Calendar of Events

The WordPlayers offers a show for Black History Month. The Ends We Seek - a one act play with music by Ethan Norman - is a work of historical fiction, which moves between actual events in the 19th and 20th centuries. The play vividly and powerfully illustrates how major historical events — Lincoln’s election and Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the movement for civil rights inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. — impacted the lives of ordinary individuals and families. A mother and a son, in two different centuries, play out the average person’s struggle with life in a dysfunctional society rife with racism. Scenes of daily life play out against a backdrop of history and lead us through moments where national, social, and political turmoil have lasting and powerful effects on ordinary families. With sharp dialogue, inspired by true stories, and with captivating musical interludes, The Ends We Seek personalizes and humanizes the experience of ordinary people swept up in the events of history.

Schedule of Free, Public Performances
• Saturday, Feb. 20 – Oak Valley Baptist, 194 Hampton Rd, Oak Ridge – 4:00 PM
• Sunday, Feb. 21 – Fifth Avenue Baptist, 2500 E 5th Ave, Knoxville – 4:00 PM
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Walters State – Greeneville – 9:40 AM & Sevierville – 4:00 PM
• Thursday, Feb. 25 – Walters State – Morristown – 9:40 AM & Tazewell – 2:00 PM
• Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 – One Life Church, 2900 Knoxville Center Dr., Knoxville – 4:00 PM

http://wordplayers.org/current-season/touring-shows/black-history-month-touring-show/
The WordPlayers, 865-539-2490
Facebook: The WordPlayers
Twitter: @wordplayers
Instagram: wordplayers

Join Board Member & former KBGA staff, Dan Steinhoff, on a guided tour of KBGA’s unique & historic tree collection, starting off in the late winter stages of their lifecycle.

February 20, 2021
10am
Cost: Free for Members, $5 Non-members
Click here to sign up! http://knoxgarden.org/classes-events/workshops/

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will present The Search for Persephone, a Mythological Ballet, one of the company’s most beloved and enduring full length contemporary ballets, streaming LIVE from the historic Bijou Theatre, on Saturday, February 20th at 7 PM. Artistic Director Lisa Hall McKee, GO!’s team of seven choreographers and 55 pre-professional and professional dancers will bring to life the captivating myth of the springtime goddess, Persephone, and her abduction by Hades, king of the underworld.

Traveling from the goddess’ capture to her celebratory return, The Search for Persephone will be visually stunning with elaborate sets, costuming and choreography that will incorporate ballet, contemporary and aerial dance in the telling of the story. Throughout this two hour performance the audience will meet Gaea and Uranus at the world’s formation, fly with the nymphs in Artemis’s forest, dive into the aquatic world of Amphitrite, and seep down deep with the creatures and fates of the dark underworld.

“Greek mythology holds so much magnificence and mystery, offering endless opportunities for captivating choreography and movement,” states McKee. “Using aerial work and a diversity of choreographic styles, we are able to bring this tempestuous story to visual reality. It is also very educational, as students of Greek mythology will meet the lesser known mythical figures such as Amphitrite, the Nereids and Hecate.”

Julie E. Cox will be dancing the role of Persephone with Daniel Chait, former dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, dancing the role of Hades. “Julie and Daniel bring authenticity to both roles,” says McKee. “Julie danced this role in 2014 and has intimate knowledge of Persephone, her innocence, her vulnerability and her power. Daniel’s interpretation of Hades is theatrical brilliance. I have let them have full artistic freedom in developing their roles.”

This will be GO!’s second livestream performance this season using Stellar Visions, a local production company and Veeps, an online ticketing and performance platform. Live streamed on February 20th at 7 PM, The Search for Persephone will be available for viewing until March 8th. Subscribers will receive a streaming link upon ticket purchase prior to the performance. Ticket packages begin at $15 and are available at veeps.gocontemporarydanceworks.com. For more information, please visit gocontemporarydance.com or knoxbijou.org.

GO! is a non-profit organization located in Knoxville, TN and has presented over 200 performances throughout East Tennessee since 2004.

You're cordially invited to attend the best non-event of the year: the Friends of the Knox County Public Library's Stay Home and Read a Book Ball!

Join your Library and the Friends on February 20 in reading for a cause!

Funds raised during this stay-at-home event will help us add more e-books and audiobooks to our collection.
RSVP by making a gift in any amount to the Friends, then shop for books with a 10% off coupon from Union Ave Books

http://www.knoxfriends.org/news-events/book-ball/

Free · Online Event
Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 10 AM EST – 6 PM EST

ABOUT: The Oddities & Curiosities Expo showcases hand selected vendors, dealers, artists and small businesses from all over the country with all things weird. You'll find items such as: taxidermy, preserved specimens, original artwork, horror/halloween inspired pieces, antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, clothing, jewelry, skulls/bones, funeral collectibles & much more. We truly have something weird for everyone.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2932549050297819

The play will be performed Thursdays at 7 PM, Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. https://knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/tc-events/the-neverending-story/

Bastian, a lonely boy, stumbles into a curious bookshop where he discovers a curious book—THE NEVERENDING STORY. Bastian hides in the attic of his school and begins to read, and a huge adventure surges into life. Fantastica, a land of stories, is being destroyed by the Nothing. The Childlike Empress has chosen Atreyu, a young hunter, to be the Hero of the Great Quest. Atreyu, an orphan, is an unlikely choice, but he accepts and, with his horse and companion, Artax, rides to face the menace.

MASKS ARE REQUIRED INSIDE OUR THEATRE

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

Gallery 1010, the UT School of Art student exhibition space, is pleased to present Mending and Gnawing, a collaborative art show by Faith Belt and Rose Hamm. The virtual opening will be held via Zoom from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, February 19. In-person viewings can be made by appointment from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, February 20 and 21.
https://gallery1010.utk.edu/

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites you to experience the 20th Sevier County Biennial Juried Exhibition. This exhibition is a juried, mixed media art exhibition presented by Arrowmont to recognize and foster the skills and talents of artists and makers who call the region of Sevier County home.

Features 76 original works created by 51 Sevier County, Tennessee artists. This is the first show open to visitors since the onset of the pandemic. You may schedule your gallery appointment on Arrowmont’s website at https://www.arrowmont.org/visit/events/20th-sevier-county-biennial-juried-exhibition/ or contact Gallery Manager Kelsey Dillow at 865-436-5860, kdillow@arrowmont.org.

Mary Welch Thompson, award-winning basket weaver, juried the 20th Sevier County Biennial. She said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for all of us. Viewing this art let me forget for a short time. I had fun; it has been a learning experience and a challenge to select the Best of Show and the Awards of Merit pieces. The vibrant colors and imagination really stood out, paying tribute to the beauty of our natural surroundings, our mountain home.”

February 13th Workshop (Cyanotype Prints) 11AM-2PM - Learn one of the original photographic processes! Cyanotype is one of the oldest printing processes invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842. In this workshop, you will learn to make a unique one of a kind handmade print by coating various papers with Cyanotype chemicals and developing them in the sun. A materials fee of $40 is due at or before the event. This class is limited to 5* participants. Be sure to register for the event by Thursday, Feb 11th to secure your spot!

February 23rd Class (Learning Series - The Negative) 6PM-8PM - The Negative will take you inside The Darkroom where you will learn to load and process your film. Pricing for this individual class is $60. This class is limited to 3 participants.

February 24th (Learning Series - The Print) 6PM-8PM - The Print will take you inside The Darkroom where you will learn the basics of enlarger use, burning and dodging and developing finished prints. For this class, you must bring your developed film and B&W photo paper. We suggest buying film and paper locally from F32 near West Town Mall. Pricing for this individual class is $60. This class is limited to 3 participants.

http://www.theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom.org/workshops

The Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show which will return as an entirely virtual event in 2021. The event is completely free to attend and will be accessible online February 12th through March 14th on our brand new website, https://www.dogwoodarts.com/.

For over forty years, the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show has showcased the latest trends in home improvement, landscape design, decor, and more. The 2021 event will be no exception and will offer attendees the opportunity to engage with quality vendors without fear of safety and health concerns.

Attendees can attend Virtual Expert Sessions via Zoom, browse a comprehensive Exhibitor Directory, and save hundreds on their next home projects by taking advantage of our exclusive Show Specials––all from the comfort of home.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Flying Anvil Theatre is rereleasing two shows from their 2020 virtual season as on-demand streaming videos on February 12-22. Streaming passes for the shows The Deadline and Branching Out are available starting on the 12th via their website, www.flyinganviltheatre.com.

The first on-demand offering is the original comedy Branching Out , by Jayne Morgan. Three bickering 60-something, White siblings discover they have a Black, much younger, half-sister during a family Zoom call. The three redefine their family tree in this adult comedy. Some mature language is used, themes are appropriate for high-school and up.

The next on-demand feature is the Halloween favorite The Deadline . Flying Anvil experiments with a new genre, the Horror Zoom, in this virtual production. Audience members follow a group of co-workers as their typical business meeting turns into something more sinister when strange lights and sounds start to disrupt their technology. This innovative and unexpected thriller is suitable for any audience that enjoys having their spine tingled.

“We’ve gotten many requests to make these shows available,” says Artistic Director Jayne Morgan. “We are happy to give our patrons the chance to enjoy the shows again and even binge them back to back. We are so lucky to have actors and creators who were willing to work with us while we learned the ropes of virtual live-theatre. It’s great that we can show their hard work again online.”

Get scared from The Deadline and then refreshed with Branching Out from February 12th to the 21st.
Each on-demand show is available at www.flyinganviltheatre.com starting February 12th.
Tickets are recommended at $10, but audience members can choose their own price with “Pay What You Can'' starting at $1.

The Sacred, the Secular, and the Space In Between: African-American Vernacular Art from the Collection of Michael D. Hill

This exhibit showcases the work of self-taught African American artists who examine the intersections of spirituality and material culture. Guided by a compulsion, in some cases even what might be seen as a divine calling, to create, they produced paintings, sculpture, and utilitarian objects that are startlingly powerful in both their aesthetic forms and the life force they channel. Among the artists featured in this exhibit are Mose Tolliver, David Butler, Lonnie Holley, and Mary T. Smith. Their work may also be found in such prominent collections as the High Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Guided gallery tours by Michael D. Hill will be held throughout the month. For more information, please contact Bryan Wilkerson at 865-354-3000 x4788 or by email at wilkersonbs@roanestate.edu.

O'Brien Art Gallery at Roane State Community College, OBrien Building room 276 Patton Lane Harriman, TN 37748
http://academics.roanestate.edu/art/gallery/