Calendar of Events

At East Tennessee History Center - Books Sandwiched In - What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia

Elizabeth Catte will discuss her new book What You’re Getting Wrong About Appalachia. In 2016, headlines declared Appalachia ground zero for America's "forgotten tribe" of white working class voters. Journalists flocked to the region to extract sympathetic profiles of families devastated by poverty, abandoned by establishment politics, and eager to consume cheap campaign promises. What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia is a frank assessment of America's recent fascination with the people and problems of the region. The book analyzes trends in contemporary writing on Appalachia, presents a brief history of Appalachia with an eye toward unpacking Appalachian stereotypes, and provides examples of writing, art, and policy created by Appalachians as opposed to for Appalachians. The book offers a must-needed insider's perspective on the region.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org

2018 East Tennessee Regional Competition - Bands Competing for IBC-2019:
Jonny Monster Band
Drunken Hearted Band
Zuzu Welsh Band
Filibilly - Duo
*Jam After Competition*

At The Concourse. Doors open at 6 pm – show starts at 7 pm. Free Event to Public 18+

The International Blues Challenge represents the worldwide search for those Blues Bands and Solo/Duo Blues Acts ready to perform on the international stage, yet just needing that extra big break. Each Affiliate of The Blues Foundation has the right to send a band and a solo/duo act to represent its organization at the IBC. The IBC is judged by blues professionals from across the world who have years of experience in listening to, producing, and creating blues music. The Blues Foundation has established a set of criteria by which all acts are evaluated throughout the five days of the IBC. Affiliated organizations are required to stage a regional preliminary IBC competition, with the winner of that event representing the organization in the International Blues Challenge held annually in Memphis, TN along historic Beale Street. While Affiliated Organizations are encouraged to follow The Blues Foundation’s structure and rules during their local challenges, each organization is free to structure its preliminary rounds as it sees fit, as long as a true challenge between multiple acts takes place resulting in a single band and/or solo/duo act being identified.

In appreciation of our great regional Blues fans and to promote what SMBS does locally, this year we are pleased to make this a free goodwill event for all (18+). At the competition, supporters may make donations to help fund the acts chosen to represent Smoky Mountain Blues Society. Donations from this event go towards band expenses at IBC-2019 in Memphis in January. Thanks Blues Fans for supporting our IBC representatives!

Be sure and stay for the EXCITING Blues Jam after the competition!!
www.smokymountainblues.org

CBT Mainstage

Searching throughout the Old and New World for his beloved Cunegonde, Candide’s philosophy of Optimism is challenged by catastrophe after catastrophe.
The CBT and KSO are proud to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Candide in 2018, the 100th anniversary of his birth year. Bernstein’s brilliant and beautiful score deepens Voltaire’s great satire with contributions from the greatest lyricists of the 20th century.

By Voltaire. Music by Leonard Bernstein.
Directed by Artistic Director Calvin MacLean. Conducted by Music Director Aram Demirjian.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

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

More than 40 paintings and drawings from public and private collections around the country celebrate the life and achievement of this well-known Knoxville native.

Joseph Delaney (1904-1991) rose from humble beginnings in Knoxville to establish himself as a tireless and prolific painter of Manhattan’s urban scene. Over the span of his 60-year career, Delaney displayed a remarkable ability to express the city’s vitality using the loose brushwork of gestural abstraction, which at the time represented the cutting edge of studio practice, without sacrificing the narrative content many of his contemporaries had abandoned. The works featured in On the Move represent the variety of ways in which he used this hybrid method to infuse his painted scenes with vibrant energy, and intricate patterns of movement.

While capturing the ebb and flow of life on the boulevards and back alleys, Delaney’s vigorous brushwork also reveals his restless spirit and insatiable creative drive. On the Move has been organized by the KMA in the hopes of generating newfound appreciation and scholarly attention for an artist who captured his time and place with uncommon energy and a fiercely independent spirit. In depicting Manhattan’s urban scenes, the artist trains his ever-shifting vantage point on gleaming plazas and gritty nightspots with equal intensity and familiarity. In some compositions, near-panoramic views emphasize the pulse of crowds within vast architectural arenas. In others, the artist focuses on specific urban structures—subway cars, bridges, and roadways—that make movement possible.

The public is invited to celebrate the art and life of Joseph Delaney at the KMA Family Fun Day on Saturday, August 25 from 11am to 4pm. This event is free and open to the public thanks to the generosity of Katherine and Joe Fielden.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Reception: August 17, 6:30 – 8:00 PM - Free and open to the public.

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

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

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

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