Calendar of Events

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/

The WDVX Blue Plate Special® is a live performance radio show held at noon, with your host Red Hickey, Monday through Thursday at the Knoxville Visitor Center. On Fridays WDVX takes the Blue Plate Special to Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria for “The Big Plate”, then back to the Visitor Center on Saturday with your host Evie Andrus.

It’s always free to join in, so please don’t be shy. Make yourself at home as part of the WDVX family. From blues to bluegrass, country to Celtic, folk to funk, rockabilly to hillbilly, local to international, it all part of the live music experience on the WDVX Blue Plate Special. You’re welcome to bring your lunch.

Just like at your favorite meat n’ three, the WDVX Blue Plate Special® is served up piping hot. This fresh and free daily helping of live music during the lunchtime hour that features performers from all over the world and right here in Knoxville has put WDVX on the map as East Tennessee’s Own community supported radio.

Previous performing artists include Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Avett Brothers, Old Crowe Medicine Show, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Jim Lauderdale, Marty Stuart, Nickel Creek, Red Stick Ramblers, Rodney Crowell, String Cheese Incident, The Del McCoury Band, Tim O’Brien, Yonder Mountain String Band, David Grisman, Claire Lynch Band, Brett Dennen, Tommy Emmanuel, Uncle Earl, The Infamous Stringdusters, the Jerry Douglas Band, Joan Osborne, John Oats, Mary Gauthier, Darrell Scott, and many many more! There’s plenty of great music to go around! http://wdvx.com/program/blue-plate-special/

Free 2-hour visitor parking located next door to the Knoxville Visitor Center. One Vision Plaza, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: 865-544-1029, http://www.wdvx.com

Details TBA

Gallery 1010, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 114, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Reception Fri 5-7 PM, Sat 10 AM – 1 PM, or by appointment. Information: https://gallery1010.utk.edu/

(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

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

We’ve opened our new Clayton Family Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Campus.

We Dare You to Enter! The new, state-of-the-art Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus is ready for you! Come explore 12,000 square feet of rare, venomous, beautiful and mysterious snakes, tortoises, frogs, and Cuban crocs. You might see Joe the sloth overhead, too!

The ARC is our commitment to animal conservation, where we will protect 85 species—38 of which are endangered. We can’t wait for you to experience this and help our mission of saving animals from extinction.

Tickets: https://store.zooknoxville.org/WebStore/Shop/ViewItems.aspx

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

Westwood Welcomes You Back!

“If we only look for it, we are surrounded by the beautiful always. Cherish it, love it. Take it into your hearts and it will be your very life”. —Adelia Armstrong Lutz

Historic Westwood is pleased to announce that the house and gardens have reopened with the addition of new Saturday hours. Our wonderful docents are looking forward to providing personal tours and sharing all the changes that continue to transform Westwood into a premier historic artist's home, studio and gallery.

Adelia Armstrong Lutz's copy of William-Adolphe Bouguereau's La Tricoteuse (The Little Knitter) has returned to its original location in the studio. Special thanks go to the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection for purchasing the painting and allowing it to be displayed at Westwood once again. William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) was a French academic painter. In his realistic genre paintings he used mythological themes, making modern interpretations of classical subjects. During his life he enjoye significant popularity in France and the United States, was given numerous official honors, and received top prices for his work. As the quintessential salon painter of his generation, he embodied the tastes of the American Victorian age and his Gilded Age patrons which included the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Carnegies. His works can be seen at museums such as the the Art Institute of Chicago and the Getty Center.

Tours are at the top of every hour. Please plan to wait on the porch or explore the gardens when not on tour. Exterior restrooms are available.
TUESDAYS at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM
THURSDAYS at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, and 3 PM
SATURDAYS at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, and 1 PM
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Admission: Adults (18+) $10
Free for Children & Knox Heritage Members
Cash is accepted along with all major credit cards.
You may purchase tickets in advance. Simply show the docent your digital receipt: https://checkout.square.site/buy/3M5RB4E73L2KUHDD7XYDPVWJ

Please call ahead to book large group tours of 8 or more individuals.

Historic Westwood is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our visitors, staff, and volunteers. We monitor both local and national government agencies and health authorities for updates on ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org

Spring is the perfect time to enjoy Farragut’s unique history while strolling through the heart of town. Pick up a Farragut History Walk map from the brochure holder on the Heritage Trail sign located at the turnaround at Founders Park at Campbell Station and learn more about the town’s interesting past. A PDF version of the map is available at https://visitfarragut.org/attractions/

The walk includes four educational sites: the Heritage Trail with interpretive signage at Founders Park, the Campbell Station Inn and Mayor Ralph McGill Plaza, the Farragut Museum/Admiral Farragut Plaza and Pleasant Forest Cemetery. Parking along the trail is available at Founders Park, the Farragut Community Center or Farragut Town Hall.

Incorporated in 1980, the Town of Farragut has top schools, safe neighborhoods and high development standards, making it one of the best places to live in the Southeast. More info: 865-966-7057

Experience an unparalleled view of Knoxville during our public cruises! Enjoy a delightful lunch, brunch, or dinner cruise. We offer a range of public cruises for your friends and family on Knoxville’s only luxury yacht! From sunset dinner cruises to sailgates in Big Orange Country, Volunteer Princess Cruises is truly special for any event. Browse through our cruise offerings to begin your jaunt along Knoxville, Tennessee’s beautiful riverfront! Public, seasonal, and other cruises available.
https://volunteerprincess.com/

Create some memories on our authentic paddlewheeler - the Star of Knoxville. We offer a variety of lunch and dinner cruises along with sightseeing-only tickets.

This authentic paddlewheeler is United States Coast Guard approved for 235 passengers. The main deck seats 144 passengers and is fully enclosed, air conditioned, and heated for year round comfort. The vessel is equipped with two (2) bars, a dance floor, band stage, and is exquisitely decorated for the most elegant dinner and entertainment available. From black tie events like weddings and receptions to a casual event like a football charter the atmosphere is right for any occasion.

https://tnriverboat.com/

East Tennessee Foundation / 520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present Knoxville Local at the East Tennessee Foundation (520 W. Summit Hill Drive, Suite 1101, Knoxville, Tennessee), the first in our new Local exhibition series highlighting TN Artists. The show’s curator is East-Tennessee native Ashley Layendecker.

Knoxville Local features the work of 23 Knoxville-area artists including Ashley Addair, Eleanor Aldrich, Nuveen Barwari, Brianna Bass, Joshua Bienko, Eric Cagley, Nick DeFord, Lynne Ghenov, Michael Giles, Spencer Grady, Daniel Hughes, Quynh Lam, Mary Laube, Marta Lee, Paul Lee, Nyasha Madamombe, Erica Mendoza, Althea Murphy-Price, Jing Qin, Kayla Rumpp, Jered Sprecher, Megan White, and David Wolff.

The exhibition will be on view virtually at its outset, with expected in-person viewing opportunities coming in late 2021 (more details and interactive media to come). Knoxville Local will run from October 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021. The show coincides with the 35th anniversary of the ETF in 2021.

For more information, visit www.easttennesseefoundation.org.

https://locatearts.org/exhibitions/knoxville/knoxville-local-curated-by-ashley-layendecker

INVESTIGATE KNOXVILLE’S GREATEST HAUNTS!
Real History | Real Hands-on | Real Investigations | REAL FUN!

Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours is a Hands-On Paranormal Adventure that gives the participant the opportunity to Investigate the Historic and Haunted side of Knoxville TN and Special Event Venues.

The events include the use of Paranormal Investigation Tools and is Host by Famed Paranormal Historian and Master Teacher in the Paranormal Field, J-Adam Smith

PUBLIC TOURS (FRI & SAT - Exception when Briceville Special Events are running.)
PRIVATE TOURS (SUN, MON, & THURS - (Tickets are Sold as Packages. Pricing starts at $200 for Groups up to the size of 6)

Information: 865-377-9677 or www.hauntedknoxville.net