Calendar of Events

A reception will take place on Friday, September 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM. The opening reception features music by pianist Curtis Tipton.

Victoria Phillips: Select Works from “An Abstract Narrative” on the North Wall
An Abstract Narrative is a direct response to the exploration of my spirituality. Through the investigation of my processes and materials, I have created a series of paintings that reveal the vulnerability of my spiritual ethos and express my personal narrative through a visceral lens. In my life I have experienced tremendous hardships, yet through those difficulties I have found hope. I was born into poverty. My father was an ex-convict who began his Judeo-Christian experience in prison while my mother was innocence personified. In the thesis series, An Abstract Narrative, I regard my childhood experience of psychological and emotional brutalities, strangely intertwined with my engendered spiritual ethos creating a visual representation of my life. The paintings were born from a self-reflective exploration within my spirituality that brought healing through inner expression that has been materialized into the paintings. – Excerpt from An Abstract Narrative, Thesis, Victoria Phillips, SCAD

Victoria Phillips received a B.A. in Visual Arts with an emphasis in Studio Art and a minor in Advertising in 2013 from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. She completed her M.F.A. in Painting at Savannah College of Art and Design in 2019. She has been a guest speaker for the Art Department at Lee University as well as an adjunct professor. She has been involved in numerous exhibits throughout Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee as her private collectors continue to grow in the southeast and abroad. Phillips completed an artist in residency in Skopelos, Greece in 2019, which gave her the opportunity to exhibit internationally. Phillips has worked as an educator in the public school system for the last 5 years, and she now resides in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, please visit www.victoriarosephillips.com or follow her on Instagram at @victoria_rose_phillips.

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, September 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM. The opening reception features music by pianist Curtis Tipton.

Tennessee Artists Association (TAA) presents its 45th Fall Juried Show, a new exhibition featuring work by both new and longstanding TAA members.

TAA was organized in November of 1972 by five artists who wanted to create a “fine art” impact on the Knoxville area. Art teacher Jerry Hestor proved instrumental in starting the group with help from Beverly Prince, Randy Laws, and Nancy Davis, among others. Initially, they met in homes and community centers, and a few years later, Rechenbach’s Gallery offered them a more permanent space for workshops and meetings to accommodate their rapidly growing membership.

The membership of the TAA has always been comprised of experienced artists, beginners, and all levels in between. Many well-known East Tennessee artists have been part of TAA throughout the years. TAA annually hosts two exhibitions: a Spring Show and a Fall Juried Show. TAA meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 6500 S. Northshore Drive in Knoxville. Guests and prospective members are welcome to join. For more information, please visit https://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, September 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM. The opening reception features music by pianist Curtis Tipton.

The Art of Science exhibition aims to demonstrate the connection between science and art and consists of images produced during the course of scientific experiments that have unique aesthetic perception. Art pieces for the exhibition were submitted by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, post-docs and staff who work in the scientific labs at the School of Arts and Sciences of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Australian National University, University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

Pieces in the exhibition were collected from the light microscope, fluorescent microscope, confocal and scanning electron microscopes. Viewers will see images based on mathematical calculations and computer simulations, schemes made in PowerPoint as they would be presented at a scientific conference. Viewers will also see abstract images from “everyday life” in the lab.

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.

Opening Fri Sep 6, 7-10 PM

Participating artists: Bethany Springer, Brianna Rigg, Christine Rebhuhn, Christy Singleton, Hannah Walsh, Kayla Green, Mika Agari, Skye Gilkerson, SLINKO and Stephanie Loggans.

Organized and curated by Stove Works, which endeavors to serve the Chattanooga community by providing local, national, and international artists a venue for the production of, exhibition of and education through contemporary works of art.

C for Courtside is an artist-run curatorial project space located just north of downtown Knoxville. Founded in the fall of 2017 with the intentions of facilitating multiple creative activities, the Directors (Eleanor Aldrich, Joshua Bienko, Eric Cagley, Lynne Ghenov, John Powers) will work to add to the exciting artistic development and momentum already at foot in the Southeast. In addition to exhibitions, C for Courtside will host artist lectures and guest speakers, live performances, pop-up shows, experimental theatre, justice seeking organizations in need of a place to meet, and other situationist aligned activities. Each endeavor will aim to extend the space of the gallery beyond its physical limitations, while fostering a community based in and on the exigencies of art-making. The launch and operation of the space has been made possible in part by the support of an Ann and Steve Bailey Opportunity Grant.

C for Courtside, 513 Cooper Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: cforcourtside@gmail.com, www.cforcourtside.com

Visitors to the Museum of East Tennessee History will have an opportunity to view special items associated with the “Freedom Engine,” a tribute gift from East Tennesseans to New York City following the events of September 11, 2001. East Tennesseans contributed more than $940,000 to purchase and equip a 95-foot tower ladder truck for Harlem-based Ladder Company 14, helping the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) replenish the largest vehicles in the city's firefighting fleet. The so-called "Freedom Engine," went into service during March 2002 and was dedicated on September 11th of that year.

FDNY typically retires their trucks from regular service after about 10 years. The Freedom Engine went into reserve status in 2013. Upon retirement, several artifacts associated with the truck, including a bucket door, captain's helmet, memorial plaque from the people of East Tennessee, and a presentation plaque containing a piece of World Trade Center metal, were returned to East Tennessee and donated to the East Tennessee Historical Society. These items will be on display through October 13, 2019, at the Museum of East Tennessee History, along with a video about the project. You may view the exhibit and artifacts online at the ETHS website at www.easttnhistory.org/exhibits/freedom-engine.

Each Sunday is Family Day and is free to the public.

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

A personal visit to invented places as seen by the mind’s eye

Reception: Friday, September 6, 6 PM – 8 PM.......food, drinks, & music

At Michael’s Fine Art and Framing, 1325 Dug Gap Road, Dalton, GA
706-278-8840

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE RECEPTION AND AWARDS CEREMONY: OCTOBER 18, 6 - 8 PM

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts presents the National Juried Invitational Exhibit, "Bridging the Gap: Contemporary Craft Practices," featuring artists who seek innovative approaches to traditional craft practices and create historically conscious work, while resonating with newer audiences and current issues. This exhibit recognizes artists under 35 years of age who are making significant strides in their craft in bold and diverse ways.

For more information about the show and participating artists, visit: www.arrowmont.org/bridging-the-gap-contemporary-craft-practices/

Sandra J. Blain Galleries, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Gallery hours: M-R 8:30-5, Fri 8:30-4, Saturdays call ahead. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, www.arrowmont.org

Whistler & Company includes nearly a dozen works by Whistler accompanied by more than 50 etchings by some of his most accomplished American and European contemporaries. Whistler’s gritty images of the River Thames, views of Venice, and Parisian scenes are among works featured in the exhibition. Other artists who participated in the etching revival include Francis Seymour Haden, James McBey, Edwin Edwards, David Young Cameron, Muirhead Bone, Mortimer Menpes, Charles Meryon, Maxime Lalanne, Joseph Pennell, and Frank Duveneck, among others.

Although best known for innovative paintings such as Arrangements in Gray and Black No. 1 (popularly known as “Whistler’s Mother”), Whistler was a talented printmaker. The exhibition Whistler & Company examines the artist’s influential role in the etching revival of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This revival took hold in France, England and the United States. Artists set out to reestablish etching—the art of incising lines with an etching needle into a thin copper plate which was then inked and pressed into paper with the help of a printing press to create impressions—as an art form that could stand on its own. Inspired by Rembrandt, and the old masters, practitioners created remarkable original and expressive compositions that gained popularity with refined collectors and the broader public.

The legacy of expatriate American artist, James Abbott McNeill Whistler (Lowell, Massachusetts 1834-1903 London) was far-reaching, and his sphere of influence included early 20th-century East Tennessee. The Nicholson Art League, for instance, Knoxville’s leading art group of the period, dedicated its entire December 1, 1911 program to Whistler. Led by noted impressionist Catherine Wiley, the gathering featured presentations including “Whistler’s Influence on American Art,” and Whistler, His Life and Work.”

All of the works in in the exhibition are drawn from the Reading Public Museum’s permanent collection of works on paper, which numbers more than 10,000. Whistler & Company: The Etching Revival is organized by the Reading Public Museum, Reading, Pennsylvania.

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

The Ewing Gallery is excited to kick off the fall semester with an exhibition of works by American sculptor, Ronald Bladen.

Angle / Edge / Plane features a collection of models, drawings, and photographs from the Estate of Ronald Bladen and the Loretta Howard Gallery.

Ronald Bladen (1918 – 1988) was a Minimalist best known for his large-scale sculptures. He is often credited with influencing fellow Minimalists Carl Andre, Donald Judd, and Sol LeWitt. Sculptures by Ronald Bladen have been featured in exhibitions at important public institutions including at the Albright Knox Art Gallery, Detroit Institute of Arts, Documenta 4, Kassel, Germany, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Jewish Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, Vancouver Art Museum, The Walker Art Center, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York among others.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

A new Farragut Museum exhibit featuring toys belonging to current and past volunteers, as well as items from the Museum's permanent collection, will open to the public on Friday, Aug. 16. "Timeless Toys" will remain open through the end of the year.

Friends of the Museum are invited to a sneak preview of the exhibit from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15. New Friends can sign up during the event.

The Farragut Museum is committed to preserving the heritage of its East Tennessee Community and features a remarkable collection of artifacts from the area, including an extensive collection of the personal belongings of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, first Admiral of the U.S. Navy and hero of the Civil War. Housed in Farragut Town Hall, 11408 Municipal Center Drive, the Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and offers free admission. For more information, visit townoffarragut.org/museum or contact Historic Resources Coordinator Julia Barham at jbarham@townoffarragut.org.

Reception Friday, August 16, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.

Free and open to the public

David Denton
This work is the byproduct of exploration into the potential for artistic expression using the new technologies of the Virtual World and digital photography. Denton said, “I finally made my peace with the rigidity of the computer and went into partnership with it to explore ways to stumble onto appealing images.” The images are the result of manipulating photographs mostly taken with a smart phone and altered in Photoshop. Denton subjects them to a series of random commands, frequently with no idea of what might result. His primary role as the artist is mostly deciding what to keep. “The greatest benefit for me has been learning to view the real world through the photographer’s eye,” he said, “focusing on the interesting and appealing and ignoring the ugly and banal, making the visual aspect of life far more enjoyable.”

Allen Monsarrat
Monsarrat’s artwork begins with his own photography. “This allows me to carefully design my composition and include as much detailed information as I choose,” he said. “More important, as my reference source, it allows me to study the nuances of color, light and reflection and how they change across a seemingly uniformly colored surface.” Using translucent layers of paint, he is able to build depth unachievable with ink on paper. “To counter my tendency toward too much realism,” he said, “I began working in pastels in 2018. It is still representational work, but much more graphic, as the pastel pigments lie on top of the paper and on top of one another. They don’t mix like paint. It is the eye and brain that do the blending.”

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

"It’ll Tickle Yore Innards!”: A (Hillbilly) History of Mountain Dew

Special Members Preview: Thursday, June 27, 2019, from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

The exhibition highlights the drink’s history, from the origins of the term “mountain dew” and the development of the marketable hillbilly image that influenced media and culture, to becoming the third most popular soft drink brand.

The exhibition includes more than 200 artifacts highlighting the drinks history, moonshining, and the hillbilly image. The exhibition begins with video footage of early moonshine busts and a visit to a moonshine still in Cocke County in 1938. A variety of liquor jugs, dating from as early as the 1890s are on display with other moonshine paraphernalia. There is an assortment of artifact reflecting the early color writers and their effects on the hillbilly image, as well as artifacts from Knoxville’s 1910 Appalachian Exposition. One case contains a variety of “hillbilly” memorabilia, including Beverly Hillbillies dolls, comic books, Lil’ Abner items, and a pair of Hee Haw overalls.

The exhibition features a 1900 carbonation machine from the Roddy Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Knoxville and a sizeable display of rare and highly collectable bottles, including a few dating to Knoxville in 1927, a progression of Mountain Dew bottles over the years, and a variety of other vintage soft drinks from around the region. Of special interest are the “Barney and Ally” bottles, which were the first Mountain Dew bottles ever produced. In 1951 and 1952, the Hartman Beverage Company produced 7 oz. green and clear bottles. The applied color label’s bare the name of the creators of Mountain Dew. In the early 1950s, green bottles were reserved for “colorless” flavors, while clear bottles were used for drinks where the color would reflect the actual flavor. Mountain Dew was originally bottled as a set of flavored drinks and not as a specific flavor like today. Also displayed are a variety of items relating to the Hartmann family.

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