Calendar of Events

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

First Friday Reception: January 6th, 5:30 – 9:00 pm

January Featured Artists
Lil Clinard, Painting In Conjunction with our Wonderful 3-D Artists

Lil is a self-taught artist with years of experience trying new things. Ever evaluating and evolving her style, Lil’s work bursts with energy with its vibrant colors, constant movement and texture. She likes to experiment, try different mediums & substrates and embraces the new discoveries. “My intent is to transform a scene into something new and stunning that will leave the viewer with feelings of surprise and joy." Her work may be viewed at the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville and at regional exhibits and shows.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, January 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Nicholas Horner and Friends. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

My art consists of acrylic, mixed media, and watercolor paintings. Art has been my way to connect and reach out to different people from many cultures or backgrounds. In the vast variety of cultures and humankind, we are all still one and we connect through our passions. We strive to find common ground to connect with each other. Art in all its forms has been my common ground to it all. This exhibition theme represents passionate professional dancers and normal people who just enjoy life. It amazes me how people express themselves in different forms, enjoy the beat and music, and translate it into movement. I wanted to represent my vision of life and dance in this form so that viewers may feel the energy and life from these art pieces.

Reem Arnouk has been a professional artist since 2018 and an art instructor at Painting with a Twist Studio since 2019. She is self-taught and has studied Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship with five courses of Art. She was born and raised in Syria and came to the United States in 2013; she has been amazed by the many open doors in the arts. She loves Tennessee for the inspiration of nature that it has. Knoxville, especially, has supported many local artists and makers, and she is thankful to be involved in their maker society. Arnouk has participated in several art shows and markets in the past few years within Knoxville, including First Friday art shows and vendors markets. She was recently sponsored as an emerging artist with Dogwood Arts in the Old City Market and has been commissioned for several live wedding paintings.

The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 28 only, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 16, for the holiday. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, January 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Nicholas Horner and Friends. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

Art gives meaning and purpose to life. For me, the creative process is a struggle. I have recently returned to painting after a 20-year hiatus. Art is long. Life is short. Enjoy.

The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 28 only, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 16, for the holiday. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, January 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Nicholas Horner and Friends. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

Nothing Deep is a collection of works that represent an exploration in alcohol ink. For as long as I can remember I have always needed to be creative. I enjoy trying new media and within the last few years have discovered alcohol ink. I love color and the ink has suited me well with their vibrant colors and fluidity. I have called my exhibit Nothing Deep because I really don’t have any underlying message in my art. I use nature and shapes to create pieces that I feel are unique and interesting to look at.

Barbara Enloe was born and raised in Chicago, IL and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art from Southern Illinois University. The following years included marrying, having three children, moving from Illinois to North Carolina, and moving again to Knoxville 26 years ago. Enloe went back to school and received a Masters of Education from Lincoln Memorial University. For the past eighteen years, she has taught for Knox County Schools. Her pieces include works of animals, shapes with some 3-D aspects, and abstracts.

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Furniture as Art will include various chairs, tables and lamps all made of metal. Many of the pieces are painted. Art is not just something hanging on a wall or sitting on a pedestal. Likewise, furniture is not only a functional part of our lives. Furniture can be a form of artistic expression if we allow our expectations to be expanded and altered. Our expectations can be further challenged when the material used is outside the norm. In this case, the material is metal. After practicing law in Knoxville for many years, I have turned my attention to creating artful, unusual, and hopefully entertaining furniture. Please have a seat and enjoy my work.

Jim Parris has lived in East Tennessee for his entire life, spending most of the time in Knoxville in school or practicing law. Having had all the fun he can have practicing law, he recently retired and turned his attention to other pursuits.
www.parrismetalarts.com | Instagram @jwparris3800

The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 28 only, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 16, for the holiday. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, January 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Nicholas Horner and Friends. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

Buckle up all you would-be cosmic explorers! This new exhibition fuses together cutting-edge NASA data with one of the oldest human endeavors, the carving of wood. Planetary geoscientist Robert Jacobsen and local artist Scott Rennie combine their expertise to reveal the water-carved surface of Mars.

Taken from the multi-billion-year history of the Red Planet, these six pieces chronicle the history of water on Mars. This hydraulic evolution is both dramatic and tragic, beginning first with widespread river valleys, deltas and crater lakes, later transitioning to gargantuan floods, and eventually leaving us only with craterside trickles remaining today.

To present this history, native hardwoods and quality resins were selected and then shaped using a CNC machine. The result is several beautiful works of art: distillations of extra-terrestrial nature designed to tell a fascinating 21st-century story of hydraulic evolution in faraway places.

Robert Jacobsen: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=x0P1AEIAAAAJ
Scott Rennie: Instagram @woodgrainterrain

The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 28 only, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 16, for the holiday. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

A free reception with the artists will take place on Friday, January 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Nicholas Horner and Friends. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Commission is partnering with the Arts & Culture Alliance to provide this eighth annual juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists and, most important, honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The exhibit will feature works by local artists reflecting the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and pertain to the themes of Unity, Community, Love, Reconciliation, Social Justice, and Civil Rights. Interested artists may submit work for consideration through Tuesday, January 3, at https://www.knoxalliance.com/mlk-tribute.

The MLK Gallery of Arts Tribute exhibition will kick-off the 2023 celebrations (January 11-16, 2023 and other dates throughout the year). For more information, visit www.mlkknoxville.com.

The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Saturday, January 28 only, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, January 16, for the holiday. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

Hop on stage at Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Night on Wednesdays, 7-9 PM!

Doors open at 4:00PM and sign-ups start at 6:00PM. See the beertender to be added to the queue.

Admission is free!
Geezers Brewery, 225 E. 5th Ave., Knoxville
https://www.geezersbrewerytn.com/events

Enjoy 50% Off Admission Every Wednesday in January and February!

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy, Clinton, TN 37716. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

January 3rd, Tango; 6pm - Beginner; 7pm - Intermediate/Advanced
January 10th, Cha Cha; 6pm - Beginner; 7pm - Intermediate/Advanced
January 17th, Waltz; 6pm - Beginner; 7pm - Intermediate/Advanced
January 24th, Swing; 6pm - Beginner; 7pm - Intermediate/Advanced
January 31st, Foxtrot; 6pm - Beginner; 7pm - Intermediate/Advanced

We offer two regular group classes every Tuesday at Broadway Academy of Performing Arts.
6pm - Newcomer/Beginner class - This class is for people with no or minimal experience. No partner and no special shoes are required!
7pm - Intermediate/Advanced class - This class is for Bronze level students and covers the whole Bronze syllabus as well as variations. No partner and no special shoes are required!

These classes are drop-in, so attend when you can. We teach everyone lead and follow in these classes, and rotate through the 6 core dances every 6 weeks. A single class costs $20, and 10 group classes can be purchased for 25% off ($150).
https://socialdanceknoxville.com/

JERRY DROWN WOOD STUDIO GALLERY | JANUARY 2 – MARCH 3, 2023

Rob Millard-Mendez was born in a New England textile town with an incredible industrial past. From an early age, he was enthralled with mechanics, motion, and the wonders created by practical, no-nonsense makers.

“The primary aim in my work is to illustrate and analyze concepts that I find enthralling. The resulting objects deal on many levels with formal and conceptual issues. In my work, I hope to show an equal blending of art, craft, and the presentation of engaging ideas in intriguing ways. The works are meant to involve the viewer visually and intellectually. My sources include mythology, science, history, and American Folk Art (among others). The objects I make reflect the sensibilities of a person steeped in New England practicality who (for better or worse) ended up learning about things like art history, existentialist philosophy, and post-structuralist theory. Some of my sculptures are based on themes from classical mythology viewed through the lens of contemporary events. I have a strong interest in how mythemes surface and re-surface throughout human history in many varied (but related) guises. Craft is an important aspect of my work. I identify strongly with the idea of the artist as a kind of Daedalean hybrid: artist/artisan/shaman. Visual art, like mythology, has the power to compel us with its resonant imagery. It is my hope that my works will, in some small way, enrich the viewer and make her/him see the world as slightly more tragic or laughable (or possibly both at the same time).”

Rob’s work has been shown in over 500 exhibitions in all fifty states as well as internationally. He has had many solo exhibitions and he has received over 120 awards for his art and his teaching. Rob’s sculptures are in over sixty private and public collections and images of his work have appeared in Sculpture Magazine, American Craft, two Lark Books, Art New England, and many other publications. Rob is a Professor of Art in the Art and Design Department at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Indiana. He teaches 3-D Design, Woodworking, and Sculpture. He received an MFA in Sculpture from UMASS Dartmouth. https://www.arrowmont.org/story-sticks/

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

JANUARY 2 – MARCH 3, 2023 | GEOFFREY A. WOLPERT GALLERY

Lauren Kalman is a visual artist based in Detroit, whose practice is rooted in contemporary craft, sculpture, video, photography and performance. Through performances using her body, her work investigates constructions of the ideal and the feminine and their impacts on self-image and identity, the politics of craft, and the built environment.

“I use assertive and powerful performances of the female body in relationship to wearable objects, functional objects, and environments. I make objects and then use those objects in performance videos and photographs. My body is the site for these performative interactions. I use a variety of methods in my work including traditionally fabricated metal objects, textiles, beading, and ceramics folded together with installation, 3D printing, computer-controlled objects, performance, photography, and video. Over the years, my work has transitioned from jewelry as the format of my work, to adornment and decoration as a subject of my work. I work with craft materials as a strategic choice, because of their strong tie to the body through their proximity to bodies through jewelry, cutlery, vessels, hygiene implements, and clothing. Devices for Filling a Void, combines a jewelry vocabulary with forms reminiscent of reconstructive surgical devices and body-like growths. Rather than presenting or holding the body in an ideal position, they distort the body through actions that are sometimes grotesque or violent. The objects literally fill the voids of the body, but the forms also imply a psychological filling of emotional or erotic voids. The work points to ideas about women being incomplete or lacking, requiring augmentation by men, objects, dress, makeup and adornment.”

Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Kalman completed her MFA in Art and Technology from the Ohio State University and earned a BFA with a focus in Metals from Massachusetts College of Art. https://www.arrowmont.org/devices_kalman/

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