Calendar of Events

Monday, December 23, 2019

Tennessee Theatre: Great Russian Nutcracker

Category: Dance, movement and Kids, family

At the Tennessee Theatre on for two performances on December 23! This Christmas give your family the gift of Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker! Step into a simpler time filled with sweet dreams and Christmas magic. With world-class artists, over 200 dazzling costumes, stunning sets, towering puppets and soaring birds, don’t miss your chance to ring in the holidays with this acclaimed Christmas extravaganza. The New York Times, “Hot Ticket!” Celebrate this cherished holiday tradition and relive the dream with Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. Get tickets for the whole family now!

DEC 23, 2019 at 4:00PM (doors open at 3:00PM) and 8:00PM (doors open at 7:00PM).

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

TVUUC: Art by Alex Bonner and Medha Karandikar

  • December 19, 2019 — February 12, 2020

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

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

Oak Ridge Art Center: Selections from the Permanent Collection

  • December 14, 2019 — February 1, 2020

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

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

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Mid Artists-in-Residence Exhibition

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

Geoffrey A. Wolpert Gallery, 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

Awaken Coffee: Photography by Austin Bradford

  • December 6, 2019 — January 31, 2020

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

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/

The District Gallery: Joe Parrott: Across the Valley

  • December 6, 2019 — January 4, 2020

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Please join us for an opening reception on Friday, December 6 from 5-8 p.m. Meet the artist, explore the gallery’s holiday collections, and enjoy seasonal fare. The show will be on display through January 4.

A moment of quiet can make all the difference. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the season, we invite you to join us in taking a moment to pause and appreciate the quiet moments in Joe Parrott: Across the Valley. Through an unparalleled depth of experience, Parrott’s richly painted landscapes render our common understanding of light and darkness, high points and low valleys.

Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 10-5:30, Saturday 10-4

The District Gallery & Framery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 200-4452 or www.TheDistrictGallery.com

Dogwood Arts: First Friday: Chrysalis Exhibition

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

Reception on Friday at 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dogwood Arts, 123 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

December First Friday at Dogwood Arts will feature work by Chrysalis, a group of nine local female artisans working in sculpture, painting, woodwork, stone carving, and more! Participating artists include: Kathy Slocum, Lisa Ruttan Wolff, Gay Morton, Sheila Rauen, Linda Peterson, Nan Jacobsohn, Barb Bewernitz, and Pat Culbertson.

The exhibition will be on display in the Dogwood Arts Gallery (123 W Jackson Ave) from Friday, December 6 - Friday, January 3rd. An opening reception will be held on Friday, December 6th from 4:30-8:30PM. (Gallery Closed: December 23rd-27th and January 1st)

Gallery Hours: M-F / 9AM-5PM

CHRYSALIS: Chrysalis is a group of nine women craft-artisans and artists. They first got together in 2006 to exchange creative energies and offer support to each others artistic endeavors. Their name derived from the fact that they had all been dedicated artists and had all experienced interruptions to their flow of creating. In finding each other, they found their work and energy to create reemerging, new ideas blossoming, and a support that also enveloped their personal lives. In 14 years they have lost sisters and found sisters. Some have changed mediums, learned new creative processes to add to their work, or expanded into additional avenues of creating, growing not only as artists but as strong women and steadfast friends. It's a unique group, whose work when gathered together, inspires not only each other, but those that come to see it.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2550089981888289/

PostModern Spirits: Exhibition by Kara Lockmiller

  • December 6, 2019 — December 31, 2019

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

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/

Rala: December First Friday with Rala Art Collective

  • December 6, 2019 — December 29, 2019

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

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

The Emporium Center: 2019 Members Show

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

The Arts & Culture Alliance proudly presents its 2019 Members Show, the largest annual exhibition of local artists in the Greater Knoxville area. The fresh mix of two- and three-dimensional works created within the last two years encompasses a wide variety of media such as oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, fine craft, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, and more from regional artists who are all individual members of the Arts & Culture Alliance, which serves and supports a diverse community of artists, arts organizations, and cultural institutions. Membership is open to all, and information may be found at www.knoxalliance.com/join-renew. Most of the works in the 2019 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

An opening reception will take place as part of First Friday activities on December 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM with complimentary hors d’oeuvres. The First Friday reception features dances presented by Circle Modern Dance and Knoxville Argentine Tango Society and music by the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus. The WIVK Santa Claus Parade starts at 7:00 PM along Gay Street and passes in front of the Emporium.

“We always look forward to this exhibition as a highlight and culmination of a year’s productivity on the part of Knoxville’s diverse and enthralling artist community,” says Liza Zenni, Executive Director for the Arts & Culture Alliance.

Individual members of the Alliance participate locally and regionally in gallery exhibitions, art festivals, sculpture trails, weekend shows, studio tours, and public murals. Some of the members are full-time artists, while others have day jobs and create on evenings and weekends. Some Alliance members include art professors with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson-Newman University, Maryville College, Pellissippi State, Roane State, and Walters State. Others are teachers within Knox and surrounding county’s elementary, middle and high schools. Some Alliance members teach classes privately or through community classes with the Appalachian Arts Craft Center Fountain City Art Center, Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, Knoxville Museum of Art, and Oak Ridge Art Center. Many of the artists have working studios in their own homes, while some are part of studio collectives such as The Emporium Center, The Vacuum Shop, 17th Street Studios, Mighty Mud, Studio 2515, Broadway Studios & Gallery, and Knoxville Community Darkroom.

On display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed December 24-27 and December 31-January 1 for the holidays. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

Zoo Knoxville: Kroger Discount Days

Category: Kids, family and Science, nature

ZOO KNOXVILLE OFFERS $5 OFF WINTER ADMISSION
Kroger Discount Days offered December 1 through February 29, 2020

During Kroger Discount Days, guests can discover why winter is an enjoyable time to visit the zoo. Many animals, including red pandas, river otters, elephants, gorillas, red wolves, lions and tigers, enjoy the cooler temperatures. On days when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, some animals will be moved indoors, but visitors can still see most in their indoor viewing areas.

Discounted tickets can be purchased at the zoo ticket window during regular zoo hours and online at zooknoxville.org. Discounted admission tickets must be used by Feb. 29, 2020, and cannot be combined with any other promotion, discount, or coupon.

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Open every day except Christmas. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org

Holidays on Ice

  • November 29, 2019 — January 5, 2020

Category: Festivals, special events and Kids, family

We look forward to another great season! Whether with family, friends or on a date you'll love skating in the heart of Downtown Knoxville in Market Square! Join us at Holidays on Ice presented by Home Federal Bank to make memories that will last long after the holidays are over. Enjoy skating under the stars and twinkling lights while listening to music every night. There may even be a panda sighting by our Holidays on Ice Mascot, 'Peppermint Panda'!

LOCATION & CONTACT INFO: Ice rink is located in Market Square in front of the Knoxville Chamber at 17 Market Square in Downtown Knoxville. You can reach the Ice Rink by phone at 865-215-4423.

WEATHER: The ice rink will be closed during inclement weather, please check the Holidays on Ice Facebook page to stay updated.

2019-2020 DAILY ADMISSION: Admission price includes entry fee, skate rental and unlimited time on ice! Adult: $11, Children Age 12 & Under: $8. Season Passes available.

Regular Hours November 29, 2019 - December 15, 2019
Extended Hours December 16, 2019 - January 5, 2019
http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=109562&pageId=1238571

http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_departments_offices/special_events/christmas_in_the_city

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