Calendar of Events

A reception will take place on Friday, August 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork. Most of the works are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

In the Atrium and North Wall - Dick Wills is an older adult with a broad background and many hobbies. A Chemical Engineer by training, he owns and operates a manufacturing company in West Knoxville. He plays over 20 instruments and is a member of his church music worship program. Wills frequents the gym and hikes as much as possible. Several times each year, he travels to the northwest to search for and excavate dinosaur fossils.

His art is multimedia: he utilizes oil, acrylic, dye, watercolor and more for paper and tissue collages and canvas/other surfaces. “Colors are full of joy and are therapeutic,” says Wills. “They attract the eye and lift the spirit. It is not so much what you see, but how you feel when you see it. Simple color and form can change your attitude and brighten your day in one look.”

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

Honoring the Struggle of the African Elephant

First Friday opening reception: August 4, 2017 from 5:00 until 9:00 PM

“Giants in the Bush” is a collection of multimedia art by three artists joining efforts in support of wildlife conservation in Kenya. Artwork in honor of the African Elephants was exclusively created for this exposition, and attempts to capture the magnitude and glory of these amazing creatures in the wild. Through poetry, sketches, watercolors, oils and photography the artists’ evoke a personal experience with these creatures; and convey the importance of their existence and conservation. Amateur Zambian artist Christie Lindsay, Photographer Nicole Perez and painter Susana Esrequis bring together a vibrant collection depicting these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. Special collaboration by poet Ana Moreno. Proceeds of the collection will benefit the Steve Weru Education Fund Animal Conservation Project in Kenya. For additional information call 865-607-9382.

Hours: M-F 1-4:30 PM. Casa HoLa, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-335-3358, www.holahoralatina.org

Reception: August 4, 5:00-9:00pm

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present "Reprocessed" - an exhibition of art by three Knoxville artists who use found imagery and materials to create their unique pieces. On display will be woven work by Judi Gaston and mixed media pieces by Kelly Hider and Beth Meadows. The event 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

This month's gallery exhibit features the work of Ijams' senior naturalist, Stephen Lyn Bales! A talented artist and designer who has been with Ijams for 19 years, Stephen Lyn also has written books on nature for UT Press including Natural Histories and Ghost Birds. His latest book, Ephemeral by Nature, will be available in the Ijams gift shop in September. All of the pen-and-ink works featured in the gallery were done in conjunction with one of his books, newspaper articles, River Rescue t-shirts or for interpretive signs at Ijams.

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

Recent works by photographer Ron Sullivan and potter Linda Sullivan will be on display. Ron Sullivan says about himself, "My photographic influences include photographer Jerry Uelsmann, whose work I first came across at Columbia College in Chicago. He is a master photographic composite artist whose surrealism developed in the darkroom before there was any such thing as digital manipulation. The objective of all of my images is the same as that for every painter, photographer, sculptor, poet, filmmaker: get the viewer to linger before the image, to wonder exactly what is being presented here. Is that a photograph, a watercolor, a print? In the current series titled Ports of Air, I am using composites of several images to correlate to Wallace Stevens’ poem, Anecdote of the Jar."

Linda Sullivan describes her process this way: " The process for creating crystalline work is challenging in that successful results require several steps to ensure that crystals form. Conditions must be just right – appropriate clay body, fluid glazes with specific chemical ingredients, correct thickness of glaze, and complex firing/cooling kiln cycle. As a result, the failure rate with this technique is greater than in my previous work. Still, experimenting with crystalline glazes has been a nice change of pace, and opening the kiln to see crystal formations on the pieces has been quite satisfying."

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

The Enamelist Society’s mission is to educate and encourage artists and collectors about the beauty of enameled art. Combining heat from a kiln or torch with colored glass, the enamelist engages in a mystical, magical, and transformational alchemy of turning sand into glass on metal. The result is a reflective, vibrant color expressed in each artist’s vision. Viewers are invited to gain inspiration from the exquisite craft and creativity showcased in the works in Alchemy4, the Enamelist Society’s 16th International Juried Exhibition and 12th Juried Student Exhibition. More information about the Enamelist Society can be found at: www.enamelistsociety.org

The Alchemy4 International and Student Exhibitions collectively showcase 150 exquisite jewelry, objects, and mixed media sculptures and installations made by 98 artists. The exhibit is being featured in three venues – after the exhibit closes at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts it will then travel to the Ohio Craft Museum in Columbus, OH, and then to the Metal Museum in Memphis, TN.

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

Flying Anvil Theatre kicks off its first season in its new space in Rocky Hill with THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL, music and lyrics by David Nehls and book by Betsy Kelso. Critics have called the 2005 Off-Broadway smash “South Park meets Desperate Housewives.” A country-rock and blues musical about agoraphobia, adultery, '80s nostalgia, spray cheese, road kill, hysterical pregnancy, a broken electric chair, kleptomania, strippers, flan, and disco, the story centers around regular guy Norbert and his agoraphobic wife, Jeannie, whose marriage is threatened by Armadillo Acres' newcomer, the hot young stripper, Pippi. The trailer park also plays home to a Greek-chorus trio of women – Linoleum, Betty, and Pickles, each dysfunctional in her own right. When Pippi’s angry ex-boyfriend shows up, it looks like bad news for everyone, until a surprising secret leads to a happy ending, when the entire cast sings the rousing anthem, ”I Gotta Make Like a Nail (and Press On).”

Director Jayne Morgan says the show is a real audience pleaser. “We’ve heard from a number of people who have seen the show in other cities and can’t wait to see it again. The show is outrageous and funny and over the top – the perfect summer musical if you’re just looking for a something fun.” Terry Silver Alford will be musical directing and Dana Wham will choreograph. The cast of seasoned performers includes John Cherry, Tiffany Fenech, Mandi Lawson, Emily Helton, Chevy Anz, Curtis Bower and Wham.

Performances are Wed-Sat at 7:30 PM and Sun at 2 PM.

Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com

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

Peppered Paper by Lesley Eaton - Painted paper collage, dinosaurs, crustaceans, flowers, and more. https://www.etsy.com/shop/PepperedPaper
Distinctive Gourds by Marty McConnaughey - https://www.distinctivegourds.com/

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

The Art Gallery at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church (ORUUC) will present an exhibit of the work of Kathy Holland from July through September 8. A gallery opening talk and artist reception will be hosted at the church on Sunday July 16, at 12:30 p.m. The public is invited.

ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge. Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For artists interested in a showing contact Nancy Starr at starroakridge@gmail.com or call 865-483-8684.

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

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