Calendar of Events

Sanctuary Vegan Café will open a new exhibition of photographs by Aubrey Langley on Thursday, June 7 at 6:00pm. The event will include a reception and brief presentation by the photographer. The event is free and open to the public. (Show runs through August 1)

Aubrey Langley is 25 years old and has autism. Her condition has caused her a lot of anxiety and at times, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, for instance, making eye contact with humans is a big challenge. Fortunately, early on, Langley discovered the healing power of animals. She surrounds herself with dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, birds, rats, hamsters and more through her work at a veterinarian clinic and volunteering at the Gentle Barn Tennessee, a farm animal sanctuary.
Photography has been a passion of Langley’s all her life. When she was very young, she loved to line up her stuffed animals on a bench and take photos of them with a little disposable camera. Today, she uses much more sophisticated equipment and hopes to make photography her career.

The Sanctuary Vegan Café art program invites visual artists and
photographers from the east Tennessee region to showcase their work with
themes reflecting healthy plant-based diets, animal liberation, environmental
awareness, positive inspirations, and peace and love for all sentient beings.

Each new exhibition runs for two months. The next “call for artists” for the
year 2019 will be in November.

Sanctuary Vegan Café is located at 151 N. Seven Oaks Dr, Knoxville, TN 37922.

Chris Smith is showing his paintings and photography at the Morristown Hamblen Library through July 31.

Everyone studies history in school. The importance of history is essential to modern living. It not only tells us where we’ve been, or where we are now, but where we are going. Smith feels that the same theory applies to art. His artwork is an exploration of our past, “an echo in time” to better relate to our present and help shape the future of art. Smith’s story begins at the age of 5 in Dallas, Texas, where his jealousy of his brothers’ abilities to draw led him to pick up the pencil. In time, this need to draw grew as well as the need to create. At 7, he had surpassed his brothers’ abilities but was still insecure of his own. As a child his parents moved a lot, which made forming relationships difficult. Drawing helped some in opening up. However, the insecurities were still there. He took art class through 7th and 8th grade, which was the only formal art schooling he received. Chris dropped out of school in 9th grade and immediately got into the work force. Married at age of 21, Smith started family life and his passion for art began to get buried and lost in the shuffle. Many years later, and after the marriage failed, Smith returned to his art.

Smith says, “I found a spark of inspiration in the most unlikely way. Playing a game on my phone, I met a woman that captured my heart and sparked my passions for art once more.” he said. This rekindling quickly became an inferno that led to painting and living in Tennessee. Oils, acrylics, newspaper, plaster, pens, and color pencils have been used in Smith’s artwork that now exceeds 100 pieces. “This solo exhibition represents some of my best works over the course of what is now the end of my first year painting,” he said. “My artwork has been influenced by many of art’s most notable masters - Monet, Picasso, Pollock, Bacon, Klee and most notably Van Gogh. I feel that the key to finding art’s future is found in its past. I hope that like the pages of history books, my art not only speaks to its viewers but it moves them to forge its future.”

All artwork is available for sale unless labeled NFS. Prints are available for sale per request. Commissioned work is also welcomed and must be scheduled. If you would like more information, contact Chris Smith at 423-714-6738 or 423-714-6708 or contact Smith_Art_Studio@Yahoo.com. The Morristown-Hamblen Library hosts ongoing exhibits of Morristown Art Association members with the exhibits changing every two months. For information about the Morristown Art Association, visit www.morristownart.org; the current exhibit or to purchase the art, please contact the artist; or call the Morristown-Hamblen Library at 423-586-6410.

Join and support us on June 7th for the 2018 Summer Party and Tour. You don't want to miss it!

Beginning at the beautiful Press Room, 730 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917, this event features a silent auction, and includes tours and demonstrations within the amazing and varied businesses in the Broadway/Central Corridor. Thursday June 7, 2018, 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM. Tickets at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ef6xk38n699925bb&oseq=&c=&ch=.

We are so excited to share the vibrant community spirit that exemplifies this area!!!

East Tennessee Community Design Center, 1300 N. Broadway, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-525-9945, www.communitydc.org

The Young Adult (YA) Book Market: Really Big and Wide
June 7, 2018 , 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at Central United Church, 201 3rd Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37917.

The Young Adult (YA) market is huge, diverse, constantly evolving, challenging and rewarding. If you’d like to try your hand with YA writing and publishing, wonder what books are shaping young minds, or just want a wider view of the contemporary book market, come hear Amanda Goodwin give facts, tips, and observations on the big business of writing for young people.

Amanda Goodwin, Community Business Development Manager for Barnes & Noble. Amanda’s bookselling career with Barnes & Noble started in 2006 with a holiday hire, suggested by a high school teacher. She enjoys the opportunity to work in multiple departments, across multiple reading mediums, and hosting a wide variety of authors and events. In her free time, she’s outside, hiking or paddle boarding.

The Knoxville Writers’ Guild requests a $2 donation at the door. This helps defray our rent for meeting space and entitles you to drawings for door prizes (when we have them).

Knoxville Writers’ Guild: Meetings take place at Central United Methodist Church's Fellowship Hall, 201 E. Third Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: www.KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org

Join us for an evening of fun on the water at the Legacy Parks Open House at the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center June 7 from 5:30-7:30pm. It's our way of thanking you for your support, your opportunity to learn more about Legacy Parks, and of course - get out and play on the water!

You'll be able to demo a canoe, kayak or paddleboard on the Tennessee River courtesy of the folks from Billy Lush Boards. If paddling isn't your thing, hang out inside and enjoy great brews compliments of Blackhorse Pub and Brewery.

Legacy Parks Foundation: 900 Volunteer Landing Lane, Knoxville, TN 37915. Info: 865-525-2585, www.legacyparks.org

Join Ashlee Booth as she celebrates the contributions of living women composers to solo cello repertoire!

Expect to hear:
Boris Kerner by Caroline Shaw featuring Abby Fisher, percussion
Stray Sods by Amanda Feerey
Kaija Saariaho’s Sept Papillons
And more!

$10 at the door and BYOB. Hope to see you there!

Holler! Performing Arts Center, 109 W Anderson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-776-2295, www.hollerpac.org

The first thing to know about Ocean Starr Cline is that that is her given name. The second important thing to know is that, despite the invariable interest that her name excites, she’s not much concerned with what others think. In fact, it’s an essential part of how she lives:

“My parents had me in San Francisco, named me, and immediately moved me to Clay County, Alabama where everybody was Jeremy, Jason, Sarah and Amanda. I fit in like a purple giraffe on the farm. I complained bitterly about my name for years and years and I was going to change it when I got old enough, but, by that point, I had gotten used to it – because there’s always somebody who’s going to stare or has a comment. It really fortified me to be able to put any kind of art on the wall. Some people are going to like it some people are not. And I just don’t care.”

But Cline’s life and art is very much about caring for other people though not in an intrusive or interfering way. Cline’s paintings evince a sense of that magic – although she often works in a similar palate, her paintings each carry a unique voice, you might even detect an aura. Her approach to art leaves her open to whatever magic or inspiration comes to her in the moment.

Starr Cline’s exhibit will be on view at the downtown Knoxville Tomato Head on Market Square from June 4th through July 1st. Her exhibit will move to the West Knoxville Tomato Head from July 3rd through August 6th. http://thetomatohead.com/ocean-starr-cline/

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

Join us for the opening reception, Friday, June 1, 5-9PM and Friday, July 6, 5-9PM at the UT Downtown Gallery

Kimberly D. Iles was known for her vivacity, generosity of spirit, and passion for the arts. She graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee in 1990, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. As a graphic designer, she poured her talent and energy into her work for clients ranging from Oak Ridge National Laboratories to the White House tech corps, and started her own very successful design firm, Ilesnet Design. She designed a web-based textbook – the first of its kind – for the Computational Science Education Project, a K-12 educational program to teach the principles of high-performance computing. She later transitioned into a full-time career in fine art, exhibiting her paintings and photographs in juried shows around the world.

Iles and her husband, Dr. James J. Hack, established the Kimberly D. Iles Art Scholarship Endowment in 2015. The endowment supports multiple scholarships awarded annually to undergraduate students in the School of Art.

This exhibition benefits the Kimberly D. Iles Scholarship Endowment for undergraduate students in the School of Art.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

The Dogwood Arts Regional Art Exhibition returns to showcase work from leading progressive and emerging artists from a seven stage region. The exhibition will encompass fine art of all styles and genres, with 28 selections made by juror, Leigh Suggs, who currently is the curator at LIGHT Art + Design in Richmond, Virginia. Leigh Suggs received her BFA from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2003 and her MFA from the Virginia Commonwealth University in Craft and Material Studies in 2015. Gaining recognition throughout the area, her work has been shown in multiple group exhibitions across North Carolina and in Richmond, VA. Her recent shows include her solo at Reynolds Gallery Double Vision (2016); In Visible Light (2015) at LIGHT Art + Design in Chapel Hill, NC; Trying to Exit Here (2015), Anderson Gallery, Richmond, VA; and her notable group shows include the NCAC Fellowship Exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, NC (2014), and Art on Paper (2012) at the Weatherspoon Museum in Greensboro, NC. Suggs has been awarded several grants and honors, including the North Carolina Fellowship Award, a city of Richmond CultureWorks Grant, and a residency at the Quirk Hotel & Gallery in Richmond, VA. Her work is part of several corporate collections including the Federal Reserve Bank, Capital One, Markel Corporation and Fidelity Investments.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 1, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Award Ceremony: Friday, June 1, 7:00 pm

On display at the office of Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Viewing hours: M-F 10-5. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Recent works by ceramicist Amber Anne Palo and woodturner Janis Proffit will be on display through the month of June at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the featured artists, with complimentary refreshments and live music performed by Jim Myers, will begin at 5:30 p.m. on June 1, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk.

The show represents a first-time-ever collaboration between two of the gallery’s 3-Dimensional artists. Janis and Amber Anne will combine their mediums of clay and wood, creating sculptural 3-D pieces, as well as 2-D hanging works.

Amber Anne Palo: Amber Anne hand-builds her ceramic figurative sculptures using layers of underglazes to create her surfaces. She blends many pieces with antique items that carry the scars from years of use or neglect to impart a sense of time-worn history. She creates her figures with the intent that each transmit meaning while allowing the viewer to establish their own personal connection.
Amber Anne is a self-taught artist who has been involved with clay for over 20 years, with more recent years focusing on a professional level. She has won several awards of distinction and participates in several national juried art shows each year. Her work is also carried in several galleries throughout the United States. Amber Anne seeks to open a dialogue between the viewer and the artwork to convey the common human experience. The language of the conversation is two-fold, with her part being expressed through the subtle nuances of facial expressions, body language, and layers of meaning through worn and weathered surfaces. She then strives to create the moment when a person moves past the artwork itself to their own personal experiences - the response to her artistic statement. This is a moment for her that is humbling and a reaffirmation that the work she creates is not just for her but those who experience, internalize, and digest her art.

Janis Proffit: Woodworking has been in Janis's family for several generations, dating back to the first settlers in Sevier County. She grew up helping her father in his woodshop and learned her woodworking skills from him. In the 1980's she taught herself pyrography, incorporating it into her woodturnings. Many of her pieces are created from both fallen logs and branches while others are formed from logs that have been sawn into slabs. Many times characteristics unique to an individual piece of wood,will influence the design. For over 25 years, she has been a full-time craft artist. Her work is a mixture of traditional Appalachia turning along with contemporary designs.
Janis has both studied and assisted at Arrowmont. She has been featured on "The Heartland Series," and is a member of the Foothills Craft Guild. Her work has won numerous awards from Tennessee Craft, Arrowmont Juried Biennial Shows, and Oak Ridge Art Center Open Shows. In 2009, Janis was invited to be a demonstrator in the Utah Woodturning Symposium. There were over 8 countries represented at the Symposium.

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

Check out June's colorful mixed media exhibit by Tina Brunetti of Brunetti Confetti Art!
She combines acrylics, oil, sand and glue for a beautiful, stained glass effect.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. 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

A reception will take place on Friday, June 1, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents the sixth annual Knoxville Photo exhibition featuring selected works from 34 artists throughout the region. Knoxville Photo was developed to provide a forum for photographers to compete on a national scale and display their work. The exhibition encompasses photographs depicting all subjects and genres, including streetscapes, cityscapes, landscapes, environmental portraiture, portraits, abstracts, and more.

Leigh Mitchell served as juror for the exhibition and viewed images from 78 artists to select the exhibition. Mitchell is a fine art photographer and educator. She was a college instructor for over ten years, teaching Film Photography I and II, Digital Photography I and II, and Photography Appreciation. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Studies from Warren Wilson College and a master’s degree in Studio Art from Western Carolina University. Her work has been in galleries locally and nationally, including The Center for Fine Art Photography (Fort Collins, CO), Rochester Contemporary Art Center (Rochester, NY), Five Spot (Atlanta, GA), The Asheville Art Museum, and The Asheville Area Arts Council.

The following artists’ works will be shown:
+ Dave Edens of Madison, AL
+ Leon Bell of Owens Cross Roads, AL
+ Adam Hutsell of Los Angeles, CA
+ Samuel Brown of Dacula, GA
+ Caroline Dockery of Asheville, NC
+ Sam Hill of Matthews, NC
+ Ken Van Dyne of Cincinnati, OH
+ Karen Partridge of Dandridge, TN
+ David Boruff, Jamar Coach, Bobbie Crews Thurston, Khoa Dinh, Katharine Emlen, Nevin Freeman, Richard Jansen, Hei Park, Lennie Robertson, Caitlin Ryan, and Karla Tucker of Knoxville, TN
+ Brooke Craig of Lookout Mountain, TN
+ Cat Griffith-Benson of Maryville, TN
+ Bobbie J. Hinton of Morristown, TN
+ Paula Campbell, Yvonne Dalschen, Lela Moore, Anna Rykaczewska and Jill Vandagriff of Oak Ridge, TN
+ Eric Buechel of Pleasant Hill, TN
+ Phil Savage and AngelaDawn of Powell, TN
+ Julie Oglesby of Seymour, TN
+ Spears McAllester of Signal Mountain, TN
+ Billie Wheeler of Meadowview, VA
+ James E. Meldrum of Beloit, WI

For more information, please visit http://www.knoxalliance.com/knoxville-photo/

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.