Calendar of Events

Full of comedy and thrills, and one of America's most enduring stories. Life is pretty fun down by the Mississippi River in Tom Sawyer's hometown. He hunts for buried treasure with his best pal Huck Finn, enjoys time with the beautiful Becky Thatcher, and avoids having to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence. But the events of one fateful summer night will change the town forever, and the boys' dream of buried treasure just might come true!

The live stage play will be performed August 17 through September 2:
Fri., Aug. 17 at 7 PM, Sat., Aug. 18 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Aug. 19 at 3 PM
Thurs., Aug. 23 at 7 PM, Fri., Aug. 24 at 7 PM, Sat., Aug. 25 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Aug. 26 at 3 PM
Thurs., Aug. 30 at 7 PM, Fri., Aug. 31 at 7 PM, Sat., Sept. 1 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Sept. 2 at 3 PM

The play is performed by 19 talented young actors, from ages 10 to 15. Eason Bullard will play the title role, and Maddy Grace Payne will perform as Becky Thatcher. Braxxton Sommers will take on the role of Huckleberry Finn, and Ella Trisler will play Aunt Polly. Zack Allen, KCT’s Producing Director, will direct the production. Central High student Jacob Sousley will head up scenery duties. L&N STEM student Derrick Washington, Jr. will work on lighting, and West High student Brycen Ritchie will design costumes. Averi Waller 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

Showtimes
Fri Aug 17, 2018 | 8:00PM
Sat Aug 18, 2018 | 8:00PM
Sun Aug 19, 2018 | 2:00PM
Thu Aug 23, 2018 | 8:00PM
Fri Aug 24, 2018 | 8:00PM
Sat Aug 25, 2018 | 8:00PM
Sun Aug 26, 2018 | 2:00PM

Twists, turns, and mysteries abound in this gripping Tony Award winning thriller. Paralyzed by writer’s block and frustrated with a string of box office failures, Broadway playwright Sidney Bruhl finds light at the end of the tunnel in a play written by one of his eager students. At the end of his rope, Sidney convinces the aspiring young writer to collaborate on what is sure to be a Broadway smash. An intense string of revelations and double-crosses leads to a startling climax that will have you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the very end.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

Turnabout: Women at the Lathe is the first exhibition organized and funded by the Women in Turning (WIT) committee of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW). Reflecting our membership, we created a blended invitational and juried show that celebrates both known and unknown voices in our field. The twenty-seven sculptural pieces in the exhibition were created by women artists from the United States, England, Wales, Canada, and Taiwan, ranging in age from their early twenties to their 80s. The work in the show is created all or in part on the lathe, a specialized woodworking machine that holds and spins material while it is carved with sharp tools. The exhibition features work by women with anything from a few years of experience to more than three decades of turning.

A traveling show, Turnabout: Women at the Lathe will be featured at three distinctly different venues: the Appalachian Center for Craft, part of the School of Art, Craft & Design at Tennessee Tech University; the American Association of Woodturners’ Gallery of Wood Art; and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

It is our hope that through this exhibition more women will think of turning as possible for themselves, and discover the many pleasures of this extraordinary craft and art form.

Participating artists: Katie Adams, Donna Zils Banfield, Dixie Biggs, Kailee Bosch, Sally Burnett, Marilyn Campbell, Martha Collins, Barbara Dill, Sharon Doughtie, Jeanne Douphrate, Ena Dubnoff, Melissa Engler, Diana Friend, Louise Hibbert, Liz Kent, Janice Levi, Kristin LeVier, Grace Parliman, Tania Radda, Betty Scarpino, Hayley Smith, Janine Wang, Kimberly Winkle, Helga Winter, Andi Wolfe, Cindy Pei-Si Young

At JERRY DROWN WOOD STUDIO GALLERY at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

"Opposite Day" by Julie Armbruster

Armbruster’s exhibit, “Opposite Day” opened this month in our Downtown location, and it’s a wild ride of color, character, and composition that grabs the eye and then runs into the imagination. The work bursts with color and life and is inhabited by a cast of characters that are simultaneously alluring and suspect. http://thetomatohead.com/julie-armbruster/

At the Downtown Knoxville location Aug 5 - Sep 2 and West Knoxville Sep 3 - Oct 1

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

Opening Friday August 3 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

A reception will be held on Aug. 3 from 6-8 p.m. in the DENSO gallery.

Tone Cogburn was born and raised in Norway, but has lived in Tennessee since 1987. She has 30 years of experience in traditional and contemporary quilt design and teaches experimental techniques nationally and internationally. Pictorial and architectural elements are her favorites. Tone has exhibited all over the world and finds lots of inspiration from her travels.

Denso Gallery, Clayton Center for the Arts. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Join us for the August First Friday featuring Knoxville's Robert Felker, opening August 3, 5:30-8:30 PM.

Songbirds & Smoke Rings — Paintings and Mixed-media Collages

About the artist: I am a painter and collage artist looking for the magic in everyday life. Whether it's the tranquil lake at sunset, or the abandoned country store, I want to honor and capture the beauty I see in the world. I earned a BFA from School of Visual Arts (1991) and today, live in Tennessee with my wife, two kids and our backyard chickens. https://www.robertfelker.com/

1991 - graduated School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Media Arts.
Spring 1991 - Solo show through SVA Galleries, entitled "Works on Paper"
Spring 1991 - Group show at the Art Directors Club, entitled "Illustration as Short Story"
Spring 1991 - Group show: "Images of Labor," Gallery 1199, NY
1991 - 1998 - Freelance illustrator, clients include: Lenscrafters, Sun Microsystems, Alfred Knopf, Dartmouth Press
1998 - present - personal work and private commissions

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/art-gallery/

A reception will take place on Friday, August 3, 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.

Sergio Martinez Avila is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras and has more than 26 years’ experience in artistic production. His work is a process of gradually evolving technique and themes, which often explore the fantastical qualities of the world. He sustains an imaginary fiction using the female figure and other competing forms, creating sensory properties and relations of bodies by building an architectural and urban scene. Martinez achieves this scenery through the delicate handling of color, keeping the proportions between the realistic and the fantastical clean and simple. Martinez Avila attended the Instituto Nocturno Francisco Morazan in El Zurzular, Honduras and has exhibited internationally in Canada, Finland, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and the United States.

Iván Soto Hernández is from San Esteban, Olancho, Honduras and currently lives in Knoxville. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (ENBA, or National School of Fine Arts), the main center of education and training of artists in the republic of Honduras, where he received a diploma in Plastic Arts (a newer artistic genre). Plastic arts are art forms which involve physical manipulation of a plastic medium by molding or modeling such as sculpture or ceramics. He has participated in international group exhibitions in Canada, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, and the United States. His work is on permanent display in galleries in St. Petersburg, Florida; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and via representation in Canada.

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, August 3, 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.

Featuring: Eric Holstine, EHArtwork; Jason Edwards; Jason Lambert; and Eriel Scott, Eriel Shea Photography

Eric Holstine, EHArtwork was born and raised in Charleston, WV. He is an IT professional, who also incorporates his computer education and training into his artwork. He works with a variety of media, including stained glass, metal, wood, acrylics, and polymer clay. He frequently incorporates electrical features into his art. Holstine's work has been shown at Steam at Harper's Ferry in WV; The Steampunk World's Fair in Piscataway, NJ; the Emporium Center and Marble City Comicon in Knoxville; as well as events in Gaithersburg, MD, and Charleston/Huntington, WV. For more information, please visit www.EHArtwork.com.

Jason Edwards works with acrylic paints, markers, inks, spray paint and charcoal on paper and canvas. He also works with woodblock printing, digital painting and video. His painting and woodblock styles are whimsical, while his videos are very conceptual. Edward’s paintings often reflect other people’s emotions, and themes in his videos mostly deal with his own emotions. In his works, he seeks to remind viewers it is okay to be a human living in a world that is unbalanced and extreme. For more information, please visit www.Jordebot.net.

Experimentation is Jason Lambert’s primary goal. While originally working in pen and ink he has also transitioned into use of copper, steel, sharpies and nail polish to create unique 2- and 3-D works. His degree in geology and minor in anthropology from the University of Kentucky have helped inform a love of old science he applies to new art. “I never truly consider my work finished, only stalled or given away,” says Lambert. “The process of creation and fusion is what really attracts my imagination. My current body of work includes captured moments or thoughts I am attempting to flesh out.” For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/ExplorationsInMetal/.

Eriel Scott, Eriel Shea Photography was born and raised in Charleston, WV. She is an independent photographer, as well as a Graphic and Multimedia Designer, who strives to show the emotion behind the moment. Her portfolio includes weddings, senior sessions, animals, boudoir, and nature themes. She is always excited to capture special moments that will resonate for years to come. Her photography has been featured in Senior Model Magazine, Two Lane Living Magazine, and the Charleston Gazette Mail, with other work on display in the Charleston, WV area. For more information, please visit www.erielsheaphotography.com

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, August 3, 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.

As a native Montanan, Rex Redd had the blessing of growing up immersed in natural beauty. Redd attended the University of Montana at Missoula where he graduated with a degree in Anthropology, and his love for historical cultures and traditions from around the world is an influence throughout his body of work. After moving to East Tennessee, Redd met Bill Capshaw and worked with the pottery program at the Oak Ridge Art Center. He works in several other mediums including painting, printmaking, photography and wood, often incorporating more than one into a project. He has work in several private and corporate collections throughout the United States, as well as Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Confluence - An act or process of merging. As a mixed media artist, this concept is nothing new to Redd’s work. Bringing together a variety of materials to make a cohesive piece of work is at once challenging and rewarding. But what happens when over the years you have worked in several unrelated disciplines? Recently, one of his students asked, “How do you decide on any given day what you’re going to work on?” This show is in response to that question and includes traditional and cross-disciplinary raku work. “I never set aside one art form to pursue another out of boredom,” says Redd. “Something I was doing sparked a desire to explore more creative avenues. This amalgam of acquired skills and interests led me to a personal crossroads; either pick one and concentrate on that discipline, or bring them all together and see what comes of it. Therein lies the confluence.” For more information, please visit www.rexredd.com.

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, August 3, 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.

Marty McConnaughey will display various sculptures that use gourds as a base with pine needle and sweet grass coiling, antlers, and other natural materials. She will also display giclees of other works.

Artist statement: There is an endless amount of inspiration throughout nature; it only takes a moment to see its real beauty. Using gourds as a foundation helps create a unique sculpture by incorporating objects that nature itself provides. I love the art of coiling pine needles and sweet grass in my work; it gives a subtle movement drawing the onlooker to a journey that is both captivating and soothing. I continue to pursue and discover new elements on a regular basis to incorporate into my endeavors. The simple use of driftwood, acorn tops and strips of copper that I call ‘nature’s treasures’ are found throughout my creations. Each piece I design is hand crafted to be distinctive and bring an element of drama to enhance a wide range of decors. My appreciation and love of our Creator with all the patterns, texture and colors He give us draws me to make unique pieces of art that will bring joy and inspiration to others. For more information, please visit www.distinctivegourds.com.

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, August 3, 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.

Anthony M. Donaldson lives in Knoxville and is a Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) bus driver. He studied art heavily in high school and continued taking some classes in college. As a writer expresses in a book, an artist expresses in art. “I ask myself: does art imitate life or does life imitate art?” says Donaldson. “I think sometimes it’s both. For me, God is the master artist, and He created everything. I find drawing easy, yet creativity requires deep thinking and studying.”

Donaldson aims to tell a story with his art, and the recent work he will display features many subjects such as climate change, human trafficking, Harlem Renaissance culture, political and social issues, racism & classism, and more.

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.