Calendar of Events

Synergy showcases gifted K-12 art students alongside their teachers and current art interns/student-teachers from East Tennessee. See the results of the artistic student-teacher synergy that happens every day in our schools! Awards and scholarships are presented to encourage further development of these art students’ artistic aptitude.

March 8 - 23, 20223: Exhibition Open (Monday - Friday 9AM-6PM)

A Closing Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held at the Clayton Center for the Arts (502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804) on March 23rd from 5:30-7:30PM. Awards will be presented at 6:30pm. All artists, families, and friends are encouraged to attend this wonderful celebration!

Best In Show Student: $100
Student Awardees (13 total): $50 Cash Each (First place in grade levels K-12)
Best In Show Educator: $500
First Place: $200
Second Place: $100
Best in Show Student’s Educator: $100

Dogwood Arts: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

Join us at Dogwood Arts during March First Friday for the opening reception featuring work by 25 local immigrant & refugee artists.

• Opening Reception: Friday, March 3rd from 5-8PM
• Gallery Hours: M-F 9AM-5PM

Converge is a multimedia group exhibition that explores the concept of balance. Seemingly opposing forces are really two sides of the same coin and both must be embraced to live fully. As we reckon with light and dark, loss and joy, loneliness and belonging amidst the organized chaos of life, we find ways to deposit beauty into the world through artistic self-expression. Featuring work by 25 local immigrant and refugee artists, the exhibition aims to reveal the beauty of community when many people and cultures come together. The choice of media in the selected artworks varies as much as the artists’ individual stories, experiences, and cultures. Standing side by side, embracing all that life brings, we are weaving a new tapestry together. The exhibition was curated by Jalynn Baker, the Inclusion & Community Outreach Coordinator for Dogwood Arts. Collaborating with several local organizations to assemble this multinational group of artists, we hope viewers will consider how they can embrace the convergence of different people and ideas in their own lives.

Participating Artists: Eugenia Almeida, Maria Elena Mendez Aquino, Reem Arnouk, Ilina Arsova, Kybreiana Barham, Jose and Pepe Calabres, Manuel Carreon, Enrique Cruz, Luiza Francisco, Maria Pedro Francisco, Marina Gulevich, Nidhi Jani, Estefania Jose, Markiian Lukyniuk, Mene Manresa, Eve Andres Martin, Hei Park, Dolores Francisco Pedro, Arely Recimos, Ramirez, Héctor Saldivar, Antoine Seni, Ruchi Singh, R.E. Toledo, Rocio Valenzuela, and SK Yi.

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com

March Featured Artists
First Friday Reception: March 3rd, 5:30 – 9:00 pm

Lynda Best, Painting
Lynda developed her own style for showing the frozen moment - “That moment when time stops, when we are a witness to nature and it fills us with a sense of wonder and awe.” Our spirit is found and often rediscovered in nature and it is this spiritual connection that nourishes and inspires her art. Lynda captures this “moment” with acrylic paint in a modern impressionistic style using entrancing outlines and colors to “freeze” that continual, ever changing movement of nature.

Sherrie Wilson, Fiber
A 4th generation fiber artist, Sherrie created couture clothing, art quilts, and watercolors before discovering SAORI weaving in 2015. She was immediately enthralled by the philosophy of self- expression without the need to conform. SAORI’s four directives inform her work: “Consider the difference between man and machine; See with eyes that shine; Be bold and fearless; Share freely within the group.”. Sherrie often uses found items, hand spun wool and wool locks in her work as well as traditional weaving yarn.

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

Opening Reception: Friday, Mar 3, 2023, 5-9pm

Lonnie Holley’s life and work read as a narrative retelling of Black American history—the residual effects of the Jim Crow era, the triumphs of the Civil Rights movement, and the struggles with false narratives around class mobility and race. Holley’s multidisciplinary practice seeks to educate viewers as a means of remedying the historical amnesia surrounding these topics. Rooting himself in the events of the past, the artist moves into the future—presenting synesthetic, multimedia work that visually engages its viewers with unique found objects and intricate motifs to subsequently inform on topics such as inequity and history as memory. Known throughout the art world for his found-object sculptures, paintings, and installations, Lonnie Holley gained a new audience when he started releasing and performing his music during the 2010s.

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present a selection of recent works on paper, sculpture, paintings, and short films. Throughout the exhibition, we will be screening I Snuck Off the Slave Ship, I Went A Little Too Far (Mistreating Love), and I Woke Up… This exhibition is in collaboration with Knoxville's Big Ears Music Festival, where Holley will be performing at the end of March. The UT Downtown Gallery is proud to be a free Big Ears Festival venue.

Lonnie Holley (b. Birmingham, AL, 1950) lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; among many others. Holley’s work has been presented in numerous solo exhibitions including at Dallas Contemporary, Dallas, TX (2022); Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY (2021); Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA (2017); Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art; Charleston, SC (2015); Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL (2004), and many more. Holley has been the subject of several documentary films, and his own directed short film I snuck off the slave ship premiered at Sundance in 2018.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3 with special hours during Big Ears. Information: 865-673-0802, https://downtown.utk.edu

Opens 6:00 to 9:00 PM, runs through March.

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

Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for artist Emily McTyre Friday, March 3, from 6-8 pm.

Emily McTyre is an artist, filmmaker, and writer from Maryville, Tennessee. From 2021-2022, Emily studied for an MPhil degree at the University of Cambridge, during which she was able to travel across the UK and parts of Europe. This collection of 35mm black and white film spans many miles and seasons. It includes scenes from Nürnberg, Germany, and cities across England: Cambridge, Brighton, Ely, and Glossop. Place is a distinct feature of this collection, as is the photographer's (or viewers’) position in it.

Please join us for some amazing art, light refreshments, and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Open daily. Information: 865-951-0427, www.instagram.com/awaken_coffee or www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

March 3rd 2023 “The GAUDY GOLD FRAME show” juried open show…… its back! Anything goes as long as it is in a gaudy gold frame.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: By appointment, or when the "open" sign is illuminated. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com and www.facebook.com/broadwaystudiosandgallery/

Fun Friday Art Reception, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the Art Center Gallery. Wine and soft drinks will be available. Free & open to the public. Also, browse through “Endless Possibilities,” the AG’s fine arts and craft shop.

The Members Gallery Exhibit for March include a wide variety of art mediums: Painting, drawings, photography, ceramics, wood creations, glass mosaics, jewelry, fabric creations, card art, and much more! Gallery visits challenge thoughts, extend concentration, and inspire new ideas.

The featured artist for the month is Susan Smathers and Bill Hutton.

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

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 3 – April 1, 2023. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Wendel Werner. 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 https://www.knoxalliance.store.

When driving down the road in the countryside in Tennessee, it is common to see abandoned beauties on the properties of people who never had the time to keep up with the maintenance of their vehicles. Often, the car will sit for years in the location where it last ran, waiting to be worked on with the potential to somehow wake up and drive happily down the road again. Quietly rusting away is both beautiful and depressing; automotive enthusiasts will be reduced to crying bittersweet tears at the sight of these rusting beauties.

Born and raised in Hackney, Ohio, Sheila Silvus Chesanow first started taking photographs with a Brownie Hawkeye camera as part of a 4H project. She continued to take "snap shots" of family and friends over the next several years. Always interested in art and photography, she took a college level black and white film course and learned to develop her own images. Her love of photography grew, and she studied black and white photography with Terry Lindquist at Fredonia State. During this time her work was exhibited in the gallery of the Stockton, New York, Library and was published in the Best of Photography Annual twice. She purchased her first digital camera in 2015 and began to transfer the knowledge of film photography to digital. In the last few years, she has studied photography at Lee University with Tom Kilpatrick. Chesanow has received numerous awards both locally and nationally, and her photos have been published in books and magazines. She has exhibited in Arts in the Airport, Mayors’ Shows, and at the Emporium Center in Knoxville; the Mayfield Gallery at the E.G. Fisher Public Library, Fullers’ Frame Shop and The Art Center in Athens; Gallery on Main in Sweetwater; Richard Low Evans Gallery in Blue Ridge, GA; and the Cato Institute in Washington, DC. Her work is also in private collections in Japan, Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and Washington, DC. Chesanow focuses on nature and fine art photography which is reflected in her work.

https://www.sheilachesanowphotography.com

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (except Fri Mar 17), and Saturday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 3 – April 1, 2023. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Wendel Werner. 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 https://www.knoxalliance.store.

During this year-long project, I more fully merged my art with the frames in which it is displayed. Previously I created paper-based art on a wooden base and then enclosed the base with wood strips to create a shadow box, a precise technique. I began to wonder if I could also cast my frames from paper to integrate them more fully with the art. Because of the large amount of pulp needed, I use my paper making stamp mill to work with raw plant materials for the frames. The different plant materials in conjunction with how they were processed and dried are responsible for the color, texture, shrinkage, and distortion of the individual frames. Some of the art therefore is cast as part of the frame and then decorated, while other works are inserted into the frames in the form of collages. My subject matter has many influences and is generally whimsical and macabre.

Bruce Bunting is a retired automotive engineer and self-taught artist. He has always been interested in art as a viewer and a maker; as well, he is an avid do-it-yourselfer. When he retired and began devoting more time to art, he settled on papermaking because it represents a juxtaposition of equipment, materials, chemistry and art. While normally quite expensive to become a fully equipped papermaker, he built and adapted all his equipment at relatively low cost. He continually seeks to collaborate with other artists.

https://www.brucebuntingart.com

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (except Fri Mar 17), and Saturday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 3 – April 1, 2023. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Wendel Werner. 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 https://www.knoxalliance.store.

This new exhibition features contemporary and modern painting using different techniques of letting the movement of paints create every piece. All works are presented on gesso wood panels with acrylic paint and finished with resin to enhance the colors.

Farhad Naimy trained first professionally as an engineer and later brought his passion for architecture, design and creative use of space to his custom-built, multimillion-dollar homes that now span across the landscape in San Francisco and other cities throughout the Pacific Northwest. His love of the Eastern Tennessee mountains and his family brought him back to Knoxville where he pulls from his international experiences of a lifetime to create art. Naimy is captivated with fluid art because of his deep connection to nature and color. In both there are infinite variety, and like love, infinite expressions. With his paintings themselves, viewers feel them more than are able to explain them. No matter how many techniques he masters or how many visions he creates, there is always an element of chance, change and surprise in Naimy’s work. The chemistry in life and in art is unexplainable but experienced through our senses.

Instagram @fluidartbyfarhad

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (except Fri Mar 17), and Saturday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from March 3 – April 1, 2023. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, March 3, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features live music inside the Emporium by Wendel Werner. 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 https://www.knoxalliance.store.

This new exhibition features a curated collection of quilts from members of Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild and showcases modern elements such as bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work.

This Knoxville branch of the Modern Quilt Guild has a mission to support and encourage the growth and development of modern quilting through art, education, and community. The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild is for residents in and around Knoxville who have an interest in modern design and quilting. The Guild provides members with a community where modern quilters can meet, share ideas and create in an environment that encourages creativity and acceptance. One of the original founders of the Modern Quilt Guild, Alissa Haight-Carlton, organized the first modern quilt guild meeting in January 2010. The Guild meets monthly and welcomes new members.

Instagram @knoxmqg | https://www.Knoxvillemqg.com

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (except Fri Mar 17), and Saturday 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.