Calendar of Events

At this time, we ask that all participants at Flowers After Hours be COVID vaccinated. Please bring proof of vaccination to the event. Thank you for understanding. All event proceeds benefit Random Acts of Flowers, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that improves the emotional health and well-being of individuals in healthcare facilities by delivering recycled flowers, encouragement, and personal moments of kindness.

"Blossom with Sunshine" Arrangements -June 8
Join us in making summery and sunshine filled arrangements that are perfect for summer soirees.

Random Acts of Flowers, 2936 Middlebrook Pike, Knoxville, TN 37921
(865) 633-9082 or https://rafknoxville.org/events/flowers-after-hours/

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 • 7:30PM

The Tennessee Theatre is launching a new series of immersive arts events titled, “Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change.” The series will provide a stage for artists from marginalized and underserved communities to share their art with a broader East Tennessee audience. The series kicks off with the Black Opry Revue on Wednesday, June 8.

Black Opry Revue will feature multiple artists. Black Opry is a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk, and Americana music. Country music has been made by and loved by Black people since it’s conception. For just as long, we have been overlooked and disregarded in the genre by fans and executives. Black Opry wants to change that. We invite you to discover, support and enjoy the Black artists that make magic in this space. One of the most valuable aspects of country music is its versatility and diversity in sound. Country, blues, folk, and Americana music often overlap or weave together- these artists explore all of those sounds and intersections. The Black Opry Revue showcases the diversity in sound and stories that Black artists offer to these genres.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com

Meet under the Pavilion in Lakeshore Park (the structure with a roof and no sides, it sits close to Marble Hall and the newer playground). There will be signs to help guide you.

second Wednesday of the month: June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12, November 9

If you live in Knoxville or happen to be visiting the area, we'd love to breathe together under an old oak tree in Lakeshore Park. Engaging our breath in healthy ways can not only benefit our physical health, it can also help us attune to the Holy Spirit (the breath of God) as well as better connect to our own heart, body, soul and spirit. Breathing together in community can be a delightful gift of finding ease in our lives with others who are trying to do the same. So bring a camp chair, blanket &/or meditation cushion. We so look forward to breathing together under the oak tree.

Please email if you have any questions: caroline@knoxvilleascension.org
This is a free event and all are welcome. Registration is encouraged.
https://www.spiritusknox.com/breathing

Magic of Musical Theatre Performance
Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at 11:30 AM

Admission to the performance is included with the price of a museum ticket.
Contact the Museum Directly for Admission Fees & Covid Protocol Information
https://childrensmuseumofoakridge.org/plan-your-trip/

Safe Passage: Helping wildlife cross the I-40 Pigeon River Gorge

Conservation on Tap, June 8 @ 7.00 p.m.
Albright Grove Brewing Company, Knoxville, TN

Food, Fire and Ferment Food Truck onsite for dinner!

This is a true conservation success story! If you have ever been troubled by the number of ‘road kills’ along our highways, you’ll be heartened by the good work accomplished by this group. Safe Passage is a coalition of folks working to create overpasses and underpasses for wildlife to cross Interstate 40 and other roadways in the Smokies area. It’s also the subject of a book from Great Smoky Mountains Association, called ‘A Search for Safe Passage‘. Learn about this project, how it started, and how it’s going from Jeff Hunter, project manager at National Parks Conservation Association and Safe Passage Facilitator.

Proceeds benefit Discover Life in America, the national park’s biological science and conservation partner. Visit www.DLiA.org to learn more.

Albright Grove Brewing Company, 2924 Sutherland Ave, KNOXVILLE, TN, 37919
https://www.albrightgrovebrewing.com/

Prints by UT Knoxville Undergraduate & Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff

Art & Architecture Building, second floor
1715 Volunteer Blvd.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

June 6 – September 2, 2022

Each summer for the past few years the Printmaking Program in the UTK School of Art presents an exhibition of recent prints by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. The works represent a wide variety of methods and approaches, including intaglios, relief prints, lithographs, and screenprints, reflecting a diversity of ideas and approaches. The MFA Program in Printmaking at UTK is ranked #3 among public universities nationally by US News and World Report.

The Art and Architecture building is accessible to the public through the summer weekdays from 8 am-5 pm.
https://art.utk.edu/2022-printmaking-summer-showcase/

Nief-Norf Summer Festival will take place from June 5-19, 2022 at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Approximately 50 performance, composition, and music technology performance fellows will gather in an immersive think-tank environment during Nief-Norf Summer Festival. They will participate in 20+ events including concerts, lectures, masterclasses, and group hangs; engage in networking and in-depth collaboration; and work with our guest artists and composers.

We are thrilled to welcome guest artists Mark Applebaum (composition/improvisation/piano) in residence for Week 1 and Pamela Z (composition/technology/voice) in residence for Week 2, in addition to our all-star faculty line-up!

Thursday, June 9, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | Opening Concert
Friday, June 10, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | Mark Applebaum & Nief-Norf Composition-Fellows: Theme in Search of Variations Concert
Saturday, June 11, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | Music of Mark Applebaum

Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | NNSF22 Composition Fellows' Concert #1
Thursday, June 16, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | NNSF22 Composition Fellows' Concert #2
Friday, June 17, 2022, 7:30-9:30PM | Music of Pamela Z
Saturday, June 18, 2022, 3-5:30PM | Final NNSF22 Concert

Concert tickets are $10 (students) and $15 (general); VIP festival passes are $60 (students) and $90 (general). All tickets and passes are available at the door, and will be available on the Nief-Norf ticket website.

Artistic Director Andrew Bliss and Managing Director Abby Fisher lead a stellar faculty for the 2022 Nief-Norf Summer Festival, including: Erin Rogers (Composition Director); Mark Applebaum (Guest Artist); Pamela Z (Guest Artist); Allison Adams (Saxophone & Woodwinds); Maria Castillo (Flute); Claire Chenette (Oboe & Woodwinds); Andrea Lodge (Piano); Jordan Munson (Music Technology); Kendall Williams (Steel Pan and Percussion); and Ashley Walters (Cello).

https://www.niefnorf.org/

Reception will be June 4th, 6 – 8pm in conjunction with a Bluegrass Band performance.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Tennessee Artists Association: 865-675-2285, www.tnartists.org

Champagne opening June 4, 11 AM - 4 PM

Bennett is proud to present a retrospective of Carl Sublett’s work post-retirement from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Carl Sublett was a Knoxville local who divided his time between Knoxville and his home in Maine; much of his work is influenced by the landscapes of Eastern Tennessee and Maine. Carl is best known for his landscape paintings and abstract works; his dark color palettes evoke a sense of nostalgia and draws the viewer in with the essences of his works.

Carl Sublett studied at Western Kentucky State College before joining the US Army in 1941. He was stationed in Italy, and after the end of the war Carl enrolled at the University Study Center in Florence, Italy. By 1954 Carl had returned to the United States and was living in Knoxville with his wife and their two children. Carl became a founding member of The Knoxville Seven, a prolific art group, and began teaching painting at UT Knoxville in 1966 until his retirement in 1982. Bennett has been representing Carl and his work since the 1980s. Carl’s influences came from a wide range of sources, most notably his expansive collection of art books and magazines, the work of Marsden Hartley, and his contemporary, Andrew Wyeth.

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/

The opening will be Friday, June 3, from 6-9pm. We will announce awards at 7pm, which will also be streamed live on our instagram, @shoprala and on our youtube channel. The art will remain on display through the end of July.

FB event: https://fb.me/e/1u2zUsNzG

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

OPENING RECEPTION of recent work JUNE 3, 5-9 PM

RED Gallery proudly announces the showing of Fresh Perspectives, by Wayne Blankenship. Opening on June 3 (First Friday), the show will run through July 29. Blankenship’s work features Appalachian landscapes.

Wayne Blankenship’s pieces are well known in East Tennessee. He has enjoyed recognition for his work in winning the Dogwood Arts Print Competition in 2002 and 2006. Blankenship presented his piece titled Appalachian Flowers to Dolly Parton at the Dogwood Arts Festival in 2006. In addition to the Dogwood Arts Festival, Blankenship’s work has appeared in local galleries, such as The Venue at Lenoir City.

An artist from an early age, Blankenship reveals that his creative career began with repainting his sister’s coloring books. He moved on to paint-by-number projects, and then to painting with acrylics. Blankenship’s mentor Jim Gray taught him to paint with oils, and it was Gray who suggested Blankenship try watercolors. Blankenship now combines materials in mixed-media work, using oil, watercolors and acrylic to achieve his signature, layered landscapes. He continues to branch out with his technique, and is continually inspired by the work of Andrew Wyeth. Blankenship is a member of the Tellico Village Art Guild.

“When I paint, it mostly comes from my memory, thoughts, or emotions,” says Blankenship. “I rarely have a photo reference or use a plein air technique. Whether it’s sunrise or sunset, painting the mountains gives me an endless supply of inspiration.” For the artist, painting is a way to capture the natural world and a stillness in time, as well as the sharpness of a treasured memory. Blankenship hopes visitors will enjoy the show, and be inspired to visit the mountains. Blankenship says his show at RED Gallery is happening at the perfect time, since it coincides with the upcoming Dolly Fest. He’s always been inspired by Dolly Parton, since he grew up in similar circumstances. Blankenship’s mother taught him a love and appreciation for the natural Appalachian beauty that was his childhood environment. http://wayneblankenship.com/

Starting June 3, Fresh Perspectives can be viewed at RED Gallery on Fridays 5-9pm, Saturdays 1-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm, and by appointment through the week, until July 29.

RED Gallery, 130 West Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902

Receptions: Friday, June 3, 5-9 PM and Friday, July 1, 5-9 PM

This exhibition features the paintings, drawings, photography, poetry, flyer/poster art, and film/videos of Eric Sublett, with an emphasis on the artist’s connection to community and local culture. Eric Sublett: The Creative Life is organized by his friends and fellow artists, photographer, Gary Heatherly, and songwriter / poet, RB Morris.

Sublett passed away in 2018 after a long illness. As a lifelong Knoxvillian, Eric was a graduate of West High School and the University of Tennessee, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Friends knew him as a talented artist, avid music lover, and knowledgeable historian. Eric was involved with the 1982 World's Fair Art Colony and development of James Agee Park in Fort Sanders. He was a founding member of the 200 East and CHROMA art groups. He is the son of former UT School of Art painting professor and Knoxville 7 artist, Carl Sublett.

All UT Downtown Gallery events are free and open to the public. Masking is strongly encouraged. UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, https://downtown.utk.edu