Calendar of Events

A public reception will take place on Friday, May 5, 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 Pasión Flamenca (led by Lucia Andronescu) in the Black Box at 6:00 PM and new music by the Domino quartet (Mike Baggetta – electric guitar; Keith Brown – drums; Jon Hamar – double bass; and Jorge Variego – composition, electronics and clarinets) at 8:00 PM.

Very few artists have been successful without the contributions of family, community and teachers. “6 to 96: The Stevens Family” is a group show consisting of artists from an extended family with ages ranging from six years old to 96 years old. Like the distance between six and 96, there is a spectrum of styles, perspectives, and experiences displayed. There is an inherent poetry created by the family unit. It is where one first learns to love, function, forgive and inspire. “6 to 96” is a show about the grace and beauty that emerges when immersed in a supportive creative environment.

Exhibiting artists include: Nate Butkus (drawing and mixed media); Ray Butkus (ceramist and jeweler); Virginia Butkus Gould (painter); Jonathan Grant (painter); Kathryn Lindsay Grant (painter); Allison Rae Nichols (painter); Carl Stevens (functional design); Carol Grant Stevens (painter); Charles Stevens (sculpture and jewelry); Connor Stevens (drawing); Mark Stevens (photography); Terry Stevens (painting); and William Stevens (painter and sculptor, deceased).

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. 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, May 5, 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 Pasión Flamenca (led by Lucia Andronescu) in the Black Box at 6:00 PM and new music by the Domino quartet (Mike Baggetta – electric guitar; Keith Brown – drums; Jon Hamar – double bass; and Jorge Variego – composition, electronics and clarinets) at 8:00 PM.

In this retrospective of Luis Velázquez, curated by Dina Ruta, the public will have the premiere opportunity to contemplate his artistic trajectory. Velázquez was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in 1937 and worked as a civil engineer, a community activist, and an artist who liked to paint landscapes and portraits. He used primarily oil, and all through his work, one can see his interest in landscapes. Every piece of art is a mirror that reveals his acute vision and is testimony to his perceptions, dreams and memories.

Reality, for Velázquez, was a single element and is reflected in his paintings. His technique was a calculated elaboration of the chromatic plane. His brush was free, his palette colorful, vibrant and full of light, and his scenes were always full of life. His favorite inspirational sites included Puerto Rico and the Smoky Mountains. Velázquez was the founder of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of East Tennessee. He was committed to the Latino community, always ready to extend a friendly hand without the expectation of retribution; thus, earning much respect and love.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. 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, May 5, 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 Pasión Flamenca (led by Lucia Andronescu) in the Black Box at 6:00 PM and new music by the Domino quartet (Mike Baggetta – electric guitar; Keith Brown – drums; Jon Hamar – double bass; and Jorge Variego – composition, electronics and clarinets) at 8:00 PM.

Artist Julie Fawn Boisseau-Craig works in porcelain and glass primarily but utilizes metals and wood as necessary to create her sculptural, wearable and or functional pieces. Her studio, Wild Pony Studio, is located in Rockford. She also works in hot glass at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, North Carolina. She has shown nationally and participated in and taught many workshops and demonstrations. Boisseau-Craig received her MFA in 2012 and taught Introduction to Visual Art, 3D Art, Drawing and Ceramics at Western Carolina University. She also taught Drawing and Ceramics at Southwestern Community College in North Carolina. She was also an artist assistant to Tennessee-based glass artist Richard Jolley.

Her work directly responds to the contradictions and complexities of life. She strives to create beauty out of chaos. “I believe my work to be an ethereal commentary on the complicated fragility and contradictions of everyday life,” Boisseau-Craig says. For more information, please visit http://www.wildponystudio.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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. 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, May 5, 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 Pasión Flamenca (led by Lucia Andronescu) in the Black Box at 6:00 PM and new music by the Domino quartet (Mike Baggetta – electric guitar; Keith Brown – drums; Jon Hamar – double bass; and Jorge Variego – composition, electronics and clarinets) at 8:00 PM.

Heather Huebner was born in Euclid, OH and grew up in a suburb east of Cleveland. Her body of work is creating abstracted memories and/or thoughts of landscapes into paintings, influenced by growing up on Lake Erie. She is a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Art with a Bachelors of Fine Arts focused in painting and is currently working in Knoxville.

“The first half of my work was done by using fluid materials and allowing them to dry over time, letting nature take its course upon the pigments,” says Huebner. “The process in which they are created – pouring onto the canvas – has the same effect as the fluidness of bodies of water on land or on a shoreline. Just as a puddle may sit for days and eventually evaporate, leaving some sediment behind, so too do these pigments. In viewing this body of work, one starts to question how those sediments were left behind. Were they an accident or were they intentional? For me, these marks create a personal connection to experiences I’ve had in the past. A unique mark or color or texture invokes the imagery of a landscape in my memory.” The second half of Huebner’s work is fantasy. The shapes and colors and compositions have been determined by a feeling of unknowing and are structured on ideas of what could be rather than what she has seen in the past. For more information, please visit http://heatherhuebner.weebly.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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. 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, May 5, 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 Pasión Flamenca (led by Lucia Andronescu) in the Black Box at 6:00 PM and new music by the Domino quartet (Mike Baggetta – electric guitar; Keith Brown – drums; Jon Hamar – double bass; and Jorge Variego – composition, electronics and clarinets) at 8:00 PM.

“Save yourselves from inquiring about the art’s potential of increasing your self-awareness or revealing any aspects of the human condition,” says Stephen Spidell. “My latest body of work exists merely for your aesthetic pleasure.” His charcoal and pastel drawings abstract human hair to create close-ups and landscapes. The emotive marks create waves and undulations that replicate the dynamism of the tress while contriving contrasts of value and texture.

Stephen Spidell currently resides in his hometown of Knoxville. His art education started at age seven when he trained under Janice Fancher, and he received his Associate of Arts in Studio Art from Pellissippi State. He is mainly known for his charcoal abstractions of hair, but he continues to indulge in other media including graphite, pen and ink, and pastel; his other subject matter includes botany and the human figure.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Monday, May 29, for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543, or visit the Web site at www.knoxalliance.com.

The Balcony gallery and Casa HoLa (Suite 112) in the Emporium Center will host two exhibitions which celebrate the life of Luis Velázquez, a beloved member of the Hispanic community.

On Friday May 5 at 5:00 PM, before viewing the exhibits, the public is invited to attend a brief presentation of the HoLa 2017 Luis Velázquez Scholarship in the Emporium's Black Box theatre. The scholarship will be presented by HoLa president, Pedro Tomás and committee members María Clark (chair), Loida Velázquez, Terra Clofteller and Angela Masini to a high school senior selected through a competitive process. The name of the recipient will be announced at the ceremony.

From 5:45PM until 9:00PM, both exhibits will be open for viewing. A Retrospective of the artistic production of Mr. Velázquez including 30 of his paintings and paintings by two of his grandchildren is curated by Dina Ruta and will take place in the Balcony Gallery. “Celebrating Luis - a Life Well-lived”, on display in Casa HoLa, consists of original pieces by Silvia Calzadilla, Rafael Casco, Antuco Chicaiza, Susana Esrequis, Delia Flores Astrid Galindo, Irene Hernández, Katie Miller, Dina Ruta, and Héctor Saldívar. Curated by Angela Masini, the Casa HoLa exhibit celebrates the life and the art of Mr. Velázquez through pieces in acrylic, clay, mixed media and fabric. Both exhibits continue through the month of May during the Emporium regular hours.

Casa HoLa, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Viewing hours are MWF from 1-5pm. For additional information contact Angela Masini at angiemasini@gmail.com or Loida Velázquez at 865-951-9254.

Including work by Austin Riddle, Maia Leppo, Heather Ashworth, Grant Benoit, Nick DeFord, Jackson Martin, Lisa D. Line, John Phillips, Peggy Schmid, John McMillan, Katie Grove, and Erin Castellan.

VIP event: May 4th, 4-5:30pm
Opening Reception: May 5, 5:30-8:30pm
Art DeTour Event: May 6, 10-5 and May 7, 12-5

At the Dogwood Arts' office, 123 W. Jackson Ave. Knoxville, TN. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

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

Every day, Knox County art teachers devote their time and energy to cultivating creativity and critical skills in their students. For more than a decade, Art Source, the exhibition dedicated solely to Knox County art educators, has given these same teachers an opportunity to nourish and showcase their own artistic talents.

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

Wednesdays from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturdays from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
at Market Square, Knoxville, TN 37902

The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more. With interactive fountains, delicious local food, and surrounded by shops and restaurants, the MSFM is a perfect family destination. https://nourishknoxville.org/markets/market-square-farmers-market/

Photography by Daniel Taylor and Paper Mache Mixed Media Sculpture by Mary Saylor. Daniel Taylor is a self-taught artist who enjoys "Street Photography" or casual photos of everyday life. He also likes to shoot black and white photos of jazz artists on stage. Mary Saylor has a love of all animals and creates playful sculptures that are whimsical and humorous in nature.

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

Recent works by photographer Dennis Sabo and potter Larry Gabbard will be on display at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m., May 5, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk, with complimentary refreshments, and music performed by Boogertown Gap.

Dennis Sabo is an internationally honored photographer specializing in contemporary abstract, stunning landscape, and gorgeous seascape photography. His fine art natural world abstracts and landscapes are often sought out by home decor and interior designers and have been included in solo and group art gallery exhibitions, commercial installations and private home collections throughout the United States and internationally.

Larry Gabbard enjoys fast-firing techniques which create a rich variety of textures and colors on bisque clay. He finds the unexpected marks made when clay, heat, and smoke interact to be among the most intriguing and challenging of finishes to perfect and reproduce.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

Stop by to see May's exhibit by Kristy Keel-Blackmon, the artist behind Oak Roots Creative, whose beautiful nature photographs and abstract paintings showcase her attention to detail! http://www.oakrootscreative.com/

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org