Calendar of Events

Oil and Watermedia Paintings

Westminister Presbyterian Church, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-R 9-4, F 9-12. Info: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org

Get Ready to Take Action! Join Ijams for "Take Action! Big and Small Ways to Save the Planet," a new initiative focused on environmental conservation. Free or low-cost classes, workshops and volunteer workdays will show you how to reduce your carbon footprint and protect natural resources. There's something for everyone in this series, so spread the word, bring your family and friends, and get ready to save the world. Attend two activities and you'll get to celebrate your accomplishments at an Action Heroes Conservation Celebration sponsored by Cherokee Distributing and Sierra Nevada Brewery. http://ijams.org/take-action-big-and-small-ways-to-save-the-planet/

Paintings by David Wolff. Survey of recent work.

Fluorescent Gallery, 627 N. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: https://www.facebook.com/fluorescentknoxville/

Free and open to the public
Reception Friday, February 22, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.

Kate McCullough
“There is so much freedom in being able to create,” says Kate. “The world of painting is a magical place where the looking glass is only limited by my imagination. The goal for my art is to not only reach that deeper place, but to offer something to the viewer that could reach a place in them that has meaning as well.”
Kate began painting in watercolor about 15 years ago, after a 35-year hiatus from art. Initially her studies at Villa Marie College and SUNY College at Buffalo included general design, art history and oil and acrylic painting. When she returned to painting, she decided to explore watercolor. She took courses with Marcia Goldenstein and Whitney Leland at UT, and then moved on to workshops at Arrowmont with Don Lake and Sue Archer; Kanuga with Linda Baker, Keiko Tanabe and Don Andrews; Cheap Joe’s with Linda Kemp; three workshops with John Salminen and a couple with Paul Jackson. McCullough now teaches watercolor classes at the Fountain City Art Center and the Oak Ridge Art Center. She is the former president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society, a member of the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville, a signature member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society and Vice President of the Art Guild of Tellico Village.

Roy McCullough
Roy says that painting is a process of discovery. When he and his wife, Kate, travel, they invariably bring cameras and open minds, and often jockey for position to capture their own version of the same scene. When they paint, they usually express the same subject in far different ways. Roy prefers somewhat earthy subjects to the purely picturesque. He is inspired by often-overlooked commercial illustrations from the advertising industry. These illustrators work under stressful deadlines, yet consistently produce outstanding, insightful and delightful work at the highest level. “When I find a subject that could make an interesting subject for a painting, I might conjure an untold background story,” says Roy. “I look for unexpected situations that reveal something universal. Sometimes it could be interesting lighting, shapes or color. And when people are involved, I ask, ‘What’s going on? Does it suggest a narrative?’ There is always a challenge involved in making a picture come to life. Sometimes I surprise myself and a painting works on multiple levels. When that happens, I feel I have succeeded.”

Roy’s love of art began in grade school and continued thorough his career in advertising. He studied art history in college and still enjoys museum- and gallery-hopping wherever he travels.

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

This exhibition celebrates the uncommon aesthetic vision and philanthropic impulse of June and Rob Heller, who are among Knoxville’s most active, adventurous, and generous art collectors.

The selection of more than 50 sculptures and paintings attests to the couple’s journey as collectors over four decades. Lure of the Object pays tribute to the Heller’s accomplishments as collectors, their significant role as KMA patrons, and the many key sculptures and paintings they have donated to the museum. Some of the featured objects have been gifted to the KMA, while others are promised gifts. International contemporary glass is a particular area of focus, and the exhibition features works by William Morris, Richard Jolley, Bertil Vallien, Oben Abright, Dante Marioni, Therman Statom, and Stephen Rolfe Powell. Complementing sculptural works are paintings by Jim Dine, Frank Stella, Christo, and Paul Jenkins.

Before settling in Knoxville, the Hellers moved frequently as dictated by career assignments in London, Geneva, Singapore, and other major cities around the world. In each location, they made a practice of exploring galleries, art fairs, museums, and auctions with a sense of openness and adventure. Increasingly, they discovered works of art they could not live without. They were not bound by any set medium, period, or theme, but rather acquired works that provoked a strong emotional response. As their collection grew, so did the challenge of transporting objects—many of them quite large—from home to home. Soon after moving to Knoxville, they became involved in the city’s art scene. They patronized area artists, and became staunch supporters of the Knoxville Museum of Art. In particular, they became outspoken advocates for the KMA’s efforts to build a collection of contemporary sculpture which glass is a primary material. They supported the museum by donating funds as well as works from their extensive collection of modern and contemporary art.

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

Many Visions, Many Versions showcases works from four major indigenous artistic traditions in India: the Gond and Warli communities of central India, the Mithila region of Bihar, and the narrative scroll painters of West Bengal.

The exhibition features 47 exceptional paintings and drawings, selected from private collections in the United States and Europe, by 24 significant indigenous artists including Jangarh Singh Shyam, Jivya Soma Mashe, Sita Devi, and Swarna Chitrakar.

The exhibition explores the breadth of cultural traditions in India, revealing a dynamic aesthetic that remains deeply rooted in traditional culture, yet vitally responsive to issues of global concern. Rather than separating the art into sections distinguished by tribal and cultural affinities, the curators intentionally display the paintings thematically; accentuating the shared cultural features and contemporary concerns of these four communities that underlies the diversity of the artists’ unique expressive forms, techniques, and styles. The exhibition is divided into four broad categories: Myth and Cosmology, Nature – real and imagined, Village Life, and Contemporary Explorations. For American audiences eager to know more about Indian art, Many Visions, Many Versions offers an opportunity for viewers of all ages to learn about life and culture in India through these remarkable artworks.

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

"Sacred and Profane" exhibition the Frieson Black Cultural Center (extended)

The art gallery at the Frieson Black Cultural Center is featuring "Sacred and Profane," a retrospective exhibition of mixed-media prints by Marc Z. DeBose. DeBose, who received his MFA in Studio Art (printmaking) in 2002, died unexpectedly on Monday April 2, 2018 from a ruptured aorta. Marc’s father Frank DeBose, who loaned most of the works for this exhibition, is Professor Emeritus in Visual Communication Design at the School of Art Institute of Chicago where Marc completed his BFA in printmaking, electronic art and photography in 1996. The exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate his creative spirit. The exhibition will run through February 28, 2019.

Several of the works in the exhibition are from Marc’s MFA thesis, which examined the African-American experience in relationship to community police-work. These works also express the influences of his synthesis of Catholic and Pentecostal roots on family and community interactions. Following his MFA degree, Marc Z, DeBose continued his studio practice while also pursuing a career as a Chicago policeman.

1800 Melrose Ave., Knoxville. https://art.utk.edu/mixed-media-prints-by-utk-alumnus-marc-z-debose-at-the-frieson-black-cultural-centerr/

View the calendar of ongoing 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

Tuesdays at 7:30. No partner necessary. Dances include polskor, schottische, waltzes and more. Call 865-522-0515.

At the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.