Calendar of Events

7:30 PM Thursday-Sunday, July 8 - August 8
2 PM Matinees: Sunday, July 18th (Twelfth Night) & Sunday, July 25th (The Tempest)
ADMISSION: Reservations & in-person tickets will be $15, with a four-pack for families offered a 15% discount.

The Tennessee Stage Company presents its 31st Summer Shakespeare Festival, now performing at Ijams Nature Center! The natural hillside boasts the space for the audience to spread out & observe proper social distancing while enjoying the outdoor performances, which will feature two of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays: the comedy Twelfth Night & the romance of The Tempest. This season is being produced in cooperation with Ijams Nature Center. Twelfth Night opens the festival on Thursday, July 8th. It continues through August 7th, alternating performances with The Tempest, which opens on Friday, July 9th, & plays through August 8th. There is an indoor space at Ijams Nature Center where performances will move in case of rain. In order to be prepared for the ever-changing landscape of 2021, we will play this season in the open field in front of the Visitors Center of Ijams Nature Center, located at 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920, just a short drive from downtown. The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audiences to spend an evening at Ijams Nature Center. Walk the splendor of the trails, check out the gift shop, have dinner at a food truck, see the show & enjoy the beverages from the Beer Garden. Come early & sample the many pleasures to be found at Ijams Nature Center.

July 8, 10, 16, 18, 22, 24, 30; August 1, 5, 7 at 7:30 pm; July 18 at 2:00 pm
TWELFTH NIGHT

July 9, 11, 15, 17, 23, 25 29, 31; August 6, 8 at 7:30 PM; July 25 at 2:00 pm
THE TEMPEST

For more information about the Tennessee Stage Company, Shakespeare 'Off' The Square, or its support guild, Buddies of the Bard
(BoB), call 865-546-4280 or e-mail TennesseeStage@Comcast.net. Tickets: www.Ijams.org/shakespeare. Up to three students (K-12) may attend for one penny with paying adult!

Lakeshore Park
Thursday, July 8 | Music at 8PM, Music + Film at 9PM

Free & Open to the Public
Cormac McCarthy’s iconic novel, Suttree, set in Knoxville in the 1950s, chronicles four years in the life of Cornelius Suttree, who has abandoned a life of privilege, lives in a dilapidated houseboat on the Tennessee River, and spends his days navigating the gritty underside of the city amidst its outcasts and eccentrics. On Thursday, July 8, the Big Ears Festival will present to Suttree’s Knoxville: A Hymn to the Past in Film & Music, an outdoor multimedia experience offered free-to-the-public at beautiful Lakeshore Park, where the Tennessee River and the Smoky Mountains will serve as a stunning stage set for the evening. Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS) archivist Eric Dawson has drawn from TAMIS’ extensive collection of film footage and photographs from Knoxville in the 1950s to create a riveting 70-minute silent film that mirrors the scenes, places, and character of McCarthy’s landmark book.

The film will be projected onto a 40-foot-wide screen and scored live by an all-star gathering of musicians, including Knoxville’s inaugural poet laureate RB Morris with guitarist Greg Horne and bassist Daniel Kimbro; jazz singer and ukulele player Kelle Jolly with saxophonist Will Boyd; balladeer, guitarist, and folklorist Jake Xerxes Fussell; and guitarist and composer Bill MacKay with banjo player and old-time music expert Nathan Bowles. RB Morris will read key passages from the novel during the performance.

The performance takes place on the main lawn at Knoxville’s Lakeshore Park and is free and open to the public. Music will start at 8pm and the film with live score will begin at 9pm, just as the sun is setting. There will be ample free parking on-site. Sweet P’s Barbecue will offer food and beverages, along with Captain Muchacho’s and Fai Thai food trucks.
https://bigearsfestival.org/suttrees-knoxville/

The Dogwood Arts Synergy Exhibition showcasing gifted K-12 art students alongside their teachers from across East Tennessee at the Clayton Center for the Arts. See the results of the artistic student-teacher synergy that happens every day in our schools! All student artwork has been generously professionally framed by our friends at ExpressFrame.

• Gallery Hours: 9am-6pm (Monday - Friday)
• Address: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804

A closing reception and awards ceremony will be held at the Clayton Center for the Arts on Thursday, August 5th from 5:30PM-7:30PM. Awards will be presented at 6:30pm.

www.dogwoodarts.com

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Ijams Nature Center hallway gallery featuring local artist Cheri Jorgenson

Blessed Are the Meek - Monochromatic drawings of local wildlife from 5”x7” to 20”x16”. Also includes a bin of discounted pieces from UT Gardens.

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

TUESDAY, JULY 6
Smorgasbord Class: “Watercolor Sunflower,” with Sheryl Reeser, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Cost is $20 for both members and guests.

FRIDAY, JULY 9
Web Review & IT Tech Training, with John Hufford, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Members only.

FRIDAY, JULY 9
Beginning Acrylic Pour, with Claudia Kirkpatrick, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Cost (including a $10 materials fee) is $40 for members and $45 for guests.

SATURDAY, JULY 10
“Watercolor Doodles: Saturday Smorgasbord Watercolor Class with Vera Bogle. 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Cost is $20 for both members and guests.

TUESDAY, JULY 13, 20, & 27 (three class sessions)
Experimental Art with Deanna Magdich. 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cost is $90 for members or $105 for guests. Materials list provided at registration.

THURSDAY, JULY 15 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Chain Maille Jewelry “Summertime Bracelet,” with George Gallant. 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Cost (including all materials and equipment) is $60 for members or $65 for guests.

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, & THURSDAY, JULY 20, 21, & 22 (three class sessions)
“Printmaking without a Press” Collagraphy (printmaking process in which materials are applied to a rigid substrate) with Karen Shaw, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. Cost is $90 for members and $105 for guests. Students will bring an exacto knife and a spoon. All other materials will be supplied.

FRIDAY, JULY 23
Watercolor 101, “Blue Daisies” with Vera Bogle. 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Cost is $30 for members or $35 for guests.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28
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

The City of Knoxville will present five free concerts on the World's Fair Park Performance Lawn starting Tuesday, July 6. Concerts in the Park will feature a variety of musical styles, including jazz, country, Southern rock, classic rock and yacht rock. Guests are encouraged to dine at one of downtown’s many restaurants, pick up take-out or bring a picnic to the Performance Lawn. No food or other vendors will be set up at the event. Containers for trash and recycling are available on the grounds. Restroom facilities will be open. Free parking will be available in the 11th Street Garage. Parking in all City-owned garages is free after 6 p.m. The line-up for Concerts in the Park is:

Tuesday, July 6 -- Greg Tardy Quartet
7 - 9 p.m.
Jazz quartet led by saxophonist/composer Gregory Tardy.

Wednesday, July 7 -- Joe Lasher Jr, Kaitlyn Baker, Commodore Fox
6:30 - 9 p.m.
A three-band bill with contemporary country up ‘n’ comers and a classic rock cover band.

Thursday, July 8 -- Smooth Sailor
7 - 9 p.m.
Knoxville’s favorite yacht rock cover band.

Tuesday, July 13 -- Eric Reed Trio
7 - 9 p.m.
Pianist Eric Reed leads this jazz trio.

Thursday, July 15 -- Dirty Grass Soul
7 - 9 p.m.
This North Carolina-based roots-rock band is influenced by the classic sounds of the Charlie Daniels Band and the Marshall Tucker Band.

In case of rain, performances will be held in the Tennessee Amphitheater; weather-related changes will be posted on the City of Knoxville Special Events Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CityofKnoxvilleSpecialEvents.

Treat your eyes to an art exhibit with over 100 original paintings by 25 members of the Tennessee Watercolor Society. This 50th Anniversary Celebration includes works by the members of the three eastern regions of the statewide Society: the Knoxville, Chattanooga and Tri-Cities chapters. This show runs from July 5 - August 20, 2021, at The Arts Center in Athens, Tennessee.

Art enthusiasts may mingle with the artists and learn about techniques and processes from the artists themselves at our opening reception to be hosted on Friday, July 16 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This reception, as well as exhibit attendance during the show at The Arts Center, is free.

Exhibiting artists are Mary Ahern, Claudia Balthrop, Jann Bohnenberger, Mary K. Brown, Sandy Brown, Helen Burton, Linda S. Campbell, Durinda Cheek, Lil Clinard, Mark Cobbe, Don Gotterbarn, Marie Spaeder Haas, Irma Herzog, Harriet S. Howell, Spencer Hudson, Faye Ives, Barbara Brown Jernigan, Linda A. Johnson, Judy Lavoie, Kirsten May, P. Holly Peck, Jean Porter, Richard Rice, Gayla D. Seale, Tom White, and Barbara Wilfon.

This is the second biennial show of the regional Tennessee Watercolor Society artists and one of The Art Center’s largest, favorite, and best attended exhibits. Among the original paintings being displayed are various water media, including watercolor, acrylic, ink, tempera and gouache. See works on paper, canvas, and panels, including scratchboards, in a wide range of sizes and formats. Most of the works are for sale. Tennessee Watercolor Society (TnWS) is the largest and most respected organization in Tennessee dedicated to the exploration and advocacy of water media. This is an exciting year for the TnWS, as the 50th Anniversary of the society’s founding. The society has grown in numbers and significance over the years, with regular showings all over the state and an acclaimed juried Biennial Exhibition. TnWS currently has a statewide membership of more than 250 artists and supporters, representing some of the finest artists in the state. For more information on the Tennessee Watercolor Society, please visit tnws.org.

Athens Area Council for the Arts: 320 North White Street, Athens, TN, 37303. Hours: Mon-Fri 10-5. Info: 423-745-8781, http://www.athensartscouncil.org/exhibitions/

The Clarence Brown Theatre Acting Workshop is designed to give young actors training in several different skills; basic acting technique, voice, movement and improvisation and musical theatre. While many will have had introductions to these skills and approaches to the craft of acting, our aim is to give workshop participants intensive exposure to tools they will need to pursue as they develop as actors. Theatre is a collaborative art, and all students will be working together toward the final performance. Therefore, daily attendance is mandatory and all workshop participants must be available for the final performance. NO EXCEPTIONS.

The workshop is for 9th through 12th graders and rising college freshmen. Prior performance experience is not required. Twenty-two participants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Acting Workshop (in person) will be held in the Clarence Brown Theatre (CBT) complex on the UT campus. Instructors for the workshop include UT Theatre Faculty David Alley and Carol Mayo Jenkins who lead the acting portion of the program. UT Department of Theatre Distinguished Lecturer Terry Silver-Alford heads up the musical theatre area.

July 5-16 (9:00 am -4:00 pm daily)
Cost: $525
Parking is available for a $30 fee.
https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/community/acting-workshops/

Bliss & Tori Mason Shoes is excited to host local artist Kara Lockmiller for First Friday as Downtown Knoxville starts to return to normalcy amid more reopening activities since the pandemic shutdown.

Kara will be at Bliss & Tori Mason Shoes at 445 S. Gay St. in downtown Knoxville from 6 – 9 PM on Friday, July 2nd for an in person meet and greet where snacks and drinks will be served.

Kara Lockmiller is a Knoxville artist who specializes in painting in shadow hues. She is known as a chromesthete, which means she sees a vast array of real colors in her mind when she listens to music. Kara paints musical artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Billy Joel and accepts custom commissioned requests. She has displayed her work at several venues throughout Knoxville over the years and has received many creative awards.

Bliss & Tori Mason Shoes is a women's clothing and gift store located on Gay St. in downtown Knoxville and has been a downtown Knoxville mainstay since its start in 2003. Bliss prides itself on offering an alternative to the standard retail experience and often carries pieces you won't find anywhere else. Husband and Wife team Scott Schimmel and Lisa Sorensen own Bliss, along with four other Bliss stores throughout TN and KY including another women's boutique in West Town Mall, and three furniture stores (Bliss Home) located in Knoxville and Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY. For more information on Kara Lockmiller, please visit her website at www.klockmillerart.com or follower her on social media @klockmillerart

For more information on Bliss, please visit their website at www.shopinbliss.com or contact Molly Hanley at 865-219-2703 or marketing@shopinbliss.com

First Friday Reception: July 2, 5:30 – 9:00
July Theme: The Love of Travel

Kim Emert Gale, Painter
Kim Emert Gale is a seventh generation East Tennessean and a descendant of Emert's Cove near Gatlinburg, Tn. She specializes in oil, acrylic, pen and ink, and pencil drawing. Her subjects include portraiture, landscape and still life. She has painted for several years and has studied with several widely known and collected painters. Kim attended the University of Tennessee and studied art and psychology. She resides in Knoxville Tennessee where she paints the beauty of the surrounding area and the Smoky Mountains.

Harriet Howell, Hand Painted Silk
Harriet’s painting, whether on paper or silk, uses color and movement to capture the emotional content of nature. “I’ve always loved fabrics, and used to make all of my own clothes. Painting scarves allows me to play with color and natural shapes and then turn the art into something wearable. What fun!” Starting with a stretched silk scarf, Harriet uses brushes to apply successive layers of fabric dyes. Sometimes a resist is used or a hand-cut stencil. Sometimes the dye is applied wet-in-wet. Almost all images are based on elements found in nature. Finished scarves are then steam set, washed, ironed and sewn. Harriet Howell’s painting, whether on paper or silk, uses color and movement to capture the emotional content of nature. “I’ve always loved fabrics and used to make all of my own clothes. Painting scarves allows me to play with color and natural shapes and then turn the art into something wearable. What fun!” Starting with a stretched silk scarf, Harriet uses brushes to apply successive layers of fabric dyes. Sometimes a resist is used or a hand-cut stencil. Sometimes the dye is applied wet-in-wet. Almost all images are based on elements found in nature. Finished scarves are then steam set, washed, ironed, and sewn.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

The practices of Celia Lesh and Esther Sibiude span disciplines of sculpture, drawing, writing, and music. Although their works are decidedly distinct from one another, they share an affective tenor and intuitive mode of making that honors slowness and emotionality. Esther’s drawings fluctuate between cosmic landscapes and microscopic biologies. Wisps and lines are trusted to wander, swirling in and out of reality. In some, narrative peeks through. In others, the non-drawn space, the paper and the air trapped in the frame, become equally important to the drawn. Celia makes sculptures, often from her bedroom studio. Her techniques range from sewing and soldering to chewing and mushing, arranging and re-arranging. She combines found objects with meticulous methods of adornment. The resulting works vibrate between lightness and weight, embodying the psychological. In situ, they operate like constellations, bound to one another by the heavy space in between.

Celia Lesh is an artist living and working between New York and California.
Esther Sibiude is an artist and harpist living and working in New York.
Colleen Billing is an artist living and working in New York.

BAD WATER, 320 E. Churchwell Ave, Knoxville, TN. Open during receptions & by appointment. Info: writetobadwater@gmail.com, https://instagram.com/bad__water, or https://badwater.gallery/

Award-winning artists, Judi Miller and Barb Pelak, are the Art Guild’s featured artists for July. They will be honored at the Fun and Wine Reception on Friday, July 2nd, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Art Center located at 451 Lakeview Drive in Fairfield Glade. Wearing masks is optional. Wine will be served. This event is free & open to the public.

Judi Miller grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She moved to New York, married, and raised 3 children. She now lives in Fairfield Glade. Judi Miller’s love for drawing, and art, began soon after she could hold a pencil. As Judi grew older, she experimented with different mediums of paint and discovered her passion for watercolor. Judi loves the transparency of watercolor and the mingling of the paints on the paper. Her favorite subjects are all types of plant life, still lifes and people, especially children. Painting brings Judi a sense of peace. She found it to be really good therapy, especially this past year, with so many unknowns. As a prerequisite for Judi’s paintings, she works hard to capture the best photographs, including precise positioning, light, and shadow. She loves taking pictures of her grandkids.

Barb Pelak was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She married and moved to Naples, Florida in 1980 where she raised her family. Barb has been enjoying summers in the Crossville area since 1975, and has made Fairfield Glade her home. Barb learned to paint in 1985 when she joined a local chapter of the Society of Tole and Decorative Artists. She has painted in oils, acrylics, watercolor, and colored pencils, and loves them all! She also has an interest in paper arts, and loves to make greeting cards, handmade books and journals. Barb has a gift for teaching, and has taught a variety of art classes since 1990. She continues to teach classes at the Art Guild’s Art Center.

Hours: Mon-Sat 9 AM - 4 PM. 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