Calendar of Events

The Town of Farragut and Farragut Arts Council will sponsor the 2017 Farragut Middle School Juried Art Show at the Farragut Town Hall. Don't miss this opportunity to marvel at the work of some of Farragut's most talented young artists. Awards will be given for best in show and first, second and third places during a reception on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 5 - 6 PM.

Monday, Feb. 20 - Thursday, March 2 - During regular Town Hall hours: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Reception: Tuesday, Feb. 28 - 5 - 6 p.m.

Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive (across from the Farragut Branch Post Office). The art show and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lauren Cox at lcox@townoffarragut.org or 966-7057.

February 20 and 27, 6:00 PM

Tennessee Valley Players announce auditions for Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" at Farragut Presbyterian Church located on Jamestown Blvd. off of Campbell Station Road. All aboard for this saucy and splendid production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, winner of three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and Choreography! One of the greatest musicals in theater history, Cole Porter’s first-class musical comedy will be presented at UTK’s Carousel Theatre on June 15-18 and June 22-25 for eight performances. The group is looking for actors / singers / dancers of high school through adult ages.

http://tennesseevalleyplayers.org/auditions/

Guest artist recital; Prizewinner of Cleveland and Van Cliburn international piano competitions, world-renowned pianist performing works by Haydn, Chopin, and Ravel in Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, and the Alumni Memorial Building is located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

Poet Ocean Vuong will read on Monday, February 20, 2017, on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus as part of the Writers in the Library reading series. The mission of Writers in the Library is to "showcase the work of novelists, poets, and other literary craftsmen." Some of the best voices on the literary scene today are invited to read.

The reading at 7 p.m. in the Lindsay Young Auditorium of the John C. Hodges Library is free and open to the public; all are encouraged to attend.

Ocean Vuong is the author of Night Sky with Exit Wounds (Copper Canyon Press, 2016). A 2016 Whiting Award winner and Ruth Lilly fellow, he has received honors from the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, Narrative magazine, and a Pushcart Prize. His writings have been featured in the Kenyon Review, GRANTA, The Nation, New Republic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Poetry, and American Poetry Review, which awarded him the Stanley Kunitz Prize for Younger Poets. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he lives in New York City.

Writers in the Library is sponsored by the UT Libraries and the Creative Writing Program in association with the John C. Hodges Better English Fund. For more information, contact Erin Elizabeth Smith, Jack E. Reese Writer-in-Residence at the UT Libraries, at esmith83@utk.edu.

Visit http://library.utk.edu/writers for a complete schedule of Writers in the Library readings for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The Black Oak Brass Quintet features Steven Collins, trumpet; Joel Tillman, trumpet; Lisa Burden, horn; Jon Walton, trombone; and Jacob See, tuba. They will be performing Fugue in g minor by Bach and Little Brown Jug by Joseph Winner. Lunch available for $6.
In the sanctuary of Central United Methodist Church, 201 East Third Avenue, Knoxville. Info: Carolyn Ellis <oakleytn@aol.com>

The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association will hold its Concerto Concert at the Tennessee Theatre. This performance features the top Youth Orchestra conducted by Maestro James Fellenbaum, and will feature solos by the winners of the 2016-17 Concerto Competition (TBA). This concert is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.

The Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra Association is currently celebrating its 43rd season. Approximately 300 students are selected by an audition process in August. In addition to weekly rehearsals, the students will perform four concerts throughout the 2016-2017 Season. All four performances take place at the Tennessee Theatre and are FREE and open to the public. The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony League, and Knox County Schools sponsor the Association.

For more information, contact the Knoxville Symphony Box Office at 865-291-3310 or visit www.knoxvillesymphony.com.

A Celebration of Jennifer Higdon: Symphony Orchestra
Ensemble concert; featuring Higdon's "The Singing Rooms" and "Fanfare Ritmico" with performances by UT Choirs and Geoffrey Herd-violin
2/19/2017 at 4:00 PM in James R. Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Bldg

A Celebration of Jennifer Higdon: Chamber Music
Faculty and guest artist recital; featuring Wesley Baldwin-cello, Shelley Binder-flute, UT Percussion Ensemble, and guest artists Sean Claire-violin and Melisa Barrick Baldwin-soprano
2/21/2017 at 8:00 PM in Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

A Celebration of Jennifer Higdon: Higdon Talks Life and Work
Guest artist lecture
2/23/2017 at 12:40 PM in Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

A Celebration of Jennifer Higdon: All Bands
Ensemble concert; featuring Higdon's "Percussion Concerto," “Mysterium," and "Kelly’s Field" with Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and soloist Andrew Bliss
2/23/2017 at 8:00 PM in James R. Cox Auditorium, Alumni Memorial Bldg.

Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. The Natalie Haslam Music Center is located at 1741 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, and the Alumni Memorial Building is located at 1408 Middle Drive on the UT campus. *For individual or small group performances, please check the web site or call the day of the event for updates or cancellations: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

Join us as we kick off the Grow Your Garden series! Participants will learn about growing a fruits and vegetables this spring and discuss what to plant, when to plant it, and how to grow a spring edible garden. Pre-registered participants will take home seeds and starter plants provided by CAC Green Thumbs and the Center for Urban Agriculture.

Choose the time and location that works best for your schedule:
9:00 am on Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum
12:00 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA
5:30 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at SEEED Knox

Registration at http://knoxgarden.org/classes-events/growyourgarden/

The Grow Your Garden series is offered through the Center for Urban Agriculture as a partnership between the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA, and SEEED Knox in an effort to help people grow food for themselves and others. Your registrations go toward growing the community gardening programs offered at each of these non-profit organizations.

Thank you to Elder’s Ace Hardware and Lowe’s Home Improvement for providing seeds for this series!

Questions? Email cua@knoxgarden.org for more information.

Opening reception Feb. 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.

David Butler was trained as an art historian, but he managed to take a few studio classes along the way. His job entails looking at lots of work by other artists, which he says is a great way to learn but can be intimidating. Because his time to make art is extremely limited, he uses mostly pastel, charcoal, and watercolor because they allow him to work quickly. He is inspired by the landscape of East Tennessee and hopes these works convey how much he loves this part of the world. Butler joined the Knoxville Museum of Art as executive director in 2006 after serving as the director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University; the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana; and the Emerson Gallery at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in art history from Florida State University, and his Ph.D. in art history with concentration on seventeenth-century Italian art and architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Diane Hamilton finds nature a great inspiration. She says that many times her kids would say "Mom! Get back in the car! We are going to be late for school and you already have a million pictures of the sunrise!" She believes that you can never have too many pictures of something beautiful. She was born in Melbourne, Florida and grew up playing outside as much as possible. A good day would consist of throwing oranges and grapefruits at her siblings, eating lunch under the moss-draped trees, and drawing in the sand. She still likes to draw and paint with pastels, but unfortunately she no longer gets to launch any citrus at relatives.

Alejandro Rodriguez: The Facets of My HeART
Rodriguez uses oils, water color, tissues, alcohol ink, and most recently, pen and ink. His mood dictates where he wants his art to go. The deep religious undertones in his paintings reflect universality within diversity. Sometimes the works are tight, graphic and literal, harkening back to his graphic and architectural training. Others are looser and semi-abstract, when he wants the message to be clear with an impressionistic view. Born on the shores of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, seemingly with a crayon in his hand, it was a winding road that took Alex from Puerto Rico to New York City and then to the banks of the Little River in idyllic Blount County. He graduated from The School of Art and Design in Manhattan, receiving many awards in his four years there. Those were years of intense study with multiple media and techniques. He worked as a graphic designer, carpenter and home renovator. When he relocated to the red clay of Blount County, with cows and horses as neighbors, the art fever returned and Rodriguez began photographing and painting beautiful East Tennessee. As a member of the Knoxville Museum of Art and its guild, Rodriguez participated in the Artist On Location event and contributes works to auctions for the Smoky Mountain Heritage Center, the Hope Center, and Knoxville Jewish Day School among others. He had a successful one-man show in the Paris Apartment in Sweetwater, Tenn.

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 to Work – a solo exhibition by sculpture artist Jackson Martin opens with a reception on Friday, February 17, 2017, 5:00 – 7:00 pm. The public is invited. Bring your friends and family and enjoy an evening of art and fellowship.

Back to Work showcases an array of mixed-media sculptures combining wood, steel, fiber and found materials. “My sculptures arise from a need to rescue these abandoned items from obscurity and reconstruct their components into new, engaging combinations,” says Martin. Martin manipulates utilitarian objects and tools to create new meaning, function or lack of function.

Jackson Martin is an artist and educator living in Asheville, North Carolina. Martin is currently an assistant professor of art at the University of North Carolina and recently received the 2017 Visual Artist Fellowship Grant from North Carolina Arts Council. Martin received his MFA at Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art and his BFA at Middle Tennessee State University. He has exhibited his work at Sculpture by the Sea in Aarhus, Denmark, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Pratt Institute Sculpture Park in Brooklyn, New York. Martin has completed residencies at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont, Godsbanen Cultural Center in Aarhus, Denmark and Baggat Art Organization in South Korea.

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

Pellissippi State Community College alumni will be the featured artists in an upcoming exhibit in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery. "Through the Open Door: The Alumni Arts Exhibition" will feature Sharon Bachleda, Will Evers, Pete Hoffecker, Brandon McBath, Jamie Schneider and Patty Tinsley and their works of ceramic, metalwork, video, painting, printmaking, drawing and mixed media.

The exhibit's opening reception, from 3-5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, will offer an opportunity to meet some of the artists.

The featured Pellissippi State alumni have gone on to study at four-year institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago; Watkins College of Art, Design and Film; Indiana University; University of Memphis and University of Tennessee.

The exhibit is free. Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 10-6:30. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

Each February, the From Africa to Appalachia Foundation for Education and the Arts (FATA) and Rose Center join together to celebrate Black History Month. For this 29th annual celebration, curator Bob Spirko has developed the exhibit “His Eye Is on the Sparrow,” to be featured in the Edith Davis Gallery at Rose Center in Morristown. The exhibit is a tribute to the photography and life of Gregory Manuel Kyle, Jr. (1954-2015) and will feature over two dozen of his photographs and other works. An opening reception and celebration will be held on Sunday, February 5, beginning with the exhibit opening at 2:00 PM and continuing with a program beginning at 3:00 PM. The program will include inspirational music, remarks from FATA Co-President Beverly Lee, and guest speakers including Citizen Tribune publisher Mike Fishman; J.B. Pectol, vice president of communications and marketing at Walters State Community College; and Rev. H Roger Mills, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church of Whitesburg The music will be provided by Yolanda Treece, Rock of Ages Baptist Church, and Tabernacle Baptist Church.

Serving as a photographer for the Citizen Tribune and Walters State Community College, Kyle was known throughout the area as he documented news stories, sporting events, celebrations, milestones, campus life, and much more. He was a familiar face to many residents of the Lakeway Region who knew him as a friendly, professional, and talented photographer.

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