Calendar of Events

Visiting artists Donkeysaddle Projects will present a staged reading of their play There Is A Field at the Emporium Center in collaboration with youth from the Highlander Research and Education Center’s Seeds of Fire Camp. This reading will be a culmination of a weeklong residency with Highlander’s Seeds of Fire program, which brings together youth organizers (ages 13-17) and their adult allies (ages 18 and up) from social justice organizations throughout the South. For 17 years, Highlander’s Seeds of Fire (SOF) program has impacted and connected thousands of young people and their allies, gathering emerging and experienced grassroots organizers and community leaders to build collective power and influence critical policy decisions and practice shifts. The camp hosts, supports and networks intergenerational organizers from across the South to share about the social justice work that they do and to learn about Highlander’s methodologies. Together, they discuss the different issues in their communities, strategies to address these challenges and build relationships throughout their local community and the region.

There Is A Field is a documentary-style play about Aseel Asleh, a 17-year old Palestinian citizen of Israel killed by police in October 2000. Based on interviews and primary sources collected over 15 years, the play offers a uniquely personal lens for understanding inequality as the root of state violence and impunity. Audiences throughout the United States will find particular resonance with themes raised by Aseel’s life and murder, and post-play discussions and actions will create space to further explore connections and build solidarity across universal struggles for liberation and equality.

Donkeysaddle Projects has been producing the There Is A Field Artistic Residency with Black, Latinx, and (more recently) Indigenous communities since the spring of 2017. DSP’s founder, Jen Marlowe wrote There Is A Field, which was produced as a Land Day Tour in 2016, with 24 performances across 10 states (primarily at universities), reaching over 1,800 people. The tour was undertaken with the leadership of ten partner organizations, and 52 student leaders from 33 different campus organizations.

This staged reading is being sponsored by community-based arts nonprofit Cattywampus Puppet Council (Knoxville, TN), the Highlander Research & Education Center (New Market, TN), and the Knoxville Area Women in Black Chapter.

The play will take place on July 28th, 2018 at the Emporium Center located at 100 S Gay St, 37902. Doors open at 6:30pm and the performance will begin at 7pm. Entry is a suggested donation of $10. All donations will go towards Highlander’s Seeds of Fire Fund to support youth organizers from around the South.

For More Information, Contact: Rachel Milford, 865-300-3736, Rachel@highlandercenter.org
https://www.facebook.com/events/1665521073564793/

Cost: $30/Garden members; $40/nonmembers

This class will explore natural dyes made from plants. Participants will get an opportunity to practice the skill and art of dying natural fibers and learn a little about cultivating plants that produce dyes so you can grow and dye at home.

Instructor: Beth Willis, UT Gardens Volunteer and Membership Coordinator

UT Gardens, Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-7151, http://utgardens.tennessee.edu

Zoo Knoxville invites guests to take a break from back-to-school shopping with a special tax-free weekend offer. Beginning Friday, July 27, through Friday, August 3, 2018, general admission tickets to Zoo Knoxville are $9.25 for visitors ages 4 and up, which is half off the regular adult ticket price.

Visitors can explore the zoo’s newest additions, Gibbon Trails and Langur Landing, in the Boyd Family Asian Trek and be immersed in a 360 degree experience with playful primates. The habitats are designed with multiple viewing levels that allow langurs and gibbons to pass directly over the heads of visitors or be eye-to-eye with them in a 60-foot-tall treehouse accessible by a suspension bridge. The new expansion also allows soaring views of Tiger Forest, home to critically endangered Malayan tigers.

The zoo also offers a daily schedule of animal encounters throughout the park, giving visitors the opportunity to meet animal ambassadors, watch training sessions and chat with keepers to learn about the animals who call Zoo Knoxville home.

“In keeping with our philosophy of being ‘wildly fun’, we thought it would be exciting to do something unexpected for Tax-Free Weekend,” said Tina Rolen, Director of Marketing and Communications. “We would like to make a memorable outing with friends and family possible before everyone heads back to school.”

This offer is valid for tickets purchased July 27 through August 3, 2018. Tickets can be purchased at the zoo’s ticket window during business hours or online at zooknoxville.org. Tickets may be used any time before December 31, 2018. This offer cannot be combined with any other coupon.

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

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

Music by Harvey Schmidt, Lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Rebecca Gomez

"Try To Remember" a time when this romantic charmer wasn't enchanting audiences around the world. The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time.

The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that, "without a hurt, the heart is hollow."

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.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

Featuring the hit songs, “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me,” Disney’s Aladdin Jr will capture the hearts of audiences young and old.

Aladdin and his three friends are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp, which contains a genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that tests his will and moral character.

The live stage play will be performed July 13 through 29:
Fri., July 13 at 7 PM, Sat., July 14 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 15 at 3 PM
Thurs., July 19 at 7 PM, Fri., July 20 at 7 PM, Sat., July 21 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 22 at 3 PM & 7 PM
Thurs., July 26 at 7 PM, Fri., July 27 at 7 PM, Sat., July 28 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 29 at 3 PM & 7 PM

The play is performed by 23 talented young actors, from ages 10 to 17. Joseph Coram will play the title role, and Celeste Paultre will perform as Princess Jasmine. Audrey Jones will take on the role of The Genie, and Noah Seaman will play Jafar.

Derrick Washington, Jr. will direct the production, after serving for the past year as a directing intern. Recent West High graduates Wheeler Moon and Bethany Moon will design lights and costumes, respectively, and high-schoolers Derrick Washington, Kennis Van Dyke, and others will perform the play’s technical duties. Bearden sophomore Abby Ann Ramsey will be the play’s stage manager.

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

July 12 – August 12, Thursday to Sunday, 7:00 PM nightly
Shakespeare on the Square annually features two of the magnificent plays of Williams Shakespeare, comedies, tragedies and histories, rotated nightly outdoors on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. A blanket or a camp chair is all you need to view these performances. Or treat yourself to reserved VIP seating for just $15 per person, including a complimentary bottle of water and local merchant goodie bag. While we perform with no admission charge for general seating, we do appreciate your donations – we’ll pass a basket nightly and suggest a $10 donation per person. We also accept cash or credit cards at the “front of house” table.

Cymbeline: July 12, 14, 20, 22, 26, 28, and August 3, 5, 9, & 11
Special performance at Blount County Library in Maryville on July 30!
Cymbeline is the King of Britain. He marries an unpleasant woman who has an arrogant son called Cloten. Cymbeline arranges the marriage of his beautiful daughter, Imogen, to Cloten, but she defies him and marries the poor but worthy Posthumus Leonatus.

Henry IV, Part One: July 13, 15, 19, 21, 27, 29, and August 2, 4, 10, & 12
The story of Prince Hal (the future King Henry V of England), a fifteenth century wild child who carouses with criminals and commoners, helps his loser chums rob his father’s treasury, and spends all his time in seedy bars. This, of course, all takes place before Prince Hal’s glorious “reformation,” when he transforms himself from a total disgrace into a noble leader, who helps put down a rebel uprising that threatens his father’s reign, and kills the guy whose been bad-mouthing him all over England. Being a young prince is busy work, and this is just Part 1 of the story!

Indoor Matinee Performances - July 22: Cymbeline and August 5: Henry IV, Part One
Our indoor matinees take place in the luxuriously air conditioned and well appointed Scruffy City Hall at 32 Market Square. Both shows begin at 2:00 p.m. and admission is $15.00 at the door.

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

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

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.