Calendar of Events

Hosted by Friends of the Knox County Public Library and Knox County Public Library
at Knox County Public Library, 500 W Church Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

The Friends @ Rothrock Used Book Shop located inside the Knox County Public Library's Lawson McGhee Library will host Landscaped, an exhibit of photos by local artist Casey Fox during the month of April as part of the Friends at Rothrock Used Book Shop's Birthday Celebration. Fox, the library's fund development manager, says this about her work:

"I never set out to create a series, but after a few years of taking photos of buildings and other human-created structures I realized I had. Landscaped is a collection of my favorite pictures of places. Many of them are right here in East Tennessee, but some are from such far-flung locales as California, Spain and Bosnia. Despite the range of places, I believe all of these images share something. I just love the quality a human-made place takes on when there are no humans occupying it. Abandoned structures often get pigeonholed as "spooky", but I don't always feel this is the case. Don't get me wrong — Hotel Miljevina was the headquarters of the Bosnian-Serb Paramilitary during the Bosnian War. Lots of women were brutalized there, and it felt really unsettling to walk that ground. But an off-season fireworks stand in Greenback doesn't feel spooky. It feels utilitarian. Or purposeful, rather. Without people around, you're free to take in the lines and angles of a building, and think about how its design and location serves (or served) its purpose. I love trying to convey the beauty of these mostly banal locations and structures through my pictures. I'm a fan of the New Topographics movement that blossomed in the late 20th Century and admire how through their photography of the mundane they were able to explore ideas ranging from how the eye travels across an image to the challenges of an increasingly developing world to the general intersection of the natural and the synthetic. I also just like lines and symmetry and diffused light. Thanks for looking at my pictures."

https://www.facebook.com/events/1751069988293068/

JOIN US For a reception on Friday, April 6 from 6-9PM

The second group of MFA Thesis Exhibitions will take place in the Ewing Gallery from April 2 - 8, 2018. In partial fulfillment of their graduation requirements, students pursuing the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree are required to mount a solo exhibition of work, and to defend their work during an oral examination in front of a faculty committee. Due to the number of graduate students enrolled in the UT School of Art, these exhibitions generally take the form of small groups of students presenting concurrent solo exhibitions in the gallery space. Exhibiting students are:

Austin Pratt - "Some Openings"
Christian Vargas - "Tianguis"
Tom Wixo - "Coward of the County"

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Dogwood Arts Art In Public Places - Temporary Sculpture Exhibition

Art in Public Places is a large-scale outdoor sculpture program showcased throughout Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and Alcoa, Tennessee. The annual rotating installation is one of many Dogwood Arts programs focused on providing access to the arts for everyone, promoting awareness of the strong visual arts community thriving in our region, and creating a vibrant and inspiring environment for residents and visitors to experience. Over the past eleven years, Dogwood Arts has curated and installed over 220 works of art, and the Art In Public Places program has gained national recognition as a platform for world-class artists. This year’s ambitious collection of sculptures created by artists from across the nation has been selected by Director of the Zuckerman Museum of Art, Justin Rabideau.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present 14 live performances of the inspirational play, “Lilies Of The Field,” adapted from the novel by William E. Barrett and made famous by the Oscar-winning comedy-drama film, starring Sidney Poitier and Lilia Skala.

The live stage play will be performed March 30 through April 15:
Fri., Mar. 30 at 7 PM, Sat., Mar. 31 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 1 at 3 PM
Thurs., Apr. 5 at 7 PM, Fri., Apr. 6 at 7 PM, Sat., Apr. 7 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 8 at 3 PM,
Thurs., Apr. 12 at 7 PM, Fri., Apr. 13 at 7 PM, Sat., Apr. 14 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 15 at 3 PM.

Based on a true story and the Oscar-winning film, “Lilies Of The Field” is the gently humorous tale of how a group of German nuns convince an aimless drifter to help them build a chapel in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Presented especially for Easter, this inspirational yarn proves God does indeed “move in mysterious ways!”

The play is performed by 11 talented young actors, from ages 13 to 16. Derrick Washington, Jr. plays Homer Smith, the carefree young man who happens upon the Sisters when his car breaks down in the New Mexico desert. Hallie Boring plays the Mother Superior who believes that Homer has been sent from God to help her build a chapel. The South Carolina Baptist and the Catholic nun engage in a battle of wills over the fate of Mother’s planned chapel. KCT Academy Director Dennis E. Perkins, a senior at West High, directs the production. Ryan Cross is the stage manager. Jaden Lily Branson will be the play’s stage manager.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

By: David West Read

"…eloquent, affecting…moving." The New York Times

Since the death of his favorite student, Larry Morrow, a fifty-something high school teacher, has been falling asleep at his desk and dreaming. The student’s sister and his friends find little solace in schoolwork. And the school’s guidance counselor keeps hanging inspirational slogans on the walls to help everyone “process their emotions.” A bittersweet story of finding the way and strength to move on. This production contains mature language and themes.

Lab 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

Meeting every Sunday from 11 AM - noon at Adair Park, 1807 Adair Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918, near the Gazebo and Playground.

Meeting every Wednesday from 6-7 PM at Good People, 4026 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920.

Beginning April 7, meeting on Saturdays from 11 AM - noon at Olde Mechanicsville Park on Arthur St. near the Firehouse and the Lotus Light Center.

Requested donation of $10 for each class, $17 for two classes/week, or $22 for 3 classes/week.

Information: Karl Hess, karlalanhess@gmail.com

Pick Your Poison examines how mind-altering drugs have been used throughout the history of America.

Featuring over forty medicines, advertisements, historic and popular culture documents and books, video footage, and paraphernalia, the exhibition explores why some drugs remain socially acceptable, while others are outlawed because of their toxic, and intoxicating, characteristics.

These classifications have shifted at different times in history because of social and historical factors, and will continue to change. The exhibition explores some of the factors that have shaped the changing definition of some of our most potent drugs––alcohol, tobacco, opium, cocaine, and marijuana––from medical miracle to social menace.

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

Closing Reception: April 25, 5:30-7pm

In the Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Dragon Lights, Knoxville’s first-ever Chinese lantern festival, will take place at Chilhowee Park and Exposition Center and will be open every night from 5:30pm until 10:00pm.

Featuring over 40 larger-than-life lantern displays, Dragon Lights is the largest Chinese lantern festival in the Eastern Unites States. Thousands of sculptural and light components make this event a true visual treat. Dozens of Chinese artisans travel the world to keep this century-old tradition alive, and they will be constructing the displays on site at Chilhowee as the festival draws near. Dragon Lights also will feature performances by Chinese acrobats and Chinese folk art demonstrations, as well as children's activities.

Don't miss this unique experience. Tickets ($16 per adult, or $10 for children) are on sale now. Call Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or stop by the Civic Coliseum Box Office. (Group tickets for 15 or more are only available at the Coliseum Box Office, 865-215-8999.) http://www.chilhoweepark.org/dragon-lights-festival/

Please join us for the reception on Saturday, April 7th in the Blain Gallery for light refreshments.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts announces Alternative Bodies, a group exhibition showcasing new work by the 2017-2018 Arrowmont Artists-in-Residence: Xia Zhang, Paige Ward, Elyse-Krista Mische, Emily Culver, and Max Adrian. In vulnerable ways, these artists touch on a variety of topics related to the body such as queerness, sexuality, faith, race, and death. These artists are playful and inventive with their processes in order to start conversations that may otherwise be difficult to digest.

Works such as those by Zhang, Culver, and Adrian focus on matters of flesh and bone: what it means to touch bodies, to express ourselves through our bodies and the objects we interact with, to be celebrated, stigmatized, or separated because of our bodies. Tactility is a key element for these works which span a breadth of materials like faux-fur, orange peels, and rubber. Works by Mische and Ward, on the other hand, consider spiritual existences in pursuit of greater understanding of our mortality and what lies in wait beyond the body. Objects like concrete pillows and monumental papier-mâché vessels reference the body through its absence. Metaphors for faith and self-preservation speak to multiple possibilities of seeking and finding comfort.

Collectively, all five artists encourage the viewer to contemplate other perspectives and expressions of humanness at a time when the world feels more divided than unified. Alternative Bodies aspires to a level of empathy and compassion for the hopes, hardships, and successes we all have within our physical forms.

The Artists-in-Residence Program is an 11-month program which provides early career, self-directed artists time, space and support to experiment and develop a new body of work in a creative community environment. Each year, five artists of different media are selected for the eleven-month program, which begins mid-June and continues through late May of the following year. Participants receive exhibition opportunities, teaching experience, professional development and a private studio.

In the Sandra J. Blain Gallery, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

The exhibition will open on March 10 from 7 to 9 pm with a gallery talk at 6:30

Featuring local artists whose work is composed of reused or re-imagined materials, ephemera, or found objects.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Love is in the air. And it’s on our walls. It’s hanging there, mostly in bold colors, as a clear statement that photographer Ric Brooks loves music makers almost as much as he loves their music. For years, Brooks has been the official unofficial photographer of Big Ears. And it’s a role he loves. He’s a straightforward guy, I suspect he wouldn’t tell you any lies. So when he repeats that he isn’t a professional photographer, you believe that he believes it. Yet when you look at his work, you’ll recognize that he is a passionate shutterbug – which, in many ways, is exactly what you want for a festival that touches the very heart of passion.

His collection of work now hanging on our Market Square walls spans 2009 – 2017 and is mostly comprised of artists in action shots. Each one is a studied photo in its way. Brooks says, “I’m in the audience, listening, and I see a photograph that I want to take. Say, I see this look on the artist’s face, and I know I want to photograph it. I’ll have to take 3 or 4 just to get that expression. Lots of musicians will do certain things, make a move or something to get that high note; you know it – it’s what people call the guitar face. But you can see that happening in the song so you know it’s going to come back on the chorus or somewhere. I’m waiting for it. I know what photo I want.”

The exhibit represents just a fraction of his search for the images he likes and an extensive association with musicians. Brooks and Big Ears founder Ashley Capps have a long and continuous friendship that dates back to Kindergarten. When Capps started doing concerts at the Laurel Theatre way back when, Brooks was there with a camera and, sometimes, catering too. When Capps opened Ella Guru’s, Brooks was there, managing, taking tickets, and meeting, hearing and watching.

“Big Ears Big Eyes – Big Ears photos from 2009-2017”, an exhibit of photographs by Ric Brooks will be on view at the downtown Tomato Head on Market Square from March 5th thru April 1st. The exhibit will then be on view at the West Knoxville Gallery Tomato Head from April 3rd thru May 7th.

Tomato Head, 12 Market Square (865-637-4067) and 7240 Kingston Pike, Suite 172 (865-584-1075), in Knoxville. http://thetomatohead.com