Calendar of Events

Doors open at 11:30 AM. This is a free event.

Enjoy Mighty Wurlitzer organ performances by Dr. Bill Snyder and Freddie Brabson and special guest, Dor L’ Dor. Dor L’ Dor is a multi-generational klezmer band based in Knoxville. While deeply rooted in the klezmer tradition, Dor L’ Dor branches into other traditions as well. Brown bag lunches consisting of a sandwich, chips, and a dessert may be purchased in the lobby for $5.00 while supplies last. Soft drinks, bottled water, popcorn, and candy will also be available for purchase. Mighty Musical Monday is presented by LHP Capital, LLC.

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

Join the offices of Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett in a new community-wide volunteer initiative, Give a Day Knoxville. Everyone in the community - from local businesses to city and county residents - is encouraged to give back during this week-long event from September 2 to September 8, 2017. Whether you give by volunteering, donating to local nonprofits, or even sharing a simple act of kindness, everyone can do something to give back this fall! https://www.volunteeretn.org/GiveADay

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites you to attend our latest exhibit entitled Of the Earth: Selections from Arrowmont’s Permanent Collection.” The exhibit opens in the Sandra J. Blain Gallery September 1 and will run through December 9. Admission is free.

Works included in Of the Earth reflect a range of themes including nature, human emotion and the passage of time. Some of the pieces display overcoming struggle while others focus on hope. The earth tones and scorched surfaces found in many of the wood and ceramic pieces tie the show together. Arrowmont’s permanent collection is made up of pieces that were made by current and past artists-in-residence, instructors, national and international artists - all of the pieces and their creators have ties to Arrowmont and are part of the school’s history. This is the second large-scale curated exhibition utilizing works from Arrowmont’s permanent collection that Kelly Hider, Arrowmont’s Gallery Manager, has created, the first being Pieces of the Whole, in 2015.

The permanent collection includes nearly 1,000 works in a variety of arts and crafts media, including fiber, ceramics, wood, metals, and mixed media work. Made by the hands of current and past Arrowmont instructors, individuals from the settlement school’s days, and past artists-in- residence, the works represent the arts and craft school’s history, present, and future. “Arrowmont’s permanent collection encompasses such a diverse range of work,” Hider said. “It’s an impressive collection.”

The Sandra J. Blain Gallery is located at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway in Gatlinburg, and is open Monday-Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. It is closed on Sunday. The gallery serves as an educational resource, enabling students and visitors to learn about various media and techniques.

Paintings by Lee Edge and mixed media by Angela Shilling Westminister Presbyterian Church/Schilling Gallery

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

Hosted by With Bear Hands and Magpies Bakery. Please join us for a First Friday Opening Reception with Knoxville-based artist and sign painter Bud Ries. Snacks and drinks will be served, artwork and prints by Ries and Beth Meadows will be for sale, and the artists will be present for questions or comments. White Oak Gallery is located inside Magpies Bakery and is open to the public during their regular business hours. It is managed by local artist Beth Meadows whose work is on display there throughout the year and features a new artist every two months.

About Bud Ries and his work: "I am a local sign painter who has lived and worked in Knoxville since 2011. When I first moved to town I began documenting the ever-changing local scenery of signs and hand lettering on my website KnoxFlair.blogspot.com (now on Instagram @KnoxFlair). These paintings are of particular favorite photos I've posted in the past."

White Oak Gallery, 846 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: M 10-4, Tu-F 10-5:30, Sat 10-4. Information: http://withbearhands.com/gallery/

Featuring abstracts by Marty Elmer
South Knoxville Library, 4500 Chapman Highway, Knoxville, TN 37920. (865) 573-1772

Hosted by Rala: Regional and Local Artisans

Join us for the opening of "Black Velvet," a print series by Jarred Elrod. Opening night will be held on First Friday of September, so come see the show and rub elbows with the artist! September 1, 6-9 PM

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

A reception will take place on Friday, September 1, 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 lower gallery - Linde Mills works with various materials and primarily acrylic on canvas. “Many of us take great pleasure in watching people in motion; from sports to dance, the ease with which some can make the power in their bodies explode into motion is captivating,” says Mills. Her subject matter almost always involves this type of activity, typically in a dance fashion or involving water. “Capturing movement, life and a peacefulness behind the power generated by long-term hard work is what I strive for in each painting." For more information, please visit www.lindeluwho.com.

Mary Smith was born and raised in the Rochester, NY area. She lived in Pittsburgh, PA for ten years before moving to Knoxville in 1990. Smith began painting in 2015 as a form of therapy after the loss of her husband. She developed a passion for abstract painting and the freedom of expression it offers. Each piece she paints brings comfort. Her acrylic paintings are often spontaneous and the result of “wherever the brush takes her hand”. Painting and talking with others about her work provides Smith pleasure, joy and solace. “When people enjoy a painting with their smile or comment, I find it very rewarding,” she says.

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, September 1, 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 Balcony gallery - David Gildersleeve began his long and illustrious art career while growing up in Texas. His earliest work was displayed on his bedroom wall where he started to master the popular but challenging medium of crayons. He then moved to his first big exhibit where he was a featured artist on the family refrigerator. Gildersleeve’s professional art career began as a comic book artist, working for such companies as Vendetta, Gothic, and Calibre. During this time, he illustrated a variety of magazines from Playboy to The Crescent Review as well as developed logos and advertising campaigns for Solunet, Integrated Digital Networks, and Microsoft. He has written and illustrated several children’s books, contributed a speech to TED Talks, and taught at The Corcoran School of Art and at The Savannah College of Art and Design.

Gildersleeve paints subjects that invade his subconscious, using a wonky style to help bring these images to life. Using textures and a selective palette, he creates an unmistakable style in his work that most people refer to as “whimsical”. He displays his art in several galleries up and down the East coast and takes part in several shows a year that focus on his original paintings. In addition to his successful and creative projects, he enjoys spending as much time as he can with his wife and two sons, working on classic muscle cars, and writing autobiographies. For more information, please visit www.gsleeve.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. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

A reception will take place on Friday, September 1, 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 display case - As a figurative artist, Annamaria Gundlach is fascinated by the female form and its impact on art and religion throughout history. Nature is her inspiration, and her figures reflect sensuality, strength and connection to the earth.

“Each of my clay sculptures has its own voice which speaks as I create it,” says Gundlach. “I strive to create organic figures that exude natural elegance. I burnish and pit-fire my work so the smoke ages and mutes the colors with a patina that has a haunting suggestion of lost and forgotten eras. I refer to my work as ‘modern artifacts’. This oxymoron reflects my contradictory intent of modern elegance achieved with primitive methods and various surface enrichments that connect the past to the present.” For more information, please visit http://artdeannamaria.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. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

A reception will take place on Friday, September 1, 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.

On the North Wall - J. Brooks Brann has been an avid photographer for 40 years concentrating on landscapes and wildlife images. He is a native of Knoxville with a BS in Industrial Engineering and a MS in Mathematics from the University of Tennessee. Brann spent 34 years in Seattle where he worked for Boeing as a Senior Engineer. During that time, he explored many of the national parks, national monuments and Western wildlife refuges. From 1988 – 2010, he conducted more than 20 solo long distance river trips in Northern British Columbia and the Canadian Northwest Territories. After retiring in 1999, Brann divided his time between New Zealand and a cabin in the Northwest Territories where he pursued his interest in photography and trout fishing. In 2012, he moved back to Knoxville where he continues to concentrate on photography.

“A lot of research and planning goes into a trip, and typically several places are selected to visit,” says Brann. “If everything works out then I will return multiple times. Some of my favorite places for photography include Malheur Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, the coastal areas of Olympic National Park, the Yukon’s Dempster highway above the Arctic Circle (in Canada), the lava flows and coastal regions of the Island of Hawaii, and the Appalachians of East Tennessee.”

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, September 1, 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 - Anthony M. Donaldson is a local painter who lives in Knoxville and is a KAT bus driver. He studied art heavily in high school and continued taking some classes in college. As a writer expresses in a book, an artist expresses in art. “I ask myself: does art imitate life or does life imitate art?” says Donaldson. “I think sometimes it's both. For me, God is the master artist, and He created everything. I find drawing easy, yet creativity requires deep thinking and studying.”

Donaldson aims to tell a story with his art, and the recent work he will display features many subjects such as climate change, human trafficking, Harlem Renaissance culture, and more.

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.