Calendar of Events

A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

POLAR EXPRESS
HOLIDAY FILM SCREENING
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22 | 3PM

General Admission tickets will go on sale Friday, December 20 at 10am ET.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents the 33nd Annual Clayton Holiday Concert on December 20st, 21nd, and 22nd at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Music Director Aram Demirjian conducts the Orchestra and special guests for “Christmas on Broadway.” There are four performances: Friday, Dec. 20th & Saturday, Dec. 21st at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 21st and Sunday, Dec. 22nd at 3:00 p.m.

Musical selections include songs from favorite holiday classics from the Great White Way including pieces from Annie, A Christmas Carol and Mame. Other musical highlights include “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. KSO will be joined by special guests Knoxville Choral Society, Go! Contemporary Dance Works, soloists Kathryn Paden and Jordan Bondurant, and maybe even Santa himself!

Tickets may be purchased by calling 865-291-3310 or visiting the KSO website. Tickets range from $18.00 - $49.00 and children’s tickets start at $10. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by calling 865-521-2337.

KSO Music Director, Aram Demirjian, noted “It wouldn’t be the holidays without live music, and the Clayton Holiday Concerts are a tradition that the KSO has been overjoyed to share with the East Tennessee community for 33 years. ‘Christmas on Broadway’ is a sparkling blend of show tunes and traditional carols, most of which you already know and love, some that you might have had no idea came from Broadway, plus a few new gems that will become regulars on your holiday season playlist. These concerts are a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent we have in Knoxville featuring our guest ensembles the Knoxville Choral Society, Go! Contemporary Dance Works, plus two soloists born and raised right here in East Tennessee, Kathryn Paden and Jordan Bondurant.”

For more information about the Knoxville Choral Society and its current season, please visit www.knoxvillechoralsociety.org.
For more information about GO! and their upcoming performances visit www.gocontemporarydance.com.

Tickets and information: 865-291-3310, www.knoxvillesymphony.com

Reception Friday, Dec. 20, 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Artists’ talks at 6:30 pm.

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918. Free and open to the public, Gallery hours: 10 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Thursday and 10 AM – 1 PM, Sunday

Alex Bonner says, "To talk of your own work is to inevitably speak of oneself. What a collection of witches, blood-caked vultures and fruit-eating bats says about me, I'm not entirely sure. Certainly themes of folklore and mythology and animal imagery dominate my work.” Bonner begins with rough scratchings of pen or pencil on paper, which he does not share. After many other attempts, his vision is realized and finalized in ink. Bonner’s began drawing long ago, when his favorite media was a pen, and he has never cast it aside. After taking a class in printmaking at John C. Campbell Folk School, he warmed to the complexity and messiness of that medium. His undergraduate degree is in graphic design, and he is currently a graduate student in Landscape Architecture at the University of Tennessee.

Medha Karandikar brings to her work the colors and sensibilities of her home country, India. Some of her work is in a folk-art style from Western India that is a happy depiction of the daily life of simple folk. She has adapted that style to include unusual subjects and colors. Drawing is her strong suit, and the use of vivid colors is the hallmark of her paintings. Collage is a medium that Karandikar has explored extensively, and she says that her best work has always started with an absent-minded doodle. Karandikar is a self-taught artist working in multiple media and styles. Her work has been featured in several galleries in and around Knoxville as well as for ten years at James-Ben Gallery and Art Center in Greenville, TN. For more information, go to www.medhaonline.com

In this season full of holidays, family and remembrance, our collection serves to connect our current Art Center family and those who worked to sustain and preserve our program in the past. Among them are artists, collectors, and family and friends of both. Selections from the Permanent Collection will represent individuals who created, those who collected, and those who contributed to our ability to share the amazing variety and diversity of art with our regional community. Each group represents many memories—funny, fond, and maybe a few not-so-fond—of the individuals who helped make the Art Center a community asset and keep it viable for us to enjoy today.

We are assembling a group work that represents all three of these groups of people—artists, collectors and contributors. Many of the artists represented have been or were members of the Art Center, or have been associated with our program. Others have been, or were, instructors at the Art Center and/or have shown with us in their careers.

We will have a wealth of wonderful pieces to represent the collectors in our midst. Lovingly collected by members and individuals from around the region the pieces were later donated to the Art Center to leave a lasting impact on the cultural tenor of our region. Work included in this group are both regional and international in scope. Sharing these works with our visitors and their delight in viewing work of this caliber in our area is very special. This promises to be a delightful walk down memory lane with some of our favorite people and their memories.

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

Celebrating our first season in the new "Old City Performing Arts Center" in downtown Knoxville's Old City! Our 2019-2020 inaugural season will include three productions: The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph's Baby [December 11-22, 2019], Constellations [March 4-15, 2020], and Sweat [April 22-May 3, 2020].

THE UNUSUAL TALE OF MARY & JOSEPH'S BABY: AN ORIGINAL FOLK MUSICAL - DECEMBER 11-15 AND 18-22

Written by Tennessee-based award winning recording artist Don Chaffer and NYC-based playwright Chris Cragin-Day.

The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph’s Baby dares to take the classic story at its word. There really is a pregnant virgin. There are shepherds, angels, foreign dignitaries (a.k.a. wise men), a ratty extra room/stable at an inn, and a maniacal, bloodthirsty dictator whose menacing shadow hangs over everything. And obviously, it’s a comedy. Seriously it is. With a racially diverse cast, a exciting new set, and an emphasis on simple storytelling, The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph’s Baby surprises virgin-believing and non-virgin-believing audiences alike, engaging this oft-told story with a sincerity and humanity that bursts with imagination and wonder. The Unusual Tale of Mary & Joseph’s Baby received its first production at the New York City International Fringe Festival under the direction of River & Rail Co-Founder Amelia Peterson**.

Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State St. Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.riverandrailtheatre.com/
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/buy-tickets-launch-a-season-river-rail-theatre#/

Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for Austin Bradford Friday, Dec. 6 from 6-9 pm.

Austin's passion is photography and he specializing in landscapes and portraits.

Please join us for some amazing photos, light refreshments and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee is a live music venue, espresso bar, craft beer & wine bar and organic restaurant in the heart of downtown. Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM - 9 PM, Fri 7 AM - 10 PM, Sat 8 AM - 10 PM, Sun 2-8 PM
(865) 951-0427 or https://www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

PostModern Spirits, 205 West Jackson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

PostModern Spirits will welcome Kara Lockmiller’s musician portraits on First Friday, December 6, and all month long. To view Kara’s artist portfolio visit www.KLockmillerArt.com.

For PostModern craft distilling doesn’t mean small or hand-made; it means challenging the traditions and staleness of mainstream spirits. Craft distilling is about using flavors and colors from real ingredients and botanicals that were grown and not “born” in a laboratory. It’s about putting your own unique mark in the spirits world that is filled with copycats.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1337471143101261/

First Friday Reception: December 6, 5:30 – 9 p.m.

MARILYN DWYER - BARNS- ‘ROUND EVERY BEND
Pastel & Mixed Media Paintings - Roadside Views of our East Tennessee Landscape
“Not knowing farm life, I have always been intrigued with these monumental structures and the life around them. As I’m driving, I find myself noting that the cows on Springbrook are close to the road mid-afternoon or the sun lights up the farm buildings on River Road at sunset. These scenes will inevitably disappear. I want to remember them before they’re gone.” Originally from Mobile, Marilyn was captivated with the beauty and heritage of East Tennessee while visiting the area. After graduating from Auburn with a BFA, she moved here, raised a family and recently retired from a career in graphic design. She spends as much time as possible drawing and painting at Studio 212 in Maryville, where she also teaches teen and adult drawing. Her charcoal and pastel work reflects a graphic arts background, with strong compositions and a contemporary style.

Julia A. Malia, Fiber Artist
I am a fiber, jewelry, and stained glass craftswoman as well as a watercolorist and musician. As a fiber artist specializing in wearable art, I use a variety of fibers and techniques. The styles of my original designs are usually either classical or folk-style in nature, drawing inspiration from historic or ancient themes. For instance, I often base garment designs on our family’s Irish and Scottish roots, and I also favor Japanese kimono garment shapes. Rich textures and colors are central to my life and my work, and I utilize techniques that combine and enhance color variegations. I am a juried member of the Foothills Craft Guild as both a fiber artist (specializing in knitting and crocheting) and a jewelry maker. I also am a member of the Tennessee Valley Handspinners Guild, the Precious Metal Clay Guild of East Tennessee, and the Fountain City Art Center. I am drawn to fabrics and, as a child, used to play at sewing garments and piecing quilt squares for my grandmother, eventually learning standard clothing construction techniques as a teen. My mother taught me how to knit when I was a young child, and I learned to crochet from a friend when I was in my early 20s. In 1977, I won second place in the state of Iowa for my original design and creation of a hand-hooked rug entitled “Sarah’s Fantasy Rug.” In 2013, I had two of my original fiber designs selected for runway appearances at the Dogwood Arts Festival Diva Luncheon Fashion Show in Knoxville. In 2014, I was the invited featured artist for the month of July in a one-woman fiber art exhibit at the Charles City Art Center in Charles City, Iowa. My exhibit, entitled “Wearable Art: Themes and Variations,” was a retrospective of my craftwork in fibers and jewelry over the decades.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

December 6th 6-9PM (Will be on display the entire month)

This December our wall will feature art from four of artists: Mike Ham, Cynthia Markert, Pippin Long and Brian Pittman. Come celebrate First Friday with us and find the perfect art original to give to someone special this holiday season!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2869424669737278/

Rala, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
HOURS: Mon - Thurs: 10:00am to 8:00pm, Fri - Sat: 10:00am to 9:00pm, Sun: 11:00am to 5:00pm
PH: (865) 525-7888, Instagram: @ShopRala
https://shoprala.com

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present “Elf: The Musical Jr,” based on the Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin.. The play will be performed December 6 - 22, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM; Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM; Sundays at 3 PM, with additional performances at 7 p.m. on Sunday December 15, and Sunday December 22.

This hilarious musical play is based on the 2003 comedy film. Buddy Hobbs, a young orphan child, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Years later, Buddy finds out that he's an ordinary human being and heads off to New York City in search of his father, Walter Hobbs. But Walter, like many New Yorkers, doesn't believe in Santa Claus. Neither does Buddy’s brother Michael! Buddy must win over his birth family and help New York City remember the true meaning of Christmas.

KCT student Jacob Sousley will make his directorial debut with this production with Musical Director Paul Jones and Choreographer, Donya Walker. Bella Patterson is the stage manager. The show’s designers are all high-and middle-school students: Eric Magee (scenery), Sydney Allen (lighting), Reece Brown (costuming), and Anna Kate Stanley (Properties).

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

Adapted by Joe Landry

Sit back, as if in your family living room in the 1940s, and listen to the familiar story told in its entirety, complete with sound effects and commercials. George Bailey, a small town businessman and father, thinks he’s a failure and plans to kill himself on Christmas Eve. He is saved when a guardian angel shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he’d never been born.

“One of the best holiday shows around. This is a fresh and inventive way of reconnecting with a classic story of love and redemption.”
—Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times

“A well-loved tale told with style, charm and a heart so big it could burst the ribcage of the harshest Grinch.”
—Kerry Reid, The Chicago Tribune

“A fresh theatrical context that creates just the right kind of retro warmth. If you cry every time you see the movie, you’ll be blubbering away right on cue … Guaranteed.”
—Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com