Calendar of Events

Flying Anvil Theatre presents their newest show, 8X10 - a theatrical buffet of funny and offbeat short plays opening July 27 for a four-week run. Ten actors take on eight plays in an evening Artistic Director Jayne Morgan calls both challenging and fun.

“If you like variety, this is the show for you! All the plays are really smart, in very different ways. They make you laugh while asking existential questions about the meaning of life, relationships and creativity. There is literally something for everyone. We say, don’t like this play? Hang on. There’s something totally different coming along in ten minutes!”

The program of one-acts features several works by local playwrights Margy Ragsdale and Staci Swedeen. Plots of the plays run the gamut from three monkeys randomly typing the works of Shakespeare, a game God plays with Adam and Eve, how office jealousy warps the story of how one guy got the promotion and two drama teachers stranded in the desert. There are love stories, absurd twists and turns and one rather unusual house cat. All in a compact, fast-paced 90 minutes.

The casts of the plays include Crystal-Marie Albertson, Angela Grant, Dennis Hart, Steve Louis, Michael Marks, Margy Ragsdale, David Snow, David Steele, Windie Wilson. Directors are Carrie Booher, Keri McClain and Terry Pfeiffer.

8X10 has two preview performances – a Pay-What-You-Can preview on Wednesday, July 25, and an $16 Thursday preview on July 26. Opening Night is Friday, July 27, followed by a reception with the cast and crew. The show runs four weeks, through August 19.
Evening performances are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2:00 pm. at Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Rd. Tickets are $22 and $24 (Students with I.D. $16) and may be purchased online at flyinganviltheatre.com, or call 865-357-1309 to make reservations.

Runs July 27 through August 19. Tickets available at https://www.ticketpeak.com/res/FlyingAnvil.

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

Knox County Public Library invites the public to join Knoxville City Councilman Marshall Stair in a consideration of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein at noon on Wednesday, July 25, in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium. Bring your lunch or pick up something downtown. Drinks are available for fifty cents. Reading the book is optional.

"As the City of Knoxville turns its attention to improving the zoning code, I thought it was important for the community to take an historical look at some of the negative consequences of government regulations, specifically attempts to increase segregation," Stair said. "I hope reading and discussing Color of Law will give us a better understanding of these harmful policies as we modify our code to increase affordability and diversity."

Rothstein describes how the American government systematically imposed residential segregation with undisguised racial zoning; public housing that purposefully segregated previously mixed communities; subsidies for builders to create whites-only suburbs; tax exemptions for institutions that enforced segregation; and support for violent resistance to African Americans in white neighborhoods. David Oshinsky of the New York Times Book Review describes The Color of Law as “a powerful and disturbing history of residential segregation in America…. One of the great strengths of Rothstein’s account is the sheer weight of evidence he marshals…. While the road forward is far from clear, there is no better history of this troubled journey than The Color of Law.”

Marshall Stair is a civil litigation attorney at the law firm of Lewis, Thomason, King, Krieg & Waldrop, P.C. and a member of City Council since 2011. While serving on Council, Stair has been a strong advocate for quality development by pushing to update the zoning code, reduce commercial sign clutter, improve transit, and promote walkable communities. Stair serves on the boards of Appalachian Mountain Bike Club, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Legacy Parks Foundation, and is also a member of the Bijou Facilities Committee and the BikeWalk Advisory Committee. Stair and his wife, Natalie, live in Old North Knoxville with their daughter Stella and dog Queenie. Find "Color of Law" in the catalog.

In the East Tennessee History Center auditorium, 601 South Gay Street. Books Sandwiched In is sponsored by the Friends of Knox County Public Library: 865-215-8750, www.knoxlib.org

This show is coordinated by the Simulations + Gaming + Role-Playing (SGR) Community of Scholars. This multi-disciplinary group brings together members of the UT community who share an interest in researching the development and use of simulations, gaming, role-playing, and similar strategies for teaching and learning. Such strategies are among the latest developments in higher education, and have been shown to create interactivity and collaboration, increase engagement and retention, deepen reflection and understanding, engender positive values and thoughtful behavior, and open authentic spaces for real-world problem-solving. Games and Simulations provide players/users with the opportunity to not only visualize, but to experience the world of a problem from a variety of perspectives.

Featured Games:
Marrying Mr. Darcy is a strategy card game for 2-6 players based on Jane Austen’s classic novel “Pride and Prejudice.”

Walden, a game is an exploratory narrative and open world simulation of the life of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau during his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Pond. The game begins in the summer of 1845 when Thoreau moved to the Pond and built his cabin there.

Embodied Labs works at the intersection of healthcare training and virtual reality storytelling to provide a culture shift solution that empowers every member of the care team to share their expertise and value one another.

The Cat and the Coup is a documentary videogame in which you play the cat of Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. During the summer of 1953, the CIA engineered a coup to bring about his downfall. As a player, you coax Mossadegh back through significant events of his life by knocking objects off of shelves, scattering his papers, jumping on his lap and scratching him.

Abbreviated Summer Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 12 – 4 PM. Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

For ages 5-12. Dates: June 11-15, June 18-22, July 16-20, July 23-27, daily 9 AM – 4 PM at the Birdhouse, 800 N. 4th Avenue. We offer a kids camp, usually a week long, typically for ages 5-14. We tailor the lessons to multiple ages by working together in whole-group instruction or by splitting up into smaller groups to maximize learning. We spend the day together creating art through various art forms like music, improv games, visual art and dance. We meet-up at the end of the day and share our experiences in a cool down meditative share time. Our mission is to promote cooperation and the love of learning through art, craft and creativity! Through exploration of self we will find common ground in each other. Cost is $235 or $55 per day. https://kidsinthearts.weebly.com/ or karlalanhess@gmail.com

Reception: July 13, 6:30 – 8:00 PM - Free and open to the public. Juried by Clay Thurston and featuring photography in categories such as Wildlife, Human Interest, Landscape, Still Life, Architecture, and Digitally Altered.

Exhibit viewing hours: Hours: Tu & Th 9-5, W & F 10-5, 2nd-4th Sa 10-1. Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

The Town's July/August 2018 Featured Artist is Sheri Burns, a home-school mom of four. She became an accomplished basket maker after studying Appalachian culture with her children. In an effort to add a hands-on element to her teaching, she signed up for a basket-making class and was immediately "hooked," she says. "I loved making baskets, and soon had a house full of them, and generously gifted them to all my relatives and friends!"

She is now a juried crafter at the Appalachian Arts Craft Center in Norris and teaches classes there and at Pellissippi State Community College. She is a member of the Tennessee Basket Association.

Each month, the work of an artist or group of artists is featured in specially-designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in Farragut Town Hall. Farragut Town Hall, located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist application, visit townoffarragut.org/artsandculture or contact Brittany Spencer at ParksandRecInfo@townoffarragut.org or 865-218-3378.

Recent works by artist Kathy Holland and jewelery artist Lynn Straka will be featured throughout July at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the artists, including complimentary refreshments and live music performed by Wendel Werner, will begin at 5:30 p.m. on July 6th, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk.

The show will highlight the new drawing series, “A Sea of Color,” by Kathy Holland, as well as the mixed-media jewelry of Lynn Straka, one of the Art Market Gallery’s newest artists.

Kathy Holland: I grew up enchanted and intrigued by the landscape around me: the undulating, mysterious, constantly changing forests, meadows, light and weather of the central and southern Appalachians. Even in my travels to England, Scotland and New Zealand I feel a pull toward similar terrain with an obviously dynamic geological past: land masses folded by tectonics and molded by weather, moving water and gravity.

Lynn Straka: My name is Lynn Straka, DVM. I am a mixed media jewelry artist and practicing small animal veterinarian. I began making natural and glass crystal beaded jewelry in about 2000—helping me through a tumultuous time. Jewelry-making quickly became a second vocation and I began selling my jewelry at craft shows. Ten years later, I expanded my work and began to transition from stringing beads to creating my jewelry by letter and word stamping on sterling silver and copper. I opened an Etsy shop, making and selling personalized pendant necklaces, bridal gifts and other unique pieces. At that time, I was self-taught, researching and learning technique and materials use on my own. I’ve always felt comfortable using small hand tools in these techniques, because the tools are similar to the tools I use in my veterinary surgical practice.

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

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.