Calendar of Events

Gallery Exhibition

Mud: A Photographic Exhibition of Life in the Secret City, is on display through February 28 in the Imagination Gallery. This exhibition has been provided for display by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
During WWII, what we know today as Oak Ridge was a quickly built “secret” government town of 70,000 workers. This secret city was blanketed in a thick layer of mud, something that all residents, regardless of their occupation, had to deal with. Most of the photographs in this exhibition were taken by James Edward “Ed” Westcott, a renowned photographer who worked for the U.S. government in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project. The Children’s Museum has added several special Gallery activities for Mud including the Mud Hunt Activity Guide, which will help young visitors take a closer look at the photos, and a voting station so visitors can vote for their favorite Mud photo.

Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, 461 West Outer Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: T-Sat 10-4, Sun 1-4. Information: 865-482-1074, www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org

Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” That’s not a problem for Sevier County, whose residents for generations have been renowned artists and craftspeople. Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites the community to celebrate Sevier County artists of all ages in the 21st Sevier County Biennial Juried Exhibition and 2023 Sevier County Youth Exhibition Reception, February 17, 2023, 5:30 – 8:30 pm, free and open to the public.

The Sevier County Biennial is a juried, mixed-media art exhibition presented by Arrowmont to recognize and foster artists in the rich region of Sevier County. Guest juror Kreneshia Whiteside-McGee chose from 178 works delivered by 78 artists, 29 of whom were first-time submitters. The exhibition is on view in Arrowmont’s Sandra J. Blain Galleries in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, January 31 through March 3, 2023.

For the first time, the Sevier County Biennial Juried Exhibition includes a companion exhibit: the 2023 Sevier County Youth Exhibition, showcasing work created by young Sevier County artists, ages 5 – 18. Arrowmont instructor and director of Knoxville Arts & Fine Crafts Center, Kelly Sullivan, is the awards juror for the Youth Exhibition. Awards will be presented to artists in both exhibits during the February 17, 2023 reception.

www.arrowmont.org /21st-sevier-county-biennial-juried-exhibition

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

JANUARY 30 – MARCH 3, 2023 | RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 17, 2023, 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts invites artists 18 and older living or working in Sevier County, TN to submit works for consideration for the 21st Sevier County Juried Biennial. The biennial is a juried, mixed-media art exhibition presented by Arrowmont to recognize and foster artists in the rich region of Sevier County, who are the bedrock of the economy and foundation of our community.

JUROR: KRENESHIA WHITESIDE MCGEE, AKA KREN THE CURATOR
Kreneshia Whiteside-McGee, a Tennessee native, began curating in 2015 as a university senior. She served as chief curator at the Association for Visual Arts and works with numerous artists, galleries, and museums advocating for the arts and fostering culture in communities. Her portfolio includes exhibition development, creative direction/consultation, and art handling throughout the U.S. and abroad.

https://www.arrowmont.org/visit/events/21st-sevier-county-biennial-juried-exhibition/

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

Opening reception will be Sunday, January 29th from 2—4 PM with a gallery talk at 1:30 PM.

Women’s Work series will celebrate sunlight, moonbeams, and light of all types as well as new ideas, truths, and perhaps epiphanies! Light takes many forms and we are asking women in our region to interpret the phrase, “ I see the light!” in a new or well loved piece.

At 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

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to announce the artist roster, curators, and highlight weekend dates for the inaugural Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art: RE-PAIR, opening January 27, 2023 and on view through May 7, 2023. The recent changes and movements in the world inform our vision and the galvanizing spirit that centers on the rich history of the arts in Tennessee as a means to engage excellence in contemporary art.

Visual art offers a tool towards a common language fostering dialogue across communities, around the state, the country and internationally. The Tennessee Triennial serves as an experience to help us process this moment and propel us forward. It is a geographically fluid conversation that engages people of all ages and backgrounds.

The Tennessee Triennial has chosen a statewide model that is set apart and unprecedented. Curators from institutions in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga have been invited to respond to the theme of RE-PAIR, authored by Consulting Curator, Dr. María Magdalena Campos-Pons. This horizontal approach allows for each curator to be active in selecting participating artists. The Tennessee Triennial is a collective endeavor that emphasizes Tennessee’s contemporary art community while including national and international perspectives.

The participating venues along with their curators and artists may be found at https://www.tennesseetriennial.org/

KNOXVILLE
Big Ears Festival (Curator: Rachel Milford)
Lonnie Holley
Knoxville Museum of Art (Curators: Kelsie Conley and Stephen Wicks)
Willie Cole
Katie Hargrave & Meredith Laura Lynn
Bessie Harvey
Lonnie Holley
Kahlil Robert Irving
Suzanne Jackson
Mary Laube
Annabeth Marks
Rosemary Mayer
Althea Murphy-Price
Betye Saar
Faith Wilding
Tri-Star Arts (Curator: Brian R. Jobe)
Kenturah Davis
Rubens Ghenov
Hank Willis Thomas

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

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

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

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

Held via Zoom and open to everyone. These classes qualify for credit with Silver Sneakers, but membership is not required. The online schedule is:

Mon 9:15 AM - Flow Yoga (no floor work) and at 10 AM - Shibashi (18 gentle movements)

Tue 9 AM - Classic Exercise (requires hand weight, a small ball, and a resistance tube with handles), 9:45 AM Stability (a balance and leg strengthening class)

Thu 9:15 AM - Seated Yoga (mostly sitting down), 10 AM Classic Exercise, and 11 AM Stability

Contact Don Parsley, certified instructor, for more info or to be added to his zoom listing at spiritofthedragon01@gmail.com