Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 7-28, 2021. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, May 7, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

From the day we are born, human beings are drawn to faces. We develop our identities in the context of faces we see around us as well as the reflection of our own faces in the mirror. In this exhibition, I seek to capture a piece of the infinite beauty of the human face across gender, age, race, and ethnicity using the art of needle felting and the medium of merino wool. Subjects include friends who have influenced my life or artistic journey and others who represent things important to my growth and understanding as a woman living in America. I have included historic figures Sojourner Truth and Zitkala-Sa, translating black and white photography from the Library of Congress into color in the wool medium as I imagine they may have appeared. My great hope as a human and an artist is that by recognizing the beauty and wonder in the faces of our fellow humans, we can overcome our differences and live more fully into community with those around us.

Sonja Oswalt has worked with wool since 2012. Her works includes 3-dimensional animal replicas and fantasy figures, 2-dimensional landscapes and portraits, clothing, purses, and hats. She is largely self-taught, though she has participated in workshops with renowned felt-makers worldwide. Oswalt works on commission and via her Etsy online store. Her store, the Baad Hatter Felt Hats and Fiber Arts, reflects the whimsical style of much of her work.

www.baadhatter.com
www.etsy.com/shop/baadhatter
www.facebook.com/baadhatterfelt

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 7-28, 2021. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, May 7, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

The Color of Light presents a romantic look at nature from an abstract expressionist viewpoint. Works focus on the intensity of light falling on landscapes or clouds and reflecting and illuminating often unexpected colors. The themes of sunsets, exotic locations and intriguing fictional ones are painted in vibrant colors on textured substrates enticing viewers to escape from their traditional observation of nature and see it through romanticized and whimsical eyes.

“My paintings are an invitation for the viewer to experience an emotion rather than simply scrutinize an image,” says Larry Cole. “My intentionally ambiguous and abstract subjects are chosen with the hope that the observer can easily relate them to their own personal experiences.”

A native of Tennessee, Larry Cole studied art and business at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In his early studio work, he drew inspiration from the painting styles of his nationally-known professors, C. Kermit Ewing and Carl Sublett. The influence of their painting techniques can be detected in Cole’s accentuation of the abstract structures within his real-world subjects. Larry subsequently chose a career in banking but maintained a life-long interest in painting. For several years, he owned a studio and gallery in the Bearden Arts District. His works have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions throughout Tennessee and the Southeast. Cole maintains a number of devoted private and corporate collectors.

www.colestudioart.com

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 7-28, 2021. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, May 7, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

In 1963, the Knoxville Watercolor Society (KWS) began when the head of the University of Tennessee’s art department, Kermit (Buck) Ewing, invited watercolor artists exhibiting at the university’s McClung Museum to form the nucleus for the organization. The purpose of the organization is to educate the members as well as the community to the understanding of watercolor as a significant art form. Active membership is juried by the members and consists of Knoxville area artists who are currently active in the serious pursuit of aqueous painting and meet regularly to share knowledge and new techniques.

KWS Members exhibit with the Tennessee Watercolor Society, other state watercolor organizations, the Southern Watercolor Society, Watercolor USA and the American Watercolor Society and consistently win regional, state and national awards. Local watercolor artists interested in joining KWS have the opportunity to apply for active membership each October and submit paintings to be juried by the membership at the November meeting.

www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from May 7-28, 2021. A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, May 7, from 5:00-8:00 PM. All visitors to the Emporium are required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

As East Tennessee’s official professional photography trade organization, The Professional Photographers of East Tennessee (PPETN) is more than a local camera club, photography group, or discussion forum – it is an established not-for-profit organization promoting professionalism, advancement, and cooperation in photography throughout the region. PPETN membership consists of the area’s top photographers dedicated to providing the highest quality imagery, customer service, and products.

In their inaugural exhibition at the Emporium, PPETN members will showcase a wide range of photographic subjects and styles, reflecting works made by professional photographers for their clients and customers as well as personal projects expressing individual photographic creativity. The exhibition includes competition images prepared by members for various local, state, and national professional photography competitions. Many of the images have received awards in these competitions, hosted by PPETN itself, the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association, and the Professional Photographers of America.

PPETN organizes events every month to provide opportunities for education, support, and community for photographers in East Tennessee. Events are designed to benefit all levels of photographers.

www.ppetn.com

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

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

(All Ages) Join Ijams Nature Center and Appalachian Mountain Bike Club for Big Fun Tuesdays at Mead's Quarry from 6-9 p.m. every first and third Tuesday starting May 4! Bring your friends or family to enjoy mountain bike rides, paddling, food trucks, beer garden, live music and more!

Learn More and Register: https://www.ijams.org/calendar-of-events

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/

Tennessee Artists Association is having a group show at the Schilling Gallery in Westminster Presbyterian Church. Please call the church office for more information and hours available.

Westminister Presbyterian Church, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-R 9-4. Info: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org

Portraits were the “social media posts” of the American colonial and antebellum periods. Today, social media allows users to not only visually document and share life’s moments but also curate how others see themselves. Early Tennessee portraits afforded the sitter the same duality. “They are,” as one art historian puts it, “the rhetoric–not the record–of self-representation.” As viewers two centuries removed, how are we to understand early portraiture in East Tennessee? Is it history, fiction, or perhaps a bit of both? This exhibition of works by Samuel M. Shaver, East Tennessee’s first native-born artist, provides interesting examples for discussion.

About Samuel M. Shaver (1816-1878)
Samuel Moore Shaver was the youngest or next to youngest child born to David and Catherine Barringer Shaver on Reedy Creek (near present-day Kingsport) in 1816. Little is known about his formative years. He may have studied at Jefferson Academy in Blountville; a Leonidas Shaver is listed as a teacher there, and his older brother David, Jr., operated a tavern nearby. In 1833, William Harrison Scarborough (1812-1871), a traveling portrait painter from Middle Tennessee, visited Sullivan County. What impact did Scarborough’s stay have on 17-year-old Shaver? Did he watch Scarborough paint the portraits of his neighbors? Or did he simply benefit by imitating the works Scarborough left behind? Whether by native talent, with formal instruction, or both, Shaver possessed the skill set to begin producing competently done portraits by the late 1830s.

Shaver: An Artist of Rare Merit traces the artist's maturation through the 19 portraits held by the East Tennessee Historical Society and the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Knox County Public Library. The exhibition is organized on the occasion of three recent Shaver acquisitions, making the East Tennessee History Center the largest repository of the artist's works.

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

For the past twelve years, the Arts & Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (McGhee Tyson Airport) have partnered to present a biannual 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 will be displayed through October 18, 2021. View works at https://www.knoxalliance.store/product-category/airport-24/.

Exhibiting artists include: Gabrielle Barnhart, Lynda Best, Meredith Boatman, Orel Brodt, Jan Burleson, Nancy S. Campbell, Tina Curry, Barbara Enloe, Casey Field, Brian Horais, David Johnson, Judy Kelley Jorden, Anne Kinggard, Judy Lavoie, Peggy Kretchmar Leland, Ilana Lilienthal, Bill Long, Ling Lu, Siobhan McAuley, Steven McQuilkin, Brian Melton, Amalia Fotini Mermingas, Allen Monsarrat, Chico Osten, Amber Patty, Carrie Pendergrass, Mera Ragsdale, Ted Richards, Adam Rowe, Mary Ruden, Pamela Salyer, Gayla D. Seale, Renee C. Suich, W. James Taylor, Marilyn Avery Turner, Gena Tussey, Rick Whitehead, Carl Whitten, Marcy Wielfaert, Anne Wilkerson, and Marianne Woodside.