Calendar of Events

Summer Art Academy 2020 is moving online! Due to restrictions on group activities related to COVID-19, the Knoxville Museum of Art’s Summer Art Academy will take place online only this year. No classes will be held at the museum. A full menu of fun and educational art activities will be available soon on the KMA’s YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/KnoxvilleMuseumOfArt, or check www.knoxart.org for updates. Online art activities will be available for no charge.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, https://knoxart.org/kma_events/summer-art-academy-2020/

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"!

WE ARE OPEN! See hours listed below. The art and gifts at the Gallery continue to be refreshed with new work. If you are driving through Townsend, stop by our TAG Gallery.

The mission of Townsend Artisan Guild is to connect fine arts and fine crafts and the people of East Tennessee through education of youth and adults, professional development of local artisans, and community development. The membership of the Corporation promotes an active interest in the arts through exhibits, demonstrations, lectures, and education as well as raising standards of professional performance among its working artisans.

7719 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy. (Hwy. 321), Townsend, TN 37882
Hours: Wed. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday - 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
TAG website: https://www.townsendartisanguild.org/

June 19 – Acoustic Eidolon
June 26 – Grizzly Goat
July 10 – Angela Easterling
July 17 – Drift Boat Cowboys
July 24 – Pistol Creek Catch of the Day
July 31 – Jerry Butler

All concerts begin at 7 pm – Rain or shine in the covered amphitheater. Bring your own folding lawn chairs. Coolers and alcohol of any kind are prohibited. Pets are not allowed (Except Service Animals w/ Proper Identification). Concerts are FREE for GSMHC Members and for Children 5 and Under – $10 per person for non-members. Or, Reserved Seating! Only $5 Leave your chair at home and use ours!

http://www.gsmheritagecenter.org/events/concerts/

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, 3/4 mile east of traffic light at the Highway 321 and 73 intersection towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, TN. Hours: M-Sa 10-5. Information: 865-448-0044, www.gsmheritagecenter.org

Argentine-British artist Jessica Sarah Rinland's installation, The Society at Black Pond, consists of three film works, and explores the activity within a common land in the south of England that was previously occupied by The Diggers, a collective of 17th century agrarian socialists. The land is currently inhabited by a Natural History Society whose occupations include bat and moth trapping, mycology, tree measuring, and botanical walks.

These three films offer a social and natural history of this particular location while exploring more intimately human’s relationship with and within land and nature.

From Thursday June 11 - Friday, August 7, The UT Downtown Gallery will be screening Black Pond, Bosque, and Moths Interior.

Adjusted gallery hours will be Thursdays and Fridays 12-6pm. We ask that you practice good social distancing and wear a mask when visiting the gallery.

Thank you, and we're glad to be open again!

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

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.

"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

The Gallery will re-open JUNE 5, Friday-Sundays only. Hours and safety protocols will be announced closer to opening date. We can also open on appointment if requested. Please watch our Facebook page or our Instagram for further updates. We have missed talking with all our visitors, both local and out of town! Looking forward to a busy Downtown Knoxville in the future! For any specific questions or requests you can send us a message via the "contact us" tab from the website, or message us from our Facebook Page. www.Facebook.com/Art.Market.Gallery.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

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.

The silhouettes created for the 2020 summer “Dazzling Dogwoods: A Garden Art Exhibit,” are on display at the UT Gardens, Knoxville. All the pieces will be available for purchase at an auction that will be held in the fall. The auction will be the last phase of an art project designed to promote community participation and artist collaboration as well awareness and support for the UT Gardens.

https://tiny.utk.edu/DazzlingDogwoods

37 local amateur and professional artists creatively interpreted this year’s dogwood theme by painting or embellishing large-scale plywood dogwood silhouettes in two sizes. Artists had the option to create either a large or small form or a pair. The works have been installed throughout the UT Gardens and will be on display throughout the summer. In the fall, these beautiful, one-of-a-kind dogwood silhouettes will be sold to the public at auction.

Ijams Nature Center has opened the swimming area at Mead's Quarry in phase two of the City/County reopening plan, which went into effect May 26.

River Sports Outfitters (RSO) began offering paddle rentals on the lake Memorial Day weekend. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Rentals will close due to inclement weather and will be announced on the RSO Facebook page at @RiverSportsOutfitters.

The Ijams Outpost, which offers concessions, beer and other items, will mirror RSO hours. Restrooms at the quarry remain open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Visitor Center restrooms and limited-contact gift shop/concessions purchases continue to be open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All restrooms will close for short periods at set times each day to allow facilities to be cleaned and sanitized. During those times, the front lobby of the Visitor Center also will be closed.

Navitat is open Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are by appointment only.

You are encouraged to wear masks when entering the Visitor Center and while passing other people on the grounds. Ijams remains committed to the health and safety of visitors and staff, and will be evaluating reopening policies, procedures and hours; changes may be implemented at any time. www.Ijams.org or call 865-577-4717.

Zoo Knoxville is reopening to the public on Monday, May 18, with carefully planned protocols to ensure the safety of their guests, staff and animals. The zoo closed to visitors on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In accordance with the City of Knoxville and Knox County COVID-19 Reopening Phase 1 plan, Zoo Knoxville is open for passive outdoor use only, which means no indoor areas or interactive experiences like rides and animal encounters can be offered at this time. Playground areas, including the splash pad, will also remain closed in this phase.

To control the number of guests in the zoo daily, advance purchase timed entry tickets are required. Circle of Friends members and annual passholders will continue to receive free admission but will be required to make a reservation online for a timed entry on a specific date.

The zoo has added more than 30 additional hand sanitizing stations throughout zoo grounds and restaurants have modified their ordering and delivery systems to minimize contact.

Zoo Knoxville asks all guests to take the safety of other visitors, zoo staff and the animals seriously by following CDC recommendations:
• Wearing a mask or face covering
• Washing your hands and using hand sanitizer stations throughout the zoo frequently
• Maintaining 6 feet of physical distance between groups
• Using ground markings and directional signs to maintain safe distancing in areas where people may gather
• Staying home if you are sick or in a high risk group

To show appreciation for the outpouring of care and support during the closure, Zoo Knoxville will be offering tickets at a reduced price of $14.95 for adults and $11.95 for children ages 4-12 and seniors over 65. Ages 3 and under are free. The zoo will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. beginning May 18, 2020. Tickets and entry times can be purchased and reserved online.

Zoo Knoxville, 3500 Knoxville Zoo Drive, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-637-5331, www.zooknoxville.org