Calendar of Events

Free and open to the public
Opening reception October 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.

Gallery hours: 10 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Thursday and 10 AM – 1 PM, Sunday
Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Genie Even’s paintings are contemporary realism and include florals, trees, people, animals, and still life. She is drawn to color, the play of sunlight, and reflections. She uses a camera to create reference photos, composing as she shoots. The computer is only for cropping. She enjoys sketching as she develops a composition, stressing or eliminating lines or areas. Even is a graduate of Scripps College in Claremont, California. As an art major, she was privileged to study with an outstanding art faculty. For twenty-five years, transparent watercolor has been her preferred medium. Her watercolor education has been supplemented by quality workshops with nationally known watercolor artists. Her work has been accepted in many national exhibitions. She holds signature memberships in the California Watercolor Association, Watercolor West, the Texas Watercolor Society, and the Tennessee Watercolor Society.

Art is the first passion Terri Swaggerty recalls; it has always been an integral part of her essence and her path. Her painting explores different techniques and subjects. She paints subjects that pique her interest and especially the ones that take her breath away. These subjects are eclectic: nature, older and often kitschy objects, and body language and the energy between people. As she paints, she savor the colors, the composition, and applying the paint to the canvas. Swaggerty is a professional, award-winning photographer and photo re-toucher. Her work has been shown at TVUUC and Tomato Head Restaurant. She has also participated in Artemis Galley in Apalachicola, Florida and in the 2016 Plein Aire Show at Knoxville’s Emporium. She was a sidewalk portrait artist at the 1982 World’s Fair.

Are you creating a jaw dropping costume this year? Enter the Ghoulishly Goodwill Costume contest and show off your ultimate Halloween costume! Submit your entry by 8am Friday, November 3rd and win tickets to the Knoxville Zoo. Enter the contest by doing one of the following:
• Post to the Goodwill Industries-Knoxville, Inc. Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gwiktn or
• Post the picture on Twitter and tag @GWIKTN or
• Post the picture on Instagram and tag @goodwillknoxville or
• E-mail the image to marketingteam@gwiktn.org.

Don’t forget to include a picture, description and which parts came from Goodwill. Check out www.goodwillknoxville.org/halloween for more information on the contest!

At the Laurel Theater, Tuesdays 7:00-7:30PM, October 10, 17, 24, 31, November 7, 14. Each week focuses on a different Bulgarian folk dance. Detailed information: megmabbs@bellsouth.net.

1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

The Opening Reception for “Fall in Love with Art,” a judged art show at the Plateau Creative Arts Center in Fairfield Glade, will be on Friday, October 6, from 5-7 p.m. The public is invited to attend and enjoy wine or non-alcoholic beverages and hors d’oeuvres. This is a chance to view the show and to mingle with the artists. The show is sponsored by the Cumberland County Bank, a division of Putnam County Bank, who will be awarding the cash prizes.

The judge for the show is artist Jesse Kaufman, a resident of Cookeville with a fifty-year background in both commercial and fine art. He has extensive experience in graphic design, photography and presented a 60-plus show of his fine art at the Cookeville Art Society in January. Kaufman also reaches art and design at Peachtree Learning Center in Cookeville, TN.

Kaufman’s criteria for judging include subject matter, design and composition, knowledge and skill with choice of materials, and execution and quality of appearance. He will present his choices for first, second, and third place, for honorable mention, and best of show. Awards will be given in four categories: works under glass, works not under glass, photography, and jewelry and 3-dimensional art.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-Sa 9-4. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

Read and discuss Emily St. John Mandel's bestselling novel Station Eleven with the entire community

When a community reads a book together, neighbors are inspired to be more empathetic, more aware, and more engaged. We are pleased to partner with more than 20 community agenices to share Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel with you. Join us for dozens of programs that explore Station Eleven and its themes.

Take the Station Eleven creative response challenge. Read the book, imagine you were there, and respond with a creation of your own—be it a poem, a painting or a video. You could win a prize, but you're guaranteed the satisfaction of trying.

Most events are free and open to the public, but a few require reservations (link is external). http://www.knoxlib.org/calendar-programs/programs-and-partnerships/big-read-2017

The work of Asheville artist, Kathryn Gunn is a vibrant collection of color, light and reflection that comes from an intuitive place where music and mindfulness mingle with canvas, acrylic, and curiosity. Gunn only recently started painting – in fact, until last year, she thought that she couldn’t: “I have always been a lover of art and when I was younger I pursued a career in Art history, but never believed that I could be an artist.”

But when she salvaged the remains of a children’s tempura paint set, Gunn’s artistic interest started her on a path that would lead to art shows and juried events across the southeast even though the beginning of the journey was a very, very private affair that included only one set of eyes: her own.

“I took [the children’s’ paints] home with me. I just loved mixing colors. I would hide in my basement and paint on cardboard so I could throw them away as soon as I was finished and no one would ever look at anything I did.” And even when a friend lured her to a live model drawing event with a promise that the event had “really chill music and you get to drink wine,” Gunn only agreed to attend when she was assured that no one would actually see what she had drawn. The event proved to be much more than a pleasant afternoon of wine and song because when her drawing turned out to actually look like the model Gunn was moved to continue to explore her artistic side. Her subsequent experiments with drawing led to more painting and more work with color and form.

Gunn’s approach remains intuitive – she adds color based on a sense of what’s missing and remains open in terms of style and subject style. “I’m not sure that I’ve found my niche, and maybe never will as I find the next style and go ‘I want to try that out!’”

But her work is certainly informed by nature – in landscapes and even in her abstract and “Flow” works, the colors might leap from the flowers and vistas of the Appalachian Mountains. But more than that, Gunn’s work reflects a peaceful beauty, one that’s attune to her creative process. When she works, Gunn is absorbed by the present, because, she says, “When I’m painting, I lose myself in the work, lose track of time, forget to eat, completely absorbed, I don’t even know that I am sore from standing for hours and hours until I am finished. There is really no separation between me and the painting.”

You can get lost in Gunn’s paintings, too at the downtown Market Square Tomato Head through October 1st. She will then hang at the West Knoxville Tomato Head from October 3rd through November 6th.

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 Sep 22, 6:30-8:00 PM. Free and open to the public.

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

In the GSMHC Auditorium - FREE to GSMHC Members or with paid museum admission

Join us for an informal and informative social “coffee-talk” on a variety of subjects of interest to those living in the area. Topics include history, nature, the Smoky Mountains, folk lore and more! Meets in the GSM Heritage Center Auditorium. Tuesdays @ Two is sponsored by the First Tennessee Foundation.

Programs for the Fall 2017:
September 19 - Ralph Martin "Overmountain Victory Trail"
September 26 - "Lincoln" presented by Tom Wright Lincoln Re-enactor
October 3 - "Air Quality in the Smokies" presented by Jim Renfro
October 10 - "Grandma Gatewood" presented by Ann Van Curen, Historian
October 17 - "The Art of the Dulcimer" presented by Mike Clemmer
October 24 - "The History of Fort Loudoun" presented by Will Kinton
October 31 - "The Elkmont Story" presented by Mike Miller
November 7 - "A Tribute to our Veterans" presented by Lt. Gen. Robert Tiebout

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 3/4 mile east of traffic light at the Highway 321 and 73 intersection towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN. Hours: M-Sa 10-5. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

The Art Gallery at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church (ORUUC) will present an exhibit of the work of the photography of David Kocher from September 17, through November 30. A gallery opening talk and artist reception will be hosted at the church on Sunday September 17 at 12:30 p.m. The public is invited.

ORUUC is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. It is open to the public Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend. For more information call the church office at (865) 483-6761.

For thousands of years Northwest Coast Indians including the Coast Salish, Haida, Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, Makah, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Tlingit peoples represented in this exhibition, have made art expressing their cultural norms and values with precision, clarity, and artistic exuberance. Using indigenous and trade materials obtained in their homes along the coast of Oregon and north to Alaska, Northwest coast peoples mark elaborate ceremonial life, social rank, and prestige through their objects and art.

This exhibition explores Northwest Coast art through over 60 objects made by known and unknown artists, representing traditional and modern forms of cultural expression. From model totem poles and bentwood boxes, to spoons, prints, and silver bracelets, these objects were created for different purposes––utilitarian, decorative, and ceremonial. What all of them share in common is the desire to preserve and perpetuate Northwest Coast cultural heritage and community.

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

The Farragut Museum invites the community to visit our new special exhibit, The Vintage Kitchen. This exhibit will open on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017, and will be on display through Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 (closed Dec. 24 and 25). This special exhibit will feature items from the Museum's collection of artifacts as well as items belonging to Museum Committee members.

The exhibit showcases a variety of antique, everyday kitchen items including plates, platters, waffle makers and more. A featured item is an antique stove that was previously housed in the Campbell Station Inn. Early metal stoves were used for laundry, heating, and cooking. Don't miss this opportunity to see these fascinating vintage kitchen items!

The Farragut Museum is committed to preserving the heritage of its East Tennessee community and features a remarkable collection of artifacts from the area, including an extensive collection of the personal belongings of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the U.S Navy and hero of the Civil War.

Housed in Farragut Town Hall located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive, the museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more information about the museum or the exhibit, please visit www.townoffarragut.org/museum or contact Historic Resources Coordinator Julia Barham at jbarham@townoffarragut.org or 218-3377.

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.