Calendar of Events

In Ijams' Hallway Gallery. Stop by to see gorgeous underwater photography by Bryce Gibson in July! Gibson's stunning photos of native, freshwater fish will help you appreciate the beauty and diversity of wildlife living in East Tennessee's waters.

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, July 6, 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.

My Life, My Art in East Tennessee in the Main gallery
“My Life, My Art in East Tennessee” is a juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists ages 50 and up. The exhibition, sponsored by Renaissance Terrace Assisted Living, will feature fine art works of all media works by local artists reflecting the theme “My Life, My Art in East Tennessee”. Works in the exhibitions may also be a reflection of community, family and history in East Tennessee. For more information about participating in the exhibition, please contact kkinney@schas.org.

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, July 6, 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.

Iron Dreams in the Balcony gallery
“Iron Dreams” is a show of hand-forged ironwork made by five metal workers in Tennessee. The show will focus on functional and sculptural ironwork for the home and garden. A diverse collection of work results from the unique style and expression of each artist. Featured artists include Joe Babb, Brad Greenwood, Abraham Pardee, Mike Rose, and Ryan T. Schmidt.

Joe Babb has been a maker of things in various materials for his entire life, working in steel with forge and anvil for the past 40 years. He currently devotes most of his time to the design and production of custom ironwork.

Abraham Pardee holds a BFA in Metals from the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, TN, has completed the Apprentice Program at the Metal Museum in Memphis, and has worked for several professional blacksmith shops across the country. He has exhibited work nationally and taught workshops, and he has managed his own blacksmithing studio, Pardee Metal, since 2016.

Brad Greenwood is a full-time coppersmith and blacksmith in Anderson County. He belongs to two professional guilds: the Clinch River Blacksmith Guild (CRBG) and the Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths (AACB). He hand crafts custom pieces in his own forge, utilizing the same techniques perfected over centuries by masters of the trade.

Mike Rose’s work is a combination of traditional blacksmithing and sculptural expression. He has smithed for over 40 years, including 25 as Master Smith at Dollywood theme park and eight years as Professor of Fine Arts at Pellissippi State College.

Ryan T. Schmidt lives and manages his metal art studio and shop surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Park in historic Cumberland Gap. He learned the art of blacksmithing from William Brock, a traditional blacksmith and the owner of Rusted Bird Studio. Schmidt is a proud member of the Clinch River Blacksmith Guild (CRBG), Appalachian Area Chapter of Blacksmiths (AACB) and Artist-Blacksmith's Association of North America (ABANA).

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, July 6, 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.

Work by Michelle Barillaro, Viktoria Cubbedge, and Emily Shane in the display case
Michelle Barillaro, a 2018-2019 Bailey Grant recipient, will display paintings and jewelry. She has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She works mostly in abstract using pastels, paint and charcoal.

Viktoria Cubbedge will display four dolls that are made of air-dried clay, acrylic paints, pastels, fabrics, leather, vintage elements, and fabric. She was born and raised in Ukraine and has received degrees in library sciences and exhibition management. She worked as a photographer for almost 20 years. She lives in Seymour and has been making dolls for one year.

Emily Shane, a 2018-2019 Bailey Grant recipient, has always been drawn to color and bold graphic design. Ten years ago she ran across three boxes of books destined for the landfill and decided to do something with them. She’s been making art with vintage hardback book covers and ephemera ever since. Inspired by nature, textile design, pop/op art, photography, and films, she uses a variety of tools to cut, shape, and arrange her materials into works of depth, balance, and symmetry.

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, July 6, 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.

Marcia Moffett graduated from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1981 with a BFA in Commercial Art. During this time, she concentrated on acrylics and later expanded to poetry and calligraphy. She has also experimented with collage, watercolor, and mixed media to create unique and original paintings. Her current work has vibrant colors, stylized realism, and abstract forms that were not seen in earlier paintings.

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.

A reception will take place on Friday, July 6, 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.

Short Sleeve Pants. Socks Are Optional by Rodney Yardley in the Atrium
Rodney Yardley has walked the streets of Knoxville for nearly 45 years, most of the time alone, usually in short pants, and generally with no socks. He believes he may be the original “free range kid”. The exhibition showcases his photography of Knoxville.

Artist statement: My Dad worked at Woodruff’s when it was a department store. When I turned twelve, he would bring me to work with him. I would spend a short amount of time going through the store and greeting everyone who worked there, and then I was allowed to go out and walk these very same streets I walk today. It was perfectly safe; no danger at all. I did have boundaries. I wasn’t allowed to go near The Bijou because I would have to walk by Comer’s pool hall, which was definitely off limits. I still had a ball, visiting Watson’s when it was Watson’s, The Hobby Shop where they sold model trains and airplanes, and Miller’s on Gay Street where the ladies at the candy counter would give me a free sample bag of candy. These are things I dream about some nights, and they are beautiful, heartwarming dreams. Welcome to my dreams of a town I love.

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.

On July 2, the Farragut Museum will unveil a very special exhibit which will showcase paintings by local artist Alexander Dumas. Visitors will also be able to view artifacts from various branches of the military and numerous wars, including the Korean War, Vietnam War, World War I and II, and Desert Storm. This exhibit will be on display through January 4, 2019.

Dumas was born in Detroit, Mich., and started painting on his 27th birthday. Serving in the U.S. Navy from 1945-1949 and as a Hospital Corpsman at the University of Virginia from 1949-1953 gave Alex a unique perspective on war. As a WWII veteran, the images of young men suffering from the wounds of war have stayed with the artist for a lifetime. While he did not see combat, many of his patients came back to the States with wounds that would be considered horrific under any circumstance. His wartime paintings are based on combat photographs.

Dumas spent 16 years as a member of the Tennessee State Guard, retiring with the rank of Major. His paintings are on exhibit at the Tennessee Theatre, the East Tennessee Historical Society and the USS Tennessee Battleship Museum, among other places. He currently teaches a painting class at Strang Senior Center in Knoxville.

Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Dr, Farragut, TN 37934. Hours: M-F 10-4:30. Information: 865-966-7057, www.townoffarragut.org/museum

Meet the Artist, Esther Sitver, and Solo Art Show
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Arnstein Jewish Community Center, 6800 Deane Hill Dr, Knoxville, TN

Please come to meet Ringling College of Art & Design illustration major, Esther Sitver, at the Arnstein Jewish Community Center. Light refreshments and art sale of cards, prints, and original art. 30 pieces from Esther's sophomore year featuring illustrations, figure drawings, and paintings are on exhibit Monday-Friday from 9am-5pm through August 10. Esther is a 2016 BHS grad and West Hills resident. Commission inquiries and Esther's latest work can be seen at http://esthersitver.wixsite.com/portfolio.

Fridays at 7 PM

June 15 - Knox County Jug Stompers - Old-Time String, Country Blues, and Jug Band
June 22 - Jesse and Nick Keen
June 29 - The Holloway Sisters and Outta the Blue
July 6 - Kelly & Ellis
July 13 - Steven Rushingwind
July 20 - Tennessee Sheiks
July 27 - Pistol Creek Catch of the Day
August 3 - Roscoe & Bethany Morgan

As we continue to offer our Sunset Concert Series to you, please keep the following in mind when making your plans to attend:
All concerts begin at 7 pm – Rain or shine in the covered amphitheater.
Bring your own folding lawn chairs.
Coolers and alcohol of any kind are prohibited
Pets are not allowed (Except Service Animals w/ Proper Identification)
Smokin' Joe's BBQ available at the Concessions Stand until Intermission!

$10 per person, GSMHC Members and Children 5 and Under are FREE

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 3/4 mile east of traffic light at the Highway 321 and 73 intersection towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN. Hours: M-Sa 10-5. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

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.