Calendar of Events

Craft Bear Nights this May features BBQ!

Come enjoy extended hours from 5 PM – 8 PM. These evenings are free for annual pass members or with a general admission ticket. Each night we will feature special menus and drink offerings!

Food Trucks:
May 6: Big Butts BBQ
May 13: Johnboy’s BBQ
May 27: Smith’s Endzone BBQ

Is it a family-friendly event?
– Yep, Craft Bears is open to all ages.

Are food and drink included with my ticket?
– No, all food and beverage are an additional purchase.

If I come earlier in the day, can I come back that evening for Craft Bears?
– Yes, you can re-enter the zoo with your same day general admission ticket.

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

Join YWCA for the 11th annual Keys of Hope Luncheon! Due to COVID-19, this year's luncheon will be virtual, but there are multiple ways that you can get involved:

1: Sign up to be a "Host for Hope" and invite your friends to your home, office, or favorite outdoor patio to enjoy the program together. Your gift of $500 will provide you with 10 individually packaged meals to share with your in-person guests. Hosts will pick up the meals before the event on May 6. Hosts for Hope can also invite an unlimited number of virtual guests to tune in, as well. Your donation will benefit the life-saving programs of the YWCA. This is a fun way to bring your friends together around a cause you love.

2: Register to attend as an individual. Registration is free.

On the day of the event, you will receive an email reminder with a link to watch the live event. You will experience the inspirational stories of women who have overcome domestic violence and trauma and are now on the path to healing. Connect with friends in the online chat and celebrate donations as they happen in real time!

Funds raised through this event support life-changing programs that empower victims of domestic violence; provide a safe, nurturing environment for our most at-risk youth; encourage boys and men to prevent violence against women; and provide safe, affordable housing to women and their families, in Knoxville and throughout the Tennessee Valley.

https://keysofhope.swell.gives/

Thu May 6, 6-8 PM

Free! In conclusion of National Poetry Month, we will celebrate the spoken word on May 6. Come hear from Knoxville’s Poet Laureate, Rhea Carmon, as she tells her story and describes her vision along with presentations by other brilliant wordsmiths. We will mix and mingle within the online Lunchpool platform. We look forward to exciting conversation and inspiration! Learn more about Rhea at www.RheaCarmon.com

www.eventbrite.com/e/the-maker-city-presents-the-power-of-poetry-tickets-146642059347

Mental health journalism expert Kari Cobham will discuss how to write about difficult issues while protecting yourself as you immerse into what can be emotionally taxing research, processing and writing. This program may be particularly valuable to memoir and fiction writers.

Kari Cobham is the senior associate director of The Carter Center’s Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism and Media where she oversees the program in the United States and abroad. She was previously a staff writer, executive producer and senior manager of digital content for Cox Media Group newsrooms across the US. A graduate of Yale University’s Thread media storytelling program, Kari has bylines on Vox, Huffington Post, MSNBC, Poynter, Trinidad Guardian, Caribbean Beat and SHE magazines, and others. She is a Tedx speaker and holds a Master’s degree in mass communications from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor’s degree in public relations and advertising from Bethune-Cookman University.
https://www.karicobham.com/

As always, programs are free, but you must register by midnight on Wednesday, May 5. You will receive an email from our webmaster with the link on the morning of the event. https://knoxvillewritersguild.org/events/may21program/

THURSDAY AT 7 PM – 8 PM
Queer History Club
Free · Online Event

May 6, 2021 07:00 PM
May 20, 2021 07:00 PM
Jun 3, 2021 07:00 PM

Event by Voices Out Loud: East Tennessee LGBTQ History Project
Online: tennessee.zoom.us

Interested in Knoxville's LGBTQ+ history? Want a way to connect with the community and stay safe from Covid? Have stories you want to share about people, places, and events in Knoxville's past? Join the Queer History Club for Throwback Thursdays!

On the second Thursday of each month, Donna (librarian and co-director of the project) will share an interesting queer artifact and the story behind it. Then we'll open the room for discussion. On the 4th Thursday of each month we will discuss one of the project's oral histories. Listen to the interview ahead of time and then share and learn from your community.

Please register to help us keep our space secure:
https://tennessee.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMocuCopj0oEtUYGZJaN4Oc78SoZm-O0V9R

Please contact us with any ways that we can make these more accessible to those with disabilities. https://www.facebook.com/events/469101861133062

THE SUNNY BIRDS OF SUMMER VIRTUAL PROGRAM PRESENTED ON THURSDAY, MAY 6 AT 7:00 P.M. BY THE UT ARBORETUM SOCIETY

Join the UT Arboretum Society for the First Thursday Nature Supper Club on May 6 as we invite you to celebrate “The Sunny Birds of Summer,” a virtual presentation about bird species that are with us in East Tennessee only during their nesting season in the warm months. Relax and settle in with your evening meal while local naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales entertainingly teaches about birds such as the wood thrush, catbird, indigo bunting and the gorgeous prothonotary warbler.

This is a virtual Zoom presentation and registration for this free online event is required. To register go to: www.utarboretumsociety.org and click on the event. The program will be recorded. Please contact Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu with any questions or registration issues.

To contact Stephen Lyn or buy one of his UT Press books email him at hellostephenlyn@yahoo.com

In Memory of Mom
Thursday, May 6 at 6:00 pm

Next week, in anticipation of Mother’s Day, we’ll be looking at Motherhood as represented by the gravestones of remarkable mothers, especially in Old Gray Cemetery, but also a few other graveyards, showing how carvings in stone represent our love for our mothers—especially when they die young. We’ll show photographs of the stones, and tell the stories behind some especially remarkable Knoxville mothers.

Register for these online programs at: https://knoxvillehistoryproject.org/events/

Jim Barnhart is a fantastic local photographer who displays his work on wrapped canvas. Come see his gorgeous images of Knoxville's landmarks, skylines and natural places throughout May in the Ijams Hallway Gallery!

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920
https://www.ijams.org

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month - May

Asian Culture Center of TN is exhibiting our country costume at Knox County Office 6th floor. We would like to invite you to see and enjoy "rich Asian Arts''.

FASHION IS A form of language. What we wear broadcasts critical information about us, significant power-packed symbols. They serve as a visible sign of profession, ethnicity and status.

An exhibition at Knox County Offices spotlights the visual symbols and meaning of clothing and objects of personal adornment in various cultures of SouthEast Asia. Each county displays an explanation of history and the story. This exhibition is Educational and FREE event for everyone. Enjoy.

Take the photo of your favorite costume and post with #knoxasianfestival on your social media. We will choose 20 people to get a FREE official Knox Asian Festival T-shirt.

City-County building hours are Mon-Fri 8 AM – 4:30 PM
www.knoxasianfestival.com

West High School's Theatre Department- Company West, is bringing a fun filled and whimsical play to the lawn at Ijams Nature Center this spring. Peter and the Starcatcher is a great, family friendly event that you won't want to miss.

The play will run from May 5-7, starting at 6:30pm. Doors open 30 minutes before play begins. Feel free to bring your own lawn chair or blanket for these performances. Masks will be required at check in and inside the visitor center and guests are asked to social distance on the hillside.

Tickets are $11 for adults and $9 for students. Each performance will be limited to 200 people per night to Tickets are $11 for adults and $9 for students. Each performance will be limited to 200 people per night to ensure proper distancing.

Peter and the Starcatcher, a prequel to Peter Pan based on the children’s book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. This is the humorous and fantastical story of what happened before Peter Pan met Wendy. In this wickedly imaginative play, we meet a poor orphaned child on the high seas simply called Boy because, in the absence of a mother and a father, he was never given a name. His sad and lonely world is turned upside down when he meets Molly. The daughter of famous Starcatcher Lord Aster, our heroine is on a mission to save the world and protect a treasure trunk filled with magical star stuff from getting into the hands of evil and greedy pirate Black Stache. As they travel aboard the Neverland ship headed for a faraway land, Molly and Boy learn about love, friendship and forge an unbreakable bond.

https://www.ijams.org/event-details/special-event-peter-and-the-starcatcher-presented-by-west-high-school
Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920

TUESDAY, MAY 4
Smorgasbord Class: “Watercolor Doodles,” with Vera Bogle, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Cost is $20 for both members and guests. Number of students: Minimum is 2 and maximum is 8.

FRIDAY, MAY 7
ARTiE Training: Web Review, with John Hufford, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Members only.

TUESDAY, MAY 11
Paint Along with Sam Hill, watercolor demonstration class, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Cost is $20 for AG members or $25 for guests. Students should bring their own watercolor supplies. Number of students: minimum is 4, maximum is 9.

THURSDAY, MAY 13
Home School Children’s Art Class, “Waterfall Landscape” inspired by Canadian artist, J.E.H. MacDonald (1920) 12:30 – 2:00 p.m., with instructor Rosemary Wawro.

TUESDAY, MAY 18
Monthly Members Meeting: 9:30 a.m. In-person attendance will be limited due to social distancing.
Also, browse through “Endless Possibilities,” the AG’s fine arts and craft shop. Attendees should practice social distancing, including wearing face masks.

THURSDAY, MAY 20
“Chain Maille Jewelry: Summer Sky,” with George Gallant. 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Registration and materials cost (including a $30 materials fee) is $60 for members or $65 for guests. Number of students: minimum is 2, maximum is 6.

FRIDAY, MAY 21
Watercolor 101 for Beginners, “Blue Daisies” with Vera Bogle. 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Registration and materials cost (including $5 materials fee) is $35 for members or $40 for guests. Number of students: minimum is 2, and maximum is 8.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
Life Drawing, with Dena Whitener, 12:00 noon – 2:00 p.m. A live model will be available for artists to sketch. Bring your sketch pad, media of choice, and camera to capture the pose. Cost is $5 model fee.

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

2021 Summer Showcase Exhibition: Prints by UT Knoxville Undergraduate & Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff

Each summer for the past few years the Printmaking Program in the UTK School of Art presents an exhibition of recent prints by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. The works represent a wide variety of methods and approaches, including intaglios, relief prints, lithographs, and screenprints, reflecting a diversity of ideas and approaches. The MFA Program in Printmaking at UTK is ranked #3 among public universities nationally by US News and World Report.

The Art and Architecture building is accessible to the public through the summer weekdays from 8am-5pm. Individuals who are not vaccinated for COVID-19 are asked to wear a mask.

Printmaking Showcase Gallery
Art & Architecture Building, second floor
1715 Volunteer Blvd.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

https://art.utk.edu/printmaking-showcase-gallery-summer2021/