Calendar of Events

September Featured Artist
Gary Dagnan – Painting
Patricia Herzog - Ceramics

First Friday Reception: September 3, 5:30 – 9:00 pm

Gary Dagnan, Painting
Gary is a Knoxville native who has been creating paintings over 50 years. His inspiration comes from the mountains, lakes and structures of East Tennessee where he gets inspiration from light and colors that come from distinct seasons of the South. Included in this exhibit, are new still-life oil paintings that explore the beauty of simple objects. “I want my paintings to express the emotional and spiritual connection that I have with nature. I am more interested in the aesthetics than I am with documenting a specific place. When someone views my art, I would hope they would have an emotional as well as visual connection to the work.”

Patricia Herzog, Ceramics
Patricia has been working as a studio potter since graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1978 with a Master of Science Degree in Ceramics. Her hand built functional work often reflects her passion for color, texture, animal imagery and universal patterns in nature. She uses a white stoneware that is fired in an electric kiln to approximately 2200 degrees. Her small sculptures are influenced by the Cycladic art of Greece and the Mesoamerican art of the Olmec, Aztec and Maya civilizations. They are sometimes fired in a raku kiln, a primitive kiln using sawdust, or an electric kiln, all in an effort to achieve various results that enhance the clay’s surface. "Patricia hopes that by having a connection to the past while working in the present will give her work a sense of humaneness in this digital and media driven world.

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

Join us for a First Friday gallery opening on Friday, September 3, from 5pm-8pm.

Houston Vandergriff’s images have been described as “colorful,” “reflective,” and “inspiring.” Through his photographs he shares his love for travel and his eye for beauty. The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words has a special meaning for Houston. Because of the low muscle tone from Down syndrome, sometimes his speech is difficult to understand. By skillfully using his camera Houston is able to share his view of the world without actually saying a word.

When Houston was born every doctor that appeared had worse news: unable to breath, jaundice, low muscle tone, hole in his heart, open heart surgery, Down syndrome. Each specialist cited their own long list of things he might never do. They never imagined by the age of 22 he would travel to all 95 counties in Tennessee, to 48 of the United States, to 6 Canadian provinces, and to 24 countries. Houston’s award-winning photography has been featured in publications, awards shows, and galleries all over the world, including SONDER and Neurobrilliant magazines, “Markings” Publishing in Pakistan, “My Perspective” in England, and the Inspiration Gallery in Scotland. Defying all the doctor’s predictions, Houston is a strong self- advocate and dedicated student behind the camera. He earned his Certificate of Photography in 2019 after completing 160 hours of study through the University of Tennessee Non-Credit and Professional Programs. He also received the Advanced Photography Certificate in June 2020.

Houston inspires others, both inside and outside of the disability community. He pushes for inclusion using the arts and creative world. By sharing his gift of photography he is also sharing the gift of hope. Houston’s life shows that disabilities don’t define the person; the person defines the ability. He expresses his passion for life in the arts. He is a globe-trotting photographer and advocate. Houston’s untarnished love for people shines easily through his Down syndrome, touching people’s hearts in ways few others could. https://www.t21project.com/stories/houston
Instagram: @DOWNSANDTOWNS
DOWNSANDTOWNS.COM

Be sure to practice social distancing as we host this free event. Be sure to mark your calendar! The Knoxville Community Darkroom, 127 Jennings Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. www.theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom.org
Viewing hours by appointment: theknoxvillecommunitydarkroom@gmail.com

Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for artists Debbie and Marc of Master Repurposers Friday, Sept. 3, from 6-8 pm.

As young kids, Debbie and Marc, learned the importance of finding value in all of the things around them. “This perspective on value has, at its surface, ingrained in us the importance of concepts like recycle, reuse, and repurpose, but at its core, it has taught us to see the intrinsic value in items that have been discarded or are expendable. With this in mind, we focus our creative energies on utilizing all manner of objects in our work, and in many cases, the reused items will drive the design of a given piece.” For example, their Mixed Media pieces contain an endless selection of interesting items, from vintage buttons and antique game pieces to old saw blades and slate roofing tiles.

Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: 865-951-0427 or https://www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

ALABAMA ABSTRACTIONS: PAINTINGS BY BILL DOOLEY AND ALEX MCCLURG

Reception: September 3, 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Join us for a First Friday reception for Alabama Abstractions, paintings by William Dooley and Alex McClurg. Bill Dooley serves as the director of the Moody Gallery at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Alex McClurg received his MFA in painting and drawing from the University of Tennessee in 2013 and is currently head preparator at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

All events at the UT Downtown Gallery are free and open to the public.
Masks are required. Thank you for working to keep our community healthy!

Open Wednesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturdays from 10am - 3pm. UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

The University of Tennessee School of Art is hosting Navajo artist and University of Colorado Professor, Melanie Yazzie, September 20– 24, for a series of activities on campus.

Mapping Home / Collecting Truths: Works by Indigenous and International Artists, an exhibition organized by Yazzie with prints by 35 indigenous and international artists, addressing ideas of homeland and its intersection with the environment, climate, or other influences. https://www.colorado.edu/libraries/2018/10/08/mapping-home-collecting-truths-works-indigenous-and-international-artists

About her work Yazzie writes: “The Navajo Paradigm in which we create the world with our thoughts, grounds and motivates my work as an artist, as a teacher, an Indigenous person who is a member of the Navajo Nation, and asPoster for Mapping Home/Collecting Truth Showcase faculty of the University of Colorado. The key themes and processes central to my work include: outreach to rural communities on the local, national, and global level with Indigenous people, colonization, the idea of homeland, nature, the female archetype, and issues relating to health and safety. My intellectual, creative, classroom, and outreach is rooted in the fact that we learn from one another, through our shared experience in the practice of art-making, an ancient, sustainable way of both being in the world, and a way in which to live together, always in a state of learning. Of principal research interest is our diverse yet shared foundational, theoretical, and philosophical bodies of knowledge that express our connections to our homelands.”

On view in the Printmaking Showcase Gallery on the second floor of the Art and Architecture Building
UT Campus
https://art.utk.edu/melanie-yazzie-public-lecture-and-showcase/

Artist Leesa Osburn
Medium: Water Based Oils

Bio: I enjoy painting with water based oils on canvas. Often times I rescue a canvas to save it from destruction. My painting subjects include pets & wildlife, landscapes & seascapes, and scenes from our nearby Smoky Mountains. Originally from the West Coast, I have lived in Knoxville with my husband and two dogs since 2019. I have a website which is under construction at https://artisticescape.studio/.

Old City MedSpa, 104 W Summit Hill Dr SW, Knoxville

East Tennessee artist Jon Pemberton's three-dimensional works are whimsical, fun and unique! Don't miss the chance to see them in September!

https://www.facebook.com/jon.pemberton.3

2915 Island Home Ave., Knoxville, TN 37920. 865-577-4717 or www.ijams.org

Ornithological Quadrupeds features prints from Beauvais Lyons, University of Tennessee Chancellor’s Professor of Art, Beauvais Lyons. Lyons’ whimsical prints, which are a companion display to Between the Hand and Sky: The Art of Elizabeth Gould, draw on the tradition of natural history illustration by artists including Elizabeth Gould and John James Audubon.

The museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. As part of the University of Tennessee, we adhere to UTK's COVID19 policies.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144

Central Filling Station is Tennessee's first full-service food truck park! We are a family-friendly, dog-friendly neighborhood hangout featuring a daily rotation of the city’s best food trucks and craft beverages. Welcome to Knoxville’s most unique outdoor dining experience!

Wednesday & Thursday 5-9p
Friday & Saturday 11a-10p
Sunday 11a-9p

900 N. Central Street | Knoxville, TN
https://www.knoxfoodpark.com/
https://www.facebook.com/knoxfoodpark/

Elizabeth Gould (1804–1840) is best known as the lifelong assistant of her husband John Gould. Together the couple published a series of ornithological texts chronicling thousands of bird species. However, Elizabeth Gould was more than just the assistant to or wife of her husband. Elizabeth’s artistic contributions to ornithology have been chronically underrepresented, though she is responsible for some of the most important illustrations of birds ever published. During her lifetime, she designed and lithographed more than 650 natural history illustrations. This exhibition of more than thirty lithographs and books seeks to bring Elizabeth Gould to the forefront and acknowledge her life’s work and artistic contributions.

The museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. As part of the University of Tennessee, we adhere to UTK's COVID19 policies.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144

The Knoxville Museum of Art presents Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum August 20-November 7, 2021. Additionally, beginning August 1, the museum will resume full operating hours for the first time since 2020 (Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5pm, Sunday 1-5 pm, closed Mondays).

Under Construction showcases the artistic technique of collage, a dynamic and engaging medium in which materials from different sources are cut, torn, and layered to create new meanings and narratives. Featuring nearly 80 works by more than 30 international artists, this exhibition explores the growth and impact of collage from the 1950s to the present. Although collage gained acclaim in the early 20th-century through the groundbreaking work of artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, it experienced a renaissance (particularly in America) after World War II. Charlotte, North Carolina native Romare Bearden is widely credited with rejuvenating and reinvigorating the technique. The exhibition brings together more than a dozen collages by Bearden. It shows how he inspired subsequent generations of artists, including Radcliffe Bailey, Sam Gilliam, Kojo Griffin, Robert A. Nelson, Man Ray, Kristina Rogers, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Howardena Pindell, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist. As is evident in many of the works in Under Construction, Bearden’s legacy continues to serve as a powerful touchstone for younger artists as they use new ideas, materials, and tools to define the medium’s voice in the Digital Age.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will also host Kolaj LIVE Knoxville. From Friday, November 5th, to Sunday, November 7th, 2021, artists, curators, and writers will gather for a weekend of collage making, slideshows, exhibition visits, and storytelling that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st-century movement. Additional programming surrounding the exhibition will be available at www.knoxart.org.

Under Construction: Collage from The Mint Museum is organized by The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution and museum of international art and design. With two locations — Mint Museum Randolph in the heart of Eastover and Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts — the Mint boasts one of the largest collections in the Southeast and is committed to engaging and inspiring members of the global community. Visit www.mintmuseum.org.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Tuesday-Saturday 10 am-5pm, Sunday 1-5 pm, closed Mondays. Information: 865-525-6101, https://knoxart.org/exhibitions/under-construction-collage-from-the-mint-museum/

We’re excited to be bringing back our keeper chats, which gives you the opportunity to get to know more about the animals and meet the keepers who care for them. It’s a great way to learn more about the conservation work being done at Zoo Knoxville and learn how you can be part of the mission to save animals from extinction. Currently offered throughout the zoo each Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Schedule subject to change.

Explore Keeper Chats: https://www.zooknoxville.org/keeper-chats/

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