Calendar of Events

Hosted by Circle Modern Dance

Dance with us again at our Annual Open House! RESCHEDULED to next Sunday, January 12

Classes will still begin on Monday, January 6. All classes and the Open House have moved up to gallery-level of the Emporium (use the entrance at 100 S. Gay Street) due to flooding in the Annex Studio.

We will offer FREE class samplings in modern dance, ballet, and contact improv. If you like what you sample, you can purchase a discounted class pass - only offered during the Open House.

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

AUDITION NOTICE for ALICE IN WONDERLAND & PAQUITA (excerpts)

Auditions will be conducted at Dance Centre of Oak Ridge, 118 Division Street, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
o 12:30 - Ages 6 – 8
o 1:30 – Ages 9 – 10
o 3:15 – Ages 11+
o 4:15 Junior/Senior Company, Soloists (or by invitation of the directors). For non-ORCBA dancers, females must be en pointe at least 2 years, male dancers must have partnering experience

Candidates should register before auditioning. Register at: http://www.orcba.org/2020-spring-auditions.html
$20 audition fee must be paid upon registration. Audition fee is non-refundable

PERFORMANCES APRIL 3RD & APRIL 4TH, OAK RIDGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Audition Process - Dancers will perform barre and center combinations and learn some choreography. Artistic Director and staff will conduct and observe audition. If accepted, students must be available to rehearse on Saturdays and/or Sundays from 1/25 – 4/4/20, including over Spring Breaks. There will be a mandatory information meeting for parents while dancers are in auditions.

Audition Criteria - Must be 6 years of age or older and enrolled in minimum of one ballet class per week. Dancers should arrive at 30 minutes in advance to complete registration and warm-up appropriately prior to the start of auditions.

Each Second Sunday of the month at 2pm, docents offer free guided tours of Higher Ground, Currents, and traveling exhibitions to the public with tours available in Spanish as well.

From 1-4pm there are art activities for all ages!

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

SHOW TIMES: Thu: 8:00 pm, Fri: 8:00 pm, Sat: 8:00 pm, Sun: 3:00 pm

By Arthur Miller
Winner of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Play

The story revolves around the last days of Willy Loman, a failing salesman, who cannot understand how he failed to win success and happiness. Through a series of tragic soul-searching revelations of the life he has lived with his wife, his sons, and his business associates, we discover how his quest for the “American Dream” kept him blind to the people who truly loved him.

A thrilling work of deep and revealing beauty that remains one of the most profound classic dramas of the American theatre.

WARNING: Contains offensive language

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

Opening reception: 5-7:30pm, Thursday, January 9th

The Ewing Gallery is pleased to present, Unsustainable: A Planet in Crisis – a group exhibition featuring artwork ranging in material, discipline, and execution that addresses the theme of planetary crises – climate change, the rise of disease and superbugs, world conflict and national instability, plastics in the ocean, gun violence, pollution of the waterways from mining, air pollution from use of fossil fuels, the opioid crisis, and species extinction.

Participating artists are:

Michele Banks https://www.artologica.net/
Brandon Ballengee, PhD https://brandonballengee.com/
Scott Chimileski, PhD + Roberto Kolter, PhD https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-beautiful-intelligence-of-bacteria-and-other-microbes-20171113/
Brandon Donahue https://brandonjaquezdonahue.com/home.html
Lorrie Fredette http://lorriefredette.com/
Yeon Jin Kim http://www.domesticmuseology.com/yeon-jin-kim
Pam Longobardi https://driftersproject.net/about/
Dan Mills http://abacus.bates.edu/~dmills/
John Sabraw http://www.johnsabraw.com/
Karen Shaw https://karenshaw100.com/

In conjunction with Unsustainable, artist and educator Pam Longobardi will be giving a public lecture on Thursday, January 23rd at 7:30pm on her work. Longobardi's lecture will be in McCarty Auditorium, room 109 of the Art + Architecture Building. A reception with the artist will follow in the gallery.

Pam Longobardi is an American contemporary eco artist and activist, currently living and working in Atlanta, Georgia. She is known internationally for sculptural works and installations created from plastic debris, primarily from marine and coastal environments, as a primary material. She is also a Professor of Drawing and Painting at Georgia State University. Longobardi's lecture is part of the University of Tennessee School of Art's Programming Committee Lecture Series.

Unsustainable - a Planet in Crisis was developed as part of the programming for UT's Apocalypse Semester and as a partner exhibition to Visions of the End at the McClung Museum.

The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture at the University of Tennessee, 1715 Volunteer Boulevard
Art and Architecture Building, Knoxville, TN 37996. https://ewing-gallery.utk.edu/

First Friday Reception: January 3, 5:30 – 9 p.m.

Robert Conliffe, Photographer
After 30 years in the auto industry, Robert relocated from Michigan to Knoxville, Tennessee and began a career in art. His interests have always been in exploring new methods in photography and the advent of digital imaging has presented new opportunities. His art has evolved from traditional photographic work to using digital elements and techniques in the transformation of the image. Like many photographers he has sought methods to change an image giving a personal interpretation. Starting with a photo and using techniques such as digital brush work, color manipulation, filters and many other methods to create a completely new image. Most works are built from layers with a variety of colors, patterns and images. Each layer can be displayed at a different intensity level that will project to the surface. Much of his work reflects the style of Robert Mapplethorpe’s isolated flowers. He has recently started to work with the process of “Double Exposure” this is the process of layering several photos or images together similar to collage. In general his work might be called “Enhanced Photography”. His work can be seen locally at The Art Market Gallery and The Knoxville Museum of Art. He has taken classes at Pellissippi State Community College and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Most of his training has been self-directed and he has been inspired by the works of many artists.

Patrick Deason, Metal Artist, has been doing metal art since 2002. He says “ I am totally self-taught and many of my tools are made or improvised by me, as are some techniques for shaping steel. While I often repurpose scrap parts for sculptures like many metal artists, much of my work revolves around heating, hammering, and shaping steel into organic forms. Most of my work in the past has concentrated on coastal wildlife in steel, but I'll occasionally incorporate other mediums into my work or delve into kinetic sculpture.” He has won several awards at art shows, was named the Coastal Georgia Artist of the Year and featured at the Goodyear Cottage on Jekyll Island, Ga., and have had groupings of my work in galleries in North Florida and coastal Georgia.

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

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

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/

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

Students, family, friends, and the public are invited to a reception and awards ceremony Tuesday, December 10 from 6 to 8pm at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The event is free and open to the public.

The Knoxville Museum of Art and the Tennessee Art Education Association present the East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition. Now in its 14th year, the exhibition offers middle and high school students from around East Tennessee the opportunity to participate in a juried exhibition and to display their talents and be honored for their accomplishments in a professional art museum environment.

The East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition is open to students in grades 6-12 attending public, private, or home schools in 32 counties across East Tennessee. Approximately 316 works of the more than 840 entries in this highly competitive show made it through a rigorous jury process. The best-in-show winner will receive a purchase award of $500, and the artwork will become a permanent part of the collection of Mr. James Dodson, on loan to the Knoxville Museum of Art's Education Collection.

Since 2005, the East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition has presented the work of nearly 4,000 students who have competed for a total of $7 million in scholarships made available to eligible juniors and seniors by colleges and universities from around the nation.

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

"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