Calendar of Events

First Friday Reception: Friday, October 5th, 5-9PM

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present a selection of prints and sculptures by Chakaia Booker.
Sculptor Chakaia Booker fuses ecological concerns with explorations of racial and economic difference, globalization, and gender by recycling discarded tires into complex assemblages.

Booker began to integrate discarded construction materials into large, outdoor sculptures in the early 1990s. Tires resonate with her for their versatility and rich range of historical and cultural associations. Booker slices, twists, weaves, and rivets this medium into radically new forms and textures, which easily withstand outdoor environments.

Booker received a B.A. in sociology from Rutgers University in 1976, and an M.F.A. from the City College of New York in 1993. She gained international acclaim at the 2000 Whitney Biennial with It’s So Hard to Be Green (2000), her 12.5 x 21 foot wall-hung tire sculpture. Booker received the Pollock-Krasner Grant in 2002 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005. She has exhibited in group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Booker's exhibition is in conjunction with the Mid South Sculpture Alliance Conference, taking place this year in Knoxville. Booker is one of the conference's keynote speakers. Her talk will be on Friday, October 5th at the Knoxville Museum of Art at 3PM. This event is open to the public.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

A reception will take place on Friday, October 5, 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.

The Tennessee Artists Association (TAA) will feature original art by over 20 Tennessee artists including oils, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, photography, and mixed media. As TAA's ninth show at the Emporium Center, they are excited about the opportunity to present the breadth and quality of Tennessee artists' works represented by its members. The 44th Fall Show is juried by Julie Rabun, Assistant Professor of Art at Carson-Newman.

Tennessee Artists Association (TAA) was founded in 1972. The TAA is a civic organization of fine artists with about 50 members. TAA encourages each individual artist to grow and develop through fellowship with other artists, educational programs, and opportunities to exhibit and sell art, and it serves the community through classes. Membership in TAA is open to anyone age eighteen years and older and a resident of the state of Tennessee. Dues are currently $50 for single membership, $60 for family and $15 for students. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6500 Northshore Drive, which includes a business meeting, a program, and a time for fellowship and refreshments. Guests are always welcome to attend. For more information, visit www.tnartists.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, October 5, 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.

Mid-South Sculpture Alliance (MSA) is an affiliate organization of the International Sculpture Center (ISC). Its membership is open to anyone, anywhere with an interest in and commitment to the field of sculpture. MSA advances the creation and awareness of sculpture in its many and varied forms, promoting a supportive environment for sculpture and sculptors. Its annual conference takes place in Knoxville from October 4-7. In collaboration with the UT-Knoxville Sculpture Program, MSA presents a juried exhibition of work by its members. Selected sculptures will offer a dynamic exhibition highlighting a variety of techniques, media and content.

Juror Elizabeth Turk will give a talk and present the juror's choice award at 7:00 PM during the First Friday reception on October 5. A native Californian, Elizabeth Turk is an artist, primarily known for marble sculpture. Turk has also mastered a variety of media, molding forms in wax and clay, casting objects in bronze and iron, and working with fragile material such as glass and porcelain. In 2010, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship and the Annalee & Barnett Newman Foundation award. Today, she splits time between Santa Ana, CA and NYC. Turk received her MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Rinehart School of Sculpture in 1994, her BA from Scripps College, Claremont, CA in 1983. She has been represented by Hirschl & Adler, Modern since 2000, and continues to exhibit more experimental work in other venues.

Exhibiting artists include: Luke Achterberg, Manami Ishimura, Ray Katz, Ben Lock, John Medwedeff, Corrina Sephora Mensoff, Ayokunle Odeleye, Bret Price, and Kristen Tordella-Williams. For more information, visit https://www.midsouthsculpture.org/Members-Exhibition-Call.

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, October 5, 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.

Charles Peters will display paintings made with oil/enamel, charcoal, sand, and/or collage. Although Peters has taken many art classes, he is primarily self-taught. He uses books, online courses, documentaries, and other resources to study technique and art history. “I paint everything I see and every way it makes me feel,” he says, “There is no single subject in my work.”

Artist statement: “Artists are forced out of their own free will to paint.” – Willem De Kooning. My work, to me, is instinctual; I do it as an infant breathes. If I am not an artist in this life, I’m not anything. I’m unhappiness, I’m terror. I paint my chaos so that I may live one day in peace. I work hard to make a living out of my art, and I will thankfully go wherever this life takes me.

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, October 5, 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.

A collection of handmade ceramics and original drawings by Bryan Wilkerson. Wilkerson is a Tennessee native and Professor of Art and Design at Roane State Community College. His creative practices are focused primarily on ceramics and public art but extend into design and drawing. His work explores humor, craft, irony, and play through common symbolic references. He is also the creator and director of the ArtMobile traveling gallery and pop up workshop space.

For more information, visit www.bryanwilkerson.com or www.instagram.com/bryanwilkerson

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.

Join us for the opening exhibition in First Friday, October 5, 5-9 PM

Artist Becky Chaffee presents from her Series: Music Lessons, Cats and Dogs, Linguistics and Community

Cards, prints and music purses will be available for purchase. Her works can be seen at: www.MusicTeacherGifts.com

HoLa Hora Latina, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: www.holahoralatina.org

Reception and gallery walk, Fri Oct 5, 7-9 PM

The Camera Club of Oak Ridge is presenting the 70th Photographic Salon from October 1 to November 2 on the 2nd Floor of the Goff Building at RSCC. The show will feature images by East Tennessee photographers entered into a juried competition in 9 different categories from Abstracts to Wildlife. The opening reception on October 5 has a gallery walk and light refreshments. We are celebrating 70 years of this community event.

On display at Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge Campus, 701 Briarcliff Ave, Oak Ridge - Goff Bldg, 2nd floor. Hours: M-F 7 AM - 10 PM, Sat 8 AM - 5 PM.

Information: http://oakridgecameraclub.org/salon.shtml
Find us on Facebook: “Camera Club of Oak Ridge”

Imaginary Friends, new paintings by Aaron Carroll, will be at Blackberry Farm Gallery at the Clayton Center for the Arts October 1 through 31. The Artist's Recemption will be October 26 at 6:00pm.

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

All Month at Halls & Burlington Branch Libraries

Calling all muggles and wizards! The Knox County Public Library celebrates 20 years of Harry Potter magic with an array of special Harry Potter-themed events. Be a part of Camp Hogwarts at Halls or join the muggles at Burlington for some wicked wizardry for all ages the entire month of October.

Camp Hogwarts @ Halls Branch

A History of Magic
Monday, Oct. 1 | 6 PM
Literary discussion and trivia night for adults!

Care of Magical Creatures
Thursday, Oct. 4 | 4 PM
(K & up) Ijams Nature Center will lead a "Magical Creatures" program. Registration required. Call 922-2552.

Creatorspace: Wandmaking 101
Tuesday, Oct. 9 | 4 PM
(10 & up) Introduction to wandmaking. We'll also have snacks. Registration required. Call 922-2552.

Tri-Wizard Trivia Tournament and Costume Ball
Tuesday, Oct. 23 | 6 PM
(10 & up) Wear your most fabulous Halloween regalia! Halloween snacks and prizes will abound.

Harry Potter Lego Club
Saturday, Oct. 27 | 3 PM
(K & up) Harry-themed LEGO play.

Harry Potter Party
Monday, Oct. 29 | 4 PM
(All Ages) Come dressed as your favorite Harry Potter character and enjoy crafts and snacks!

Magic for Muggles @ Burlington Branch

Harry Potter Game Night
Thursday, Oct. 18 | 5:30 - 7:45 PM
Join us for a special edition of Burlington Game Night featuring Harry Potter games. Bring your wizard friends!

Harry Potter Adult Coloring
Monday, Oct. 22 | 5:30 - 7:45 PM
You're never too old to color! Burlington has the best coloring books around, from nature to Harry Potter.

Harry Potter Party: 20 Years of Magic
Monday, Oct. 29 | 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Put on your wizard robes for a Harry Potter extravaganza celebrating 20 years of magic! Prizes awarded for best costumes. For witches & wizards of all ages. To register, call 525-5431.

www.knoxlib.org

Opening reception Sep 29, 7-9 PM with gallery talk at 6:30 PM and awards at 7 PM

Open Show is the Art Center's annual juried mixed media exhibition focusing on exceptional work being produced in our area. Anyone may enter. There are no size, media, or geographic limitations - it is open to all artists of all media.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Reception: September 28, 6:30 – 8:00 PM - Free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend, meet the artists and enjoy complementary refreshments.

The Knoxville Watercolor Society will be exhibiting recent artwork from its members. KWS is an active group of regional artists who work primarily in water media. Membership is juried, and new artists are encouraged to apply for membership. Additional information is available online at: knxvillewatercolorsociety.com

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

A Home for Our Past: The Museum of East Tennessee History at 25 a new feature exhibition at the Museum of East Tennessee History

The public opening of the exhibition begins at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 14, with light refreshments and ribbon cutting and remarks at 5:15.

When the Museum of East Tennessee History opened in 1993, it fulfilled a shared vision to preserve and interpret the region’s rich history for the benefit of all, a vision first articulated a century and a half earlier. On May 5, 1834, Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey addressed a group of a historically-minded citizens gathered for the first annual meeting of the East Tennessee Historical and Antiquarian Society. Concerned that many of the participants in Tennessee’s early history were passing away and with them their memories, Ramsey issued a call to action: “Let us hasten to redeem the time that is lost.”

Today, 184 years later, Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey’s plea to save Tennessee’s past continues to reverberate in the galleries of the East Tennessee Historical Society’s museum, a permanent home for our region’s cherished stories, traditions, and artifacts. The East Tennessee Historical Society actively began collecting artifacts and producing award-winning interpretive exhibits in 1993, which has now grown to more than 16,000 artifacts housed within the East Tennessee History Center. In this special exhibition, ETHS is excited to highlight East Tennessee’s unique history through a variety of artifacts, with at least one exhibited item from each year of ETHS’s active 25 years of collections, most of which are rarely or never on display.

The exhibition includes more than twenty-five artifacts and numerous photographs and illustrations representative of East Tennessee’s unique history. Some of the items include an 1883 Springfield penny-farthing, the first apparatus to be called a “bicycle”; an 1822 artificial hand that belonged to a teacher from Union County; a silver coffee and tea service from the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad presented to Superintendent James Baker Hoxsie upon his retirement in 1866; a coverlet woven by one of the famed Walker sisters of Greenbrier; a shirt stating “Healing in the name of Jesus. Take up serpents, Acts 2:38” worn during religious services practicing snake handling in Cocke County; an 1817 bead necklace belonging to Eliza Sevier, the wife of Templin Ross and the granddaughter of both John Sevier and Cherokee Chief Oconostota; a 1907 baseball uniform from a coal town’s team in Marion County; and the distinctive backdrop and wall clock from WBIR-TV variety program "The Cas Walker Farm & Home Show." The exhibit also features a brilliant display of East Tennessee furniture, textiles, folk art, instruments, and vintage toys.

Also on display are more than two dozen featured artifacts from the Tennessee State Museum. A new Tennessee State Museum will open on the grounds of the Bicentennial Capital Mall in Nashville on October 4. ETHS is honored to display select East Tennessee artifacts from their collection, highlighting the programmatic ties between the two institution as well as the museums’ shared mission to preserve Tennessee’s rich history. Selected items include a 1792 map of the State of Franklin, an 1831 copy of the Cherokee Phoenix & Indians Advocate newspaper, and a 19th century flintlock muzzle loading rifle made by Baxter Bean of Washington County.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.easttnhistory.org