Upstairs Gallery in Oak Ridge for many years. Currently, Kim is a member of the National Council for Educators of Ceramic Art, the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists (TACA), Foothills Craft Guild and the Art Market Gallery. She has extensive experience leading workshops, lectures, and teaching. Her work has appeared in various ceramics magazines published globally. For more information on Eun-Sook Kim, please visit www.eunsookkim.com.

The exhibition is on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium is closed Thursday-Friday, November 24-25, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.knoxalliance.com

Opening reception: Friday, November 4, 5:00-9:00 PM

For almost all of my 37 years in photography, I have been shooting “straight” or representational photographs. But after viewing an exhibit of the “Knoxville Seven” at the Knoxville Museum of Art, I have a new perspective. The KMA show featured the work of seven abstract expressionist painters with Knoxville ties.

I have always had an affinity for abstract art, but I had never pursued it in my photography. This work represents a new direction for my art.

I have left the photographs untitled so as not to influence the viewer. I believe that if the object is identified, that is often all the viewer can “see”. I want the viewer to have an open mind and let the photograph speak to them. I believe everyone will have their own unique idea of what the art represents.

These works of art all began as photographs. Only minimal work was done in Photoshop.

The exhibition is on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium is closed Thursday-Friday, November 24-25, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit www.knoxalliance.com

First Friday at Dogwood Arts with a reception on November 4, 5:30-8:30 PM

Dogwood Arts' First Friday events and exhibitions highlight our 18 unique programs and support the creativity of local and regional artists. Our doors are open, and we welcome you to join us as we showcase and celebrate artists and art lovers at our new office located at 123 W. Jackson Ave in Downtown Knoxville’s Historic Old City.

Ericka Ryba & Coulter Grove Intermediate School will create a beautiful dogwood installation in honor of our Bazillion Blooms program. Ericka will also exhibit her elegant ceramic artworks.

Going into its eighth year, Dogwood Arts, along with local nursery partners, have sold and planted over 8,000 April-blooming, disease-resistant dogwood trees! Bazillion Blooms was established with the goal of restoring the former vitality and beauty of the dogwood tree population in our East Tennessee communities. Help us reach our goal of 10,000 trees in 10 years by purchasing a dogwood tree.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Viewing Hours (10-4) M-F. 865-637-4560, www.dogwoodarts.com

The whimsical paintings of Ocean Starr come to life through vibrant hues and wonderous scenery. Enjoy her work through the month of November at Ijams.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. The Visitor Center, including exhibits, gift shop, offices and restrooms is open M-Sat 9-5 and Sun 11-5. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

In the Blackberry Farm Gallery, FREE! Eric Buechel is a Painter, Illustrator, Graphic and Fine Art Photographer.

Artist Reception November 11 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

Gallery is open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm

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

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites you to view Pigment of Our Imagination – an exhibition by artists Sam Mitchell and Aric Verrastro. Pigment of Our Imagination showcases an array of mixed-media jewelry pieces created by Mitchell and Verrastro independently and collaboratively. Mitchell's whimsical adornment explores childhood themes through personal memory and new experiences she shares with her son. Verrastro's vibrant work reflects the energy of a city environment and its nightlife.

Sam Mitchell is a maker and educator residing in Iowa City, IA. She received her BFA from James Madison University in 2009 and her MFA in Metal and Jewelry Arts from the University of Iowa in 2014. Mitchell was a recipient of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Grant in 2012. Her most recent work has been shown at Sieraad in Amsterdam (2015), AV Gallery in Vilnius, Lithuania (2014) and The Walker Center in Minneapolis, MN (2014). For more information, visit her website at www.aldentedesigns.com.

Aric Verrastro is currently a foundations lecturer at the University of Wisconsin – Stout in Menomonie, WI. Verrastro received his MFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design from Indiana University in 2015. Aric was recently selected as a finalist for the 2016 Art Jewelry Forum Artist Award. Verrastro’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in Milwaukee, WI, Bloomington, IN, New York, NY, Houston, TX, Aspen, CO, Vilnius, Lithuania, Stockholm, Sweden, Munich, Germany and more. For more information, visit his website at www.aricverrastro.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

Art exhibit by Thomas Riesing and Koichi Yamamoto

Opening reception November 18 from 5 to 8:00 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.

Thomas Riesing: These artworks, produced from 2007 to the present, utilize drawing not only to develop ideas before and during the painting process, but also as independent works of art. The drawing materials include graphite, silver point, and ballpoint pen. Riesing prefers sketching with ballpoint because of its fluidity and its unique ways of developing relative densities and layers of information. The graphite drawings allow for erasing and reduction, while the silver point drawings require a more deliberate, subtle approach to image and surface development. The places represented include East Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains, the Pocono Mountains and Delaware River Gap, and the forests along the coast of Oregon. Riesing responds to the light and space between and beyond the persistent verticality of the trees.

Koichi Yamamoto: Layers of line and folds within the sediment provide a sense of connection in Yamamoto’s crafted illusion of landscape. The significance of each moment, a fraction of time, is not lost in the grand scale of the completed work. Removing copper from the plate surface, he begins to cultivate a specific landscape. Multiple prints from multiple plates provide maps of the excavation, each image a record of past events. Using these samples, he discovers a significant composition. In contrast, the monotype is transparent; there are no interruptions in form as it appears. It is a seemingly tangible moment and like tectonic plates, it is dynamic and in constant motion.

Free and open to the public. Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: M-Th 10-5, Su 10-1. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Back for her third showing at The Tomato Head, Ruth Allen skillfully crafts vivid drawings and paintings featuring nature’s flowers and wildlife. Since her last visit from Athens, Georgia, Ruth has had two paintings selected for juried shows and currently has a painting showing at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Her work will be on view at Market Square from October 2 through November 7 and will then move to the West Knoxville Gallery on November 7 through December 5. For more artist information, please visit The Tomato head blog: http://thetomatohead.com/ruth-allen-featured-artist/ or https://www.etsy.com/shop/100tinybluebirds

Tomato Head, 12 Market Square (865-637-4067) and 7240 Kingston Pike, Suite 172 (865-584-1075), in Knoxville.

In honor of Knoxville’s 225th anniversary, this exhibition explores the city’s heritage as seen through archaeological discoveries in the “Heart of the Valley.” Using historic artifacts unearthed in and around Knoxville, along with historical images, maps, documents, and oral histories, the exhibition tells the story of Knoxville’s development from a frontier settlement to an industrialized city.

Opening reception for members on Fri Sep 16, 5-7 PM.

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

Please join us for our new exhibition! Opening reception Fri Sep 2, 5-7 PM in the main lobby of the consulate office, which hosts modern art from both established and emerging Polish artists. Please RSVP: drpienkowski@gmail.com or 865-584-4112

Marcin Kowalik’s paintings are dominated by abstract forms and empty spaces while featuring vibrant colors, illusions and a precision of lines and geometric structures. His work is nonanthropocentric – human figures rarely appear, and when they do, they are faceless, devoid of identity. Kowalik’s perception of reality dictates his work. His gaze is the architect’s – registering solids, enriching them with vibranace and a dose of artful spontaneity which gives rise to his novel, uncanny universe. For Kowalik, Picasso is a master of augmented reality. Kowalik is primarily interested in the Cubist period in the work of the Spanish artist, in the composition of spatial forms and their fragmentation. One of Picasso’s most fascinating aspects is his extraordinary inventiveness. Paintings, which appear shattered into prismatic fragments and recomposed without conformity to their initial arrangement, can be ‘read’ from the foreground, followed along the path delineated by the painter and, suddenly, apprehended not from the front, but sidewise.

In 1944, Pablo Picasso joined the Communist Party. It seems to have provided him with a model of victory and strength which he begins to identify with the Communists. His joining the Party has obvious roots in his painting, which he considered to be more than a mere source of pleasure. Line and color were his arms, which he wielded in his revolutionary fight. He confided in Communism, enchanted with the specious beauty of its motivating ideals, but was even more partial to the company he could find in its circles. The stage in the life of the celebrated cubist sparked Marcin Kowalik’s new cycle. The cycle on a (wo)man at work. Each of the thirty canvases represents a person with their occupational attribute. The different quality of the paintings in “A Tale of the Working (Wo)Man” cycle arises from the overload of minimalism, the pinnacle of which was reached by Kowalik in his work on “Convergents”, one of his most recent projects.

Here, he has sought chaos – introduced into his art by people, as various and volatile as the nature of painting. Despite his desire to renounce his creative asceticism, Kowalik’s human is still confined by the minimalist formal limits. To demonstrate a human form, it is sufficent to simply sketch an eye, the shape of a head and, immediately, a face outline becomes recognizable. This is the machination of the human mind – symmetrical points are sufficient for our imagination to fill in the missing parts. Apparently, the human has finally moved to the center of the young painter’s field of interest. However, these are mere appearances. Kowalik does not stray far from home and attempts to misplace the human figure, offering its simplest possible representation. He tells the tale of a human, but his tale is extremely complex and multi-faceted. He posed the challenge and has risen to it himself – undertaking the effort of organizing the experiment. He invited over a dozen of amateur painters to cooperation on committing to canvas their image of an occupation, inspired by the output of the author of “The Weeping Woman”. Website: www.kowalik.art.pl

Viewing hours M-F 8-5, Sat 8-11:30 AM. At the Center for Polish Culture | Pienkow Art Gallery, 7417 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. http://www.consulpoland.com/index.php/center-of-polish-culture/