Calendar of Events

Flying Anvil Theatre gets Shipwrecked! Following the smash success of The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Flying Anvil Theatre’s second production in their new space is Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself) by Donald Margulies.

An amazing tale of bravery, survival and celebrity that left nineteenth-century England spellbound, this breathless story of a Victorian gentleman and seafaring wanderer springs to life like a theatrical pop-up book. The show features all the magic of a high seas adventure, populated by exotic islanders, flying wombats, giant sea turtles and a monstrous man-eating octopus. The audience is left to judge whether de Rougemont is an inspirational figure touched by genius or a mere con man. Audiences can also consider the possibility that the hero of this (possibly) true story is a little of each. This fast-paced, rollicking show examines how far we're willing to blur the line between fact and fiction to leave our mark on the world.

Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself) opens Friday, September 1 and runs for four weeks. Pre-opening previews are Wednesday, August 30 (Pay What You Can Night) and Thursday, August 31. The show is recommended for adults and children over the age of eight.

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

By: Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

“Absurdly entertaining!” Entertainment Weekly

In this multiple Tony Award-winning play with music, a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable roles take to the high seas to answer the century-old question: How did Peter Pan become The Boy Who Never Grew Up? This magical evening of madcap fun is suitable for younger audiences but most enjoyable for ages 10 and up.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Local artist Carl Gombert is the featured artist of an upcoming free art exhibit at Pellissippi State Community College. Gombert will exhibit hand-stamped works that explore the complexity and pattern of dark and light, and positive and negative space, within the context of radial structures, mandalas and other patterns.

Explore the free exhibit in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery, 10915 Hardin Valley Road. Gallery hours are 10 a.m-6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

A reception to meet the artist is from 3-5 p.m., August 28.

The Gombert exhibit is part of The Arts at Pellissippi State, an annual arts series that includes music and theatre performances, cultural celebrations, lectures and fine arts exhibits. For more information about The Arts at Pellissippi State, visit www.pstcc.edu/arts.

Part of the 2017-18 "Best of Theatre Knoxville Downtown" Season!

By Yasmina Rena. The Tony Award-winning comedy of grown ups behaving badly.

God of Carnage begins as two highly strung couples, Alan and Annette Raleigh and Michael and Veronica Novak, meet for a civil discussion about a playground fight between their sons. The conversation quickly morphs into a laugh-out-loud, train wreck of an afternoon among savages, called "ninety minutes of sustained mayhem" by The New Yorker. The New York Times hailed God of Carnage as a "four-way prize fight" and the Chicago Tribune praised Reza's play, calling it a "savvy and deliciously caustic new comedy."

This must-see received the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, as well as the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards for Best Play.

"Elegant, acerbic and entertainingly fueled on pure bile. It's Reza's sharpest work since 'Art'."
—Variety

This production contains strong language.

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

In the GEOFFREY A. WOLPERT GALLERY

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

Opening reception on Fri Sep 15 to announce calendar winners, 6:30-8:00 PM. Free and open to the public.

Featuring FCAC members. Also showing: Judy Brater’s FCAC clay students’ latest works.

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

The live stage play will be performed:
Fri., Aug. 18 at 7 PM, Sat., Aug. 19 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Aug. 19 at 3 PM
Thurs., Aug. 24 at 7 PM, Fri., Aug. 25 at 7 PM, Sat., Aug. 26 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Aug. 19 at 3 PM, Thurs., Aug. 31 at 7 PM, Fri., Sept. 1 at 7 PM, Sat., Sept. 2 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Sept. 3 at 3 PM.

The prospects of the five unmarried Bennet sisters are looking up when Mr. Bingley, a wealthy young bachelor moves into the neighborhood. Young Jane Bennet catches his eye, but her sister Elizabeth clashes with his best friend, Mr. Darcy. Both sisters will have to dodge a wife-hunting Reverend, a soldier with elopement and revenge on his mind, and a Lady who disapproves of them all. Jane Austen’s timeless novel is a delightful coming-of-age comedy for all generations.

The play is performed by 18 talented young actors, from ages 12 to 18. Charlotte Stark plays the unconventional Elizabeth Bennet, and Noah Seaman plays her sparring partner, Mr. Darcy.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Drawn from the extensive collection of the Reading Public Museum, this vibrant exhibition examines the key role played by artists’ colonies in the development of American Impressionism. It features more than 50 paintings and works on paper by Frank W. Benson, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Ernest Lawson, William Paxton, Robert Reid, Chauncey Ryder, John Twachtman, Julian Alden Weir, and many others.

Many of the nationally prominent artists represented in this exhibition have ties to East Tennessee and the KMA’s ongoing display Higher Ground: A Century of the Visual Arts in East Tennessee. More than a dozen participated in large art exhibitions held in conjunction with Knoxville’s 1910 and 1911 Appalachian Expositions, and the 1913 National Conservation Exposition. Their paintings appeared alongside those of several East Tennessee artists represented in Higher Ground, such as Catherine Wiley, Lloyd Branson, Adelia Lutz, Charles Krutch, and Hugh Tyler, to name a few. These sprawling and ambitious exhibitions were designed with the goal of bringing the “best contemporary art in America” to people of the region. The displays highlighted art currents of the day, and allowed East Tennessee artists to demonstrate their proficiency in a national context.

Among other ties, John F. Carlson served as a juror for the 1913 Expo art exhibition along with Knoxville impressionist painter Catherine Wiley. Robert Reid was one of Wiley’s art instructors during her studies in New York, and Mary Cassatt’s intimate domestic scenes inspired Wiley’s career-long interest in depicting women and children. As a result of these and other connections, this exhibition offers a broader national lens through which viewers can assess the work of Wiley, Branson, Lutz, Krutch, Tyler and other Higher Ground artists who also experimented with Impressionism.

Organized by the Reading Public Museum, Pennsylvania. The museum is holding an opening reception Thursday, August 10 from 5:30 to 7:30pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will be exhibiting recent artwork from its members at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The museum and show are free and open to the public.

The public is invited to attend the Knoxville Watercolor Society's opening reception at the Knoxville Museum of Art on Sunday, August 20th, from 2 pm. until 4 pm. Meet the artists and enjoy complementary refreshments.

The Knoxville Watercolor Society is an active, juried membership group of regional artists. Additional information on membership is available online at www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Stories in Stitches: Quilts from the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Permanent Collection

East Tennessee families treasure quilts made by their ancestors. Besides warming and decorating the bed, quilts also serve as reminders of important events—births, weddings, service to our country, the death of loved ones. Often, these memories are preserved in notes attached to the quilts or through stories handed down to younger generations. Sometimes notes are lost and memories fade, leaving families with a "mystery quilt." Did Grandma Jones or Granny Smith make this quilt? Or, was it Aunt Jane? When did she make it? Why did she choose this pattern? What caused this stain or that tear? These are some of the mysteries that quilt historians try to address through genealogical research and technical analysis.

From histories handed down to mysteries that remain, the new feature exhibition at the Museum of East Tennessee History provides visitors the opportunity to learn the "stories in stitches" from the quilts that have been entrusted to the East Tennessee Historical Society. Stories in Stitches features more than two dozen quilts with dates ranging from c. 1820 to 2001. The exhibition will be on display in the Rogers-Claussen Feature Gallery of the East Tennessee History Center from August 7, 2017 - January 2, 2018. Stories in Stitches is dedicated to Linda Claussen and Ginny Rogers for their years of service and support of the East Tennessee Historical Society’s quilt collection.

When the East Tennessee Historical Society was founded in 1834, early collection efforts focused on books and manuscripts. In more recent decades, objects began to be added, and the idea of displaying them in a museum grew. The ETHS Permanent Collection acquired its first quilt in 1992, one year before the Museum of East Tennessee History opened on the first floor of the renovated Customs House. Now a part of the expanded East Tennessee History Center, the museum and its collection includes more than 100 quilts. The ETHS Permanent Collection focuses on quilts made or used in one of East Tennessee’s 35 counties. An acquisitions committee reviews potential additions, evaluating the quilt’s history, condition, and importance to the collection as a whole. Some quilts are displayed in the museum’s signature exhibition, Voices of the Land: The People of East Tennessee. Others are cared for in climate-controlled storage and are brought out for special events or exhibitions like this one. The exhibition highlights more than two dozen quilts in a variety of fabrics, and patterns, and highlights some of the families who have made and cherished them. Patterns include everything from Rose of Sharon and “Knoxville Crazy Quilt” to a Civil War memory quilt and one pieced together out of clothing labels. The quilters range from John Sevier’s wife Bonny Kate to the Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

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

Featuring works by outstanding Polish/American artist Marek Ranis, Art Professor from the Deptartment of Art and Art History at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. www.marekranis.com

Come celebrate Polish Constitution Day and reflect on our Polish American friendship!

Opening reception on May 5, 5:00-7:00 PM. This event is the part of our celebration of Polish Constitution Day!

Pienkow Gallery, Center for Polish Culture, 7417 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919.
Info: (865) 584-4116. Viewing hours are M-F 9-5.