Calendar of Events

A wonderfully comedic opera about love and secret identities that has grown in popularity and become an audience favorite in recent years. UT Opera Theatre will present a fully-staged production by guest Stage Director Scott Skiba.

Fri Nov 9 at 8:00 PM
Sat Nov 10 at 2:30 PM and 8:00 PM
Sun Nov 11 at 2:30 PM

Tickets on sale in October: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 60+, $5 for students with a school ID and youth under 18.

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com. Info: 865-974-5678, www.music.utk.edu/events

Pulitzer Prize Winning Comedy/Drama by Paula Vogel
Adult content

Nov 9-10, 7:30 PM
Nov 11, 2 PM

Tickets: $15 General admission at the door or in advance

Free Spirit Theatre provides the Knoxville community with innovative and provocative theatre productions from the global canon as well as experimental and original works. Our mission is to explore the boundaries of theatre and push the envelope for social awareness, change, tolerance, and enlightenment.

At the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. http://www.freespirittheatre.org/ or freespirittheatre@mail.com

Fall Heritage Days will transport guests back in time through the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of pioneer traditions!

The Museum grounds will be filled with homemade food, bluegrass and folk music, as well as demonstrations such as molasses making, sawmilling, soap making, toy and doll making, quilting, and much more.

Guests will also enjoy activities including sheep herding, antique tractors and engines, a working threshing machine and hayrides.

Friday, November 9 will be focused on school-aged children and feature additional activities, including interactive old-time song and dance, birds of prey demonstrations and old-fashioned games.

Saturday, November 10 will feature a slow tractor race, a skillet toss and wrench toss, a mule jumping contest and a mule trail obstacle course contest.

Included in Fall Heritage Day will be The Great Appalachian Fiddlers’ Convention, to be held November 10, which will feature fiddle, banjo, dancing and other musical instrument contests. Cash prizes will be given to the winners in each category. To register, please contact John Meyer at johnmeyer@museumofappalachia.org or 865-494-7680.

Advance Tickets may be purchased by October 29:
• $35 per family (2 adults and children and/or youth)
• $20 Adult
• $10 Youth (ages 13-18)
• $6 Child (ages 5-12)
• Under 5: FREE
• Members: FREE
• Parking: FREE

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716 (16 miles north of Knoxville at I-75, exit 122, then one mile east). Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Information/tickets: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

Terra Madre: Women in Clay
An Eclectic Group of Female Artists with Diverse Approaches to Clay Invites You to Their 9th Annual Holiday Sale - Functional, Sculptural, Traditional, Contemporary, Whimsical, Sublime

Hours: Fri 5-8 PM and Sat 10 AM - 4 PM

Bridgewater Place, 205 Bridgewater Rd, Knoxville, Tennessee 37923
https://www.facebook.com/TerraMadreKnoxvilleTN/

Stop by Ijams to check out Sherry Boettcher's diverse body of work in November! Boettcher captures everything from people and animal portraits to still life and landscapes in a variety of media, including watercolor, ink and pencil. You'll appreciate the variety in her lovely pieces, as well as her knack for capturing the vibrancy of each of her subjects.

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

The Clayton Center for the Arts – Haslam Flexible Theatre

Mike Everett and David Dwyer return to reprise their hit "A Hillbilly Homecoming" at the Clayton Center for the Arts!

https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/11734/the-clayton-center-for-the-arts-haslam-flexible-theatre?performance_id=3303074

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

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts will host the third Figurative Association Symposium from November 7-10, 2018. In 2010, Arrowmont presented the first symposium, which focused on and featured the figure in ceramics. In 2014, we expanded that focus to include sculpture in all media. Now, in 2018, we are welcoming all disciplines to the symposium – including 2-D, 3-D and expanded media.

The symposium will be an event with many parts. At the core, 2018 will feature ten presenters – Jessica Calderwood, Michael Dixon, Judy Fox, Richard W. James, Curt LaCross, Stephanie Metz, LJ Roberts, Claire Stigliani, Kensuke Yamada, and Sunkoo Yuh. These ten artists, working from ceramics to embroidery, painting to enamels, will provide lectures and demonstrations across two full days. Before those days, however, the event kicks off on Wednesday with an opening reception to the 2018 Figurative Association Exhibition featuring work from all of the presenters, plus selected invited artists as well as our New Forms: Juried Student Exhibition. We are also excited to have sculptor Beth Cavener give the keynote opening address after the reception! In addition to the demonstrations and exhibitions, the event will also have panel discussions, additional lectures from guest speakers and rapid-fire Quick Sketch presentations which allow for artists and makers to present their work and research.

Finally, as Bill Griffith, founder of the first Figurative Association conference, has noted about the event: “Some of the most meaningful experiences at the symposiums come in conversations during meals and happen in the exchanges among participants. The demonstrations and panel discussions provide information and inspiration, offering opportunities to better understand intent, content and technique from those artists working in different media. The consideration of the human figure provides a focus, but with unlimited possibilities for exploration and interpretation. My hope is that those in attendance will make more than connections – and they will connect, will do more than “network” – they will share, even when sharing is about more than agreeing.”

Space is limited! Call 865.436.5860 to register. Learn more by visiting our website, www.arrowmont.org/visit/events/figurative-association-symposium. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.

Knoxville Symphony Orchestra string quartets are visiting our libraries this fall! Each performance combines children's literature with classical music, sound effects, and hands-on learning. Free and open to the public.

Schedule:

November 6 @ 4 p.m. | Farragut Branch
November 28 @ 11 a.m. | Karns Branch
November 30 @ 10:30 a.m. | Powell Branch
December 4 @ 10:30 a.m. | Sequoyah Branch
December 5 @ 10:15 a.m. | Bearden Branch
December 12 @ 11 a.m. | Halls Branch

https://www.knoxvillesymphony.com/education-community/story-time-performances/

Would you like to learn a new language? Why not try Cherokee? The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is offering beginner and advanced beginner Cherokee language class on the following Monday November 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost of the class is $50 for new students and $40 for returning students for all four evenings. The class will be taught by Lou Jackson and Jayme “Brett” Jones who are enrolled members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian.

The Museum is reopen with a completely new exhibit. The language classes will be held in the museum’s education room.

Anyone interested in taking this class should contact the museum at 423-884-6246 or seqmus@tds.net to register. The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located at 576 Hwy. 360, Vonore, TN, 37885

Beck presents the exhibition, I Have a Voice: Tennessee’s African American Musical Heritage, opening November 2, 2018. The exhibition, organized by the Tennessee State Museum, gives a snapshot of Tennessee’s rich African American musical heritage and its influence on worldwide musical genres.

The Volunteer State has been the birthplace of some of the most influential music in the world, from the Beale Street blues clubs in Memphis, to the R&B scene on Nashville’s Jefferson Street and the jazz in Knoxville’s Gem Theatre. The history of African American music follows the hardship of slavery in America. American slaves adapted their African ancestors’ music to hand clapping, singing, the fiddle and the African–derived banjo.

Expressing their sorrows from bondage, and joy for their ultimate deliverance, these enslaved persons found an original, musical voice sung in their spirituals and folk music. This voice has left a monumental cultural stamp on American music, including blues, ragtime, jazz, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and soul music. In turn, this music has influenced and enriched music around the world.

The exhibit introduces viewers to many famous Tennessee music legends — Bessie Smith, who was nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues;” B.B. King, often referred to as the “King of the Blues;” Grand Ole Opry star DeFord Bailey; and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tina Turner. The exhibit gives visitors a chance to hear the voices of the many Tennessee African American men and women who made their mark on American music from ragtime to Motown.

Visitors can view YouTube videos of various performers and musicians featured in the exhibition on their smart phones or tablets through the use of QR-coded links. Educators who are interested in teaching about Tennessee’s African American musical heritage will be provided with curriculum-based educational lesson activities.

http://www.beckcenter.net/museum-exhibit-s/

Beck Cultural Exchange Center: 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-6. Information: 865-524-8461, www.beckcenter.net

Christian Lange, Charles Peters, Jeanne Kidd
Opening Friday Nov. 2nd 5:00-9:00

Three artists offer a variety of art to enjoy.

First: Christian Lange (Santiago, Chile) is a local veteran of the arts creates fine art black and white photographs of the human figure with impeccable technique. His work is very refined, sophisticated and beautiful.

Second: Charles Peters, (Kingsport, TN) is a 20 year old wunderkind making his second exhibit appearance. His work has recently evolved beyond his age in the discipline of Abstract Expressionist painting. His works are organic and challenging.

The final artist: Jeanne Kidd (Long Island, NY). Jeanne has work in collections as far away as Israel. Her works are marble abstractions where she says she lets the shape flow out of both the marble and her imagination. Her pieces are unique and sublime.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Fri-Sat, 10-6; Sun-Thu by appointment (or when the "open" sign is turned on). Information: 865-851-2824, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

The District Gallery's upcoming First Friday exhibit, Bill Suttles: Take Five, opening Friday, November 2, from 5-8 p.m.

A lifelong jazz enthusiast, Bill Suttles has spent the year rediscovering jazz music with the help of a new gadget, his Amazon "Alexa." In the expressive color and form of his abstract and landscape paintings, Suttles recaptures the mood of a nostalgic musical era. Also featured will be ceramic artists Dan and Nisha Ferguson of DaNisha Sculpture, visiting from New Mexico by popular demand. This will be a rare opportunity to view DaNisha's one-of-a-kind sculptural works, notably a range of Knoxville-themed ceramic bowls; the artists will also be taking custom Knoxville bowl orders on opening night! Please join us for a night of fine art inspired by jazz, with a live musical performance by an up-and-coming jazz trio (Zach Ward, Hannah McKay and John McKay).

This event is free and open to the public.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com