Calendar of Events

Dress in your finest and join Knox Pride for their annual Mardi Gras Party, hosted by the Edge! Enjoy your evening masked for mystery and dressed to impress, as there will be a Best Dressed Competition with 2 winners, each receiving 2 VIP tickets to Knoxville Pridefest.

The entertainment will make this even more of a lavish affair. Watch the decor move as silk acts perform throughout the night. Also enjoy the live music by Jeanine D. Fuller and her band. The king cake wouldn't be complete without it's Queens, so please enjoy performances by Geneva Convention, Mercedes and Vanity Love as well.

$10 Cover to help support Knox Pride and keep our Knox Pridefest Free!

http://knoxpride.com/event-list/2018/2/10/masquerade-ball-mardi-gras

February 10, enjoy a wonderful evening of great food and romantic music by the Oak Ridge Philharmonia and singers Doug Richesin and Michael Rodgers.

At 6:00PM there will be a silent auction followed by an orchestra concert and buffet dinner capped by Michael and Doug singing romantic favorites at 8:30PM.

February 10, Cokesbury Church, 9908 Kingston Pike.
Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at http://buytickets.at/oakridgephilharmonia/140135 or by calling (865) 679-4668.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Downtown Knoxville’s Blue Slip Winery & Bistro, located in The Historic Southern Railway Station at 306 West Depot Avenue, is hosting a Clever By Half Productions (CBH) original murder mystery, HINT. Patrons will have three chances to enjoy this fan-favorite murder on February 9, 10, and 14 at 6:30pm.

HINT is the fast-paced story of a dinner party gone awry. When Mr. Brown invites six of his dearest friends to a fete, they expect to paint the town red. However, once it’s clear that blackmail is the name of the game, murder is added to the menu. So, who finally showed their true colors? Was Mr. Pine green with envy? Is the widowed
Mrs. Snow as innocent as she seems? Did Senator Wheaton have the guts or was he too yellow-bellied for such a crime?

The entire event takes place around the diners. Over several courses, audiences will follow the clues and then attempt to catch the killer red-handed during CBH’s signature device, an interactive interrogation with the performers.

In addition to prizes for rooting out the culprit, Blue Slip will present awards those who come in their best thematic or Valentine attire.
6pm Doors and Bar is Open
6:30pm Show Begins Promptly with Salads and Charcuterie
7:30pm Buffet Dinner followed by Dessert
Reserved Seating — $50.00 per person or $90.00 per couple.
To reserve for individual dates, please follow the appropriate link:
February 9 — https://www.facebook.com/events/1790099737669946
February 10 — https://www.facebook.com/events/422115768191408
February 14 — https://www.facebook.com/events/201978887033919
For more information Blue Slip Winery & Bistro (https://www.facebook.com/BlueSlipWinery) on Facebook.

Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over 13 years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.

Primary Players presents this tale as old as time. Directed by John Cherry, Music Direction by Susan Daves, Choreography by Dana Wham and Stage Management by Lisa Blair.

Beauty and the Beast JR is presented by special arrangement with MTI Shows, NYC. Primary Players is a 501(c)3 non-profit children’s theatre group and can be found on Facebook or at www.PrimaryPlayers.com.

Children 5 and under are Free, however a ticket is required.
Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Reception to be held March 16, 2018 from 5-7pm.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts announces Haiku / by Hand, a dual exhibition of works by Nicole Jacquard and Harlan W. Butt displayed in the Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery.

Nicole Jacquard explores themes of memory, ornamentation, and the souvenir through her mixed-media jewelry work. She uses materials such as upcycled fabrics, thread, enamel and a variety of metals to reference the dichotomy of the handmade versus the mass-produced. Jacquard questions how an object with one supposed purpose can transcend its own function when nostalgia and personal meanings are attached.

Harlan W. Butt combines vessels with poetry as a way to explore humankind’s relationship with the natural world. His vessels, made from copper, silver, bronze and brass, reflect the sensory experience of the natural landscape. Butt conveys the beauty and mystery found in nature through his use of plant and animal imagery with a keen attention to color texture. The vessels are accompanied by haikus written by Butt, which record the unique human experience of being fully present in the wilderness.

Together, the works of Jacquard and Butt create a compelling dialog about what we choose to take away from our individual experiences. Be it a tangible memento with which we project a specific memory of place, or the memory itself, used as inspiration to create something new.
Nicole Jacquard is currently Area Head and an Associate Professor at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and was the President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths from 2015-2017. She received her first MFA from the University of Michigan in 1991, and her second in 1995 while on a Fullbright Scholarship to Australia at RMIT University in Melbourne. In 2004, Nicole returned to RMIT and completed her Ph.D. in Fine Arts. Nicole was awarded a second 2017-2018 Fullbright Scholarship to Scotland. See more of Jacquard’s work on her website, www.nicolejacquard.com.

Harlan W. Butt maintains a studio in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He has been creating work for over 40 years in metals and enamel, specializing in vessels. Harlan was a Regents Professor of Art at the University of North Texas, where he retired in 2017 after teaching for 40 years. He served as Artist-in-Residence at Denali National Park in 2010 and at the Grand Canyon in 2014. He will be an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park in the summer of 2018. See more of Harlan’s work on his website, harlanwbutt.com.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Gallery hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Learn about bluebirds and their environments.
The UT Arboretum Society and the Tennessee Bluebird Society will present two programs on bluebirding. A program entitled, “Bluebirding Basics,” will be held on Tuesday, February 6th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge campus, Goff Room 104. A second program, “Bluebird Nest Box Trail Monitoring Training,” will be held on Thursday, February 15, Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge campus, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., City Room.

If you are interested in bluebirds or want to learn more about them, you are invited to attend these free programs. Bluebirding is an enriching activity for the whole family.

For more information on this program or the UT Arboretum Society, call 865-483-7277 or visit utarboretumsociety.org.
Celebrating 53 years in 2018, this program is one of many lectures and activities that will be offered this year by the UT Arboretum Society. The program is cosponsored by the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center.

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