Calendar of Events

Part of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-2018 Chamber Classics Series, which marks the KSO’s 82nd season and features new Music Director Aram Demirjian.

This energetic Chamber Classics performance includes the theatrical music of Schnittke, searing music of Golijov, and abnormally assertive Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins, performed by KSO principal second violin Edward Pulgar and the KSO's new Concertmaster, to be named in the spring of 2017. This all-string program showcases the full range capabilities of the Chamber Orchestra. While two pieces feature a double-violin solo by Bach, this program also uses a tongue-in-cheek style of string players combating each other with their instruments while playing. The program concludes with Jennifer Higdon’s “String” and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony, the latter of which is an edgier piece than normally heard on the classical stage.

At the Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

The University of Tennessee School of Music in collaboration with the UT Libraries is excited to announce the next installment of this year's Ready for the World Music Series: A Cuban Diaspora in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center!

Cultural exhibits, displays, and a reception will begin at 12:30pm in the lobby of the NLHMC, followed by a musical presentation at 2:00pm in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall.

A Cuban Diaspora explores music for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano featuring a wide variety of Cuban styles. Highlighting some of Cuba's most celebrated composers, each work is infused with rich and soulful sounds that will enchant audiences. Our special guest artists will include Cuban pianists now residing in Miami, Ileana Cortizo and José Lopez, and cellist Ana Ruth Bermúdez. Joining them will be UT faculty artists, Victor Chávez, clarinet, and Miroslav Hristov, violin.

The University of Tennessee’s Ready for the World Music Series brings renowned artists to perform and talk about musical styles and literature from diverse regions around the world. Faculty and guest artists will discuss the classical music traditions from each of those regions; followed by a performance of representative samples. Each program is designed to demonstrate the rich musical influences each of these regions have had on the traditions of western classical music. Also included will be exhibits by artists, a display of cultural artifacts and information, as well as refreshments that represent the culinary diversity of the regions.

We are excited with our lineup of exhibitors this year, which include Cuban painter, Anabel Evora; HoLa Hora Latina; the UT International House; the UT Libraries; and the UT Latin American Student Organization (LASO). We will also be featuring a collection of Cuban artifacts lent to us by former Cuban resident and collector, Teodora Nedkova.

The website for the series is www.music.utk.edu/rftw. For more information, please contact Dr. Miroslav Hristov (hristov@utk.edu; 865-974-7535).

Anyone can ban a book or put a title on a forbidden list, but when does it become censorship? Join us for a panel discussion featuring playwright Kenneth Jones in conjunction with the Knox County Public Library.

Free and open to the public. Held at Lawson McGhee Library with light refreshments. Please RSVP to hsherma1@utk.edu by February 1. RSVPs encouraged but not required.

Please join us in celebrating 30 years of From Africa to Appalachia. The celebrations include a wonderful exhibit by artist Sean Clark entitled "Ancestors". Don't miss this chance to meet the artist and fellow art enthusiasts. This exhibit is part of the Black History Month Celebrations at Rose Center Council for the Arts. This reception and exhibit are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided by the Rose Service Guild.

The Rose Center, 442 West Second North St., Morristown, TN, 37814. Hours: M-F 9-5. Information: 423-581-4330, www.rosecenter.org

Check out the full festival schedule and details here: http://tennesseestage.com/2018/01/05/new-play-festival-2018/

Table Readings: Free admission. Each reading will include a discussion session afterwards with the cast, director and audience and, when possible, the playwright.

Swimming Upstream by Rich Rubin - A love story, complicated by science and political ramifications – who says politics makes strange bedfellows?
Saturday, 2/3 10:00 am Bearden Branch Library
Monday, 2/12 6:00 pm Fountain City Library
Sunday, 2/25 2:00 pm Lawson McGhee Library

Amazing Graces by Lea McMahan - A weekend getaway for five women – cousins and friends – in Gatlinburg, TN, with barely enough food but plenty of wine goes off the deep end when two armed gunmen crash the party.
Saturday, 2/3 2:00 pm Fountain City Library
Saturday, 2/17 2:00 pm Bearden Branch Library
Saturday, 2/24 2:30 Lawson McGhee Library

Indian Giver by Michael Reiman - A wry dramedy about an organ donor whose own failing body drives him to do the unthinkable – sue to get his donated organ back!
Saturday, 2/10 2:00 pm Bearden Branch Library
Saturday, 2/17 2:00 pm Fountain City Library
Saturday, 2/24 12:30 pm Lawson McGhee Library

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

In 2015, Chicago collectors Helen and Russell Novak made the single largest and most important gift of art to the KMA’s contemporary print collection in the museum’s history. Press Ahead: Contemporary Prints Gifted by Helen and Russell Novak represents the official unveiling of this remarkable gift. The exhibition features 38 works by leading contemporary artists from around the world including Roger Brown, John Buck, Christo, Lesley Dill, Jim Dine, Helen Frankenthaler, Red Grooms, Sol LeWitt, and Barbara Takenaga William T. Wiley, and by younger artists such as Brad Brown, Enrique Chagoya, Tom Huck, Jiha Moon, and Hans Schabus. Some artists are leading printmakers while others work primarily in other media, but became interested in collaborating with master printers in order to realize their ideas in print-based formats. The KMA’s selection includes great examples of each artist’s work, prints produced in small editions, and those representing a broad range of printmaking techniques and formats (including sculptural and book format prints).

The Novak’s collection includes thousands of contemporary prints acquired over a period of more than 30 years. The collection is noteworthy for its size and breadth, and because of Russell Novak’s close ties to such prominent master printers Jack Lemon and Bud Shark, who run two of the country’s premier print studios—Landfall Press and Shark’s Ink, respectively. Each year, Lemon and Shark would send the Novaks limited edition print portfolios, out of which the couple selected certain prints to be matted and framed for display. The collection has grown to a point at which framed works fill the walls of their home and of Russell’s corporate office space housing the accounting firm of Novak/Costello.

The Novaks chose to donate works to the KMA rather than area Chicago museums for several reasons. First, they became interested in the KMA thanks to Helen’s childhood friend, Knoxville educator Marilyn Liberman, who introduced Helen to the KMA. Marilyn also alerted the KMA about the Novaks and their collection, especially after learning that Helen had expressed interest in placing portions of the collection with suitable museums. The Novaks soon realized their gift to the KMA could eventually become a centerpiece for the museum’s works on paper collection. Their interest in placing the works at the KMA was heightened by the museum’s long association with contemporary printmaking (Dulin Gallery’s print competition ran from the early 1960s until the late 1980s), and the presence in Knoxville of the UTK School of Art’s Printmaking Program (ranked #2 in the country in 2017 by U.S. News & World Report). In this way, Press Ahead celebrates the Novak’s generosity, and underscores the important role of their gift in enabling KMA visitors to explore contemporary printmaking and the exciting range of expressive possibilities and technical approaches it encompasses.

For a full listing of the Novak’s gifts, please go to http://www.knoxart.org/info/files/Novak-collection-gift-2015.pdf

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

Join us for a show opening featuring the work of Kristen Wasik.
Opening - Fri Feb 2, 6-9 PM

She is a senior BFA candidate in the School of Art at the University of Tennessee. Her most recent work is informed by minimalism in which gesture and abstract forms construct a sense of meaning. When not in the studio, Kristen enjoys traveling, exploring the Smoky Mountains, and learning how to embrace being human.

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

We’re excited to introduce our newly renovated upstairs gallery space, used to exhibit and highlight the artwork of Knoxville’s local artists. We’ll host a different local artists’ work each month for you to enjoy!

Join us for our Bijou Art Gallery Grand Opening at First Friday, February 2nd, 4-7pm.

We're thrilled to be featuring Artist Katy Smith. Art has long been a part of Katy Smith’s life. From a young age her mother, grandfather and grandmother were all major art influences while growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee. She primarily works with oil paint, acrylic paint, pencil, ink, and collaged paper. Drawing from her own memories and experiences she manages to take intangible thoughts and turn them into concrete images. She hopes to create an almost chaotic dream world where the memories flood both the mind and eye, and trigger a sense of nostalgia in the viewer.

Each image in this series represents a specific moment in time, and by obliterating or slicing up the image it allows the distortion of a memory to occur, much like our own minds tend to do. All people have memories that have affected them throughout their lives and each of my paintings represents a specific memory for me.

Katy is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a BFA in painting and drawing and a minor in art history: www.katycarrollsmith.com

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/art-gallery/

The WordPlayers of Knoxville will tour Walk, Don’t Ride! in the East TN area throughout the month of February. The first public performance is Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Fountain City UMC, 212 Hotel Rd. in Fountain City. Public performances are free and no reservations are required. For more information and a full schedule of public performances, please visit www.wordplayers.org or call 865.539.2490.

Public Performances
Feb 2: Fountain City UMC, 212 Hotel Road, Knoxville, TN 37918, 7:00 PM
Feb. 3: Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E M L King Blvd, Chattanooga, TN 37403, 2:00 PM
Feb 13: Emerald Academy, 220 Carrick Street, Knoxville, TN 37921, 5:30 PM
Feb. 17: Oak Valley Baptist, 194 Hampton Rd, Oak Ridge, 37830, 4:00 PM
Feb. 19: Walters State-Greeneville, 6:00 PM
Feb. 20, Walters State-Morristown, 6:30 PM
Feb. 25, Fifth Ave. Baptist, 2500 E 5th Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914, 4:00 PM

“Walk, Don't Ride – A Celebration of the Fight for Equality” by Peter Manos is a presentation of drama and song depicting events that helped shape American freedom. Events included are: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, The Nashville Lunch Counter Sit-ins, and The Greyhound/Trailways Freedom Rides. For some, those events are part of a powerful personal experience. For some, they are part of a seemingly distant history. And perhaps for others, they are unfamiliar. But without a doubt, a couple of generations ago, those events changed the course of America.

This project is funded under an agreement with the TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION and sponsored by New City Resources. “Walk, Don't Ride” is an example of the best kind of “edu-tainment,” and has been booked in eight different counties and fifteen different venues, including middle schools, colleges, and churches.

For more information, please call 865-539-2490 or visit www.wordplayers.org.

Recent works by a group of local artists will be on display - the works will feature a valentine theme. An opening reception for the featured artists will begin at 5:30 p.m., Feb 2nd, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk, with complimentary refreshments.

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

L&N STEM Academy Honors and AP Studio Art students are showing their artwork at Java Old City, 109 South Central, through the month of February.

An opening reception will be held from 5-7 pm Friday, February 2, 2018. Information: CHERI JORGENSON: cheri.jorgenson@knoxschools.org

By: Kenneth Jones

“Dynamic! Rich! Impressive! Cleverly crafted! Articulate! Razor-sharp!” Salt Lake Tribune

A gentle children’s book with an apparent hidden message stirs the passions of a segregationist senator and a no-nonsense state librarian in 1959 Montgomery, just as the Civil Rights Movement is flowering. Inspired by true events, Alabama Story puts politicians, star-crossed childhood friends, and one feisty author in a struggle for the soul of the Deep South.

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