Calendar of Events

The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade presents the Spring Show: “A Breath of Fresh Art!”

This is a People’s Choice Art Show, where the winning entries are chosen by the viewers. Please join the members of the Art Guild for the show’s opening reception scheduled for Friday, April 5, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Plateau Creative Arts Center (PCAC), located at 451 Lakeview Drive in Fairfield Glade.

A special added attraction at the reception will be performances by the Plateau Women’s Chorus. This talented choral group will delight the art show gazers with selections from their upcoming concert, “Through the Rainbow: From Bach to Bebop!”

In addition to casting ballots at the show’s reception, visitors can enjoy the Spring Show and cast a vote for their favorite Spring Show submissions at any time during the show’s run from April 5th through May 1st. Artwork at the Spring Show includes watercolor, acrylic, and oil paintings, as well as photography, jewelry, pottery, woodwork, and other three-dimensional artwork. The Peoples’ Choice Awards will be presented at the First Friday Reception on May 3rd.
The handicapped accessible PCAC gallery hours are 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For additional information about the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade, call the PCAC at 931-707-7249 or visit www.artguildfairfieldglade.net.

Grow with us! Pre-school age children are invited to join the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum for Story Thyme in the Garden. Every week we’ll learn a new theme as we explore the garden, read a story book, and do a fun craft. Remember: Story Thyme is rain or shine!

When: Every Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. from April through October

Where: Outdoor Explorer Classroom, located at 2649 Boyd’s Bridge Pike, Knoxville, TN 37914

Cost: FREE for Garden members and 37914-37915 neighbors; $5 suggested donation for participating non-members

Questions? Call us at 865-862-8717 or email info@knoxgarden.org

Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, 2743 Wimpole Ave, Knoxville, TN 37914. Hours: Gardens open daily from dawn to dusk. Information: 865-862-8717, www.knoxgarden.org

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, 185 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 15,000 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 on display for the first time.

The exhibition, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of East Tennessee History and the tenth of the signature exhibition “Voices of the Land: The People of East Tennessee,” includes more than thirty-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 Marrion 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.

New artifacts have been added to the exhibition for its extension, including a flag of the 39th Tennessee Regiment from the Battle of Horseshoe Bend; Civil War field drum, drumsticks, and daguerreotype that belonged to Martin E. Parmelle, Knoxville's last Civil War veteran; a Tennessee muzzle-loading percussion rifle; a “Pots of Flowers” quilt attributed to Mary Jane Spangler Green that is said to have been hidden under her dress in Civil War raids to prevent being taken by Union soldiers; a wood-fired face jug by local potter Peter Rose; an 1825-1850 pie safe from the border of Greene and Hawkins Counties; a 1902 oak basket from the Riverdale Community of East Knoxville; a 1930s roadside sign for Indian Cave, the Grainger County tourist attraction; and paintings by Charles Krutch, Jim Gray, and Lucile Smith.

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

Dogwood Arts Art In Public Places - Temporary Sculpture Exhibition

An exhibition of large-scale outdoor sculptures in downtown Knoxville, the McGhee Tyson Airport, Zoo Knoxville, and Oak Ridge. The annual rotating installation is one of many Dogwood Arts programs focused on providing access to the arts for everyone, promoting awareness of the strong visual arts community thriving in our region, and creating a vibrant and inspiring environment for residents and visitors to experience.

Sculpture installation will take place March 22-23, 2019.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Opening Reception on March 30, 7 to 9 pm, gallery talk at 6:30 pm

By Members of the Norris Ritzy Thimbles and the Oak Ridge Bits & Pieces Quilt Guilds

In the Arts community a discussion of art versus craft is a long running diatribe. Is it art? Is it craft? I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard, “If an object is functional it CANNOT be art, it is JUST craft!” What? Are you kidding? !! Is there a difference? Design is design, beauty is beauty? Meaningful is even better. I finally heard an adage I could get behind, “If it is functional, it is a higher form of art.” What could be better than having a piece of work that is not only beautiful or meaningful AND have it be functional? Quilts have long exemplified this approach to arts & crafts. Since the Gees Bend quilters won the respect of the arts world several years ago, many have looked at these familiar and often overlooked designs with fresh eyes and...Voila! Art where there once was home craft! March 23 through May 11, 2019 the Art Center will host a wonderful collection of quilts both created by and/or collected by the members of two of our regional quilt guilds—the Ritzy Thimbles of Norris and the Bits & Pieces of Oak Ridge. I would like to stress the “created by and/or collected by” aspect of this show, for not only will there be work by these talented artists, but work that so snared their attention that it made them want to possess the pieces. While I realize many will be family pieces (I would so love to have one of the quilts my Grandmother or Mother made) there will also be pieces that fascinated the artists. As we do in many of our themed exhibitions, we have asked the artists to share with us their rationale for choosing to produce or collect the pieces that they are showing. In this way we can all learn a little bit about what these artisans are seeing in the work and, perhaps, the hallmarks of what they find special in each work. Seeing the creations through the eyes of those who revere it will undoubtedly teach us all something very interesting about those special techniques, styles, and patterns that comprise each piece. In addition, I think we could learn much about the tradition the work was born of and, for the contemporary work, how it breaks with tradition and creates something new. For years as quilters bring their work into Open Show, we have been fascinated with their recounting of how they took a traditional pattern or idea and transformed it by changing sizes, shapes or color patterns into a design that was far from the original idea. As interesting, were the stories of how the artists developed the idea that lead to the patterning they utilized. Perhaps because the quilt artists were used to using patterns and often utilize a repeating idea, they were very aware of how the idea formed, how it evolved into the current composition, and were able to articulate it. We think “Then and Now” will prove to be very interesting as these creatives share their process with us.

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

"Burls and Baskets", curated by Kari Woolsey & Everett Hoffman

Burls and Baskets is an exhibition curated by two of Arrowmont’s current Artists-In-Residence Kari Woolsey and Everett Hoffman. The show was conceived as a way to activate the newly renovated Jerry Drown Wood Gallery and highlight the unique and diverse work in Arrowmont’s permanent collection. Traditional baskets like the White Oak Basket by Lydia Whaley (Aunt Liddy) highlight the history of the school and its cornerstone to Gatlinburg history; while contemporary baskets like John Garret’s Flora’s Slipper Basket with its neon colors and alternative materials draw attention to the current work being made on the same campus almost 100 years later. The exhibition simultaneously features a wide range of wood sculptures and turned bowls donated by Jerry Drown for which the gallery is named. Wooden blows like Liam’ O’Neil’s Bowl made from bog oak is complimented by the unique use of laminated wood in Purple Shadows created by Virginia Dodson. The exhibition underscores the deep traditions that Arrowmont is founded on and looks forward to how contemporary artist are building upon that tradition.

GEOFFREY A. WOLPERT GALLERY, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Marilyn Kallet, City of Knoxville's Poet Laureate

*March 22, noon: Poetry reading for WDVX, inaugural show for the new series. Visit Knoxville, 301 South Gay Street, Knoxville.

*March 22 and 23, 7 p.m.: Discussion leader with Dawnie Steadman, Regal Cinemas, premiere of “To Dust,” featuring Matthew Broderick, set at the Body Farm.

March 28, 4 p.m., Poetry workshop, ETSU, hosted by Jesse Graves. GRAVESJ@mail.etsu.edu

*March 28, 6 p.m., Poetry reading and workshop, “Writing Praise Poems in Troubled Times,” Johnson City Public Library. 100 West Millard Street, Johnson City.

*April 4, 7 p.m. Poetry reading with Donna Doyle, Knoxville Writers’ Guild. Central United Methodist Church, 201 Third Avenue, Knoxville.

April 13. Reading for the Botanical Gardens, in Linda Parsons Marion’s garden! 11-1 p.m., 2909 Fountain Park Boulevard, Knoxville. lindaleeparsons@gmail.com (Fundraiser for the Knoxville Botanical Gardens).

April 21: 11:15-12:30, Reading with Patricia Clark and Alice Friman, North American Review poetry conference, Bartlett Hall, Room 1000. University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls.

April 26, noon, poem for the Mayor’s State of the City address.

April 27-May 5, residency, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar.

May 2nd, 6-8:30 p.m., Marilyn Kallet will be honored by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts at the Soirée, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond. For tickets, contact VCCA Executive Director Joy Heyrman, jheyrman@vcca.com. (Fundraiser for the Virginia Center).

June 7-18, Mentor for “Writing the River” residency in Auvillar, France. Sponsored by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

Information: mkallet@utk.edu or http://marilynkallet.com/

Reception: Friday, April 12, from 6-8 pm, free and open to the public

Featuring the works of 2018-2019 Artists-in-Residence Sasha Baskin, Alyssa Coffin, Everett Hoffman, Stephanie Wilhelm and Kari Woolsey

These 5 artists working in divergent materials and ideas find common connections pulling this work together for the exhibition. From the installations by Kari Woolsey referencing items found in the home on a daily basis, to Everett Hoffman’s queer forms of altered found objects alluding to domestic space. Pattern and repetition seen as a connecting line between Sasha Baskin and Stephanie Wilhelm through ideas of utilizing the rose from “The Bachelor” to an exploration of ornamentation and form based off the history of decorative ceramics. While Alyssa Coffin questions the realities of what it means to be human through responding to the story of the landscape. All artists connect through their shared experience at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts.

In the Sandra J. Blain Gallery
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.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

Join Circle Modern Dance on Wednesdays and Sundays for dance classes; Open to the public and available for all ages!

Ballet: Wednesdays at 6:00 pm with Kim and Sunday at 1:00 pm with Dr. Mary
Modern: Mondays at 6:00 pm with Jeny and Sundays at 2:00 pm with Amelia

First class is Free. $10 per class with class cards and annual passes available. Every body has the right to dance!

In the Emporium Center Annex, 100 S. Gay Street, downtown Knoxville. Info: www.circlemoderndance.com