Calendar of Events

A self-taught artist with a background in creative writing and journalism, a passion for advertising, and an unrelenting drive to make. Ryan-Ashley finds herself crafting copy by day, stringing together minimalist-inspired wearables by night, and reading books in hot baths as often as possible.

Ryan-Ashley has been teaching knitting for 14 years, and facilitates workshops on a variety of subjects including peyote-stitch beadwork, bead-making, fiberwork jewelry, intro. to leatherwork, and a host of other DIY-related topics. New to Knoxville, but eager to dig into the maker community, you can learn about any and all upcoming projects, workshops, and shows at http://www.smartandbeckercreative.com/.

Opening reception: 6-9 PM on Friday June 2.

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

The Music Show is an art competition based on the theme of music and what it means to the artist. All different types of interpretations will be represented. Juried by Carl Gombert.

Winners will be awarded cash prizes at the opening on "First" Friday, June, 2 at 6pm. Doors open at 5pm. Light refreshments will be served.

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

Opening reception June 2, 5-9 PM

Holly has been doing illustration for as long as she could hold a pencil. Her focus on the female figure began in high school and became what it is today after completing her degree in Fashion Design at VCU. Most of her work comes from personal thoughts or experience embellished in a playful world of color, texture, linework, detail, and a little of the surreal. Holly draws inspiration from a variety of fashion eras... artists like Friday Kahlo, music, nature... Her love of details is what keeps her creating and constantly challenging herself.

Hours: M-F 11 AM - 4 PM until July 15. Limited schedule through end of August.

Casa HoLa, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org

By Neil Simon; Directed by Windie Wilson

Leon Tolchinsky is ecstatic. He's landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking upside down to get more cream.

The town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for 200 years and Leon's job is to break the curse. No one tells him that if he stays over 24 hours and fails to break the curse, he too becomes Stupid. But, he has fallen in love with a girl so Stupid that she has only recently learned how to sit down.

"The brightest, freshest, funniest, wittiest, warmest and happiest to do on Broadway in many a day."
– CBS-TV

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

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

The 2016-2017 Season concludes just as summer begins to heat up: DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE is the record-breaking live sensation, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance, and sensational dancing. Featuring the hit songs, “Hungry Eyes,” “Hey Baby,” “Do You Love Me?” and the heart-stopping “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” you’ll truly have the time of your life!

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

Over 40 artists from the Southeastern United States will exhibit work in the upcoming Nasty Woman Art Exhibit, opening June 2, 2017, with an opening reception at 6pm. Work will be displayed throughout the Old City at Lox Salon, Basement Community Art Studio, Good Golly Tamale and the Gratitude Bar. This exhibit will serve as a fundraiser for the Knoxville Family Justice Center and Girls Rock Camp of Knoxville. 100% of the profits from the sale of artwork and submission fees will go to these charities that support and empower women.

The opening reception will be held on June 2, 6-11 pm at the Basement Community Arts Studio and Lox Salon, located at 103 West Jackson Avenue. Additional venues in the Old City will be participating as well, accepting donations for the fundraiser. The Basement Community Arts Studio will be hosting a Self Empowerment Collage Workshop in conjunction with the exhibition.

The Family Justice Center serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, providing them and their children with access to local services in the Knoxville area. The Girls Rock Camp of Knoxville works with girls ages 9-17 to guide the next generation of women in creative expression and collaboration through music. They help to empower young women to work together to solve problems, communicate their unique ideas and viewpoints, and overcome the unique social challenges they face.

The idea of the Nasty Women Art Exhibit was borne from a group of NYC artists who wanted to show solidarity for women's rights. The Knoxville exhibit is one of many national exhibitions organized to demonstrate solidarity among female artists and allies who identify with being a Nasty Woman in the face of threats to roll back women’s rights, individual rights, women's healthcare rights, immigration rights, racial and environmental justice. It also serves as a fundraiser to support organizations defending these rights. The first exhibit was at a warehouse in Brooklyn in January 2017 and served as a fundraiser for women's health, raising over $43,000 for the cause. Since then Nasty Women exhibits have spread throughout the globe. https://nastywomenart-knox.wixsite.com/exhibit

The Basement Community Art Studio, 105 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-333-5262, http://www.thebasementartstudio.com

Opening June 2, 6:00-9:00 PM with additional hours on June 3, 2-5pm and June 4, 2-4pm.

Porter3 is an exhibit displaying the work of John, Barbara, and Elizabeth Porter. Jack has been making wooden sculptures for 40+ years and recently created a series of dulcimers and modified banjos. He typically takes inspiration from nature and often incorporates found objects, such as shells and salvaged metal, into his pieces. Barbara works in a variety of media but specializes in illustration, works on paper, and weaving. She has experience with everything from paper-making to soft sculpture and enjoys working with school children to create large-scale installation pieces. She has contributed anatomical illustrations to a number of academic textbooks. Elizabeth obtained a B.F.A. in mixed media from the University of North Carolina – Asheville and primarily works in illustration, painting, collage, and assemblage. Her most recent series of work consists of paintings on three-dimensional canvases.

A1LabArts @ the Center for Creative Minds, 23 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917. www.a1labarts.com/event/gallery-reserved-elizabeth-porter/

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present the 2017 OUTSpoken Revue, a theatrical performance featuring the work of local and national LGBTQ+ writers.

Performances will be Friday, June 2nd and Saturday, June 3rd at 7pm at the Lab Theatre on the University of Tennessee's campus. Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 for the general public or $5 for students. You can also reserve a free ticket here: https://squareup.com/store/sundress-publications/item/outspoken-tickets. All proceeds from the event go to support LGBTQ+ writers.

OUTSpoken is a fourth-year program whose goal is to create a platform for the LGBTQ+ community of Knoxville, Tennessee, and surrounding areas to record and perform the experiences of sex- and gender-diverse individuals in the South. Through a series of workshops culminating in a staged reading, OUTSpoken hopes to foster a dialogue between the LGBTQ+ community and others.

This year's performance features pieces composed by local writers including Zoe Estelle Hitzel, Jennie Frost, Made Mansouri, Brynn Martin, Mark Ellis, and as well as the winners of our national OUTSpoken contest. It is our sincerest hope that this project will illuminate the struggles of Southern LGBTQ+ persons and celebrate sex and gender diversity in East Tennessee and beyond.

Parking is available in the lot next to the Clarence Brown Theatre, and the Lab is located on the right side of the Clarence Brown Main Stage.

Find out more at www.sundresspublications.com/outspoken.
Sundress Academy for the Arts: 195 Tobby Hollow Ln, Knoxville, TN 37931, 865-560-6106, www.sundresspublications.com/safta

Reception: September 1 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Stone, Mesh and Metal features prints by faculty from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville School of Art in the school’s nationally ranked printmaking program. Beauvais Lyons, Althea Murphy-Price and Koichi Yamamoto are pursuing their art using a variety of printmaking methods including lithography, screenprint and intaglio, reflecting the materials and processes of their chosen media. This exhibition offers a sampling of some of their recent investigations.

Blackberry Farm Gallery (Maryville College), Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Asafe Pereira

Amity serves as a visual love letter to the friends who allow themselves to be vulnerable with me. Every form has a unique characteristics, making them alluring. My longing to create and photograph comes from the desire to know those I love in a deeper way. The vulnerability they share, I reward with anonymity. The familiarity and comfort we indulge in ignites an excitement in me which pushes me to create.

Old City Java / 109 S. Central St., Knoxville

Stop by to see both of our exhibits this month by Brandy Slaybaugh and Miah Weaver. Brandy's delicate ink and watercolor pieces and Miah's whimsical collages will captivate you!

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

During the American Gilded Age, which offered unprecedented access to consumer goods, what one owned or had the ability to buy became an important way to assert one’s identity.

The American Gilded Age (1870–1900) was a time of rapid modernization and great expansion of the country’s middle class. Though there was also vast income disparity, most Americans experienced an increase in overall quality of life.

Mass manufacturing permitted most people to buy a wealth of new goods, and the growth of trade and travel meant that Americans had new access to, and interest in, goods from around the world. Suddenly, even the middle class could emulate the wealthy, and identity was bound more than ever to what one owned.

From fish forks and fashionable dress, to furniture and fine china, this exhibition explores the seemingly superficial personal and household objects consumed during this era and how they were visible and powerful symbols of wealth, power, and social class. They speak not only to the great change changes occurring in America at the time, but to our continuing preoccupation today with the objects we choose to buy, wear, and display.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu