Calendar of Events

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

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

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/

Every Saturday, May 1 – November 20, 2021
9 am – 10 am, dedicated hour of shopping for the elderly and immunocompromised
10 am – 1 pm, hours of shopping for the general public

NO MARKET SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2021 – THANKSGIVING BREAK
Every Saturday, December 4 – December 18, 2021
10 am – 11 am, dedicated hour of shopping for the elderly and immunocompromised
11 am – 1 pm, hours of shopping for the general public

Location:
Mary Costa Plaza, outdoors at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum
500 Howard Baker Jr. Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915

The Market at Mary Costa Plaza is the temporary location of the Saturday Market Square Farmers’ Market during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Market at Mary Costa Plaza will continue to operate during the scheduled 2021 Market Square Farmers’ Market season (May 1 – December 18, 2021) until a return to Market Square is deemed safe by the City of Knoxville and Nourish Knoxville.

The Market at Mary Costa Plaza will consist of local farm, food, and craft vendors from the Market Square Farmers’ Market. https://www.nourishknoxville.org/mary-costa/

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
* * *
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

HOURS: MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY & SATURDAYS, ​10 A.M. TO 2 P.M.

All local handmade handcrafted goods from local artisans! The goods include wood products, knitted and crocheted items, handmade musical instruments, purses and totes, jewelry, rag rugs, painted signs and original works of art, etc. We have converted the former Postmasters Office to become our Shop.

Postmark LaFollette is a collaborative creative place making project to establish and maintain and Arts, Culture and History Center within an historic structure in order to strengthen social and economic opportunities for the public through the arts: https://postmarklafollette.weebly.com/

Our Postmark LaFollette, Homemade ArtShine Arts & Crafts Co-Op is in our Center at 119 S. Tennessee Avenue, LaFollette, TN. https://www.facebook.com/PostmarkLaFollette

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/