Calendar of Events

For the past thirteen 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 by:

Cosima Aryee, Kate Aubrey, Sally Brogden, Jan Burleson, Gino Castellanos, Elle Colquitt, Barbara Bolton Cornett, Denise Cumming, Yvonne Dalschen, Vincent Drake, Melissa N. Everett, Diana Ferguson, Alan Finch, Elena Ganusova, Carl Gombert, Brian Horais, Anthony TungNing Huang, Kathleen A. Janke, Siobian Jones, Gretchen Kaplan, Anne W. Kinggard, Andreas Koschan, Judy Lavoie, William M. Long, Allison Meriwether, Anders V. Nienstaedt, Tom Owens, Dennis Sabo, Phil Savage, Baxter Stults, Kelli L. Thompson, Chloe Wack, Carl Whitten, Douglas Wielfaert, Marianne Woodside, and Museum of Infinite Outcomes.

View and purchase artworks at https://www.knoxalliance.store/product-category/airport

www.knoxalliance.com/arts-in-the-airport

The play will be performed Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.
The show will be directed by KCT Artistic Director, Steve Sherman.

Synopsis: An adaptation of the Kenneth Grahame classic book about an unlikely friendship. The village of Guildermere blames the dragon who lives upon the downs for their dying crops and sour milk. But this dragon is a peace-loving, poetry-spouting fellow who would much prefer a cup of tea to a battle. When Saint George arrives, the dragon and his young friend, Glaston, face quite a challenge indeed.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

"Art for Everyone" Celebration in Tellico Village
The annual Art Show of the Art Guild of Tellico Village takes the limelight on April 29, 30 and May 1, 2022. Presented at the Community Church at Tellico Village in Loudon TN, this acclaimed display showcases more than 250 pieces of art, highlighting the exceptional and varied talents of Art Guild members.

“This professional-level exhibit has long been a favorite community event of the spring season, welcoming art enthusiasts from near and far,” says show leadership team member Laura Hersh. “After more than twenty years of presenting an annual Art Show, the Art Guild is thrilled to bring this exhibition back after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Our members are excited to once again have this opportunity to present their artwork directly to the public.”

This year’s theme of “Art for Everyone” appropriately reflects a wide variety of subjects, styles and media in the Art Show. Watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, inks, graphite, colored pencil, photography, wood turning, wood carving, jewelry, ceramics, fiber art, sculpture, weavings, fused glass, stained glass, collage and mixed media will be featured. Much of the artwork will be for sale.

During the 3-day Art Show visitors can observe “Artists at Work,” learning about unusual media, inspirations, techniques, materials and more. The public is also invited to vote for Peoples’ Choice Awards, to be announced at the end of the show. Jerry's Artarama of Knoxville, which sells an extensive selection of fine art supplies, will be awarding $500 in prizes to the winners.

The 2022 Art Show takes place April 29-May 1: On Friday 1-6, Saturday 10-6, and Sunday 10-4.
The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, April 30, from 4:30-6:00, when many exhibiting artists will be on site to meet and greet visitors. The Community Church at Tellico Village is located at 130 Chota Ctr, Loudon, TN. Art Show attendance is FREE to the public and all are welcome. For more information visit www.tellicoartguild.com

9am-4:30pm daily
Townsend Visitor Center, 7906 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN

We will be exhibiting originally created work by local artists at the Townsend Visitor Center, April 29 through May 1. Artisans will be on site to discuss their work and demonstrate the processes that they use. The art work will represent fiber arts, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, and pottery. We look forward to visiting with you over the weekend.

Other work can be seen year-round at the Townsend Artisan Guild Gallery, 7719 Lamar Alexander Parkway, Townsend, TN 37882. Hours: Mon, Thu-Sat 10-5, Sun 1:30-5. Information: 865-448-8018 or www.townsendartisanguild.org

Maifest is our newest festival at SB! Starting in 2022, we've got a great line up of events for our three-day festival. Expect a farmer's market, spring festival, and mini-Oktoberfest all in one! This Event is Rain-or-Shine!

Maifest is a beloved time in Germany. These parties consist of open-air venues, dancing, drinking, and indulging! Our Maifest celebrations will include these activities and more! In terms of what it celebrates, Maifest is similar to many Spring festivals that usher in new growth and rebirth. At Schulz Brau, you’ll be able to peruse different vendors from plant nurseries, local farms, and crafters/artisans. Don’t forget to enjoy the live music as you peruse the vendor stalls!

We always keep to our German roots for any event. Therefore, drinks all around! Expect some extra delicious cocktails to pop up on the bar menu. Along with the menu newbies, our latest release of Maibock is available the opening day of Maifest.

Lots to do and even more to see! You’ll feel like you’re in the middle of The Sound of Music with the foliage and decor throughout the Biergarten. Ilona is a bit of a green thumb!

http://www.schulzbraubrewing.com/maifest/

Filled with warm humor and tremendous heart, SWEAT tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. When layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat.

Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Lynn Nottage’s SWEAT examines the impact of a national economic shift on a local, tight-knit community in Reading, Pennsylvania. In the year 2000, layoffs and lockouts threaten their factory floor jobs, thrusting them into a bitter fight for survival. Produced across the country to critical and popular acclaim, SWEAT considers the effects of America’s economic decline and deindustrialization alongside a heart-wrenching examination of friendship, race, class, and trust within this community of family and friends.

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

Flying Anvil Theatre shares Knoxville stories. A new play captures the real-life stories of a diverse group of Knoxvillians in Flying Anvil Theatre’s The Knoxville Covid Story Project, opening April 28. Using interviews compiled over the past two years, the show covers the gamut of pandemic experiences from teachers, students, front line workers, engineers, artists and more. Each audience will get the chance to share their Covid stories as well. Director Jayne Morgan says the play is an interactive experience. “In addition to hearing the moving and funny stories we’ve gathered through interviews, audiences can share what they’ve learned, what aggravated them and what challenges they faced. But we’ve learned that people also talk about surprising benefits that came out of this time. About how they’ve grown, the sublime and the ridiculous. Sharing these stories is really cathartic and healing.”

The Knoxville Covid Story Project interviews were conducted by Linda Parsons, Jayne Morgan, Summer Awad, Brandi Augustus, Jazmin Witherspoon and Ginger Lyvere Peck, beginning in 2020. “We originally had the show planned for last year,” Parsons says. “But the continuing pandemic made that impossible. The blessing was that the cancellation allowed us to continue interviewing people as conditions changed. The result is an overview of the past two years in local people’s lives, a tapestry of their journeys both individually and in community.”

Parsons and Morgan compiled the final script, which will include new stories from the audience each night. The stories will be read by actors Josh Brandon, Brandi Augustus, Carolyn Corley and Barbara Kistler-Martin. Jade Hurst is stage manager, set design by David Hutto and lighting by Adam Baranowski.

The show is partly underwritten by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission. Tickets for The Knoxville Covid Story Project are available at flyinganviltheatre.com or on the theatre’s Facebook page.

Following CDC guidance, the theatre no longer requires masks, but they are highly recommended.

Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com. Facebook and Instagram @flyinganviltheatre

Ijams Nature Center will host in-person and virtual open houses for families interested in fall 2022 enrollment for the full-time Ijams Nature Preschool and part-time Ijams Nature Play Club.

Virtual open houses are April 28 from 6-7 p.m. Virtual events will take place via Zoom.

In-person open houses are May 1 from 1-3 p.m. at the Ijams Miller Education Building, 2915 Island Home Ave. In-person events will follow COVID-19 safety protocols, including wearing masks inside the building, to ensure everyone stays safe.

More information and registration is available on the Ijams Calendar of Events at www.Ijams.org/calendar-of-events.

Fall classes start Monday, Aug. 8. The Ijams Nature Preschool meets Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and focuses on child-led, age-appropriate, experiential learning. Children ages 3-5 spend more than 50% of their time outdoors.

The Ijams Nature Play Club follows the same model, but is 100% outdoors. There are two, two-day sessions, Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday. Both sessions meet from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The Ijams Nature Preschool and Play Club programs blend traditional education standards with the opportunity to learn about and explore the natural world. Children spend the majority of their time outdoors, where they learn through play, discovery and inquiry. Activities focus on sensory experiences with live animals, natural objects, artifacts and art materials. The programs encourage curiosity, cognitive growth and motor skills through unstructured, child-led outdoor adventures. Children build problem-solving, math and engineering skills through hands-on experiences, and cultivate social skills through group play and opportunities for cooperative learning.

For more information about the Ijams Nature Preschool and Ijams Nature Play Club, visit www.Ijams.org/nature-preschool or www.Ijams.org/nature-play-club. Additional questions may be directed to Abby Branstetter at 865-679-5491, or via email at preschool@ijams.org or playclub@ijams.org.

Board Game Days is a three day weekend event for everyone in the Knoxville area and more to enjoy. We provide space and games for friends and family to play. We also provide space for aspiring and established designers to showoff their prototypes to get playtested. If you don’t have friends, new folks are always welcome to join our growing community. Got your own games, bring them along to share or use our space with your own group if you want. Board Game Days about providing opportunities to play games and prototypes.

We provide a game library for you to choose games from. If you want to play a game that you don’t know, let us know and we can set it up for you and teach you. We may even have it as the game of the moment, where we highlight a popular title just for that. Then there are Play-to-Wins, which are games provided by our sponsors to showcase and whoever wins in the game, gets it. In addition to this, we also provide space for board game designers, so be sure to ask us what is being playtested today and we will introduce you to get the chance to play.

As it is a three day event, be sure to get your tickets for your interest. Soon we will have separate days tickets. You can come and go as you like as there is no strict policy on coming for some of a day or one day and not another.

Thursday is the Design & Dine: 5pm-9pm It was created for those who make games and want to interact with those passionate about games.

Friday is our Kickoff day: 12pm-9pm With the game library and opening for designers to share their prototypes with the gaming community.

Saturday is the big day with the Raffle: 8am-9pm We expect many attendees and more opportunities to mingle and have fun. Don’t hesitate on getting your ticket.

Please reach out to the event organizer Conner Cole with any questions you have. (cole@bgdknx.com)

125 W. Jackson Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/board-game-days-knoxville-2022-tickets-220909605577

Youth Week at The Bottom is coming up - stop by for free books, story time & more! Each child who comes to The Bottom during the week of April 26th - April 30th will receive a $25 voucher to use in the bookstore (while supplies last).

We’ll also be hosting a round table discussion with teens (ages 13-19) in our community to discuss mental health and social media usage on Friday, April 29th. Food will be provided, please RSVP HERE!

On Saturday April 30th the fair will conclude with a story time at 10am and a local author exposition from 1pm-6pm featuring Black Knoxville authors from all around the city!

The Bottom, 2340 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: thebottomknox@gmail.com, 865-444-5915 or www.thebottomknox.com/

Free!
Mondays-Fridays, April 25-May 13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

The Knoxville Museum of Art, in conjunction with the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, showcases what two important Tennessee cultural organizations are doing to support and empower women artists. Women Artists: Highlights from the Hunter Museum of American Art is on view at the KMA April 22-July 24, 2022, and Currents: Women Artists from the KMA Collection is on view May 13-August 14, 2022. Both exhibitions pay tribute to contemporary women artists represented in each museum’s respective collections.

Since 2000, the Hunter Museum of American Art has prioritized the acquisition of works by women artists from around the United States, who have long lagged behind their male counterparts when it comes to museum-level recognition. Highlights of the Hunter exhibition include an installation by Lesley Dill featuring floor-to-ceiling banners and hand-embroidered text, a silhouette pop-up book by Kara Walker examining the history of American race relations, a textile by Vadis Turner questioning inherited gender roles, and a mixed media installation by Beverly Semmes inspired by composer John Cage’s minimalist music.

Like the Hunter, the Knoxville Museum of Art has actively sought to acquire outstanding works by women for its collection. The selection on view reflects women’s broad technical and aesthetic range found in contemporary art. A mixed media painting on wooden sections by Alison Moritsugu conveys a monumental landscape, expansive yet incomplete. Nancy Rubins elevates graphite drawing into a large sculptural construction apparently shaped by violent forces. British artist Marilène Oliver constructs provocative portraits of her family in the form of acrylic sheets imprinted with digital medical scans. Patty Chang uses water and mirrors to transform her own image taken in a Belgian church into a complex photographic work fragmented by harsh angles and provocative reflections. In her video Joan of Arc, Alex McQuilkin responds to Maria Falconetti’s memorable lead role in the legendary 1928 French silent film by Carl Dreyer and the film’s themes of adolescent desire, faith, and suffering. These and other selected works call overdue attention to women’s significant role in reshaping the contemporary art landscape.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.