Calendar of Events

When Daisy Werthan, an elderly Jewish widow living in Atlanta, crashes her new car into the neighbor's garage, her son, Boolie, forces her to take on a chauffeur. Stubborn and determined to maintain her independence, her relationship with her new African-American driver, Hoke, gets off to a rocky start. But they gradually form a close friendship over the next 25 years that transcends racial prejudices and social conventions.

SUITABLE FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES
Seating is socially distanced. Masks are required for audience members.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

The public is invited to a special exhibit by the Knoxville Watercolor Society at the Art Center from May 6 to June 1 in addition to art exhibited by the Art Guild’s members. The show opening is May 5, 5:00-7:00 pm at the Art Center, which is always free and open to the public.

Formed in 1963, the Knoxville Watercolor Society has a long history of gathering artists to learn, develop, show and teach this beautiful art form to the community. Their work has been displayed in various venues throughout Tennessee, including Nashville, Morristown, Fountain City, and of course, multiple venues in Knoxville. Several members have exhibited in other watercolor shows as well, consistently winning regional, state and national awards.

Watercolor painting has a fascinating history, with its roots in cave drawings dating back to paleolithic Europe, with color being extracted from plants and accented with the charcoal tips of burnt wood. Upon the development of papyrus (paper), watercolor was used to create exquisite highlighting in manuscripts from early Egypt. For centuries, artists made their own paints and closely guarded their formulas and techniques . The Renaissance period saw a large surge in watercolor art. Mass manufacturing of simple watercolors started in the 1800’s and was often one of the early art forms taught to school children. Many of us can recall the Prang brand sets of watercolors that children coveted. Today, many people still think of watercolor as pastel and soft edged, but it can also be more hard edged and vibrant, eliciting a variety of emotional responses and appealing to a wide range of art appreciators.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Hours: M-Sa 9-4. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

2022 MARKET SQUARE FARMERS’ MARKET (WEDNESDAYS & SATURDAYS)
Every Wednesday (10 am – 1 pm), May 4 through November 16, 2022
Every Saturday (9 am – 1 pm), May 7 through November 19, 2022
Market Square in downtown Knoxville

The Market Square Farmers’ Market is an open-air farmers’ market located on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. Everything at the MSFM is grown or made by our vendors in the East Tennessee region. Products vary by the seasons and include produce, eggs, honey, herbs, pasture-raised meat, plants, bread, baked goods, salsas, coffee, artisan crafts, and more!
https://www.nourishknoxville.org/market-square-farmers-market/

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

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

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.

Created and originally directed by Ted Swindley – Based on a true story
Directed by Lianne Kressin

April 20 – May 15 | CBT MainStage

Crazy good!

Back by popular demand after a sold-out run in 2003, this fabulous musical is based on the true story of Patsy’s long friendship with fan, Louise Seger, and features 27 classic songs including Crazy, Walkin’ After Midnight, She’s Got You, Sweet Dreams, and Back in Baby’s Arms.

Single tickets on sale March 31. https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/2021-2022-season/

Reception: Friday, April 29, 2022, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Artists’ Talks: 6:30 p.m.

"THE PROMISE OF THE HEART" in Exhibition Hall B
I believe that the power of art can inspire and affect change in one's self and others. This exhibit is an expression of a joyful heart that flows from a spirit that is nourished by understanding one's emotions, character, and passions. It features thirty-six original works of art by Suzanne Jack.

Photography by David Liles Exhibition Hall A
I seek to create art through photographic imagery. Inspiration often comes from the natural world. Great material is everywhere & seeing it is limited only by opportunity and imagination. My eyes are trained to look for textures, patterns, contrasts, and plays of color in everything I experience on a daily basis. My imagery is often an abstraction, a departure from the normal “snapshot” type photograph. I use mostly digital photography with cropping and image enhancements of color saturation, tone, and contrast, but no additions. The computer is my darkroom, via software tools of digital manipulation.

Gallery Hours: Mondays 10 am - 4 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 am - 3 pm. Other times are by appointment only. Sign-in and masks are required. At Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-4176 x101, www.tvuuc.org

Sat Apr 9, 11 AM - 4 PM - champagne opening and meet the artists (1-3 PM)

In conjunction with the premier of the concerto Cycle of Life, created in celebration of Richard Jolley’s monumental Cycle of Life: Within the Power of Dreams and the Wonder of Infinity permanently installed in the Ann and Steve Bailey Hall at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Bennett is proud to be mounting a gallery-wide exhibition of Richard Jolley’s work focusing on both large scale hot formed glass sculpture, smaller blown pieces, and acrylic paintings from the last 20 years. The work of his partner, Tommie Rush, will be displayed alongside Richard’s work.

The progression of work during Richard’s 4-decade career will include glass pieces, works on paper, and paintings. Bennett has partnered with Richard and the KMA to present a truly spectacular reflection of Richard’s career and growth as a glass artist, and as a Knoxville art icon. Cycle of Life is a violin concerto composed by Michael Schachter that was jointly commissioned by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Museum of Art, and their supporters. GRAMMY nominated violinist Tessa Lark will return to Knoxville to take perform this long-awaited concerto.

Richard’s art falls into distinct series, each serving as a stage in his evolution toward increasingly evocative and technically challenging forms. Jolley spent much of his childhood in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and became fascinated with sculpting glass as a student at Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee. Since 1975, he has maintained a studio in West Knoxville, where he continues to create glass sculpture notable for its inventiveness and sophistication. He is represented in public and private collections across the country.

For more information contact claras@bennettgalleries.com or roberts@bennettgalleries.com. Bennett, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30. Information: 865-584-6791, https://bennetthome.com/

As part of our Community Fellowship program, The Bottom is hosting a 7-part study group covering Nicole Hannah Jones' 1619 Project. Study groups will take place at 10am on Saturdays in April & May, including engaged discussions with the following community educators: Cornelius Eady (4/2), Aris Clemons (4/16), Michelle Brown (4/23), DeLisa Hawkes (4/30), Black Atticus (5/7), Aisha Brown (5/14), and Rhea Carmon (5/21). With the exception of our first study group on April 2nd, all other study groups will take place in person at The Bottom!

RSVP HERE
https://www.thebottomknox.com/events-1/1619-project-study-group

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

The Printmaking Showcase Gallery on the second floor of the Art and Architecture Building features “The Great Experiment,” an exhibition of lithographs by Ericka Walker. The exhibition will be on view from April 1 – May 30, 2022. Born in Wisconsin, Walker received her MFA from UT Knoxville in 2010, and lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, where she is an Associate Professor at NSCAD University.

Art and Architecture Building, 2nd Floor Printmaking Aisle
1715 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996
https://art.utk.edu/ericka-walker-lithographs-the-great-experiment-printmaking-showcase-gallery/