Calendar of Events

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present Poetry Xfit hosted by Denise R. Ervin. This generative workshop event will take place on Sunday, July 16 from 2 to 4 pm EST via Zoom. Join us at the link https://tiny.utk.edu/sundress with the password “safta”.

Poetry Xfit isn't about throwing tires or heavy ropes, but the idea of confusing our muscles is the same. You will receive ideas, guidelines, and more as part of this generative workshop series in order to complete three poems in two hours. A new set of prompts will be provided after the writers have written collaboratively for thirty minutes. The goal is to create material that can be later modified and transformed into artwork rather than producing flawless final versions. The event is open to prose authors as well!

Denise R. Ervin is a creative writer hewn from the streets, classrooms, and boardrooms of Detroit, all of which taught her to contribute to the narrative of those who live, love, and look like her. She has spent two decades as a teaching artist, performing poetry around the country, and leading workshops for the likes of Midnight & Indigo and Room Project. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in AADUNA, Harbinger Asylum, Third Wednesday Magazine, and others. Most recently, she was selected as a Writing Fellow by The Watering Hole and a semifinalist for America’s Next Great Author.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1199011004180942

SUNDAY AT 3 PM – 6 PM

East Tennessee Bluegrass Association (ETNBA) and Ijams Nature Center are partnering to bring folks together to create music in a beautiful space! Join the fun at a community jam session for all acoustic bluegrass instruments (no harmonicas or spoons at this time) every third Sunday from 2-5 pm (winter hours).
All skill levels are welcome. Jam sessions will be inside the Visitor Center during the winter months. Chairs will be set up and ready for you to enjoy the show!
Not a musician? Feel free to come out and enjoy the music! Always FREE and open to the public. For more information or to sign up, go to www.ETNBA.org or follow ETNBA on Facebook or Instagram.

https://www.facebook.com/events/956472028664476/956632238648455/

Show off your music-themed drawings, paintings, & collages this summer! Art must be submitted on 9” x 12” tag board provided by the library at registration. Space is limited. Visit one of the following participating location to register.

Participating Libraries: Lawson McGhee | Bearden | Carter | Cedar Bluff | Farragut | Fountain City | Halls | Howard Pinkston | Karns | Sequoyah | South Knoxville

https://www.facebook.com/events/804730017593200

Announcing Auditions for Ken Ludwig's "A Fox on the Fairway!"
Directed by Windie Wilson
Auditions: Saturday, July 15th from 3:00pm-5:00pm @TKD
Sunday, July 16th from 7:00pm-8:30pm @TKD

A tribute from Ken Ludwig (Lend Me A Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s, A Fox On the Fairway takes audiences on a hilarious romp, which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club. Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors, and over-the-top romantic shenanigans, it's a furiously paced comedy that recalls the Marx Brothers' classics. A charmingly madcap adventure about love, life, and man's eternal love affair with...golf.

Available Roles (3m/3f, The ages listed are the stated ages of the characters, not necessarily the required age of the actors.)
Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. Please bring a resume/headshot and calendar of conflicts for the next three months.
https://theatreknoxville.com/audition-a-fox-on-the-fairway/

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present a live production of “Matilda The Musical Jr.” Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning musical is the captivating masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda has won 47 international awards and continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages around the world. The play will be performed July 14th-30th. Thursdays and Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 1 and 5 PM , and Sundays at 3 and 6 PM.

The play is performed by 20 talented young actors and designed by 13 talented young designers from ages 9 to 18.
The show is directed by two-time Tony Award winner Ashlee Latimer.
Musical direction is provided by Deena Rhea and Teresa Seals with choreography by Donya Walker Bacon.
KCT is East Tennessee’s leading producer of plays for children and families.

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

The 25th Annual PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss

JULY 14-23, 2023

As each contestant takes to the microphone while competing at the annual spelling bee, the unique personalities and quirks of the group of loveable youngsters are revealed in a series of catchy musical numbers and witty dialog. But beneath the laughs, the show also explores themes of identity, acceptance, and the pressures of growing up. With its relatable characters and upbeat energy, this Tony Award-winning musical is a crowd-pleaser that leaves audiences laughing and rooting for the underdog.

PG -13 AUDIENCES

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, https://www.orplayhouse.com/

7/14 • Salt, Silk, and Indigo with Museum of Infinite Outcomes
7/15 • Experimental Sun Prints: Lumens and Phytograms
7/15 • Summer Tree ID: Beginner Workshop
7/15 • Intro to Navigation
7/15 • The Circus Under the Moon
7/16 • Hiking 101 with Wildwood Hiking
7/16 • Self Care Sunday Yoga
7/16 • East Tennessee Bluegrass Association Monthly Jam
7/19 • Forest Bathing Workshop
7/20 • Adult Basket Weaving Workshop
7/20 • Sightseers with Museum of Infinite Outcomes
7/20 • Knoxville Shakespeare: The Taming of the Shrew

2915 Island Home Ave., Knoxville, TN 37920
865-577-4717 or https://www.ijams.org/

The explosive movie musical bursts onto the stage live at the Bijou Theatre! Performances are July 14 at 7:30 PM, July 15 at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM and July 16 at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $22-$30 and available at www.knoxbijou.org, by phone at 865.684.1200, or at the door. For more information, please call The WordPlayers at 865.539.2490 or visit www.wordplayers.org.

THE STORY When Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small farming town, he is prepared for the inevitable adjustment period at his new high school. But he’s not prepared for the rigorous local edicts, including a ban on dancing. The heartfelt story that emerges pins a father longing for the son he lost against a young man aching for the father who walked out on him. With dynamic new songs augmenting the powerhouse hits from its bestselling Oscar-nominated score, Footloose celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness.

Featuring more than 20 works representing mid 1960’s to the present

Judy Kelley Jorden
Received a BFA from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, with further studies in Art Education Department, Fine Arts Department and workshops at Arrowmont. Art Educator for 31 years in all grade levels for the Knox County School System. After retirement worked for UTK Art Ed department as clinical faculty member supervising art interns working toward their Master’s degree and assisting in some graduate classes for 9 yrs. Current Member of TN Watercolor, Knoxville Watercolor, Art Group 21 and COMMA, Thursday Painting. (Art groups which share educational experiences, encouragement and exhibitions.)

Artist’s Statement and Current Exhibited Work
My artwork during my undergraduate years was influenced by my teachers Walter Stevens and Carl Sublett where I worked more abstractly in oils and acrylic. I have always loved to draw and found subjects like portraits, the human figure and objects from nature to be my main focus. During my time at Arrowmont and other workshops, I started working in pastels, gouache and watercolor. Studying with Marcia Goldenstein and Tom Riesing, I was encouraged to look at the landscape objects and the figure in my own unique ways. My development of paintings began to show my interest in plants and objects of metal; depicting closeup objects, with contrasting textures, emphasizing linear strokes to show movement, the use of diagonals to increase the drama in the composition, and contrasting complementary colors. In later observations, I arranged combinations of photographs that had similar shapes but were from different contrasting images, like the shape of the sunflower with the shape of a brake drum.

The subject matter of my artwork was also influenced by the various neighborhoods where I taught. I became acquainted with a local merchant, where I became fascinated with the patterning of the fabric she sold. Working from my photos taken at the celebration of the Kuumba Festival, held in our area, I depicted these events in my paintings.

From attending music and dance performances, I was influenced by an artist Norman Madigan and the way he used light to develop layers of shapes and colors to distinguish and overlap the foreground, middle ground and background on the Circle Modern dancers as they were performing. I tried to carry this over in my gestural sketches during performances and paintings of dancers, in city scapes and the landscape.

I then began searching out sites of discarded trucks, machinery parts, or other types of discarded metal. I used this in smaller paintings or in series of works including organic foliage to contrast with the rusted metal, focusing on texture and color tones. Another side interest has led me to simplifying the forms, taking away from the emphasis on the subject matter to flatten the gestural shapes in an abstract way.

In the past few years my latest work has come from flowers, plants and trees found in the UTK gardens, in my own yard and other sites. Some of these paintings emphasizing plants have also included metal sculpture found on the UTK gardens site. My work in this series has been about the arrangement of plants and the background. I continue to describe the textured details seen, the strong use of intense color, and the relationship of movement that is created by contrasting these forms to one another. I am intrigued by the overall use of breaking up the various areas of the composition with areas of realism to stylized, and then abstraction.

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

Jennifer Lindsay’s intricate, beaded jewelry and Pamela Salyer’s captivating mixed media artwork will be featured during the month of July at the “Art Market Gallery”, 422 S Gay St (next to Downtown Grill & Brewery) in downtown Knoxville.

A First Friday opening reception for the exhibits is planned from 5:30 pm - 9 pm, July 7th, with complimentary refreshments and music.

Jennifer Lindsay has been creating bead weaving jewelry for 20 years; fashioning unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using various beading techniques and imported seed beads, focal beads, semi-precious stones, or crystals. Jennifer gets her inspiration from the colors of nature.

Pamela Salyer is a mixed media artist, working with acrylic, photo transfer and collage to create multi-layered pieces inspired by the natural world. In all her work, Pamela tries to communicate some of the mystery and beauty that she finds in nature, and to create something atmospheric that draws in the viewer.

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

Friday, July 7, from 6-8 Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for the Knoxville Watercolor Society.

“We are passionate about art, especially watercolor and aqueous medium, and provide opportunities for our members to grow and explore their art. We strive to bring to the community understanding and appreciation of water based media as a significant art form.” -KWS

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/

FOUR SUMMER INSTRUCTORS: ERIC CANNIZZARO, KYLE CARPENTER, KIM MIRUS, AND JOLYNN SANTIAGO
The subtle textures, patterns, and gradients seen in the space this month bring together four artists teaching at Arrowmont in four different studios: wood, ceramics, textiles, and metals.

Eric Cannizzaro teaches chairmaking out of his shop in Charlotte, Vermont. He graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where he studied natural history and was a student employee in the wood shop. In 2019 Cannizzaro apprenticed with Windsor chairmaker Curtis Buchanan in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He was artist-in-residence at both Arbutus Folk School and Arrowmont. He has also been published in Fine Woodworking.

Kyle Carpenter is a potter who lives and operates his full-time studio in Asheville, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville and received his BFA in 2000. In 2002, he built a salt-kiln and made a studio at his home. Carpenter exhibits work at studio tours, galleries, and museums across the United States. His new earthenware line came out of a personal need for change in his work. In the spring of 2020, the pandemic offered a new window of time to dedicate to this pursuit.

Kim Mirus is an artist, educator, and craftsperson weaving on floor looms in her studio in the Rocky Mountains. She currently weaves with traditional craft techniques while drawing inspiration from environmental and scientific data. Mirus taught at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Penland School of Craft, The Crucible, and numerous public schools. Her passion is exhibiting handwoven, data-driven work in both art and science contexts, and recently had a solo exhibition, Arctic Threads. She attended artist residency programs across the U.S. and internationally, including MASS MoCA, the Hambidge Center, Penland Winter Residencies, SÍM in Iceland, Pentaculum at Arrowmont, and The Arctic Circle in Svalbard.

Jolynn Santiago is an artist and educator who lives in Vermont where she pursues a full-time studio practice and teaches out of her studio. She received her BFA in jewelry, metal, and enameling from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. After working as a bench jeweler in New York City, she pursued an MFA in metal from the State University of New York at New Paltz where she was also an instructor. Santiago exhibited her work at Intro to Marzee in the Netherlands, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Baltimore Jewelry Center, Brooklyn Metals Works, Equinox Gallery, and Munich Jewelry Week. She was a 2019- 2020 Artist-in-Residence at Arrowmont.

Arrowmont Gallery in Knoxville is located at 110 S. Gay Street and is open Fridays 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm; Saturdays and Sundays, noon – 5:00pm. Information: 865-436-5860, https://www.arrowmont.org