Calendar of Events

Join us Sunday June 24, for the 4-7pm Cruise on the Tennessee River with Mighty Blue! Enjoy a 3 hour cruise on the Tennessee River with this great group of musicians. Boarding begins at 3pm sharp.

smokymountainblues.org/wp/smbs-shows/mighty-blues-blues-cruise-2/

Blues Lovers, Be sure to mark your calendars and get your tickets early for these special super fun SUNDAY CRUISES featuring Regional and International Touring Bands on the "Star of Knoxville":

Blues Cruise 2 with Mighty Blue - Jun. 24

ALL 2018 CRUISES are 4 to 7pm! Boarding begins at 3pm. SMBS Members get a $3 discount,...(enough for your first beer).
Knoxville Riverboat Company
Advance tickets are $16 and $13 for SMBS members, and $20/day of show.
CALL THE RIVERBOAT early at 865-525-7827 and reserve your ticket today – or online at http://tnriverboat.com/blues-cruises-2/. Full bar & limited food menu available. Smoking permitted on the upper deck. The Cruise Series helps fund our Blues In The Schools (BITS) Area Programs.

Smoky Mountain Blues Society: http://smokymountainblues.org/wp/

Knoxville's Maker Market! Enjoy the best locally made goods and adult beverages our area has to offer in the beautifully-restored, air-conditioned Relix Variety Theatre in Happy Holler! Plenty of free parking.
At 1208 North Central Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917.
www.atypicalmarket.com
https://www.facebook.com/ATypical-Market-2057107484535283/

The Center for Creative Minds at A1LabArts is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Knoxville artist Gunnar Quist. "Pixel Abstracts: Series BB" will run from June 22, 2018 - June 24, 2018, with an opening reception on Friday, June 22nd from 6-9 pm.

"Pixel Abstracts: Series BB" expands upon Gunnar Quist's unique style of photo-realistic hand-painted pixel art, taking it into the realm of abstraction and marking the beginning of a new phase of his career.

The exhibition will run through June 24, 2018. All works of art will be for sale, and a limited number of prints will be available. The artist will be present at the opening reception Friday, June 22nd from 6-9pm.

Additional exhibition hours are Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 6 pm each day.

A1LabArts @ the Center for Creative Minds, 23 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: www.a1labarts.org. For additional information, please contact Sara Blair McNally at sarablairmcnally@gmail.com.

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church - Free and open to the public.
Reception Friday, June 15, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.

Bobbie Crews
This collection of portraits was done in oil on canvas, quickly capturing personalities and revealing information about that person in a quick and concise manner. Some of the portraits are fleshed out with color pushing the image off the canvas, while others are capture the essence with burnt umber over a toned canvas. Both have their charms.

A self-taught artist who later earned a BFA in 2007 as an adult at the University of Tennessee, Crews has done portraits of people all her life. In 2009 she began creating “Intimate Portraits of Automobiles.” She has earned awards at several “Concours d”Elegance” car shows around the country and has shown in art museums in El Dorado and Topeka, Kansas; Biloxi; Indianapolis; and Midland, Michigan. She’s currently exhibiting at Carlock Motorcar Company in Brentwood, Tennessee. The Knoxville Family Justice Center houses a permanent exhibit of her work about women’s issues. I’ve participated in many other group and solo exhibitions and her murals are scattered around East Tennessee. Published by PBS television, American Art Collector, Hemmings and other magazines, and a member of the OPA and Portrait Society of America, Crews works on commission, especially in portraiture; teaches; critiques; and gives workshops and presentations.

Clay Thurston
Thurston says, “Wildlife and nature are gifts that should be enjoyed and protected by all of us. Patience is the number one element of capturing my subject, and I will spend weeks, months and years learning animal behaviors, studying the environment and finally getting the photo.”

Born in New Hampshire and raised in Maine, Thurston finished his undergraduate degree in education at Sam Houston State and his Masters in Education and Biology at the University of Tennessee. He taught in Oak Ridge Schools for 33 years, retiring from teaching in 2005. Since then, he has worked full time in nature and wildlife photography. He has traveled the world and shared his experiences through his work with other nature enthusiasts. He was honored to present his work to the North American Nature Photographers Association a few years back and exhibits all over the eastern half of the United States. www.claythurston.com

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Gallery hours: M-Th 10-5, Su 10-1. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

The Nief-Norf Summer Festival (nnSF) is an interdisciplinary summer music festival, bringing together dozens of performers, composers, and scholars to collaborate on the performance, creation, and discussion of contemporary music. The nnSF offers an immersive think-tank environment in the state-of-the-art Natalie L. Haslam Music Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and presents 7-8 concerts of modern music, aiming to encourage both appreciation for live music and support for contemporary art.

The Nief-Norf Summer Festival features full-time, faculty-led workshops in performance, composition, and music technology lasting the duration of the festival. In addition, each year the nnSF hosts two international calls for projects: the first, a Call for Papers for a weekend-long Research Summit on contemporary music, and the second, a Call for Scores competition for composers. These projects bring some of our generation's brightest and most promising composers and scholars to the festival for interaction with the fellows, the faculty, and the Knoxville community.

For more information, go to http://www.niefnorf.org/festival-overview.

Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM, Book by JAMES LAPINE
Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick

Carousel Theatre, University of Tennessee, 1714 Andy Holt Avenue
(adjacent to the Clarence Brown Theatre)

June 8, 9, 10 - June 15, 16, 17 - June 21, 22, 23, 24
Friday’s, Saturday’s and Thursday - evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.

The Tennessee Valley Players proudly present “Into the Woods.” James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, classic. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching. The Brothers Grimm hit the stage with an epic fairytale about wishes, family, and the choices we make. This musical is presented "in the Round" at the Carousel Theatre next to the Clarence Brown Theatre on the University of Tennessee campus. The Tennessee Valley Players is pleased to produce the show in collaboration with the University of Tennessee School of Music. Admission is $20 a ticket and for children 12 years old and younger, $10 a ticket. Tickets can be purchased on the Tennessee Valley Players’ website with a credit card ahead of time. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office starting 1 hour prior to each show with cash, check, or credit card. Festival seating.

Tennessee Valley Players: 865-584-8173, www.tennesseevalleyplayers.org

Everyone makes such a fuss about Fudge, Peter Hatcher's little brother. Everyone in New York City! But Fudge goes too far when he swallows Peter's turtle! Based on the popular title by perennial favorite Judy Blume, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a humorous look at family life and the troubles that can only be caused by a younger sibling.

The live stage play will be performed June 8 through 24:
Fri., June 8 at 7 PM, Sat., June 9 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., June 10 at 3 PM
Thurs., June 14 at 7 PM, Fri., June 15 at 7 PM, Sat., June 16 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., June 17 at 3 PM,
Thurs., June 21 at 7 PM, Fri., June 22 at 7 PM, Sat., June 23 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., June 24 at 3 PM.

The play is performed by 17 talented young actors, from ages 6 to 14. Zack Allen KCT’s Producing Director, will direct the play. High-school students Konnor Stump (Bearden High), Wheeler Moon (West High), Laura Snyder (Oak Ridge), Charlotte Stark and others will perform the plays technical duties. Sophomore Draven Copeland will be the play’s stage manager. KCT is east Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children.

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

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.

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