Calendar of Events

Lawson McGhee Library | 2-4 p.m.
Jan 22, Jan 29, Feb 5, Feb 12

Blues is the music of hope and faith, sadness and loss. It is the foundation on which all American popular music is built -- from gospel to jazz, rock 'n roll to hip hop. "Without the blues, life would just be gray," Eric Reed says.

Join world-renowned jazz pianist, Eric Reed, for this four-part lecture/performance series delving into the history of blues.

This program is made possible by a Tennessee Arts Commission's Arts Build Communities grant.
https://www.knoxcountylibrary.org/event/music-mezzanine-life-key-blues-2

Union Ave Books is proud to present an author conversation with Emily Hilliard about her new book Making Our Future: Visionary Folklore and Everyday Culture in Appalachia. This event will take place on January 22, 2023 at 2 pm in our store.

While this is a free event, we ask that you reserve your spot at this link.
https://www.unionavebooks.com/event/0122-author-conversation-emily-hilliard

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

NYC-based duo Sky Creature crosses contemporary Classical music with ambient rock. Tony Orrico is a kinetic visual artist who creates life-size graphite works using his entire body. In this high-energy performance, the music progresses from sound bath to ecstatic electronic raga, while Orrico’s canvas thickens with lines.

ABOUT —
Sky Creature is vocalist Majel Connery and baritone guitarist Matt Walsh. Occupying a space between art music and punk rock, the band’s sound elicits comparisons with artists from Kate Bush to Suicide. Walsh toured for over a decade as one half of post-punk duo The Forms, sharing the stage with artists ranging from The National to St. Vincent to Hum. A former opera singer, Connery’s solo music has been featured on Radiolab, New Sounds radio, and Live from the Kennedy Center. In the summer of 2022, Sky Creature released their double EP Bear Mountain/Childworld, and toured nationally to 42 cities, concluding with a show for 4,000 at Crystal Bridges Museum. They are currently finishing their first LP with Chicago-based producer Steve Albini. Sky Creature is based in Catskill, NY.

Visual and performing artist Tony Orrico often uses his entire body to produce lifesize graphic art on the walls and floors of major museums and performance spaces around the world. His visual work is in collection at The National Academy of Sciences (Washington DC) and Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC, Mexico City) and he has presented at Centre Pompidou-Metz, New Museum, and Poptech 2011: The World Rebalancing. Orrico is currently Assistant Professor of Dance and Sculpture/Intermedia at the University of Iowa.

https://knoxart.org/kma_events/sky-creature-tony-orrico-rider/

What is CRT and Why Should Christians Care?
Sunday, January 22, 2023 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Parish Hall
In January you will have an opportunity to attend a program on everything you’ve ever wanted to know about CRT but were afraid to ask. Conversations on Race, a grass-roots group of clergy and laity, invites you to join us in taking a closer look at the timely topic of Critical Race Theory (CRT). A diverse panel of community and church leaders as well as university professors have been invited and will assist us in learning more about CRT: what it actually is and why we, especially as Christians, are interested in understanding exactly what CRT is and why it matters to each of us.

Featuring a panel discussion with:

Katherine Chiles, PhD: Moderator and Professor, Department of English, UTK
Michelle Christian, PhD: Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, UTK
Stephanie Bohon, PhD: Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, UTK
Olga Welch, PhD: Professor and Dean Emerita, School of Education, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh
Krystal Gourley, MSW: Compassion Coalition
Kathryn Ellis, J.D.: Executive Director of Knoxville Family Justice Center
Dwight Aarons, J.D.: Professor, College of Law, UTK
Please join us for this panel discussion at Church Street UMC on Sunday, January 22, 2023, from 4-6 pm in the Parish Hall.

The more we know and understand, the more we become the Beloved Community.

To register: http://tiny.cc/th13vz

Catron Gallery, R. Jack Fishman Library
Jason Brown is an associate professor of Art at the University of TN, Knoxville. His work explores the impact that extractive industries such as mining, oil and gas have on the ecosystems and watersheds of Appalachian landscapes. Coal mining and mountaintop removal are especially compelling subjects for his sculptures and installations, which challenge viewers to engage in a civic dialogue about individuality, community and place.

Walters State Community College, 500 S. Davy Crockett, Morristown
www.ws.edu

This exhibition prompts designers and artists to address the intersections between experience-based interiority and the city. Exhibited works include representations of atmospheres, politics, architectural forms, experiences, and psychologies that help us see outside places as if they were inside places. This idea of the public interior expands interiority beyond the simple enclosure and asserts an equal claim on urbanity and the commons. The exhibit explores human-scaled, adaptable, and phenomenologically-driven spaces.

This exhibition is part of the events for the Public Interiority Symposium, organized by Liz Teston and Hojung Kim in UT’s College of Architecture +Design.

The Ewing Gallery will resume normal operating hours on Monday, January 23. From January 17 – 23, the gallery will be open M-F from 10am – 5pm.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: M-T-F 10-5, W-R 10-7:30, Su 1-4. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is proud to announce the special exhibition, The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments and Stonework, in partnership with Cheekwood Estate & Gardens. The exhibition is sponsored by the University of Tennessee Division of Diversity and Engagement and will run from January 13 to May 14, 2023.

The exhibition reexamines and recontextualizes the life and work of African American artist William Edmondson (1874–1951). Edmondson is the most significant sculptor to emerge from Tennessee during the 1930s and 40s and remains one of the leading American artists of the twentieth century.

This is the first large-scale museum exhibition of the artist’s career in over twenty years. During Edmondson’s life, he was well known for his yard art, including whimsical birdbaths, fanciful "critters," sculptures of everyday people, and grave markers he carved for African American families.
https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/2022/12/13/mcclung-museum-to-feature-one-of-the-most-significant-collections-of-tennessee-artist-william-edmondson-in-new-exhibition/

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 12–4 p.m.

Knoxville Children’s Theatre, in partnership with the Clayton Foundation will present a live production of “Sherlock Holmes and the First Baker Street Irregular.” The play will be performed January 13th through the 29th, Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 PM and 5 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM.

On a dare from her fellow street urchins, 14-year-old Wiggins tries to pickpocket a strange old man. Not only is Wiggins unsuccessful, but the old man, who is actually Sherlock Holmes in disguise, manages to take the gold ring that was in Wiggins’ pocket and leave behind a note directing her where to go to get it back. When Wiggins goes to 221B Baker Street to retrieve the ring, she is shocked to find out how much Holmes knows about her. After Wiggins sees Holmes use the ring to solve a case, Wiggins proposes to work as his assistant. Intrigued by her potential, Holmes agrees to begin training Wiggins on a trial basis. Wiggins and Holmes must learn to trust each other as Wiggins and her group of street urchins help him solve two dangerous mysteries: The Red Headed League and The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. A fun mystery for the entire family.

The play is performed by 18 talented young actors, from ages 9 to 16. KCT veteran Elijah Clemes will portray Sherlock with Xavier Truman playing Dr. Watson and Caroline Alley portraying Wiggins.

The show is directed by KCT Guest Director Sara Venable with assistance by KCT intern Evie Braude.

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

If you’re looking for “natural” inspiration, visit the Ijams Hallway Gallery in January to enjoy the work of two local nature photographers, Brooks Clark and Matthew Harris! Brooks’ photos reflect his desire to share his experience and exploration of open spaces. His hope is that these works will inspire others to appreciate the countless remedies of time spent in nature. Matthew’s photos allow you to start a journey in the heart of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina through the eyes of a local traveling photographer.

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Featuring Steve Olson's first solo photography show!
Reception on Sun Jan 22, 2-4 PM

The Center is the second building on the right when you turn into Rarity Bay. The Center is open Monday thru Friday 9 to 4. It is best to call ahead because the Center often has meetings or events going on: 423-884-3800

150 Rarity Bay Pkwy, Vonore, TN 37885

RED Gallery is proud to announce the opening of Highway Flowers, an art exhibition by Summer Small.
The show will open on January 6, 2022, 5:00pm (First Friday) and run through February.

Highway Flowers
And other beautiful things you didn't ask for

Summer Small is a self-taught visual artist from East Tennessee. Her debut show Highway Flowers is her private love letter to modern Appalachia. Through bright color and intense pattern, Summer tells a raw, folksy story about grief, persistence, and ultimately appreciation for those things that are out of our control. Her aim for this show is that it recalls to you a familiar feeling, like a reminder of summertime in the dead of winter. Summer Small, summersmallstudio@gmail.com

RED Gallery, at 130 E Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN, features local and regional artists. The gallery is located in the historic Jackson Atelier building in Knoxville’s Old City. Gallery owner Robin Easter is proud to provide a unique space for Knoxville to experience and enjoy a broad range of visual arts. To learn more about RED Gallery, email robin@robineaster.com.
865-524-0146 | www.robineaster.com

The show opening will be from 6-8pm on January 6th.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we prefer that masks be worn inside the store. Thank you for helping us stay safe!

Event Page Here: https://shoprala.com/blogs/blog/december-first-friday-with-mike-c-berry

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