Calendar of Events

Thursday, December 15, 8:00pm
Friday, December 16, 7:00pm & 9:00pm
Saturday, December 17, 7:00pm & 9:00pm

Modern Dance Primitive Light (MDPL) conveys the warm inviting spirit of the holidays with respect to the diversity of our audience. Circle Modern Dance, voted Best Dance Company in the Mercury’s 2016 Top Knox Readers’ Poll, celebrates movement and creativity year after year, inviting audiences to connect with dancers, performance artists, and live musicians, immersed in the warm ambiance of the Laurel Theater. This performance is appropriate for all ages. Audience members are encouraged to bring pillows as seating is limited.

Tickets: http://circlemoderndance.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=5050. For additional Information, please contact Circle Modern Dance at (865) 309-5309 or CircleModernDance@gmail.com. At the Historic Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave., Knoxville, TN 37916.

THIS DECEMBER, River & Rail Theatre Company will premiere a new original folk musical titled, The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph’s Baby. Written by Tennessee-based award winning recording artist Don Chaffer and NYC-based playwright Chris Cragin-Day. The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph’s Baby surprises virgin-believing and non-virgin-believing audiences alike, engaging this this oft-told story with a sincerity and humanity that bursts with imagination and wonder.

Performed at East Jackson Ave in the Old City, 111 East Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915. River & Rail Theatre Company, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 106, Knoxville, TN 37902. Tickets & Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

With a variety of local holiday and winter farmers' markets there are so many opportunities to continue eating seasonally, shopping locally, and supporting your local farmers, local artisans, and local craft producers. Grow Oak Ridge will open their new Oak Ridge Winter Farmers Market at St. Mary's School in Anderson County. With a bounty of local farms and producers in attendance, folks in Anderson County and the surrounding areas will have an indoor market to shop every Saturday, 10 AM - 1 PM (closed Dec. 24th & 31st).

https://www.facebook.com/events/1550346168601296/

Popcorn balls and paper chains… fruits and nuts in their stockings … carols by the fire... a cedar tree cut in the nearby woods- that’s the Christmas most rural Appalachian children knew. And it's the Christmas we recreate each year throughout the Museum village at our special.... Join us as we recreate a meaningful holiday of simpler times. Traditional trees and hand-made decorations, typical of austere pioneer days, transform the Museum’s authentic log buildings.

Wander through the village and marvel at the simple treasures of their settlement days. In the one-room, dirt-floored “Dan'l Boone” cabin, strings of popcorn and cotton bolls circle a dormant tree; Paper chains and other ornaments trim the tree in the Little Tater Valley Schoolhouse. Sweet gum and sycamore balls are strung throughout the Mark Twain Family Cabin, and a traditional silver star tops a native red cedar Christmas tree in the turn-of-the-century Peters Homestead House. Apples, nuts, homemade toys, and oranges fill stockings hung in the cabins. Pick up some stocking stuffers in the Museum Gift and Antique Shop, which features everything from hand-crafted ornaments, locally made muscadine and moonshine jellies, and beautiful pottery, along with baskets, quilts, and plenty of Appalachian specialties. Or just come and enjoy a homemade southern country lunch in front of the warm fireplace.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716 (16 miles north of Knoxville at I-75, exit 122, then one mile east). Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

Featuring oil paintings of Downtown Knoxville by Inna Nasonova Knox and wood designs by Nelson Ziegler. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m., December 2, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk with complimentary refreshments.

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

4th Annual Uncommon Core - Exhibition & Performance
Opening Dec 2, 6-10 PM with awards at 8 PM

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

The District Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition celebrating the city of Knoxville and its importance in the lives and hearts of local artists. Featuring the work of Cinamon Airhart, Mike C. Berry, Gary Dagnan, Connie Gaertner, Kathie Odom, and Joe Parrott, My Knoxville: Interpretations of Home is a personal and compelling collection of landscapes, memories, and city scenes dedicated to the place we’re proud to call home.

Join us First Friday, December 2 from 5-8 p.m. to meet the artists and enjoy a very special evening of festive food from Gourmet’s Market. Experience fine art in the gallery, and enjoy our annual Stocking Stuffers Sale with special offers on handcrafted gifts for the holidays as a part of The District in Bearden’s annual Holiday Open House. Also, don’t miss an exclusive group artists’ demonstration held in the gallery on Saturday, December 3 from 1-4 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

"Handmade and Hand Printed" exhibit by Nashville artist Emily Tuttle

Opening reception Friday, December 2, 6-8pm

The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Hours: M-F 9-5. Call ahead for holiday hours. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

Featuring a variety of 2-dimensional artwork that fits within the confines of a gold frame and 3-dimensional work with gold in the piece. A special award will be given for the gaudiest gold frame of all. Entry fee is $5 per piece with a maximum of three pieces.

Opening reception will be held 5-9ish PM, Friday December 2. (First Friday). Cash awards will be presented at 7:00pm.

We will be open Fri. Dec 23 and 24th until 3:00pm.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Thurs-Sat, 11-7. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2016 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew. Most of the works in the 2016 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from December 2-23, 2016. An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on December 2 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and chocolate fondue by the Melting Pot of Knoxville. The First Friday reception features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM. Additionally, the resident artists of the Emporium will host an Artist Studio Holiday Show & Sale from 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM on Friday, December 2.

Individual members of the Alliance participate locally and regionally in gallery exhibitions, art festivals, sculpture trails, weekend shows, studio tours, and public murals. Some of the members are full-time artists, while others have day jobs and create on evenings and weekends. Some Alliance members include art professors with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, Pellissippi State, Roane State, and Walters State. Others are teachers within Knox and surrounding county’s elementary, middle and high schools. Some Alliance members teach classes privately or through community classes with the Fountain City Art Center, Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, or Knoxville Museum of Art. Many of the artists have working studios in their own homes, while some are part of studio collectives such as the Emporium Center, Vacuum Shop, 17th Street Studios, 2515 Sutherland, and Broadway Studios & Gallery.

Gallery hours for the 2016 Members Show are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 24 – January 2 for the holidays. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present a selection of sketches and lithographs from the Ewing Gallery Permanent Collection. On display are working and finished sketches and print portfolios from four illustrators working during the “Golden Age” of illustration, Harrison Cady, Norman Rockwell, F.R. Gruger, and Walter Haskell Hinton. The four men whose works are in the gallery, worked tirelessly drafting ad campaigns, illustrating children’s books, comic strips, and covers for weekly publications, such as The Saturday Evening Post. The Ewing Gallery is fortunate to have acquired many of these works through generous gifts to the gallery. We hope you enjoy this opportunity to see the works of these four illustrators from the Ewing Collection exhibited together for the first time.

Reception is December 2 from 5-9PM and is free and open to the public.

Free admission! UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 12-5, Sat 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

A version of the hit Broadway musical, specially adapted for children and families. The original Godspell was the first major musical theatre offering from three-time Grammy and Academy Award-winner, Stephen Schwartz, and it took the world by storm. Boasting a score with chart topping songs, Godspell JR. is a sensation that continues to touch audiences.

A group of disciples help Jesus Christ tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques and a hefty dose of comic timing. An eclectic blend of songs, ranging in style from pop to vaudeville, is employed as the story of Jesus' life dances across the stage. Dissolving hauntingly into the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, Jesus' messages of kindness, tolerance and love come vibrantly to life.

COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: Friday 12/2 at 7 PM, Saturday 12/3 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 12/4 at 3 PM, Thursday 12/8 at 7 PM, Friday 12/9 at 7 PM, Saturday 12/10 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 12/11 at 3 PM, Thursday 12/15 at 7 PM, Friday 12/16 at 7 PM, Saturday 12/17 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sunday 12/18 at 3 PM

The show will be directed and choreographed by Dennis E. Perkins, with musical direction by Paul Jones. Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com.