Calendar of Events

A witty and fast-paced farce packed with memorable characters! In this hilarious restoration comedy, a young woman, her handsome lover, and their friends plot to escape a controlling guardian. Will a nosey nobleman ruin the plan or save the day? The play was written by Susanna Centlivre in 1709, with adaptations by UT Faculty Misty Anderson and John Sipes.

According to Restoration scholar Anderson, Centlivre’s comedy was the most popular play written by a woman in the eighteenth century and among the 10 most popular plays of the entire period. Audiences in Charleston, Williamsburg, Baltimore, New York, and other colonial theatre towns in the early days of America flocked to it. It even played in Havana and Kingston, Jamaica! The play’s pace calls for the kind of physical comedy one might have seen on “The Carol Burnett Show.” “The Busy Body” gives us a window into the world of marriage at a time when women’s roles were just beginning to change, and playwrights like Centlivre were beginning to see women as equals to men. Manners and codes of conduct required curtsies, bows, and polite forms of address, but marriage contracts were also big business. The two heroines struggle against arrangements that would turn them into mere goods traded between men using secret identities, tricks, messages in code, and helpful waiting maids. The results are hilarious and surprisingly modern; the young women are frank, spunky, and unstoppable, and their lovers seem to love them all the more for it.

A Pay What You Wish Preview performance, where patrons can name their own price, will be held Wednesday, February 22 from Noon to 7 pm at the theatre. A Talk Back with the actors will take place Sunday, March 5 following the matinee. A panel discussion in association with the Commission for Women will take place on March 9 at 3:30 pm in the Carousel Theatre. The Open Captioned performance is Sunday, March 12 at 2:00 pm.

Carousel Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents a lunchtime performance at The Square Room in downtown Knoxville. Tickets for the one-hour concert are $15 in advance/$20 at the door and include a boxed lunch from Café 4. Seating is general admission and is limited; doors open at 11:30 a.m.

Details TBA.

At The Square Room, located behind Café 4 in Market Square, downtown Knoxville. Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Indie-Americana duo Jamestown Revival and swaggering three-piece rock band The Record Company are joining us for a double header on the U.S. Cellular Stage in February!

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Discussing "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde.

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

Knox County Public Library, in honor of Black History Month and in partnership with The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee, invites the public to join Tatia Harris for a discussion of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs. A light lunch will be available for the first 30 attendees. This program is the second Books Sandwiched In series to focus on diversity. Books Sandwiched In is sponsored by the Friends of Knox County Public Library.

"This book is an important read that offers insight into colliding worlds—poverty and race versus Ivy League privilege—and asks ‘Is our society really set-up to help people transform their lives and transcend the circumstances into which they are born?’" Harris said. "I hope that this powerful story inspires some thought-provoking dialogue and hard self-examinations on the road to equality and social justice." Author Jeff Hobbs tells the story of his Yale University roommate Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was brilliant and such a successful student that an alumnus from his high school volunteered to fund his expenses to any college, and Robert chose Yale. He studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics and continued to excel. Life was supposed to get easier, but Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, trying to fit in at Yale, at home on breaks and at home after graduation.

Tatia Harris is the Title VI Coordinator and Grant Manager for the City of Knoxville’s Tennessee Community Crime Reduction Program (TCCRP), a project funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs, and supported by awards from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In the East Tennessee History Center auditorium, 601 South Gay Street. Books Sandwiched In is a series sponsored by the Friends of Knox County Public Library. A light lunch will be available for the first 30 attendees. Information: (865) 215-8700 or eellis@knoxlib.org

Support Knox Heritage and enjoy a great meal at the Cajun-themed “Taste ’n’ Toast” at the Downtown Dive. The New Orleans-style pig roast will include a black-eyed pea dish, Dirty Hoppin’ John, and Cajun coleslaw. The $15 meal also will include a beer pairing from Louisiana-based NOLA Brewing Co. Proceeds will support Knox Heritage’s mission of preservation with $5 of every specially created meal donated to the nonprofit. Sweet P’s also will match the total donations to the nonprofit.
At Sweet P's BBQ and Downtown Dive, 410 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville. http://www.sweetpbbq.com/events/

This Black History Month feature presentation on Wednesday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m. at Beck will open with the sounds of the West African Drummers Live. Dinner will be provided and following the a one-hour documentary (Africa's Great Civilizations), there will be an open discussion and dialogue. The entire community is welcome including church congregations. This event is free and open to the public and seating is limited. Please reserve your seat today by emailing BeckEvent@BeckCenter.net or you may contact us at 865.524.8461. This event is being sponsored in partnership with our friends at East Tennessee PBS.

Beck Cultural Exchange Center: 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-6. Information: 865-524-8461, www.beckcenter.net

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.

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