Calendar of Events

Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street

Once a year, the historic Tennessee Theatre invites the Knoxville History Project to lead an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour with historian Jack Neely of Knoxville’s 1928 Moorish-revival “motion-picture palace.”

Jack knows more than a thing or two about the theater, as he researched and wrote the official history of the cathedral-like venue, The Tennessee Theatre: A Grand Entertainment Palace published in 2015.

Jack will show you around the big building , including the backstage area, as he relates the theatre’s extravagant story, which has included several first-run regional movie premieres (and a few world premieres), but also thousands of live performances: on that stage, Desi Arnaz sang Cuban songs and demonstrated the rhumba; Glenn Miller led his famous orchestra in a national radio broadcast; Fannie Brice and the Ziegfeld Follies drew a standing-room-only audience, the biggest in the theater’s history; the legendary cowboy Tom Mix hosted a small rodeo; and, in recent years, major performers Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Lionel Hampton, and composer Philip Glass gave concerts to big audiences, some of which have earned international attention. It was also the first theater that Roy Acuff performed in, and the last for Chet Atkins

A limited number of tickets are available for this tour at $30.00 per person plus fees. Register bow to avoid disappointment. https://knoxville-history-project.square.site/

Author Marilyn Mascaro will discuss women's evolving roles in 1920s Knoxville and her book When the Rivers Flowed: An Ambitious Hillbilly and a Southern Flapper Discover
Knoxville, TN

Wednesday, August 30, 2023 @ 12:00 p.m.

IN-PERSON REGISTRATION AND LOCATION
East Tennessee History Center, 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Register on Eventbrite for this event streamed on Zoom or visit the ETHS Facebook page at the start of the program to watch this on Facebook Live.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/online-when-the-rivers-flowed-tickets-681842217427

In the early 20th century, Knoxville attracted many young people from Appalachia. Two of them were Earl Layman, a Sevier County native who craved town life, and Marie Little, who had evolved from a tenant-farmer’s daughter into a New Woman of the 1920’s. Months before the 1929 stock market crash, the two met and began married life in Knoxville. These ordinary people who faced the extraordinary events of their time are the focus of a new nonfiction book, When the Rivers Flowed: An Ambitious Hillbilly and a Southern Flapper Discover Knoxville, Tennessee. In her presentation, author Marilyn Mascaro will discuss some of the city’s most interesting residents, as well as the era’s evolving role of women and its ongoing prejudice against Appalachia. Visit https://easttnhistory.org/events/when-rivers-flowed for more information and to register.

Marilyn Mascaro has published poetry, essays and narrative nonfiction. As an Associate Professor of English at Roane State Community College, she taught composition and American Literature. A native of Knoxville, Mascaro has a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Tennessee.

(865) 215-8824 or www.eastTNhistory.org

8/25 • Evening Paddle
8/26 • Ijams Field Day: Medicinal and Edible Plants
8/27 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga with Hope Irwin
8/27 • Knoxville Opera - Bard in Bloom: A Shakespearean Concert in the Garden
8/30 • Full Moon Forest Bathing Workshop

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

Afrofuturist, artist, educator, graphic designer, and DJ, Stacey Robinson will be having exhibitions at the UT Downtown Gallery, Ewing Gallery, and a 5-day artist residency in Knoxville, during fall of 2023. Robinson’s time in Knoxville will coincide with an intentional Afrofuturist takeover of the galleries with the presentation of his exhibition projects, Black Audacious Freedom Dreams and Black Utopia: Black Distractions & Disruptions in Time Space, to be on view in fall 2023. Infusing downtown Knoxville and the University of Tennessee campus with Afrofuturistic imagery, Robinson and the galleries will build a critical mass of Black thought and creativity to amplify and center Black voices.

The Ewing Gallery, located in UT’s Art + Architecture Building will present Black Audacious Freedom Dreams by BLACKMAU, a creative collaboration between Stacey “ Blackstar” Robinson and Kamau “DJ Kamaumau” Grantham. This exhibition features a multimedia projection and seven 7-foot banners created using digital collage. These images visually mimic the audio sampling used throughout hip hop musical production and the process of crafting a tight DJ set, which inspire the duo. This work prompts a conversation about Black liberation as a reality not yet fulfilled. By centering Black people within the narrative, BLACKMAU prompts the audience to imagine themselves in the spaces with the subject. Robinson and Grantham reference Black liberation texts with With Black Audacious Freedom Dreams, including Freedom Dreams by Robin D.G. Kelly, and We Want to Do More Than Survive by Bettina L. Love, which they include in a study area and curated library of Black texts in the exhibition.

Concurrent with Black Audacious Freedom Dreams, the UT Downtown Gallery will present Robinson’s new solo project, Black Utopia; Black Distractions & Disruptions in Time Space. This exhibition is a design research project looking at systems of oppression and resistance through black and white logo designs and illustrations that use the emptiness of white gallery walls as the backdrop for extracting Black resistance commentary. The systems examined springboard a burgeoning theory comprised of Black-created systems that can function as a form of Black liberation government in lieu of Black Reparations, justice, and failed integration.

Exhibition: Audacious Black Freedom Dreams
Artist: Stacey Robinson / BLACKMAU
Dates: August 22 - October 29, 2023
Location: The Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture, 1715 Volunteer Boulevard
Times: M,T,W,F: 10am - 5pm, Thur: 10am - 7:30pm, Sun: 1-4pm
For more information: ewing@utk.edu | https://ewing-gallery.utk.edu

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is proud to announce that it will bring the acclaimed exhibition, In Conversation: Will Wilson, to the local community. With over $35,500 in grant support, the museum will feature the powerful works of Diné (Navajo) photographer Will Wilson in a moving exhibition exploring the importance of self-representation.

In Conversation: Will Wilson opens at the McClung Museum on August 18 and will include a range of engaging programming for both the university and the Knoxville community. The exhibition was made possible through Art Bridges, a foundation created by philanthropist Alice Walton that is focused on expanding access to American art. Showcasing 17 portraits from Wilson’s Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange project, the exhibition is dedicated to capturing a contemporary perspective of Native North America. In Conversation: Will Wilson challenges viewers to think critically about how Native peoples have been portrayed in photography over time. Through portraiture, Wilson responds directly to the works of early 20th-century photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1869–1952). Curtis’ photographs simplified and romanticized Native American life, whereas Wilson has created rich, complex portraits from Indigenous perspectives. Visitors to the exhibition will witness some of Wilson's portraits come to life through an augmented reality app, providing an interactive experience known as "Talking Tintypes."

In Conversation: Will Wilson is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and curated by Mindy Besaw, Curator of American Art/Director of Fellowships & Research from Crystal Bridges, and Ashley Holland, Associate Curator from Art Bridges.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 12–4 p.m. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
Free and open to the public
Reception Friday, August 18, 2023, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Collector’s talk at 6:30 p.m.

Show: August 13 - October 4, 2023
Gallery hours: 10-3 Monday through Thursday and 10-12:30 Sunday
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Sylvia and Jan Peters have been collecting art for more than five decades, including notable works by Chicago-based African-American artists Fred Jones, Steve Walker, and Dale Norman, and a lithograph by Charles White. The exhibit includes paintings in a variety of media, prints, and photographs.

As educators, Sylvia and Jan Peters advocated for arts in community and educational programs in Chicago. Since moving to Knoxville in the early 1990s, Sylvia has been involved with the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the Links, the 100 Black Women, and the Knoxville Botanical Garden. She initiated the Delaney Project and Days of Dialogue.

Of their early days in Chicago’s art world, Sylvia said, “We held Sunday Salons at our home where artists were invited to eat, drink, and discuss their work. It was almost an out of body experience to participate in these discussions. Richard Hunt, Ralph Arnold, Margaret Burroughs, William Carter and many others visited our home.”

Reception Fri Aug 18, 6:30-8 PM with awards at 7 PM

Open Show – Theme: Drip, Dribble, or Splash

Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Hours: Tue-Thu 10 AM - 4 PM. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Closing Reception: Thursday, September 21, 3-5 pm

This mixed media exhibition by Maggie Connolly and Eric Sherwood, both teachers at Mighty Mud ceramics studio in Knoxville, will be on display in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery.

“Purposefully organic is a phrase that permeates the exhibition 'Turn to the Fool,’” said Professor Herb Rieth, Career Community Coordinator for Creative and Media Arts at Pellissippi State Community College. “The throbbing iterations, linear susurrations and natural genesis channeled through automatic drawing, wordplay and sculpting result in work that is quiet, insistently patient and infinitely detailed.”

Connolly received her Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College in her native Iowa, her Master of Fine Arts in Ceramic Design from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China and her Ph.D. in Fine Arts Ceramics from Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan. She was an Arrowmont Artist in Residence 2019-2020.

Sherwood was born and lives in Knoxville. As a person of Chinese and American parentage, he spent time in China with his extended family and grew up navigating between the two cultures. This “otherness” is a platform for viewing both cultures and the larger world around him as well as a lens turned inward.

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 9-5. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

The public is invited to attend the opening reception for the prestigious Judged and Juried Fine Arts Show on Friday, August 4th from 5 - 7 p.m. Mark Hall, retired professor of art at Maryville College in Tennessee, will judge the entries.

Juror - Judge Mark Hall formerly served at the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the David and Alfred Smart Museum. Previously, he served as an assistant professor at MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois, an assistant and associate professor at Marian College, Indianapolis, and has retired as a professor emeritus from Maryville College, Maryville, Tennessee. He currently has a small print/art studio in Maryville and continues to create prints and drawings in a variety of styles and modes.

Winners of the J&J Fine Arts Show will be announced to the public during the August 4th reception. This event is free and open to the public!

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

We are excited to announce local artist Summer Small as our featured artist for the month of August! Her work unfolds a complicated but passionate relationship with modern Appalachia and the people and places that call the valley home. Please join us at Rala in the Old City for the show opening from 6 to 8pm on August 4th, 2023. Summer's work will be on display August 4th through August 31st.

https://www.facebook.com/events/307835021665435/

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 Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery will exhibit the photo works of Marianne Woodside from July 2-August 30. The gallery is located inside the church at 6500 Northshore Drive, Knoxville, 37919. Viewing hours are 9-4 weekdays and 9-noon on Sunday. For more info, please contact the artist -- marianne.woodside@gmail.com.

Marianne Woodside is a professor emerita from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In her career at UTK, she integrated responsibilities of teaching, administration, research and writing in human services and counselor education. During the last ten years, with the encouragement from family and friends, especially photographer Tom Owens, Marianne has expanded her interest in photography and her ideas of artistic expression. Opportunities for travel to such venues as Central America, South America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Iceland have offered time to capture exotic photographs beyond her daily experiences. And, because of her husband Phil’s willingness to make time for photography (stopping the car at a moment’s notice), Marianne finds intriguing subjects close to home. Her subjects range from still life images within a natural context, landscapes, and flora and fauna.

An interest in photographing glass has provided Marianne an additional way of expressing the relationship between man-made objects, nature, light, and color. Marianne has been fortunate to find support from the Arts & Culture Alliance and has shown her work at the Emporium Center. Her art has been selected for McGhee Tyson Arts and the Airport exhibit, the Arts & Cultural Alliance National Juried Exhibit, the Knoxville Photo Exhibition, and the Oak Ridge Art Center. She has also shown her work at the Knoxville Golden Roast Coffee Shop, the Knoxville Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Gallery, the Westminster Presbyterian Schilling Gallery, the Awaken Coffee Shop, and Maryville’s Asbury Place.

Photography is an important part of Marianne’s life. She also spends time writing, playing the guitar, hiking, and traveling. Marianne is devoted to her husband Phil, their three children, Michael, Cathy, and Donna Lee and their respective spouses and their grandchildren. And then, there is, of course, their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Clyde, who resides with Marianne and Phil in Maryville, Tennessee.

Marianne believes in the magical qualities of photography. Technical knowledge and skills support the creation of lovely, interesting, and whimsical images. At times, the outcome is beyond the expectation of the artist. To create these exceptional photographic moments, Marianne looks for ways to combine colors, lights, shapes, and textures to evoke a viewer’s mood or emotion. It is in nature that she finds many of her favorite subjects. You can find representations of Marianne’s images on her website (www.mariannewoodsidephotography.com) and her new Instagram account (@mariannewoodside).

WEDNESDAYS AT 7:15 PM – 10 PM
Wednesday night swing dancing is returning to the beautiful Laurel Theater in the heart of Knoxville every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Wednesdays. Never danced before? Perfect! Join our beginner drop in lesson at 7:30! No partner or dance experience necessary. This class will get you on the dance floor your first night! Only $5 for the dance and beginner lesson, or $8 for dance and Level 1 lesson!
https://www.facebook.com/KnoxSwingDance/events

* * * COVID-19 Policy * * *
All participants must provide a *negative COVID-19 test*. In lieu of a negative test, individuals may voluntarily submit a COVID-19 antibodies test or proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination accompanied by photo ID.