Calendar of Events

Five friends secretly convene in the middle of the night to act out the tragic tale of Julius Caesar. They soon become swept away as their own prejudices and personal vendettas begin to parallel the lives of the characters in distant Rome. Alliances and rivalries are turned upside down when the fun of play-acting takes a serious turn as Shakespeare’s poignant drama begins to hit home. Five actors with no set, no costume changes, and only candlelight bring the essence of this classic play vividly alive with the sheer theatricality of this all too timely story.

This is a site-specific production. Performances take place on UT campus, but exact locations are secret and change nightly. You will be given more in depth instructions including arrival time and audience meeting location via email 48 hours prior to your selected performance.

Performances are 90 minutes with no intermission and are staged in the round. If you need to leave during the performance, you will not be able to return to your seat. You will be assisted in finding alternate seating locations in order to ensure the enjoyment and safety of all patrons with minimal disruption to the performance.

Please arrive at the audience meeting location 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. There will be no late seating for this production. We will leave the audience meeting location at the scheduled start time and move to the secret performance site; if you arrive late, you will be left.

Info: https://nowisthetimeofnight.com/
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/julius-caesar-tickets-35546116391

Once again Tomato Head walls shimmer with the many-hued and luminous paintings of Jessica Payne. One of our favorite local artists, Jessica’s work fills the space with vivid color and imagery that excites the eyes and provokes conversation. One of her favorite memories is when, “I was eating at the downtown Tomato Head during one of my exhibits a few years ago, and I saw a family in the middle of the room looking around and discussing my paintings. At one point a little girl, maybe 8 or 9 years old, went up to look closer and immediately turned around and with a frown said, ‘Mommy it’s already sold.’”

Jessica grew up in Knoxville as the youngest of six in a long line of artists, and drawing and painting were hobbies that she came by naturally – both her father and grandmother spent their free time putting color on canvas. But while she took art classes and thought at times that her career might veer toward the arts, it was only after she took a degree in Social Work and Women’s studies and started a path to law school that she felt a tug to a more creative vocation. It was in the week of her 25th birthday while she sat outdoors when she committed to a different way of life: “I spent my birthday weekend sitting and observing so many beautiful things that had been around me for a long time. I felt an intuitive pull to change my life in a drastic way.” Promptly thereafter, Jessica joined Americorps where her urge to create found expression in the earth as she worked to help establish Beardsley Farm; later the same urge would lead her to study cooking, until finally through a variety of online courses and her own drive, she found both an approach and technique for painting that helped unlock her artistic life.

She says: “A huge thing I learned from artist Flora Bowley, after taking her online course Brave Intuitive Painting, is to keep painting until something works.” This approach helps keep Jesssica’s creative energy in flow, and it works in conjunction with her technique of layering. Jessica’s technique results in vibrant and multi-faceted imagery that contains the genuine chaos of natural creativity that, she says, eventually evolves into order. One of the most fun aspects of Jessica’s art is that her paintings often shine. The color, the variety of imagery, not to mention the playful use of glitter and mica, give our featured artist’s work a liveliness that almost leaps from the walls in a joyful celebration of the beauty that surrounds us and lives inside us, too. Don’t let it pass you by.

On view at the downtown Knoxville Tomato Head on Market Square through August 3rd.

Tomato Head, 12 Market Square (865-637-4067) and 7240 Kingston Pike, Suite 172 (865-584-1075), in Knoxville. http://thetomatohead.com

Opening reception on Fri Jul 14, 6:30-8:00 PM. Free and open to the public. Judged by Dr. Chad Airhart, Carson Newman.

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

Knoxville Children’s Theatre, in partnership with The Ritchie Company, will present the Young Performers’ Edition of “The Wizard of Oz,” based on the classic book by L. Frank Baum and the classic motion picture owned by Turner Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.

The live stage play will be performed July 14 - 30, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM.

This musical play contains all the favorite songs and scenes from the famous film, with the timeless characters of the book: Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, the Wicked Witch of the West and more. The score by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg contains some of the most iconic songs of the theatre: “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “Follow The Yellow-Brick Road,” and We’re Off To See The Wizard.”

The play is performed by 29 talented young actors, from ages 8 to 17. Isabelle Hannah plays Dorothy, and Kennis Van Dyke plays her nemesis, The Witch. Ethan Turbyfill, Keegan Spurr, and Andrew Fetterolf play the Scarecrow. Tin Man, and Lion, respectively.

Dennis E. Perkins directs the production. The musical director is Paul Jones. Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Showtimes
Fri Jul 14, 2017 | 8:00PM
Sat Jul 15, 2017 | 8:00PM
Thu Jul 20, 2017 | 8:00PM
Fri Jul 21, 2017 | 8:00PM
Sat Jul 22, 2017 | 8:00PM
Sun Jul 23, 2017 | 2:00PM
Fri Jul 28, 2017 | 8:00PM
Sat Jul 29, 2017 | 8:00PM
Sun Jul 30, 2017 | 2:00PM

Strike the band up and pull the stops out! Hallelujah, it’s Mame! Celebrate the kick-off of the Playhouse’s 75th Anniversary with one of Broadway’s biggest, brassiest musicals. It’s the height of the Roaring 20’s and the indomitable Auntie Mame becomes the guardian for her ten-year-old nephew, Patrick. While her life is turned up-side-down and many of her priorities change, Mame stays true to her mantra “Life is a banquet!,” and takes on the establishment with style and panache, living life to the fullest while opening new windows to the eyes of her young charge.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

Shakespeare on the Square annually features two of the magnificent plays of Williams Shakespeare, comedies, tragedies and histories, rotated nightly outdoors on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. From mid-July to mid-August a blanket or a camp chair is all you need to view these performances. Or treat yourself to reserved VIP seating for just $15 per person, including a complimentary bottle of water and local merchant goodie bag. While we perform with no admission charge for general seating, we do appreciate your donations – we’ll pass a basket nightly and suggest a $10 donation per person. We also accept cash or credit cards at the “front of house” table.

2017 Schedule
July 13 – August 13, Thursday to Sunday, 7:00 PM nightly

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged)
July 13, 15, 21, 23, 27, 29, and August 4, 6, 10, & 12

Two Gentlemen of Verona
July 14, 16, 20, 22, 28, 30, and August 3, 5, 11, & 13

Special performance at Blount County Library in Maryville on July 31!

Indoor Matinee Performances
July 23: Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged)
August 6: Two Gentlemen of Verona
Our indoor matinees take place in the luxuriously air conditioned and well appointed Scruffy City Hall at 32 Market Square. Both shows begin at 2:00 p.m. and admission is $15.00 at the door.

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

Exhibiting works by new Artists-in-Residence – Xia Zhang, Paige Ward, Elyse Krista-Mische, Emily Culver, and Max Adrian. The Artists-in-Residence Program provides early career, self-directed artists time, space and support to experiment and develop a new body of work in a creative community environment. Each year, five artists of different media are selected for the eleven-month program, which begins mid-June and continues through late May of the following year. Participants receive exhibition opportunities, teaching experience, professional development and a private studio. Showcasing work in a range of media including ceramics, fiber, mixed media, drawing, and installation, the exhibit introduces work by Arrowmont’s five Artists-in-Residence as they begin their 11-month residency. The exhibit is on view in the Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery.

+ Xia Zhang is a multi-media artist creating work centered on the vessel. She received her MFA from West Virginia University in 2015 and her BA from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Xia works with ceramics, sculpture, photo, video and performance to examine colonialism, femininity, and memory. www.xiayzhang.com
+ Paige Ward is a ceramic and sculpture artist. She recently received her MFA from The University of Florida in Gainesville in 2017 and her BA from Union University in Jackson, TN. Utilizing sculptural media, Paige is inspired by philosophy, personal narrative, religion, and faith as she questions concepts of security. www.paigeward.com
+ Elyse Krista-Mische received her BA from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI with an emphasis in printmaking, drawing, and ceramics. Her work lives between make believe and reality and investigates time, wealth, memory and consciousness. She translates two-dimensional drawings and tapestries into three-dimensional performance pieces. www.lifepropaganda.com
+ Emily Culver is a multimedia jeweler. She recently received her MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2017 and her BFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in 2012. Ranging from body-sized sculptures to hand-held objects, Emily’s work examines the relationship between object and body. www.emily-culver.com
+ Max Adrian is a fiber artist creating three-dimensional sculptural forms. He graduated with his BFA in Fiber and Creative Writing from the Kansas City Art Institute. Using sculptural quilting, Max creates objects centered around nightlife, identity, performance, and storytelling. http://www.maxadrian.com/

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

The public is invited to an Art Opening and Reception featuring photographs by Knoxville photographer Emily Brewer. The event will be held on First Friday, July 7 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at the newly named White Oak Gallery located inside Magpies Bakery at 846 North Central Street. The event is free, artwork and prints will be for sale, and refreshments will be served.

Knoxville Based photographer Emily Brewer practices portraiture and printmaking as a way to relate to her surroundings and relationships. Her film photographs will be on display through August 29 and will include platinum prints, silver gelatin prints, optical color prints, and Polaroid emulsion transfers. All work is for sale.

White Oak Gallery, located inside Magpies Bakery, is generously made available by owner Peg Hambright and managed by Knoxville artist Beth Meadows of With Bear Hands. Meadows' artwork is always on display, and a different Knoxville artist is featured every other month. The public is invited to visit the gallery any time during Magpies' business hours and to consider buying artwork and/or cupcakes while there.

MON. 10-4, TUES.-FRI. 10-5:30, SAT. 10-4 | SUN. CLOSED
For more information, visit withbearhands.com/gallery or contact beth@bethmeadows.com.

First Friday reception from 6-9 PM

Harry Underwood is a self taught painter living in Nashville Tennessee. He began painting pictures fifteen years ago while working as a flooring installer in Nashville. He was born during 1969 in Miami Florida, and raised in the rural "Redlands" farming area near Homestead. His father was a Carpenter and his mother worked at a Supermarket. He has one sister. With his family he attended the Church of God pentecostal church until 1982. As a teenager he cleaned swimming pools at many of the Motels in the area and bussed tables at the Capri Italian Restaurant in Florida City. Uprooted by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 he lived in New Orleans and Austin, eventually settling in Nashville where he worked in the construction industry until 2005. His artwork has been shown by galleries in United States, France and England. http://artbyharry.weebly.com/

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

Broadway Studios And Gallery present three artists for their July Exhibit entitled Trois Extraordinaires. Lennie Robertson (Knoxville), photographs man made objects and natural curiosities while practicing mindfulness; Mallory Bertrand (Knoxville) will showcase a part of her series entitled "I am...". Her portraits capture the personal struggles which the subjects normally keep hidden from society; and Natalie Ricker (Knoxville) is presenting work made from a rekindling of her love of art. She paints moody, impressionistic landscapes.

Opening reception is held on "First" Friday, July 7th from 5pm-9pm. Parking is on premises.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Thurs-Sat, 10-6. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

Stop by to see July's photography exhibit by Douglas Hubbard of Hubbard Photography Services. Capturing everything from portraits to architectural and nature shots, his work is as varied as it is beautiful!

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

A new art show featuring three black female artists - Jen Simon, Gwen Johnson, and Hawa Johnson. Mythology, Africa and the everyday family and culture are the themes within the exhibit. The show is up through the month of July.

4614 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37914. Phone: (865) 525-5431 or www.knoxlib.org