Calendar of Events

At Bijou Theatre, 803 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902

Legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater joins the KJO for an unforgettable Valentine’s Day celebration. Bridgewater’s list of accolades includes three Grammy awards, a Tony award, a UN Goodwill Ambassadorship, the NEA Jazz Master Award, and an induction into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Sure to be the perfect treat for your special someone.

Information: 865-573-3226, email@knoxjazz.org, https://www.knoxjazz.org/calendar/2023/2/14/jazz-is-for-lovers-with-dee-dee-bridgewater

Tuesday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. at Maple Hall, 414 S. Gay Street

On Feb. 14—yes, Valentine’s Day—we welcome retired UT librarian and assistant professor Linda Behrend, who has published a book that promises to change the way we think about one of Knoxville’s liveliest eras. Of Time and Knoxville is the sometimes very personal memoir of sometime novelist Anne Armstrong (1872-1958), who moved from Michigan to Knoxville as a teenager in the mid-1880s, lived here for several years, and found the place fascinating. As an adult, she eloquently recalled the Knoxville of her youth. Over the years, we’ve encountered short and quotable fragments of her memoir, but suddenly here it is, in its entirety, constituting what is probably the most personal and vivid description of Knoxville before the 20th century. Included are very personal and not always complimentary descriptions of legendary Knoxvillians, as well as previously elusive descriptions of food, theater, architecture, and neighborhoods, especially downtown and Fort Sanders, which she knew as West End. At Maple Hall, Linda will sit with our Jack Neely and discuss the novel, which we think will make a perfect Valentine’s date night.

Free program. Bar food and drinks are available for purchase.

Knoxville History Project: 865-300-4559, www.Knoxvillehistoryproject.org

On Tuesday, Valentine's Day, February 14, 2023, join Mabry-Hazen House at 7pm for Rated R for Risqué: Courtship, Romance, and Intimacy in the Hazen Household to learn about the act and attitudes around love at the historic house museum. Space is limited!

A heart doesn't play by rules, but romantic love has its own rules and demands! The who, what, when, and how are molded by context and complexities of time and place and are always subject to change.

Preserving the stories of three generations of women, this Mabry-Hazen House tour will explore romantic conventions and challenges of falling in love at the turn of the 20th century. Learn how each generation thought about romance -- the good and the bad -- and how it changed across the decades. Beginning with the courtship of Alice and Rush Hazen, visitors will learn how Victorian conventions of romance evolved into the more familiar ideas of dating in the age of Gibson Girls and flappers. The story of Evelyn Hazen and her ill-fated fifteen year engagement to Ralph Scharringhaus and subsequent "heartbalm" lawsuit will offer visitors an intimate glimpse into the thoughts and actions of a couple falling in and out of love during the Jazz Age. With much of the original furniture and decor owned by the family on display, visitors will stand next to exactly where romantic interactions and exchanges occurred, see books and artifacts that taught and helped them be "good ladies," and hear their own words about their experiences courting, dating, and loving another person.

Tour starts at 7:00pm and will last about 85 minutes. Tickets are $15 per person and pre-purchasing is encouraged as tickets at the door are not guaranteed. Space is limited to fifteen visitors. Visitors must be 18 or older and/or 16 or older with a guardian older than 21 years.

This program will discuss topics such as sexual trauma and harassment and could be triggering for those sensitive to such issues.

Mabry-Hazen House, 1711 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915. Information: 865-522-8661, www.mabryhazen.com

February 14—Dennis Urban, Historian & Author, “Meet the Lincoln Assassination Participants and Players”
March 14—Gordon Rhea, Historian & Author, “Stephen A. Swails: Black Freedom Fighter in the Civil War and Reconstruction”
April 11—Frank O’Reilly, Historian & Author, “Barksdale and the Street Fighting at Fredericksburg”
May 9—Gary Walrath, Historian, “Hubris or Heroism: General Sterling Price and the 1864 Missouri Raid”
June 13—Allen Ellis, Historian & Author, “The Thrilling Adventures of Daniel Ellis”
July 11—Curt Fields & Warren Brown, Living Historians, “Grant and Twain: The Men and the Memories”
August 8—Steven Cowie, Professor & Author, “When Hell Came to Sharpsburg”
September 12—Scott Mingus, Historian & Author, “The Second Battle of Winchester: The Confederate Victory That Opened the Door to Gettysburg”
October 10—Eric Jacobson, Historian & Author, TBA
November 14—David Goetz, Historian & Author, “Ever the Gray Ghost: Colonel John Singleton Mosby and the Lincoln Conspiracies”
December 12—Jim Ogden, Chief Historian, Chickamauga & Chattanooga NMP, TBA

The Knoxville Civil War Roundtable is a organization dedicated to remembering and studying the Civil War in East Tennessee. Meetings are held at the Bearden Banquet Hall (5806 Kingston Pike). A dinner buffet is served at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $17 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Reservations must be made or cancelled not later than 11:00 am on the day before the meeting. Call (865) 671-9001 to make or cancel reservations.

Cost (for those not dining) is $5 for members and $8 for nonmembers.

The normal schedule of events at each meeting is as follows:
6:30 p.m. - Buffet Dinner
7:15 p.m. - Roundtable Business
7:30 p.m. - Speaker + Questions/Discussion
8:45 p.m. - Adjournment

https://kcwrtorg.wordpress.com/programs/

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Free and open to the public
Reception Fri Feb 17, 6-7:30 PM with artists' talks at 6:30 PM

Lisa Kurtz
I have made wall pieces out of clay since way back in graduate school. Before I made pottery, I painted, so I often think of these wall pieces as clay canvases or clay landscapes with texture. I also like to add mixed media to some of my wall pieces, such as driftwood, shells, and other found objects. All my clay wall art is wired on the back or mounted on wood and wired so that it hangs easily - just like a painting would. I also love to make clay wall pouches, which can hold water and be used as wall vases for flowers. I have worked with clay for over 40 years and fell in love with the fluid and impressionable characteristics of this wonderful medium in college. Rocks and water have always inspired me. I love the streams running through the mountains, and I also love the ocean. I am fascinated by the effect that water has on the earth and the calming effect water has on people. The textures and colors in water, sand, sea birds, shells, rocks, and marine creatures inform my work and my glazes. I mix up all my own glazes and am often tweaking them to highlight the textures that I put on my pieces. My goal is to infuse my work with the peaceful feelings that water worn rocks, landscape, and waves give to me and share those feelings with others through my art.

Kate McCullough
I began painting in watercolor about 20 years ago after a 35-year hiatus from art. Initially my studies at Villa Marie College and SUNY College at Buffalo included general design, art history and oil and acrylic painting. When I returned to painting, I decided that watercolor was a medium that I would like to explore. I immediately fell in love with it and I have not looked back. I started with courses with Marcia Goldenstein and Whitney Leland at UT and then moved on to workshops at Arrowmont with Don Lake and Sue Archer, Kanuga with Linda Baker and Don Andrews, Cheap Joe’s with Linda Kemp, three workshops with John Salminen and a couple with Paul Jackson. I presently teach a watercolor class at the Fountain City Art Center. I am the former president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society, a member of the Art Market Gallery in downtown Knoxville, a signature member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society.

Gallery hours: Mon-Thu 9:30-4:30, Sun 9-1.
Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tue-Thu 10 AM - 4 PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Fans of artist Tom Wegrzynowski can see oil paintings from both his “Lucky” series and his “Entertainment” series in a new exhibit at Pellissippi State Community College. “All for One or Whatever …” is the artist’s first exhibition that combines pieces from both his bodies of work, “a visual dialogue that presents new opportunities for finding meaning,” Wegrzynowski said in an artist statement for the show.

The new exhibit is on display through March 2 at the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays or by special appointment. All exhibits in the Bagwell Gallery are free and open to the public.

A closing reception with the artist is scheduled for 3-4 p.m. Thursday, March 2.

Wegrzynowski is a full-time instructor of Art and Art History at the University of Alabama, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in 2006. He has exhibited his work regionally and nationally and won several awards including the Reese Museum Award in 2022 International FL3TCH3R Exhibit: Social & Politically Engaged Art, East Tennessee State University. Wegrzynowski’s exhibit at Pellissippi State includes 19 oil paintings from his “Lucky” series, which explores history, mythology and how mutable these structures are when placed in the service of power, as well as from his “Entertainment” series, which allows Wegrzynowski to paint in a faster, more spontaneous way. “The first Entertainment paintings, or ‘panels’ as I think of them, were each executed in one sitting, sometimes in as little as an hour,” Wegrzynowski explained, as opposed to the works in the “Lucky” series, which could take months or even years to complete. “Most of these images were taken from screen captures of television commercials or movies, creating fragments of meaning. As such, they create opportunities for a more expansive investigation of the space between representation and formal abstraction.”

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 9-5 or by appointment. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

Broadway, 1957. An integrated theatre company gathers to rehearse a new play—the one they hope will be the next big hit on the Great White Way. Against the backdrop of misperceptions and stereotypes within the company, veteran actress Wiletta Mayer grapples with the choice between a once in a lifetime chance to play the lead role in a Broadway show, and the cost of compromising her principles. Alice Childress’ Tony-nominated masterpiece “Trouble in Mind” will play on the Clarence Brown Theatre Mainstage. Born in 1916 and raised during the Harlem Renaissance under the watchful eye of her maternal grandmother, Alice Childress grew up to become first an actress and then a playwright and novelist.

UT students see all performances for FREE. UT faculty/staff receive a 15% discount. For tickets, please visit https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/plays/trouble-in-mind/.

The Pay What You Can performance, where patrons can name their own price, will be held Wednesday, February 8. Behind the Scenes Sunday will take place Sunday, February 12 after the 2:00 pm matinee. A Talk Back will take place Sunday, February 19 following the matinee. Deaf Night @ the Theatre, where all patron interactions including the performance is interpreted in American Sign Language, will take place Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30 pm. The Open Captioned performance is Sunday, February 26 at 2:00 pm.

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information/tickets: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

HAMILTON includes 16 performances from Feb. 7-19, 2023. This is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. HAMILTON is based on Ron Chernow’s acclaimed biography and completely transformed theater and the way we think about history.

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

Featuring art by Richard Jolley, Tommie Rush, Andrew Saftel, Margaret Scanlan, Maggie Taylor, Kliszewski Glass, Jurgen Dopatka, and others!

Bennett, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30. Information: 865-584-6791, https://bennetthome.com/

Rala is pleased to present local artist Annie Rochelle as our featured artist for the months of February and March! Her show "People, Plants, and Other Myths" continues her exploration of the intersection of culture and the environment. Please join us for the show opening on Friday, February 3rd from 6 to 8pm.

Annie Rochelle is a practicing artist working and living in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Her artistic interests are divided: between draftsmanship and experimental abstraction; the challenging marriage of Old Masters’ techniques and traditional subject matter with contemporary aesthetics and social sensibilities. Her new interest in botanical forms have opened a new investigation into the relationships among human, artificial, and natural aesthetics. Annie Rochelle is also a two-time 1st place winner of Rala's Annual Dolly Art Contest.

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

Bob Stevens is the Art Guild’s Featured Artist for February 2023, and will be honored at the Fun and Wine Friday Reception on Friday, February 3 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the Plateau Creative Arts Center. The membership special exhibit for February is “Books We Love.” The public is invited to come to this free event and enjoy a glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage, meet Bob and other artists, and view a wonderful variety of artwork. Light refreshments will also be served.

Originally from Illinois, Bob lived and worked in Atlanta, Georgia as an auditor, and later he went into computer programing and systems design. After retirement, Bob and his wife moved to Sparta, Tennessee to be closer to family. Bob always enjoyed doodling during meetings and his habit developed into drawing. After moving to Tennessee, he was drawing in a waiting room where he met artist, Eric Buechel. Eric invited him to one of his painting classes, and Bob has been painting ever since. Bob’s artwork features a wide variety of painting styles and subject matter, ranging from portraits to abstracts, still lifes to landscapes. He enjoys painting with acrylic, oils, air brush, glass and ink. Bob states, “I just like to put paint on stuff. Canvas, wood, glass, saw blades, ... My wife says I'm like the old lady who puts the hot sauce on everything.”

The artwork of Bob Stevens will be on display along with the members’ gallery artwork exhibit from February 3 through March 2. The Arts Center is open to the public Monday through Saturday during our winter hours which are from 10:00-2:00. All artwork in the gallery and in the Endless Possibilities Shop is available for purchase.

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