Calendar of Events

Eleventh Annual Circus Extravaganza to Benefit Circus Programs for Knoxville Youth

The circus is coming to town, and you’re invited! Young and old alike will enjoy Knoxville’s Eleventh Annual Circus Extravaganza, which benefits programming for Knoxville youth in the community. During the last ten years, over 10,000 audience members have gasped and cheered for Knoxville’s hometown circus--Dragonfly Aerial and Circus Arts Studio (DFAAS)--as local talent perform daring and entertaining acts in the air and on the ground.

“This year’s circus really speaks to my heart as a native East Tennessean,” says Bethany Love, the show’s artistic director. “Being able to share the magic of Appalachian music and culture, while also benefiting the youth in our community is incredibly rewarding!” Over the past 11 years, Dragonfly has had the opportunity to provide circus classes on scholarship to over 200 local children from the funds raised annually through this event.

The Extravaganza includes four performances at Dragonfly Aerial and Circus Arts Studio outside under a large tent. CDC guidelines are continuously monitored and recommendations at the time of the showings will be followed. You can catch a show at two different times across three days:

● Friday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.
● Saturday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. *Spanish interpreter provided
● Saturday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. *ASL interpreter provided
● Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. *ASL interpreter provided

Tickets are $12 per adult, $10 per child. They are available for purchase at www.dragonflyaerialartsstudio.com/circus-extravaganza.
865-609-2012 or dfaas11@gmail.com

Gather with friends for a festive, fun-filled evening of food, wine, art and entertainment. Join us for STARRY NIGHT, Arrowmont’s 11th annual spring auction.

Experience an evening of delicious food, excellent wine, art from nationally renowned artists, fun and immersive experiences, and the opportunity to dance with friends in the clear tent under the stars at Arrowmont.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
May 5, 2022 – Starry Night Auction Preview
If you would like to bid in advance, contact Gabrielle Barnhart, gbanrhart@arrowmont.org, 865-436-5860 x 28.

May 20, 2022 – Starry Night
5:30 pm – Reception | Sandra J. Blain Galleries
6:30 pm – Live Auction | Marian G. Heard Resource Center & Library
7:30 pm – Dinner and Dancing | Under the tent

STARRY NIGHT SUPPORTS Arrowmont’s art education programs including ArtReach, adults and kids community classes, holiday classes, and scholarships for teachers, local community members, and returning veterans.

We are grateful for your support. $225 per person | Festive comfortable attire is encouraged.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, https://www.arrowmont.org

PAUL CAUTHEN
Friday, May 20 | 8PM

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

You are invited to join Thrive Parkridge for the Best Day Ever! Their annual summer kickoff party will be Friday, May 20th from 3-6pm at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. This will be a free event for the whole Parkridge community to enjoy. There will be food, a Kona ice truck, outdoor games, and a giant water slide.

Thrive is inviting neighborhood organizations to attend as community members or volunteers. If you are interested in leading an outdoor activity or game station (e.g. chalk art, bubble station) or simply hanging out with us, please contact Mary, mary@helpusthrive.com

https://vimeo.com/451525582

FB & IG @thriveparkridge

Dinner and book signing
WHEN: 5:30-7:30pm, Friday, May 20th

Have you ever wondered what was served on the South’s finest tables two centuries ago? You’re invited to savor tasty dishes from the first Southern cookbook, and learn about the cook who first put them on paper, in circa-1792 Blount Mansion. In 2020, historian Christopher E. Hendricks and his mother Sue J. Hendricks authored Old Southern Cookery: Mary Randolph’s Recipes from America’s First Regional Cookbook Adapted for Today’s Kitchen. Sue and Chris will prepare a selection of dishes from this modern twist on the historic cookbook.

The evening will begin with a reception in the Blount Mansion garden featuring eighteenth-century style punch, beer, wine, and appetizers from Mary Randolph’s 1824 cookbook. Next, dinner will be served inside the circa-1818 Craighead-Jackson House. Afterwards, we will enjoy dessert inside the Blount Mansion Visitors Center as Chris and Sue give a presentation on the original 1824 book and its author. Participants will have an opportunity purchase a signed copy of Chris and Sue’s new cookbook at $5 off the cover price.

Tickets are $50 per person. Seats are limited, so please reserve your space today. Visit https://blountmansion.org/events/ to view the menu and purchase your ticket, or call (865) 525-2375 to order by phone.

200 W. Hill Ave., Knoxville, TN 37902
www.facebook.com/blountmansion

Muse will be holding the final night of "Once Upon a Muse: A Storytelling Series" at Muse this Friday, 5-7pm. This month we are hosting Azsha White and the Knoxville Area Korean Association for a celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. https://themuseknoxville.org/storytelling

Free Spirit Theatre presents: PROOF by David Auburn
May 19-21 @ 7:30 PM; May 22 @ 2:30 PM
Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN
Contact: www.freespirittheatre.org

All tickets $20 (available from www.oldcitypac.com and at the door)

On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father’s who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father’s madness—or genius—has she inherited?

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play.

“When we think of the great American playwrights, we think of Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill and Lillian Hellman, in earlier generations; Wendy Wasserstein and Tony Kushner, Jon Robin Baitz and Donald Margulies today: They are always writing about big ideas and wrapping them in family squabbles that get us where we live. Welcome David Auburn to the club.” —NY Magazine.

“…combines elements of mystery and surprise with old-fashioned storytelling to provide a compelling evening of theatre…[PROOF is a] smart and compassionate play of ideas.” NY Daily News.

“PROOF surprises us with its aliveness…Mr. Auburn takes pleasure in knowledge…At the same time, he is unshowily fresh and humane, and he has written a lovely play.” —NY Observer.

“[A] wonderfully funny…ambitiously constructed work…” —Variety.

Tickets are available for the play at https://www.simpletix.com/e/free-spirit-theatre-presents-proof-by-davi-tickets-104984. For more information contact freespirittheatre@mail.com

Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series

Thursday, May 19, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 20, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Theatre

“The only love affair I have ever had was with music.” --Maurice Ravel

Aram Demirjian, conductor
Indigenous Vibes African Drum Ensemble

The KSO Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series features the KSO on the stage of the beautiful Tennessee Theatre.

WORKS INCLUDE:
JAMES P. JOHNSON Drums: A Symphonic Poem
JAMES DeMARS SABAR: Concerto for African Drums & Orchestra
DUKE ELLINGTON Black, Brown & Beige
MAURICE RAVEL Bolero

865-291-3310 or https://knoxvillesymphony.com/

Initiated by the Ewing’s Director Emeritus Sam Yates over 30 years ago, this exhibition recognizes outstanding students graduating from The University of Tennessee’s School of Art and College of Architecture and Design.
Selected by a School of Art Faculty Scholarship committee, three art students were chosen for this year’s exhibition.

These students are:

Tammy Castany
Jace Hermanto
Thais Lloyd

The College of Architecture and Design participants were selected by the faculty-at-large, and by outside review teams.

Those exhibiting students are:
Marilyn Reish
Kristin Pitts
Riley Doty
Madeleine Smith
Phillip Minton
Raven Carrier

The Honors Exhibition will be open Monday - Friday from 10am - 5pm and Sunday, May 22 from 1-4pm.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

For artists who work in any medium. We invite artists to interpret this theme as they see it—heavenly, outer space or stellar formations, angels, mythic beings, otherworldly imagery or any others.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

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.

Reception May 13, 6:30-8 PM
Food, fine art & friends! Free and open to public.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thefountaincityartguild

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tu 9:30-3:30, W-R 9:30-4:30 or by appointment. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com