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.

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

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

Opening Friday June 1st 5:00-9:00

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Thurs-Sat, 10-6; Sun-Wed by appointment (or when the "open" sign is turned on). Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

Sequins and feathers fly in outrageous new Flying Anvil Theatre show! What happens when a failing Elvis impersonator reluctantly agrees to become a drag performer and finds out he’s really good at it? Hilarity ensues, with a powerful message about being true to yourself.

“The Legend of Georgia McBride,” by Matthew Lopez, is a bold, brassy comedy with a heart as big as its wigs. The show’s lip-syncing divas provide plenty of laughs while sharing the difficulties, discrimination and danger of their profession. It’s a gift to the audience, all wrapped up in sequins and feathers. The play was a New York Times critic’s pick in 2015. Reviewer Charles Isherwood called it “full of sass and good spirits — along with a spritz or two of sentimentality.”

The show stars David Dwyer, My’Chyl Purr, Ethan Roeder, Aleah Vassell and Collin Andrews. Donald Thorne will be filling in for David Dwyer for some shows.

The Flying Anvil Theatre has been presenting adventurous, provocative theatre since 2012 under the direction of Artistic Director, Jayne Morgan. For The Legend of Georgia McBride, the theatre is partnering with Positively Living, a nonprofit organization which serves vulnerable groups struggling to survive the challenges created by HIV/AIDS, homelessness, mental illness, addiction and disabilities.

There are two pre-opening previews, Wednesday, May 30, which is a Pay What You Can Night and Thursday, May 31. The show officially opens on Friday June 1 and runs four weeks through June 24. Show times are 7:30 pm Wednesday through Saturday nights and 2:00 pm on Sundays. The theatre is announcing new lower ticket prices of $22 and $24 for adults and $16 for students with ID. *The show has some mature language and may not be suitable for children under 12.

Tickets can be reserved via telephone or purchased online at https://www.ticketpeak.com/res/FlyingAnvil. Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com

The project, inspired by a similar exhibit at Rotary Botanical Garden in Janesville, Wisconsin, is designed to promote community participation and artist collaboration at the UT Gardens, Knoxville, as well as to raise awareness and support for the Gardens. 27 local professional and amateur artists have created unique interpretations of a wooden hummingbird silhouette. The pieces will be displayed throughout the summer of 2018 for Gardens visitors to enjoy. The Hummingbirds will then be sold at a live auction on September 8, 2018 with all proceeds benefiting the UT Gardens, Knoxville.

UT Gardens, Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-7151, https://ag.tennessee.edu/utg/Pages/default.aspx

Reception date TBA

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

Jim Joyce takes a lot of pictures. He captures images of landscapes, flowers, big cats, all sorts of images from the great outdoors, but one subject that doesn’t catch his eye is people. At least not anymore.

Our featured artist in our Market Square location, Joyce spent a lot of his adult life trying to capture perfect moments of people interacting for PR shots and the like. But the challenges of blinking eyes, crooked smiles, funny faces, and even hair mussing gusts, finally got to him: “I got over the people pictures and so the only ones I take now are of my 7-year-old granddaughter.”

Although he didn’t include his family shots, Joyce did manage to bring a wide variety that includes dogwoods, tigers, flowers and more. For this exhibit Joyce selected some of his favorites from a large collection that now takes up considerable space in his home. He’s learned how to maximize every square inch of space from closest shelves to the space beneath beds in order to house his growing collection.

Joyce takes his camera along wherever he goes because, he says, “one morning I was walking my dog and there was a bald eagle right in the tree right above me. I didn’t have my camera on me so I took a picture with my cell phone. Of course, it was a minute detail on my camera screen, and it was a minute detail on my camera screen when I got back home to edit. I blew it up so I could show people. It was bigger than a speck, but you still couldn’t tell what it was. And I don’t think anybody believed me. Since then I take my camera with me everywhere.”

Joyce’s eye for the unexpected often gives his photography a fresh kind of realism, but the exhibit has more than a few shots that will make you stop for a second glance to check just what you saw. The striking color of a bird’s nest or the tendrils of a fern have an extra, alluring dimension, and the photo of a dance studio seems somehow slightly surreal. The dance studio shot is actually a photo of mural that he caught in some particularly serendipitous light, but even so, it captures the spirit of Joyce’s work – an eye for on the spot composition and a little bit of luck.

Jim Joyce’s photography will be on view at the downtown Knoxville Tomato Head on Market Square from May 7th thru June 3rd, 2018. Mr. Joyce will then display his work at the West Knoxville Gallery Tomato Head from June 4th thru July 2nd, 2018.

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

Calling all teens! Join us 1st & 3rd Saturdays this summer at 2 P.M. for Super Saturday Cinemas! Enjoy popcorn, drinks, and a recently released action-packed blockbuster film. May and June will feature Marvel vs. DC superheroes, and July and August will be megahits of the sci-fi genre.

May 5: Spider-Man: Homecoming (PG-13, 2017, 133 min.)
May 19: Thor: Ragnarok (PG-13, 2017, 130 min.)
June 2: Wonder Woman (PG-13, 2017, 141 min.)
June 16: Justice League (PG-13, 2017, 120 min.)
July 7: Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi (PG-13, 2017, 152 min.)
July 21: Black Panther (PG-13, 2018, 134 min.)
August 4: Maze Runner: The Death Cure (PG-13, 2018, 141 min.)
August 18: Ready Player One (PG-13, 2018, 140 min.)

4614 Asheville Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37914
www.knoxlib.org or (865) 525-5431