Calendar of Events

Part of the 2016-2017 Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre season!

In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composter opened on Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s RENT continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, RENT follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters—love.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

A magical full-length ballet under the sea.

Fri March 10, 7:30 PM and Sat March 11, 3:00 PM at Clayton Center for Arts, 502 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN 37804.

For more information Appalachian Ballet Company: 865-982-8463, www.appalachianballet.com

Artist’s Reception: Monday, March 20th 4PM to 8PM

At Burlington Library 4614 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: alan.jones@tys.org

An exhibition of about 40 new oil painting by Aleex Conner, a local artist who paints in the style of the 19th Century French Impressionists. Aleex Conner has painted for over 30 years and has traveled to Europe many times. On location in France, she has studied with some of today's best instructors in the Impressionists' style. In the south of France, the light is extraordinary for plein air oil painters. She has frequently painted in the very same areas where Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, and other Impressionists painted in the latter part of the 19th century and into the early 20th Century.

Reception held Saturday, March 4, 4:00-6:00 PM, Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Avenue. 10% of the proceeds will be donated by the artist to the Fountain City Art Center. Everyone 21 and above is welcome to attend. No entry fees will be charged.

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tu-Th 9-5, F 10-5, Sa 9-1. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Please join us First Friday March 3, for an opening reception from 5-9pm.

On Friday, March 24, from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, the UT Downtown Gallery will be holding a second artist's reception for Kevin Everson and his exhibition in partnership with Big Ears and The Public Cinema, Open Ended: Films by Kevin Jerome Everson. Come to the gallery to say hello and meet Kevin. Everson currently has work on display in the 2017 Whitney Biennial.

For the Big Ears weekend, The UT Downtown Gallery will be having extended operating hours.
Thursday March 23, 11:00am - 6:00pm
Friday March 24, 11:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday March 25, 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday March 26, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Please remember that on Saturday, March 25 from 12:15 - 1:30PM, at the Knoxville Museum of Art will be a screening session of more of Kevin's films. This screening at the KMA is free and open to the public.

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

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans

During First Friday on March 3rd, Rala will be celebrating their Grand "Re-Opening" at 112 W. Jackson Ave in the Old City. Featured artist for March is local artist Sarah Moore. Moore is a painter who creates nostalgic landscapes. Her paintings feature places that "evoke both nostalgia and sense of longing for spans of stolen delight." Be sure to stop by from 6-9 pm to meet the artist and see Rala's new location! http://smoorestudio.com/

RALA, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com/

The "Peace Works" event hosted by Broadway Studios And Gallery in collaboration with the Knoxville Art and Fine Craft Center. "Peace Works" was conceived by Broadway Studios and Gallery to question and celebrate peace in the world especially during the politically charged environment we face today. All perspectives are welcomed and celebrated in this unique one of a kind Knoxville event. At the centerpiece of the "Peace Works" event is an open call art competition exhibited in the Broadway Studios and Gallery arts space showcasing art based on the premise of what peace means visually. Local artists were encouraged to express their views of the state of peace in the world be it locally or globally or simply how they find peace on personally level.

There will be another exhibit by local abstract painter Dino Day Liddick located in the Knoxville Arts and a Fine Craft Center unrelated to the "Peace Works" theme.

Popular food truck cuisine by Oishii will be available for patrons for a nominal fee. Entertainment will consist of a drum circle and dancers associated with the Knoxville Art and Fine Center.... named Indigenous Vibes and African Dance by Alaba. All ages are welcome and beverages will be available.

Show opens on "First" Friday March 3, 5-9 PM.

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

The exhibit is called Bambina Americana - A photography exhibition by Casey Perfetto.

Opening reception March 3 from 6-10 pm
At The Village, 133c South Gay Street, Knoxville TN 37902. Information: gdg821@vols.utk.edu.

PRESS RELEASE: For immediate release
Contact: Drew Ogle, Managing Director
423-318-8331 or info@etcplays.org

This new musical, based on the best-selling novel and hit movie, will open Friday, March 3 at Walters State Community College in Morristown and play for two weekends. When “The Bridges of Madison County” debuted in New York in 2014, audiences were swept away by the lush and romantic score, that told the story of two star crossed lovers through Americana music from across the heartland. Encore’s production includes a live orchestra onstage performing the country and folk inspired music. The storyline follows the Italian-American wife and mother Francesca, who lives a dutiful life on a quiet Iowa farm, and looks forward to a rare four days alone while her family heads to the 1965 State Fair. When a charismatic photographer pulls into her driveway seeking directions, Francesca’s passion for life is reignited. What happens within the next four days leaves Francesca with the most difficult choice of her life. Either way, her world will never be the same. The production is directed by Micah-Shane Brewer, musical direction by Sheryl Lawrence Howard, and stage managed by Debra Williams.

Performances are March 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 8:00 p.m. and March 5, 11 and 12 at 2:00 p.m. There will also be a “Pay What You Can” preview performance on Thursday, March 2 at 8:00 p.m. Performances will be held at the Walters State Community College Inman Humanities Theatre located on the Morristown campus. Tickets are on sale at www.etcplays.org or by calling 423-318-8331.

For the 27th year in a row, dozens of regional dry cleaners are coming together to support job training in their community through Goodwill’s Project Wear and Share. This annual clothing drive, a collaboration between Goodwill Industries-Knoxville and participating dry cleaning establishments, is designed to raise awareness about Goodwill’s vocational services while providing dozens of new opportunities to donate unneeded clothes and linens.

Donations will be sold at Goodwill’s 28 regional thrift stores; proceeds will benefit Goodwill’s vocational training and employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment. Training programs range from computer literacy to certified nurse assistant courses, career assessment and planning to job placement services. In 2016, Goodwill Industries-Knoxville served over 3,750 individuals in their 15-county East Tennessee service area.

Participating dry cleaners are located in Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Farragut, Maryville, Alcoa, Seymour, Sevierville, and Morristown. Donations can be made at any participating cleaner during their regular business hours. Helpful donations include gently used clothing, shoes and linens. Find a list of participating dry cleaners at www.goodwillknoxville.org or contact the Goodwill Marketing Team at 865.588.8567.

Recent works by artist Marjorie Horne and clay works created by 11 Art Market Gallery artists will open with a reception at 5:30 p.m., March 3, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk, with complimentary refreshments, and music performed by Carl Gombert.

Marjorie Horne’s transparent and reflective surfaces have been recurrent themes in her colored pencil drawings and watercolors. More recently she has included landscapes, cityscapes, nature studies, figures, and portraits in her work. Originally from Richmond, Indiana, Marjorie is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America. One of her pieces is included in CPSA’s The Best of Colored Pencil V. Always, art is a form of meditation for her. It feeds her soul and brings wholeness to her life.

The Art Market Gallery’s clay artists and sculptors have gathered together this month to reveal a wide variety of style, vision, and technique. The clay artists include Hugh Bailey, Gray Bearden, Bob Concliffe, Ann Dally, Larry Gabbard, Patricia Herzog, Eun-Sook Kim, Lisa Kurtz, Karen Kyte, Amber Anne Palo, and Linda Sullivan.

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

Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM

The play is a live onstage version of the smash Broadway musical adapted from the classic animated film, especially written for ages 4 and older. Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. The classic story entwines Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, with the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end, and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

The play is performed by 25 talented young actors, from ages 9 to 16.

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