Calendar of Events

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 20, 8:30pm - til*

C For Courtside is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition, "A Half Note Familiar." The show will include the works of its founding members Lynne Ghenov, Joshua Bienko, John Powers and Rubens Ghenov along with four artists specifically selected by each C for Courtside Directors. Mirroring the intentions of the space itself, "A Half Note Familiar” seeks to consider work from inside and outside the region in a way that contributes to and influences broader contemporary dialogues.

* In solidarity with justice seeking peace minded artists and creative individuals across the world, we are participating in an International Day of Art Action on the one-year anniversary of the United States Presidential UNauguration. We join Laurie Anderson (the brainchild of The Day of Art Action) in our intentions, seeking to unite, connect and celebrate a spirit of love, peace and understanding based in the simple hope that artistic production symbolizes.

Lynne Ghenov has selected Melissa McGrath's work due to the approximation of their praxes and content. Melissa’s work is a response and reflection of a consistent trauma and disaster that has occurred in the landscape where she was raised inscribed on paper through fire. Lynne uses ledger gridded paper salvaged from her parents’ home office acquired after her mother’s death, wherein memory organically and symbolically investigates itself in form within the confines of the stoic gridded structure.

Joshua Bienko’s selection of Eleanor Ray sits in the attraction to slippages that can occur between works. What at once might appear quiet and tragic, holds the potential to become loud and humorous, and vice-versa. Though a dissimilarity may seem obvious at first, they also, perhaps surreptitiously and subtly begin to harmonize more than contrast, operating in cahoots as it were, in a psychological and physical interior space.

John Powers and Kim Faler are engaged in parallel explorations of systems, pattern, sub-pattern, language and personal narrative. Their shared interest in small, potentially mundane moments, rubs against evocations of the unseen forces and glacial timelines that frame our world. Their included works here variously address the passage of time, energy exchange, collapsed narratives and the veil separating the familiar from the anonymous.

Lastly, Rubens Ghenov here compeers his work to that of Claudia Peña Salinas’. Both of Latin American descent (Brazilian and Mexican respectively), their work strangely resides akin to the geometric abstraction of Central and South American artists, though the impetus here may emanate elsewhere. A specific coloration and insertion of memorabilia and objects are inherently present in both, forging an architectonic of the personal mired in the historical and the fictive.

C for Courtside is an artist-run curatorial project space located just north of downtown Knoxville. Founded in the fall of 2017 with the intentions of facilitating multiple creative activities, the Directors (John Powers, Joshua Bienko, Lynne Ghenov and Rubens Ghenov) will work to add to the exciting artistic development and momentum already at foot in the Southeast. In addition to exhibitions, C for Courtside will host artist lectures and guest speakers, live performances, pop-up shows, experimental theatre, justice seeking organizations in need of a place to meet, and other situationist aligned activities. Each endeavor will aim to extend the space of the gallery beyond its physical limitations, while fostering a community based in and on the exigencies of art-making. The launch of the space has been made possible in part by the support of Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant.

C for Courtside Gallery, 513 Cooper Street, Knoxville, TN 37917
Info: cforcourtside@gmail.com

OUTSpoken is a fifth-year program from the Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) that will take place in April of 2018. Our goal is to create a platform for the LGBTQ+ community of Knoxville, Tennessee and its surrounding areas to record and perform the experiences of sex- and gender-diverse individuals in the South.

Registration for the OUTSpoken workshop series is now open. On-site participants will be a part of two workshops over the course of two weeks in order to create, edit, and produce a piece of art to be performed during SAFTA’s OUTSpoken events in April of 2018. Workshop attendees will work with professionals in performance, prose, and poetry to compose and tell their own stories.

Workshops will be held on January 20th and 27th and run from 1PM to 3PM at the Sundress Academy for the Arts. Cost for the workshop is $20 for one and $30 for both. Discounts are available for students. If you are unable to attend because of cost, we do have limited scholarships available. Scholarship applications are due by January 10th and should be submitted to erin@sundresspublications.com for consideration. We are also doing a BOGO special this year! Order tickets for yourself and give a ticket to a friend for free. Please note if you are claiming this option in your order so our team can properly prepare for the correct number of workshop attendees. As LGBTQ issues gain greater visibility, it is crucial that we explore the complexities of sex and gender diversity respectfully. That said, we realize that unity cannot and must not be silent, and that in order to create a meaningful dialogue, we must acknowledge and listen to the stories, experiences, grievances, arguments, and counterarguments of all sex- and gender-diverse persons. Register today at: http://www.sundresspublications.com/outspoken/

Part of the Clayton Center for the Arts 2017-2018 season!
The spirited, romantic and beloved musical story of Maria and the von Trapp Family will once again thrill audiences with its Tony®, Grammy® and Academy Award® winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and the title song. THE SOUND OF MUSIC features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. THE SOUND OF MUSIC enjoyed extraordinary success as the first live television production of a musical in over 50 years when “The Sound of Music Live!” aired on NBC in December, 2013 and was seen by over 44 million people. 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the film version, which continues to be the most successful movie musical in history.

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Part of the 2017-2018 Concert Season

Duo Sudeste was formed in 2008 by Robert Thompson and Joey Butler. Merging their love of Latin music, classical guitar, and knowledge of Latin rhythms, they formed a guitar duo specializing in composers from South America — mainly Argentina and Brazil. Their debut CD entitled Viagem ao Sul (Voyage to the South) was released in 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/DuoSudeste/

Tickets are sold at the door the night of each event. Ticket prices (unless otherwise noted): $20 adults; Children 12 & under admitted free; Students 12 - 18 $5 General Admission. Seating is general admission. Box office opens 1/2 hour before performance. Free reception immediately following concert. Concerts take place at Episcopal Church of the Good Samaritan, 425 North Cedar Bluff, Knoxville. Knoxville Guitar Society: 865-694-4108, www.knoxvilleguitar.org

Tickets are $10. The Dallas Brass has established a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion. The Dallas Brass repertoire includes classical masterpieces, Dixieland, swing, Broadway, Hollywood, and patriotic music.

130 Chota Center, Loudon, TN 37774
Info: www.tellicochurch.org or 865-458-1516

Neko Case was playing and touring with bands for a decade before she realized it was her job.
"Music was, and is, my obsession, but I guess I couldn’t see the forest through the trees," she writes from her farmhouse in Vermont, reflecting on early periods of touring with several bands so regularly that she had to quit every other job she had. "I also didn’t feel worthy of calling myself a ’musician.’ It was just too sacred."
Now more than 20 years into that calling, Neko Case is the consummate career artist--fearless and versatile, with a fierce work ethic and a constant drive to search deeper within herself for creative growth. Nowhere is that clearer than in Truckdriver, Gladiator, Mule, a stunning vinyl box set of Case’s complete (so far) solo discography, available from Anti- on November 13.

All eight titles--The Virginian (1997), Furnace Room Lullaby (2000), Canadian Amp (2001), Blacklisted (2002), The Tigers Have Spoken (2004), Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006), Middle Cyclone (2009), and The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You (2013)-- are remastered from their original analog tape and made available on 180 gram black vinyl, some for the first time in years, or ever. The set also includes an 80-page, limited-edition, full-color book of photography, designed and curated by Case herself.

"The release of this set gives listeners an excuse to appreciate the scope of one of the most individual and passionate artists making music today," says Anti- label head Andy Kaulkin. "When you take it all in, Neko’s journey from punk/country torchbearer to avant pop icon has been staggering. This box makes a strong case for her fierceness of vision, pristine musical craft, unflinching lyrics, and of course…That voice!"

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Join us for free a free Family Fun Day featuring activities, crafts, tours, and more.

The museum is partnering with the Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT) for a family fun day featuring theatrical productions. Storytelling is expressed through objects as well as performance art! Learn about CBT’s newest play, Alabama Story, and join us for a variety if crafts and other activities.

All materials will be provided. The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not necessary.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-Sa 9-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Old-Time String Band

The Freight Hoppers have been presenting old-time string band music for more than 20 years. The band started presenting their energetic take on fiddle band music 4 times a day, 7 days a week at the Great Smoky Mountains Railway shortly after forming back in 1992. This afforded the group plenty of paid rehearsal time to hone a sound that has proven entertaining and distinctively theirs. Their repertoire includes music that was first recorded in the late 1920's and early 1930's, and spans geographically from Mississippi to West Virginia.

The Freight Hoppers play hard driving old time music with an emotional, raw excitement that keeps one foot planted in the past and the other in the present. Of course that's only when they keep their feet still, for this is high energy dance music of an older day played like there's no tomorrow. Finding their passion from a love of stringband music of the 1920's and 30's, The Freight Hoppers have been entertaining crowds of fans at festivals and music halls alike as they travel around the country, and beyond. The heart of the band is the driving mountain fiddling of David Bass complemented by the clawhammer banjo and vocals of Frank Lee, with the rhythm section of string bass and Allie Burbrink on guitar and vocals. Based out of the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, The Freight Hoppers draw from a deep source of rural southern music for their inspiration, and they are proud to present this music that is still meaningful today.

Tickets (discounts apply to advance purchase, JCA members, students & seniors) available through http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/1118485, 1-800-838-3006 ext 1, and at the door. At the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

(All ages) Mark you calendars for Squirrel Celebration at Ijams on Saturday, Jan. 20, from
11 a.m.-noon! You'll get to meet Ijams' squirrel ambassador, Sandy, and learn why these adorable critters are so mischievous. Members save 30%. Register online or call (865) 577-4717, ext. 110.
http://ijams.org/events/ijams-family-wildlife-series-squirrel-celebration/

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

The Knoxville Association of Bridge Clubs is offering the introductory class “Learn Bridge in A Day?” on Saturday, January 20th, from 1 to 5:30 pm. The cost is $30 per person. Refreshments, course materials and a partner will be provided. Join Kevin Wilson, a Knoxville native and nationally recognized bridge teacher and professional, to have fun and learn the basics of bridge. During the afternoon, you will learn how to evaluate and bid a bridge hand the basics of playing the hand and how to score score the results.

To register, follow this link http://www.knoxbridge.org/lbiad/, or contact Jo Anne Newby at (865} 539-4150 or email KnoxvilleBridge@gmail.com.
At the Knoxville Bridge Center, 7400 Deane Hill Drive.

Kick off your 2018 health goals with a fun calorie-torching workout! Denise of Yellow Optimist Fitness will guide you through a workout centered in High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which has been proven to shred fat, increase metabolism, and improve heart health. We'll be powering through some of the best moves for cardio conditioning, strength development, agility, flexibility, and balance. All you need is water, a mat, a towel, and your amazing body. See you there! To reserve your spot, visit https://www.paypal.me/yellowoptimistfitdh/10. Please contact Denise at (901) 827-2646 or denise.nichelle@gmail.com for more information. Follow her on Instagram @yellowoptimistfitness

Cost is $5 - bring cash or credit card to event! Direct questions to jubileeknoxville@gmail.com.

Come enjoy an afternoon of board games and delicious coffee. Jubilee has a library of 100+ board games and knowledgable teachers prepared to recommend a game based on your preferences, and more importantly equipped to teach you the rules without you ever having to look at a rulebook! They will also have hot or cold pour over coffee available for purchase that will keep your spirits lifted and your tastebuds happy. Join Jubilee and be a part of the wonderful and welcoming community that has formed around their events!

The Central Collective, 923 N. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-236-1590, info@thecentralcollective.com, www.thecentralcollective.com