Calendar of Events

Thursday, February 23, at 5:30 p.m.
Monday, February 27, at 5:30 p.m.

“Where did the hillbilly archetype come from and why has it endured on-screen for more than a hundred years? How does it relate to the exploitation of the land and people who live there? How do Appalachian and rural people view themselves as a result of these negative portrayals…?” [www.hillbillymovie.com]

In Hillbilly, two documentary filmmakers confront stereotypical depictions of Appalachian people and attempt to introduce their audience to a more nuanced, authentic understanding of the region.

Venue Details: John C. Hodges Library, Lindsay Young Auditorium, 1st floor
To attend the screening, RSVP to hodgessociety@utk.edu

Moxley Carmichael Masterworks Series
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Theatre

Guest violinist Philippe Quint has had to withdraw from his appearance on this month's Moxley Carmichael Masterworks performance. In his place, Blake Pouliot will be performing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, a romantic masterpiece loved by many for its dazzling virtuosity and passionate phrases. The KSO will also be presenting Brahms' Academic Festival Overture and Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony.

Featuring
Philippe Quint, violin
Aram Demirjian, conductor
865-291-3310 or https://knoxvillesymphony.com/

February 23, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

An evening of stand-up, storytelling, audience song and poetry starring Garrison Keillor and featuring pianist Dan Chouinard and vocalist Prudence Johnson.

Garrison Keillor did “A Prairie Home Companion” for forty years, wrote fiction and comedy, invented a town called Lake Wobegon where all the children are above average, even though he himself grew up evangelical in a small separatist flock where all the children expected the imminent end of the world. He’s busy in retirement, having written a memoir and a book of limericks and is at work on a musical and a Lake Wobegon screenplay, and he continues to do “The Writers Almanac” sent out daily to Internet subscribers (free).

Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Time: 7:00 pm Eastern
Registration: tiny.utk.edu/CC_DiSalvo2023
Gina Di Salvo: The Science of Revenge on the Shakespearean Stage

About the talk:
After the Great Comet of 1577, comets appeared in the theatre as both pyrotechnic and plot devices. On stage, comets came to function as part of a system of tragic interruption that adjudicated divine or moral problems of vengeance. This talk focuses on the transformation of the stage comet from a sign of destruction—the commonly held understanding of the comet in the Renaissance—into a sign of revenge.

About the speaker:
Gina Di Salvo is an assistant professor of theatre history and dramaturgy. Her research focuses on theatre, religion, and culture in late medieval and early modern England. Professor Di Salvo is also a professional dramaturg and has worked on productions in Chicago, Salt Lake City, and at the Clarence Brown Theatre. She currently holds the Paul D. Soper Professorship in the Department of Theatre.

https://humanitiescenter.utk.edu
Questions at humanitiesctr@utk.edu or 865-974-4222

Last Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Regular shape-note singing is returning to the Laurel Theater. New Harp of Columbia song books will be available to loan. Free!

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org

PechaKucha Night Knoxville
Community Event, February 23, 6:30pm

Join us for an inspirational in person event. We will be live before a full house at The Mill and Mine and are looking forward to hearing from this diverse line up of presenters.

Doors open at 6:30PM
Presentations begin at 7:20PM

Donations support future PechaKucha Knoxville Nights
Family friendly event however the content is uncensored.

The Mill and Mine, 227 West Depot Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917
https://www.pechakucha.com/events/pechakucha-knoxville-vol-46

Join the UT Arboretum Society as we learn the connections between moths and our native plant species and the important roles these insects play in our natural communities. Presented by Lenny Lampel, Natural Resources Supervisor with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation’s Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources in North Carolina, this virtual presentation will be Thursday, February 23, 7 p.m. EST via Zoom.

Over the past decade, Natural Resources staff and local naturalists have spent many late nights in the nature preserves, parks and greenways in and around Charlotte, North Carolina as part of a coordinated effort to document the diversity of moth species that are found within Mecklenburg County. Also highlighted in the program will be Mecklenburg County’s growing moth collection which is housed at the Dr. James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studies. Learn about some of the challenges to identification and the growing number of resources that make learning about these insects possible. From “Moth Nights” to “National Moth Week” events, an increasing number of people are getting interested in “mothing.” Now is your chance to discover what the fascination in these insects is all about.

Lampel is also the Curator for Matthews Center and is responsible for the management of biological assessments and inventories, the monitoring of federal and state listed rare plant species and the coordination of various fauna and flora studies and projects. Lenny holds an MS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Conservation Biology from Antioch University New England and a BA in Biology from SUNY College at Old Westbury. Lenny lives in Concord, NC with his wife, three children and their big, furry dog and cat.

The program is free, but registration is required to receive your Zoom link and the recording. Closed captions are available. Register at www.utarboretumsociety.org

Award-winning members of the Session Brass Quintet, Brian Walker, Aaron Jensen, Angela Winter, Bill Haugeberg, and Jason Hausback, have performed with a wide variety of ensembles nationally and internationally. These competition winners collectively showcase a breadth of brass experience playing in a wide array of styles from classical to pop and beyond.

February 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall
Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

UT School of Music: Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. Venues: Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Boulevard; James R. Cox Auditorium and Performance Hall 32, Alumni Memorial Building, 1408 Middle Drive. Information: 865-974-8935, https://music.utk.edu/events/

Artist Lecture: Kay Dartt on Thursday, February 23, 7:30pm, UT Art + Architecture Building, room 109.

Join us Thursday, February 23 at 7:30pm for a lecture by artist and Shepherd University professor, Kay Dartt. Dartt's creative practice combines sculpture, engineering, education, and community outreach. She teaches sculpture courses, engineering courses, and manages an interdisciplinary fabrication space called the FASTEnER Lab. In 2020 Kay received the President's Faculty Excellence Award for managing the production of personal protective equipment for front line workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 she received the outstanding faculty award in service for her contributions to the campus community. Outside of academia she is the Co-Director of Keystone Iron Works, a program focused on building community, teamwork, and mentorship for young students through the process of metal casting. At the 2021 National Conference for Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practice Kay received the Paige Wainwright award, an honor given to those making education and metal casting practices more accessible for future generations, an honor given for her part in the creation and fundraising for the Iron Futures Scholarship Fund. Kay's work has been displayed nationally and internationally at galleries and public art venues.

Dartt's newest work has been on display at the UT Downtown Gallery as part of Kay Dartt + Ronda Wright: Creating Artifacts of Home.

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

Silas Reynolds is a self-taught artist from Morristown, TN, known for his bold and vibrant abstract paintings. He currently resides in Knoxville, TN, where he continues to create his energetic works of art. As a second-generation artist, Silas had a passion for creativity from a very young age and began drawing as a child. It wasn't until his mid-twenties that Silas commenced painting, and he quickly became captivated by the freedom of abstract expressionism, which allowed him to express himself in a unique way. He uses bold colors and shapes over multiple layers to create depth and texture, using acrylic and spray paint as his primary mediums. He draws inspiration from nature, fashion, and design and is influenced by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Alex Brewer. Silas believes that art is open to interpretation and encourages viewers to explore their own personal meanings and connections within his pieces.

Silas will be opening his show in our Guest Gallery this Saturday from 2 to 5pm. Come see his incredible work and hear his story of his work.

Hours: Friday through Sunday 11am to 5pm

Pivot Point Gallery, 15 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-248-0050, www.pivotpointgallery.com

February 17 - March 5: THE MOUNTAINTOP by Katori Hall

What was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. thinking about as he sat on his stiff, polyester-covered bed at the Lorraine Motel on his last night alive? Did he have any idea what was about to happen? What would he have wanted people to know about him? Katori Hall takes a stunning look at all of these questions and fills them in with brilliant imagination in her play THE MOUNTAINTOP. A speech, a storm, a visitation, a vision: how does a hero's journey end?

Tickets: https://www.simpletix.com/e/the-mountaintop-by-katori-hall-tickets-116042

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

Performances are Thu-Sun; tickets at https://knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com/tc-events/beauty-and-the-beast/

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