Calendar of Events

Graphic designer Aggie Toppins is the first featured artist in Pellissippi State Community College's art series this fall.

Toppins' recent work, titled Palimpsests, will be on exhibit Aug. 27-Sept. 14 at Pellissippi State's Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery.

Opening reception for Toppins' exhibit will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, with an artist lecture to follow at 7 p.m.

Palimpsests is a series of collage-based prints rooted in the practice of psychogeography.

"I use extant materials that pass through my life while traveling to construct compositions that index my experience while attempting to capture the ways experience leaves its trace on me," explained Toppins, who is head of the art department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 10-6:30. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

Visitors to Zoo Knoxville will receive $10 admission in exchange for recycling bottles and containers made of #1 PET and #2 HDPE plastics beginning Monday, August 27, through Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018. The discount is an initiative by the zoo and Waste Connections to raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastic items to wildlife and to promote recycling and reducing personal use of plastic.

Nearly half of all plastic ever manufactured has been made since 2000, with a total of more than 450 million tons created in 2015 alone. In the same year, Americans purchased about 346 plastic beverage bottles per person—111 billion plastic bottles in all. On average, only 9% of those bottles were recycled. Production of plastic is outpacing our ability to manage it in a sustainable way, with between 10 and 20 million tons of plastic debris ending up in our oceans each year. Roughly 80 percent of that comes from inland rivers that eventually transport it to the coast. Plastics in our oceans are taking a devastating toll on animals, with more than 700 species estimated to have been affected. Discarded plastic is drowning marine mammals and turtles. Sea life such as birds, reptiles and fish are mistaking algae-covered plastic debris for food, resulting in malnourishment, chronic hunger and death.

“Zoo Knoxville and the entire community of zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) have the opportunity and responsibility to lead by example. As an organization, we are working on finding alternatives to single-use plastics,” said CEO and President Lisa New. “We also feel it is important to challenge our guests to recycle and reuse. By doing so, they are leading a change to protect wildlife and wild places. This is a symbolic way to make everyone more aware of their consumption and disposal of plastics.”

To redeem the $10 general admission ticket, guests should present a recyclable plastic container made of #1 PET or #2 HDPE plastic at the zoo’s ticket window between August 27 and Sept. 2, 2018. Special thanks to Waste Connections for their support of this campaign.

Currently, the zoo is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Admission and ticket sales stop one-hour before the zoo closes. Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

Enjoy a morning on a superb golf course while you support the Joy of Music School, a nonprofit organization providing free music education to financially disadvantaged children and teens.

Rain or Shine at Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club, 9317 Linksvue Dr, Knoxville, TN 37922

Tournament Schedule:
8:15 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start
1:00 Lunch - Archers BBQ, and Awards Ceremony

Compete for prizes: Long Drive, Short Drive, Closest to Pin, Putting Contest and more
PLUS: Hole-in-one wins a GMC Denali or Yukon! Hole-in-one wins a brand new tricked out golf cart! Beer, Soft Drinks, and More on the Course! Surprises in store as well! $100 Per Player, Proceeds support free music lessons for disadvantaged children and teens.

REGISTER NOW! or call 865.525.6806

Can't attend the event? Not a golfer? You can still support our work in the community with a donation. Thank you!

Joy of Music School, 1209 Euclid Avenue Knoxville, TN 37921. Information: 865-525-6806, www.joyofmusicschool.org

BACK TO SCHOOL SALE! The McClung Museum store will have a special sale August 22-29.

All students receive an additional 10% off of all museum store goods.

All books will be an additional 20% off during this period as well.

Museum Store sales go to fund educational programs for 10,000 area children. Come by & help make sure that everyone has a great time going back to school!

Remember, Museum members get an additional 10% off on top of the above discounted prices.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-Sa 9-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Reception Friday, August 17, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.

About Gary Heatherly: Heatherly recently retired from 30 years of commercial photography and is returning to the beginnings of his art. Still photography captures the precious moments of life. When we are younger, he says, life passes in slow motion as we explore our new world. As we age and shed the curiosity and wonder of youth, life speeds up. Photographers strive to capture and embellish the pristine moments for future appreciation. Heatherly has lived in Knoxville for over 55 years. He attended West High School and graduated with honors in 1974 from UT Knoxville with a BFA in Studio Art, emphasis in drawing and painting. He started his own photography business in the mid 70’s and focused on advertising, editorial, architectural and stock photography. His work allowed him to see the world with trips to the Philippines , Ireland, and the Caribbean. He published a Book of the Year winner along with help from WBIR and Robin Easter Design: Knoxville Then & Now. He is featured in three other “coffee table” books about Knoxville. www.garyheatherly.com

About Althea Murphy-Price: Murphy-Price is inspired by the social implication of beauty as it relates to female identity, women and culture. This work investigates how identity is informed and influenced through the context of a deceptively subversive beauty culture. Real and false, decoration and imitation are addressed and questioned. Recent work is inspired by the popular hashtag #blackgirlmagic and online image results from searching “perfect hair” and “perfect skin.” Her response to these images is colorful, playful and expressive of a child-like fascination. Althea Murphy-Price began her studies in Fine Art at Spelman College before receiving her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting from Purdue University and later studying at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, where she earned her Master of Fine Arts. She has exhibited in venues throughout the country and abroad, including the Weston Gallery, Cincinnati; Howard Museum of Art, Baltimore; Wellesley College, Boston; Wade Wilson Art Gallery, Houston; Indiana University Art Museum; The Print Center, Philadelphia; The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston; and the Knoxville Museum of Art. International exhibits include the International Printmaking Exhibition, Jingdezhen, China; the American Youth Printmaking Exhibition, Lui Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai, China; and Print Resonance, Musashino Art University, Tokyo Japan. She was artist in residence at the Frank Lloyd Wright School; University of Hawaii, Hilo; The Vermont Studio Center; and the Venice Printmaking Studio. Her writings and work have been featured in Art Papers Magazine, CAA Reviews, Contemporary Impressions Journal, Art in Print, Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials and Process, and Printmakers Today. www.altheamurphyprice.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

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

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.