Calendar of Events

While all public activities at the Laurel have been canceled until further notice including dances, concerts and church services, please enjoy videos on their YouTube channel which include concerts, dance lessons, and more! https://www.youtube.com/user/LaurelTheater/videos

The historic Laurel Theater is a regional, community cultural center dedicated to preserving and presenting the traditional arts of the Southern Appalachians. The Laurel Theater is owned and operated by Jubilee Community Arts.

Tune in to 91.9 FM WUOT on Saturdays at 9 PM for "Mountain Jubilee" and 89.9 FM WDVX on Sundays from 5-11 PM for "Sunday Jubilee"!

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020 at 7:00 PM

East Tennessee PBS & Beck Cultural Exchange Center invite you to an advanced screening of The Vote: Race & Sex (20 minutes) with a post-film discussion led by Beck President, Rev. Renee Kesler.

“Suffrage leaders like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton decried the enfranchisement of black men over white women. Causes once regarded as compatible had been set in opposition, to be prioritized one over the other if expedient. African-American women who had been prominent in the movement were sidelined, and Southern chapters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association permitted to refuse black members. Anthony even asked Frederick Douglass to keep away from the 1894 suffrage convention in Atlanta. By the close of the 19th century, the National Association was comprised mainly of white, middle-class women.”

Register Today at: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/stkmx

The challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership.

You will be presented with challenges such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience and more. Participation in an activity like this helps us to discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact our community, to connect with one another, and to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. This is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into racial equity and social justice. We hope you will join us on this journey and we can’t wait to get started!

Originally developed by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr. and Debby Irving, this 21-Day Challenge has been adapted by organizations across the country. It is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership.

Anyone can take part in the YWCA 21-Day Challenge. Participation in an activity like this helps us connect with one another, discover how racial inequity and social injustice impact our community, and identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.

Participants will be prompted daily with challenges such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experiences and more. Participation in an activity like this helps us discover how racial and social injustices impact our community, motivates us to connect with one another, and inspires us to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.

This is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into racial equity and social justice. We hope you’ll join us and accept this challenge.

Each day (Monday-Friday) starting on Friday, June 19 through Friday, July 17 you will receive an email prompting you with a daily challenge. Please make sure you've signed up for the challenge! https://ywcaknox.com/21-day-challenge-sign-up/

Join Ijams Nature Center for safe summer fun! The nature center is offering new programs, from rock scrambling and creek walks for families, to bird watching for beginners, introduction to bouldering and art programs for all ages. Space for all programs is limited to ensure physical distancing and Ijams is following safety and sanitization protocols. In addition to scheduled programs, Ijams naturalists will rove the grounds on Saturdays. The following programs are listed on the Ijams website’s Event Calendar; more will be added. To learn more or to register, visit the calendar at www.ijams.org.

• Intro to Bouldering (Adults and Families; Ages 6+)
June 16, 9-11A
June 23, 9-11A
June 30, 9-11A
• Nature Senses (Children 2-4 With Caregivers)
June 16, 10-11A (SOLD OUT)
June 18, 10-11A
• Ijams Insect Safari (Families with Children 5-13)
June 16, 1:30-3:30P
June 18, 1:30-3:30P
• Bird Watching for Beginners (Adults and Families; Ages 6+)
June 18, 9-11A
• Art and Mindfulness in Nature (Adults; Teens)
June 18, 10A-Noon
June 19, 3-5P
• Toll Creek Walk (Families with Children 6+)
June 18, 12:30-2:30P
June 19, 10A-Noon and 1-3P
June 26, 1-3P
• Nature Arts & Crafts (Families with Children 5-13)
June 18, 3-5P
June 20, 1;30-3:30P
• Off-Trail Adventures (Adults and Families; Ages 6+)
June 19, 9-11:11:30A
• Creature Feature (All Ages)
Saturdays, 10-10:30A and 1-1:30P
• Behind the Scenes Animal Program (All Ages)
June 20, 11A-Noon
• Birds Say the Darndest Things (Adults and Families; Ages 6+)
June 25, 9-11A
• Rock Scrambling Adventure (Adults and Families; Ages 6+)
June 26, 9-11:30A

Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit, 315-acre educational nature center for all ages, abilities and walks of life. Ijams’ mission is to encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences. 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

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center located in Norris, TN will hold its Summer Porch Sale June 12 - June 26. The Porch Sale held each year features work from juried and nonjuried members of the Craft Center. It’s an excellent time to shop for discounted artwork! The Porch Sale provides local artisans the opportunity to replenish their artwork for the remainder of the year.

The Appalachian Arts Craft Center is a nonprofit center with a mission to support arts and crafts in Appalachia through education, sales, and community involvement. The center is located at 2716 Andersonville Highway 61, Clinton, TN, one mile east of I-75 north at Exit 122. For more information, stop by the center, call 865-494-9854, or visit www.appalachianarts.net or Facebook.

Enjoy the 44 works by regional artists, as juried by Jim Scarsella.

The current exhibition (juried by Jim Scarsella) will be on display from June 10 - October (end date TBA) 2020. View and purchase artworks at https://www.knoxalliance.store/product-category/airport-22. Thank you for your support of our local artists!

The Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (McGhee Tyson Airport) present a semi-annual exhibition entitled “Arts in the Airport”. This juried exhibition was developed to allow regional artists to compete and display work in the most visited site in the area. The selected art features contemporary 2- and 3-dimensional artwork and is exhibited in the secured area behind McGhee Tyson Airport’s security gate checkpoint for six months at a time. Approximately 35-40 works comprise each exhibition. Work is normally available for viewing only by visitors flying in or out of the airport.

Meet our June Featured Artist, Annie Rochelle!

She is a born and raised Knoxvillian and currently lives in South Knoxville with her husband and sweet cat named “Kitty.”

Annie attended Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Painting with a minor in Art History and Curatorial Studies concentration.

“A lot of my compositions with the human figure reference Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo works from art history. Recently I have been interested in scientific botanical illustrations and translating the Victorian model of the ‘Language of Flowers’ into a modern and more relevant vernacular.”

One of Annie's favorite things to do is plant flowers or vegetables with a glass of wine while watching her husband grill dinner.

Fun Fact: She won 1st place in our Dolly Art Contest last year and 2nd place this year!

SHOP ANNIE: https://shoprala.com/collections/annie-rochelle

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com. Instagram: @ShopRala

Tue Jun 9, 10-12: Paint Along with Sam Hill (watercolor demo class), $25
Wed-Thu Jun 10-11, 9:30-12:30: Trace Monotypes, with Karen Shaw, $70
Fri Jun 12, 10-12: Basic ARTiE Training (short for ART in Electronics), free
Tue Jun 16, 23, & 30, 1-4: Colored Pencils, with Cindy Howson, $105
Thu Jun 18, 9-12: Intermediate Alcohol Inks, with Pam Woodhouse, $35
Thu Jun 18, 1-4: Fundamentals of Making Chain Mail Jewelry, with George Gallant, $35
Tue Jun 25, 1-4: Advanced Ink Using Air, with Cindy Howson, $35

In the Art Studio, the maximum class size and/or open studio gathering size is limited to no more than eight people. All people inside the PCAC building should wear face masks and practice social distancing! To register for a class, call the Art Guild, but do not pay the registration fee until you arrive on the first day of class.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

"I create art through photographic imagery. Inspiration comes from the natural world, specifically colors and patterns. Much of my work starts out as pictures of rocks, minerals, and fossils. I seek a different viewpoint, and many of the images are abstractions, and open to viewer interpretation".

On exhibition Downtown from June 8 to July 7 and at the West location from July 8 to August 7.

Tomato Head, 12 Market Square (865-637-4067) and 7240 Kingston Pike, Suite 172 (865-584-1075), in Knoxville. http://thetomatohead.com

Through the Lens 6: New Directions in Print Photography and Selections from the Permanent Collection.

As in all programs right now, we are following the guidelines set forth by the State of Tennessee and the City of Oak Ridge and are practicing social distancing, utilizing masks, limiting the number of people in the building, and cleaning and sanitizing throughout the day.

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

Beginning June 6, two new exhibits will be available for public viewing at the Plateau Creative Arts Center in Fairfield Glade. The artwork of Susan Kubak and the Member’s Mosaics will be on display for all to enjoy. There will be NO FUN and WINE FRIDAY on June 5, due to the guidelines for COVID-19.

The hours for viewing the new displays, and the artwork of Guild members, will be 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, closed on Sundays. Gallery hosts will be wearing masks and the Art Guild strongly encourages the visiting public to use this protective health measure. The PCAC has been thoroughly cleaned and the Guild members will continue surface disinfecting practices throughout the building.

Susan Kubak is the Featured Artist for June. “Painting the beauty I see in nature is what inspires my watercolors”, states Susan. An Illinois transplant with a B.A. in Fine Arts, her lifelong love of animals and the outdoors is evident throughout her artwork. Susan lived on a farm for many years, enjoying life with her horses, chickens, dogs and a rare breed of sheep. The friendly people and the beauty of Eastern Tennessee drew Susan to Fairfield Glade. Susan’s artwork will be available for purchase.

The second new exhibit will be the “Member’s Mosaic” display. Composed of 4” X 4” mini canvases, these tiny works of art will be paintings, drawings and mixed media treasures. Although these small canvases will not be available for purchase, they showcase the talented and varied creativity of the members of the Art Guild at Fairfield Glade. Visitors will also be delighted by the large selection of jewelry, cards, leather and woodwork, ceramic pieces, and paintings, offered at reasonable prices. Begin your creative gift gathering for the holidays now!

Come walk the Art Guild’s sculpture trail. The head of the trail is adjacent to the Plateau Creative Arts Center building.

Due to these uncertain times for gatherings, please check the Art Guild website for the most current information: https://artguildfairfieldglade.net/index.html or the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtGuildatFFG/

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Information: 931-707-7249

The Arts & Culture Alliance is proud to present a special Summer Members Show featuring new works by 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 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 2020 Members Show are for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition.

A reception is tentatively scheduled for First Friday, July 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM to which the public is invited to attend at 100 people at a time. All visitors to the Emporium are asked to follow social distancing guidelines and other recommendations given by the Knox County Health Department, the City of Knoxville, and Knox County.

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.

The Summer Members Show will be on display throughout the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville from June 5 – July 31, 2020. Gallery hours are currently Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed July 6 for the holiday. For more information, please contact the Arts & Culture Alliance at (865) 523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.