Calendar of Events

The Appalachia Sessions is social impact and purpose-driven initiative to bring the history of Appalachian music, culture, and education to students who are directly impacted by its history. The Appalachia Sessions is a televised, one-hour music show featuring a live audience of students from Appalachia. The ten-episode series showcases music born out of the history of East Tennessee and the Appalachian Cultural Region. It features a diverse line-up of musicians and intimately focuses on the artists, their roots, and the fundamentals of songwriting. Each episode begins as a three-hour concert filmed at the Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The three hour concert is edited into a one-hour TV show that will air across central and southern Appalachia. We will host 150 – 200 students from the inner cities and rural Appalachia to tour the Museum of East Tennessee History and attend each concert. 100% of the net proceeds from the concert series will benefit the Appalachia Sessions Fund to support student literacy and education in Appalachia.

Appalachia Session passes for the live taping at the Bijou Theatre (803 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902) are available at the Museum of East Tennessee History (601 S Gay Street, Knoxville TN 37902) front desk during regular hours. Passes are free to the public. Donations welcome. For more information, visit www.appysessions.com or call the East Tennessee Historical Society at 865-215-8830

Starting in 1927, record labels came to multiple areas in Appalachia including Bristol, Johnson City, and Knoxville in search of an old-time, genuine sound. During their search, they found influential voices of jazz, blues, and gospel. With this newfound, diverse music, they decided to teach the next generation the joys of music and creativity. The sole mission of The Appalachia Sessions is to leverage the power of music to advocate for literacy for the children of Appalachia. It showcases music that was born out of the history of East Tennessee and the Appalachian Cultural Region. Each Appalachia Sessions season will have 10 episodes, with one episode per month, running from September through May. For more information and to make a donation or join the A-list visit www.appysessions.com

More info: (865) 215-8824 or www.eastTNhistory.org

AT 12:00PM
(DOORS OPEN AT 11:30AM)

Free Event
We are pleased to welcome you to the Theatre to enjoy a live concert featuring House Organist Freddie Brabson on the Tennessee Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer. Freddie will be joined by Make Music Knoxville's Build-a-Band.

A self-proclaimed 'love letter to local music', Make Music Knoxville’s (MMK) Build-a-Band features Knoxville musicians coming together to perform the songs of other local songwriters. This project celebrates the best of East Tennessee’s homegrown talent in anticipation of MMK’s June 21st summer celebration. Each solstice, artists from around the city perform free, participatory concerts in honor of the international day of music, which have included past collaborations with institutions and organizations such as Ijams Nature Center, ZooKnox, Nief-Norf, and Real Knoxville Music. Build-a-Band is led by Nicholas Horner, founder of Make Music Knoxville and leader of his own band, The Nick Horner Family. For more information about Make Music Knoxville, visit www.makemusicknox.com.

Please note that we will not be providing lunch, but concessions will be available for purchase.
https://www.tennesseetheatre.com/event/86508685/mighty-musical-monday/

(All ages) Join Ijams and the Smoky Mountain Storytellers Association and celebrate spring with a night of Celtic tales and stories on Monday, May 1, from 7-8:30 p.m.! This event is part of the Ijams Sunset Series and features storytellers Susan and Stephen Fulbright, Sheri Liles and Jennifer Alldredge.

https://www.ijams.org/event-details/ijams-sunset-series-a-night-of-celtic-tales

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

April 26 St. Joseph’s School 10:00 AM - 1810 Howard Drive (37918)

April 29 Dogwood Arts Festival noon/12:30 - World’s Fair Park/AmphiTheater

May 2 Morning Pointe Asst Living 1:00/1:30 - 9649 Westland Drive (37922)

May 4 Ben Atchley Veterans’ Home 10:00/10:30 - One Veterans Way (37931)

May 7 Friends and Family Concert 1:30/2:00 - 201 3rd Avenue (37917)

May 9 Holston Healthcare&Rehab 1:30/2:00 - 3916 Boyds Bridge Pike (37914)

May 13 Sherrill Hills Retirement Home 1:30/2:00 - 271 Moss Grove Boulevard (37922)

May 18 The O’Connor Center 12:30/1:00

If you have questions, please contact: Linda Tyler (865-919-0846) or lctyler@charter.net

The Tennessee Artists Association has a member art show now at the Rarity Bay Gallery. Please stop in and view these beautiful pieces, now through June 30th.

You are invited to an artist's reception on Sunday April 23rd from 2-4 pm for an artist's reception. Meet and greet the artist behind each masterpiece.

The Gallery in Rarity Bay is located in the Community Activity Center (CAC) at 150 Rarity Bay Blvd., Vonore, TN, which is the second building on the right as you approach the gates. CAC hours: 9 AM - 4 PM Monday - Friday except Tuesday when it is open 9 AM - 1 PM. Call ahead 423-884-3800 to confirm there isn't an activity in the room at the time you want to visit. https://tnartists.org/

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
Free and open to the public
When: Reception Friday, April 21, 2023, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Artists’ talks at 6:30 p.m.

Layered Barriers by LaKesha Y. Lee
“Layered Barriers” addresses the obstacles blacks faced in the past and what African Americans still encounter today due to the color of their skin. These images, created in mixed media collage on paper, evoke the fear and lack of self-worth many African Americans experience today. Lee says, “When someone looks at my work, I want them to feel the figure’s essence without knowing the person’s identity. I want to ask the question, ‘Do we have to know someone’s identity to sympathize or show respect?’”

LaKesha Y. Lee is a first-year MFA student in Painting and Drawing at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2019, she received her Bachelor of Fine Art from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Since then, she has been in many group exhibitions throughout the south. Lee uses her work to provide a positive outlook on black identity within the black community and to create new, positive narratives.

Hidden Dimensions by Sam Stapleton
Stapleton has photographed flowers for more than a decade, always searching for new aspects or insight. This exhibit uses the power of digital processing to reimagine original portraits.

Sam Stapleton’s photographic journey began with the purchase of his first 35mm SLR in 1974. He learned his craft through workshops, professional magazine assignments with his author wife and lots of hands-on practice and experimentation. He says, “Most important, I study the work of other photographic artists, always asking myself ‘what are they doing,’ ‘why are they doing it this way’ and ‘how can I learn from this.’”

Gallery hours: 9:30-4:30 Monday through Thursday, 9:00-1:00 Sunday
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

The Clarence Brown Theatre will close its 2022/2023 Season with the Grammy and Tony-award winning “Hair,” April 19 – May 7. UT Faculty/Staff receive 15% off ticket prices. UT Students previews and Tuesday night performances for FREE and the rest of the performances for $5, excluding Opening Night. The production contains adult content. Tickets at: https://clarencebrowntheatre.com/plays/hair/.

A celebration of life, a love letter to freedom, and a passionate cry for hope and change, “Hair” defined one generation and continues to inspire today. The first great rock musical, it has some of the most rousing and soulful songs ever written for the stage, including "Let the Sunshine In," "Good Morning Starshine," "Aquarius," and the infectious title song, "Hair."

The Pay What You Can performance, where patrons can name their own price, will be held Wednesday, April 19th. Behind the Scenes Sunday will take place Sunday, April 23rd after the 2:00 pm matinee. A Talk Back will take place Sunday, April 30th following the matinee. The Open Captioned performance is Sunday, May 7th at 2:00 pm.

Free and convenient parking is available in the Upper Parking of McClung Tower Garage (G2) on Volunteer Boulevard. Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information/tickets: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

The District Gallery will be hosting a national show and weeklong art event. We are honored to present this national exhibition by the American Impressionist Society’s Signature and Master Members. This 7th annual small works showcase will feature 174 juried paintings by some of the top contemporary impressionist painters in the country. Awards will be judged and presented by longtime Nashville artist Anne Blair Brown.

Friday, April 14, 5-8 pm: Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony of Impressions
174 juried paintings by some of the top contemporary impressionist painters in the country will be judged with a top prize of $4000. We'll have over 60 artists from around the country, including judge Anne Blair Brown from Nashville, at this prestigious event.

During the week of April 11-15, there will be several art events and workshops that require registration. For a full calendar of events and our show catalog, please go to https://www.thedistrictgallery.com/impressions/.

Saturday, April 15, 5-7 pm: Wet Works Exhibit and Awards
The impressionist painters will be in Knoxville painting at various locations the week of April 11-15, this exhibit is a culmination of their freshly painted works that will be on display for one day only.

The District Gallery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-F 10-5:30, Sa 10-4. Information: 865-200-4452, www.TheDistrictGallery.com

Rala is pleased to present Cynthia Markert as our featured artist for April and May. "Tallulah Dearest and Her Coterie" continues Cynthia's unique and recognizable style of oil painting on wood. Please join us for the show opening from 6 to 8pm on Friday, April 7.

Artist Cynthia Markert has been creating her mixed media portraits on wood for over four decades. She finds inspiration in historical icons such as The Odd Woman, The New Woman, The Flapper, and The Free Thinking Woman from the 1890s to the 1930s, and the Belle Époque to the jazz age. Her paintings infuse these inspirations with personal expression of spiritual bonding.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1815062672203536/

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

The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade will host a Fun and Wine Opening Reception for the Members’ Judged Art Show on Friday, April 7 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Art Guild members Al Hansen, Beverly Olin and Kay Wode will serve as a judges panel and will determine the winning entries. Winners will be announced to the public during the April 7 reception. This event is free and open to the public! Browse through eye-catching displays of artwork in our gallery, available for purchase. Unique gifts can also be found in our retail space, “Endless Possibilities, Fine Arts and Crafts.”

Gallery: Mon-Sat 9-4. 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

Dogwood Arts and the Songbirds Foundation are proud to announce the 2023 Epiphone Guitar Design Contest. The contest is open to all high school and middle school students living in East Tennessee. Several guitar designs created by youth artists will be selected for implementation and exhibition. The art guitars will be displayed at the Dogwood Arts Gallery in Knoxville and at the Songbirds Guitar Museum, a one-of-a-kind guitar museum located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The guitars will be auctioned to benefit Dogwood Arts’ youth art programs & the Songbirds Foundation’s Guitars for Kids initiative.

Winning designers will each receive $50 for art supplies and complimentary tickets to Southern Skies Music Festival (May 20-21, 2023); additional cash prizes will be awarded to select artists at the exhibition reception.

The online auction will be live from April 3 - May 26, 2023
Guitars will be displayed at the Songbirds Guitar Museum (Chattanooga) during the month of April 2023.
Guitars will be displayed in the Dogwood Arts Gallery (Knoxville) during the month of May 2023
An exhibition reception and awards ceremony will take place on Friday, May 5th at the Dogwood Arts Gallery from 5-8PM (Awards at 6PM)
Select guitars will also be on display at the Southern Skies Music Festival (May 20-21, 2023)

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

At the Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Rd, Knoxville
Gallery hours: Tue-Thu 10-4.

Reception on Sun Apr 2, 2-4 PM

In 1963 a group of Knoxville artists was invited by the late Kermit (Buck) Ewing, Head of the University of TN Art Department, to participate in an exhibition of watercolor paintings at the University’s McClung Museum. During the opening reception Mr. Ewing noted the Knoxville area did not have an organization for artists to share the common interest of painting in aqueous media. He suggested that those artists exhibiting in the McClung show could be the nucleus for such an association. Thus, was the formation of the Knoxville Watercolor Society with Laura Bagwell serving as the first President.

The purpose of this organization is to educate the members as well as the community to the understanding of watercolor as a significant art form. Active membership is juried by the members and consists of Knoxville area artists who are currently active in the serious pursuit of aqueous painting. Annually, the organization provides a scholarship for the University of Tennessee student who is majoring in watercolor painting, donates to the University Ewing Gallery and maintains a membership in the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville. Additionally, grants have been made to the Arts Council of Greater Knoxville, the Knoxville Museum of Art, The Tennessee Resource Center, The Tennessee Art Association High School Scholarship Program.

http://www.knxvillewatercolorsociety.com/