Calendar of Events

Opening reception Fri Mar 10, 6:30-8 PM. Free and open to the public.

Featuring works by the Knoxville Book Arts Guild and Southern Appalachian Nature Photography.

Exhibit viewing hours: Tu, Th 9-5; W, F 10-5; Sat 9-1. Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

On Exhibition: Paintings by Shirley Wittman, Lauren Lazarus and Blown Glass by Johnny Glass

Westminister Presbyterian Church, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 9-4. Info: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org

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

A public reception will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The First Friday reception also features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM and live music by Swing Serenade from 7:00-9:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present a new exhibition of mixed media works by 27 members of the Depot Artists Association in Abingdon, Virginia. For the fourth year, the Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to partner with another community-based art gallery in the Southeast for the purpose of promoting local artists within each community. The Arts Depot will host a simultaneous display of work by 42 Knoxville-area artists in their gallery space at 314 Depot Square in Abingdon during the month of March.

The works chosen to travel to Knoxville were juried by Steven Reeves during the Depot’s 27th Annual Holiday Members Exhibition this past December. Reeves is the Executive Director of the Kingsport Art Guild established in 1949, a non-profit that promotes advocacy, education, and exhibitions. Reeves has a studio at the Arts Depot and holds his BFA from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Members selected to represent the Arts Depot are Jeana Chapman, Sheryl Daniels, J. C. Dean, Jackie Dolpp, Judith Fitzgerald, John David Ford, Nancy Garretson, Jody Houston, Greg Howser, Carl Jessee, Sr., Elizabeth John-Morison, Nancy Johnson, Carina Karlsson, Larry Knott, Michele Marlowe, Lisa May, Rita Montrosse, Helen Morgan, Adelaide Moss, Cecelia Pippin, Fallon Ray, Sara Reece, Steven Reeves, Frank Renault, Joyce Samuel, Josiah Stam, and Michaela Stam. The Association operates the Arts Depot in the historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon. The Association is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Tourism Corp. For more information about the Arts Depot, call (276) 628-9091 or visit www.abingdonartsdepot.org.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

A public reception will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The First Friday reception also features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM and live music by Swing Serenade from 7:00-9:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

"When I was a little boy, I put my hand in a meat grinder and lost most of my left arm. That was the beginning of my life as an artist. The loneliness and isolation I experienced during childhood now allow me to delve into the deepest realms of my emotions and release them at will onto the image. My subjects are usually emotionally-charged themes brought about by my own life experiences.

My paintings are influenced by my love of architecture, graphic novels and the great masters. Painting gives me the freedom to delve deep within myself and connect with the side that most people try to keep repressed. I want viewers to say, “I’ve been in that same emotional place.” The act of painting is a collection of my thoughts, energy and experiences. Painting allows me to focus on myself, listen to my inner voice and sort my feelings out. You can love my paintings or hate them, but if they move you then I have done that which I set out to do as an artist, I have touched you deep within your soul, and in the end, that is all that really matters." For more information, visit http://www.joseroberto.com/.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

A public reception will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The First Friday reception also features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM and live music by Swing Serenade from 7:00-9:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Including hand screen printed fabric and needlepoint. I am interested in working with spaces that already exist in my art; previously I had worked as a site specific sound installation artist. While my materials have changed I still see myself working within these parameters except my site has become much smaller. Everyday household objects are the space that I utilize in my current work, a linen gust towel or a wool pillow. These pieces all use pictograms as part of the imagery. I have been collecting pictograms off of packaging and from books for years because I love the way they are drawn and I see a kind of beauty in the simplicity of their purpose. Within my work some of the pictograms function as literal instructions for the possible use of the object and others allude to a message while also creating a decorative pattern. It is the efficiency of these images that I strive for in my own communications with people, whether it is in my work or my life. For more information, please visit http://www.coralgraceturner.com/art.html.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

A public reception will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The First Friday reception also features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM and live music by Swing Serenade from 7:00-9:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

"I was born in Buffalo, New York. I started art with drawings of the Peanuts characters in 3rd grade. Since that period of time, I have explored different areas of art from cartoons to Dali. I went to SUNY at Oswego in 1976 for Fine Art and Cartooning. In 1979, I enrolled in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I went for the commercial part of the art to enhance my knowledge in the art field. The art world was tough, and I fell into a management position with a major drugstore during which time I lost touch with my art.

In 2014, I had the first of two hip replacements which lead to a new beginning in my art. I had a lot of time and began painting again. At this point, I’m not completely back to my level from 32 years ago, however I am growing. I’m a “halfback”, migrating from New York to Florida and then to Tennessee, and I couldn’t pick a better place for my new beginning." For more information, please visit www.joe-bracco.pixels.com.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

Vintage Re-Inventions: Steampunk Creations by Eric Holstine, Jason Lambert, and Jason Edwards

A public reception will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. The First Friday reception also features music and dance by Pasion Flamenca from 6:00-6:30 PM and live music by Swing Serenade from 7:00-9:00 PM. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available.

Eric Holstine of Charleston, WV combines art with technology to create unique pieces that provide functionality. Holstine is a mixed-media artist with a professional background in Information Technology and uses mixed media, including stained glass, metal, wood, polymer clay, and repurposed items. Much of his work is of the steampunk genre and has been on exhibit in different venues in West Virginia, Maryland, as well as at the Steampunk World’s Fair in New Jersey. He was awarded “Most Original Design” at the WV Makers Festival in October 2015. Holstine’s work includes a functional mantle clock, an "Acoustic Roundabout Cube,” and a steampunk-style robot lamp. All pieces have an electronic feature and/or lighting effect designed and programmed by the artist. For more information, please visit http://ehartwork.com.

Experimentation is Jason Lambert's primary goal. While originally working in pen and ink he has recently transitioned into use of copper, steel, sharpies and nail polish to create unique 2- and 3-D works. His degree in geology and minor in anthropology from the University of Kentucky have helped inform a love of old science he applies to new art. “I never truly consider my work finished, only stalled or given away,” says Lambert. “The process of creation and fusion is what really attracts my imagination. My current body of work is more captured moments or thoughts that I am attempting to flesh out, each one trying to attain completion, rather than a mono thematic installation. In the end, my creations are meant to be enjoyed, for whatever reason you find, adding fantasy, whimsy, and just a little sharpness to your moment.”

Jason Edwards works with acrylic paints, markers, inks, spray paint and charcoal on paper and canvas. He also works with woodblock printing, digital painting and video. His paintings and woodblocks style is whimsical, and his videos are very conceptual. Common themes in Jason’s paintings are reflective of other people’s emotions, and themes in his videos mostly deal with his internal emotions. In his works, he reminds us that it is ok to be human living in a world that is unbalanced and extreme. Edwards is currently working as a scenographer at Woolly Mammoth Theater Company in Washington, DC.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

Join us for the opening exhibition on First Friday, March 3, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Viewing hours are MWF from 1-5pm. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org or angiemasini@gmail.com

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/