Calendar of Events

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from November 3-25, 2023, including the biennial Master Woodworkers Show, November 3-5. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, November 3, from 4:00-9:00 PM, followed by special weekend hours including Saturday, November 4, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM and Sunday, November 5, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.

This collection of complex, abstract works by Jan Burleson, Carl Gombert, Carrie Pendergrass, and Kelly Spell is a celebration of color and shape. The various media—printmaking with unique process applications, quilting with modern design, oil painting with a relation to collage, and mixed media—combine in a spontaneous union of pattern and repetition that generates vibrant visual energy. With subtle and direct references to pop culture and world events, each artist constructs layers of meaning and representation in their work and creates a sense of place. Taken as a whole, the exhibition seeks balance and order in a broader chaos while also honoring tradition and history.

Jan Burleson’s work has been shown regionally with the Arts & Culture Alliance and Dogwood Arts exhibitions, in Chattanooga’s Association for Visual Arts exhibitions and CHA ART SPACE, in East Tennessee State University Slocumb Gallery’s Positive-Negative national exhibitions, and at the Arts Center in Athens. Instagram @jan_burleson_ and www.janburleson.com.

Carl Gombert has exhibited in more than 300 exhibitions across the US and abroad and his work is in numerous museum and university collections. Since 1993 he has taught painting, drawing, and art history at Maryville College in Tennessee. https://gombertart.com and Instagram @carlgombert

Carrie Pendergrass has worked in both the non-profit/public and private/commercial sector as a visual arts teacher, freelance artist and small business owner, gallery director & curator. She exhibits her work locally and regionally, and continues to teach. She was the recipient of an
Arts Build Artists Work Grant for her curatorial art project, CHA ART SPACE, an exhibition space at the Chattanooga Regional Airport, which debuted in 2021. Instagram @sewntothesea and @cha_art_space and www.sewntothesea.com.

Kelly Spell’s award-winning quilts have been featured in numerous publications, shows, and museums around the world. Kelly’s artistic practice involves a variety of techniques—some are cutting edge and others are rooted in the time-honored tradition of American quiltmaking.
www.kellyspell.com and Instagram @kellyspell.

Read more about the artists at https://www.knoxalliance.com/synthesize

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Wednesday-Friday, November 22-24. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at https://www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543

Performances: November 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12

Details TBA

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

The creative process of 16 Pellissippi State Community College students comes to fruition in November with 12 showings of “Peter and the Wolf,” a theatre piece using shadow puppets, overhead projections and other technology to tell the classic children’s story in a new way.

“We have never created a play from the ground up,” said Theatre Professor Grechen Wingerter, who is directing the production. “Performers and a tech crew were involved in every aspect, from creating storyboards to designing the puppets and putting them together, which made this very much a hands-on experience for the students.”

Pellissippi State will present the students' adaptation of "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 3-12 at the Clayton Performing Arts Center on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road.

Showtimes for the 50-minute production are 7 and 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 and 3:30 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for Pellissippi State students, faculty and staff. Seats are limited to 60 per show because the audience will be seated on stage with the performers and the tech crew. Buy tickets here.

Wingerter and fellow Theatre Professor Claude Hardy were inspired by Manual Cinema, an Emmy Award-winning performance collective that “combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen,” according to the group’s website.

The professors were drawn to how Manual Cinema “deconstructs stories and puts them back together,” Wingerter said. They also were looking for something unique their students could produce not only on stage at Pellissippi State, but also at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Washington, D.C., and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland.

“Instantly, I don’t know why, ‘Peter and the Wolf’ popped into my head,” she said. “I have an album of it that I’ve had since childhood. I still have it, and we’re using it in the show as a prop.”

“Peter and the Wolf” is a musical composition written in 1936. A narrator tells the children’s story while the characters are represented by different musical instruments such as the bassoon (Grandfather), the clarinet (cat) and the flute (bird). Pellissippi State takes the deconstruction a step farther, replacing narration with written snippets that guide the audience from scene to scene, “kind of like a silent film,” Wingerter said.

“There is no dialogue – none – though the story and the music are recognizable,” Wingerter said. “It's all music and movement. We worked on physical movement to get the puppets to move with purpose.”

The world Pellissippi State has created for its puppets is inspired by painter and printmaker Marc Chagall. Wingerter looked to the works of Chagall not only because he is her favorite artist, but because he grew up in a small village in what was then the Russian Empire, she said. That’s the kind of place Wingerter imagined Peter living in the story.

“We have a Russian story by a Russian artist being paired with a Russian artist, but this is the students’ vision,” Wingerter said. “It was my job to guide them and to remind them to tell the story.”

To request accommodations for any campus event at Pellissippi State, call 865.694.6411 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.

Michelle Barillaro’s striking abstracts will be displayed! Michelle finds personal pleasure in abstracts because they allow the viewer to see something in them related to their own experiences and dreams. She primarily paints on wood panels with oil & cold wax medium. The addition of cold wax lends itself to different techniques for texturing, layering, and subtracting paint- conceal and reveal- to build a history within the painting.

First Friday reception on November 3. Please join us for some fantastic art, light refreshments, and 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/

Reception on Fri Nov 3, 5-9 PM with artists
Artists also present Sat Nov 4, 1-6 PM. Other gallery hours by appointment: jeanhess@bellsouth.net or ebtaylorhulse@gmail.com

Jean Hess and Emily Taylor demonstrate a committed willingness to experiment, play and take risks in order to enchant and surprise you. Their visual vocabularies are highly personal yet show mutual sympathy: Using at-hand materials: Natural, recycled, damaged, re-worked; Imagery from nature; Floating and layering; Hesitations and back-tracks, erasures and re-thinking. These artist friends each follow threads and throughlines that, over time, demonstrate evidence of continuity and connection.

Jean Hess’ work can be seen in the Knoxville Museum of Art permanent collection and installed in the Knoxville Convention Center, and available at the KMA gift shop. Her studio in Fountain City is open by appointment: jeanhess@bellsouth.net. You will see a wider range of work including 3D box constructions, hanging mobiles of antique trinkets and jewelry, stitched tapestries of vintage and found fabrics, paintings and collages. Her on-line presence: www.jeanhess.com and http://kolajmagazine.com/artistdirectory/jean-hess

Emily Taylor’s studio is located in Bearden. She welcomes you on publicized Open Studio days [together with studio mates] or other times by appointment. Please join the mailing list. You can contact Emily at ebtaylorhulse@gmail.com. Paintings, drawings, constructions, installations, as well as small objects, prints and commissions. Her on-line presence: https://www.facebook.com/emilytaylorpaintings/ and Instagram @emilytaylor9515

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/

Photos developed from film and handwritten notes passed in class take on a new life in the mixed media exhibit “what abides here” at Pellissippi State Community College. The solo exhibition of artist Anna Halliwell Gianferante is on display in the Bagwell Center for Media and Art Gallery on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus through Nov. 17. Admission to the gallery is free, and it is open to the public weekdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

A public reception with the artist will be held 3 - 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in the Bagwell Center, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville.

The “what abides here” collection of mixed media works “meets at the junction of memory, photography, truth, glitches and loss,” said Gianferante, an Oak Ridge native who is now a full-time Art instructor at Pellissippi State. This body of work began with Gianferante’s master’s thesis, “Forget Me Not (Really)” for Savannah College of Art and Design. Gianferante sanded, erased and painted on personal photographs that depict moments with people and places no longer in her life. Gianaferante said the art creates separation between the figures and the viewer, just as the subjects of the photographs are now separated from the artist. Gianferante added to the exhibit with a collection of redacted notes she received in school as a teenager. The blank spaces serve as lapses in memory, she explained, while also abstracting the stories to make them unrecognizable. The final pieces of the exhibit showcase a different way of manipulating old photographs using artificial intelligence. Gianferante first erased parts of her original photos using AI and then printed them as cyanotypes to mimic the earliest processes of photography. By harnessing the sun to expose light onto fabric painted with light-sensitive chemicals, each print is unique based on both the weather and the time of exposure. “Some are so unrecognizable that the title is all that seems to be left of the original subject – pushing boundaries of memory and personal truth,” Gianferante said.

Gianferante earned her Master of Fine Arts in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design and her Master of Science in teacher education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has taught Art courses for more than 11 years in both K-12 public schools and higher education institutions. To request accommodations for any campus event, call 865.694.6411 or email accommodations@pstcc.edu.

Pellissippi State | 865.694.6638 | marketing@pstcc.edu | www.pstcc.edu
10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37933

A national exhibition examining the nation’s past responses to mental health and current approaches to care will be on display at UT Libraries this fall. The National Library of Medicine’s Care and Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health exhibit will be in the Jack E. Reese Galleria on the first floor of Hodges Library.

The traveling exhibit provides a historical overview of how mental health policies have evolved from custodial forms of treatment such as commitments to asylums and mass incarcerations to more inclusive approaches aimed at protecting the rights of those with mental health conditions. The exhibit also highlights how physicians, advocates, families, and government agencies have contributed to shaping mental health policies.

UT Libraries’ goal for hosting the traveling exhibition is to spark conversations surrounding mental health and effective coping strategies among UT students, faculty, staff, and community members.

A book display featuring related reads on mental health will be viewable on the second floor of Hodges Library.

UT Libraries was selected as a location for the traveling exhibition through the efforts of librarians Melanie Dixson, Niki Cobb, Calantha Tillotson, and Paris Whalon.

https://volumes.lib.utk.edu/news/ut-libraries-to-host-national-exhibit-on-mental-health-care-and-custody/

This event is available to the public at the UT Printmaking Showcase Gallery. The Printmaking Showcase Gallery is located in the UTK Art and Architecture Building, in the second-floor hallway outside of the Printmaking Lab (Room 241).

It will feature selected prints and books by medical doctor and visual artist Eric Avery MD as he explores issues such as social responses to diseases (specifically HIV and Emerging Infectious Diseases), death, and sexual health. As part of one of his exhibitions, Avery set up an HIV clinic at the Fogg Museum of Art at Harvard University. His work has been shown internationally, and is in the collections of the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC), the ARTS Medica Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA), and the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library at Yale University (New Haven, CT), among many others. His website is: https://www.ericaveryartist.com/

These events are free to attend and open to students, faculty, and the public.
https://www.facebook.com/events/332368039150381

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Free and open to the public
When: Reception Friday, October 13, 2023, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Artists’ talk at 6:30 p.m.

The COMMA (Come, Make Art) Artist Group was founded in 2004 by Gay Nell Gray and Cheri Jorgenson as a plein air group that met weekly during the summer at UT Gardens. It grew to be a year-round endeavor of gallery and artist studio visits, creating artwork in other locations, and exhibiting as a group. This nature-inspired exhibition includes diverse media and processes.

The members are award-winning former and current art educators. Included here are Gay Nell Gray, Judy Jorden, Cheri Jorgensen, Shelley Mangold, Martha Robbins, Caitlin Seidler, Valerie Sigmon, Carol Vinson, and Suzanne Wedekind.

Gallery hours: 10-3 Monday through Thursday, 10-12:30 Sunday
Where: Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler is the first retrospective exhibition of Carl and Pearl Butler, the iconic country music duo whose timeless lyrics and harmonious melodies left an indelible mark on country music. With a career spanning over four decades, Carl and Pearl Butler became celebrated figures in the world of country music. “Carl made scores of major-label records during the 1950s,” says Bradley E. Reeves, the exhibition’s guest curator and author of the new book Honky Tonkitis: On the Road with Carl Butler and Pearl. “These are some of the best bluegrass, gospel, and hard country records ever made, although none could be called a massive hit.” That honor would come in 1962, when Carl and Pearl recorded “Don’t Let Me Cross Over.” The song remains among the fastest ever to ascend to No. 1 on Billboard Hot Country Singles. Carl and Pearl’s unique “Knoxville sound,” along with heartfelt lyrics, earned them a dedicated fan base who supported them at performances across the United States and Canada through the 1970s. The exhibition offers visitors a rare glimpse into the lives of these music legends.

Key highlights of the exhibition include:
1. Rare Family Archives: Museum guests will have the opportunity to view the Allen “Junior” Butler Family Collection, which has been made publicly available for the first time and includes never-before-seen photographs, home movies, original instruments, and stage costumes that belonged to Carl and Pearl Butler. “I’m grateful to Allen Butler and his family for opening their home and archives to share with us,” says Reeves.
2. Musical Journey: Explore the duo's musical journey through a feature film, which transports visitors through various periods of their career and traces their unfiltered, raw singing style, one that derived from and advanced the “Knoxville sound.”
3. Behind-the-Scenes: Gain insight into the lives of Carl and Pearl Butler through never-before-seen family photographs and recently uncovered anecdotes from the family and fellow musicians, including Dolly Parton who viewed the Butlers as her “second parents.” “Despite their successes,” says Adam Alfrey, Assistant Director for Historical Services at Knox County Public Library, “Carl and Pearl faced personal and professional struggles, which are intimately documented through the family’s photographs.”
4. Interpretive Experience: Engage with the exhibition to understand how both Knoxville and Nashville played a role in the development of country music. Also, learn how chart-topping artists can quickly become all but forgotten, even in their hometown. “The Butlers somehow fell through the cracks,” reflects Reeves. “It’s my hope that this book and exhibition will contribute to a reappreciation of their great body of work.”
They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler promises to be a heartfelt educational experience for country music enthusiasts and fans of all ages. It serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Carl and Pearl Butler on the world of music.

At 5:00 pm, Friday, October 6, 2023, there will be an opening reception for They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler. The event will include a meet and greet with Carl and Pearl Butler’s family, a book signing by guest curator Bradley E. Reeves, and an exhibition of Appalachian musical pioneer paintings by artist Amy Campbell. At 7:00 pm, there will be a “Tribute to Carl and Pearl,” opened by a performance of the Paul Brewster and Friends Band, comprised of 14-year-old mandolin prodigy Wyatt Ellis and Grand Ole Opry performers Daniel Grindstaff, Kent Blanton, Stephen Burwell, and John Meador. A screening of 8mm home movies shot by the Butlers (watch for an appearance by 10-year-old Dolly Parton), as well as some of the Butlers’ rarest television appearances, will conclude the evening.

East Tennessee Historical Society, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Museum hours: M-F 9-4, Sa 10-4, Su 1-5. Information: 865-215-8824, www.eastTNhistory.org/lights-camera

The Frothy Monkey is hosting the Tennessee Artist’s Association’s show of “American Modernism” from October through January at the Frothy Monkey, 419, S. Gay St. Knoxville, TN 37902.

More than ten TAA artists will be represented at the exhibit, and many will be on hand for a meet and greet on Friday, October 6th from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

The Frothy Monkey is the perfect stop for coffee, conversation and community. The restaurant offers fresh baked goods, beer, wine & cocktails along with its coffee and tea selections. The Frothy Monkey seeks to provide a safe and welcoming environment that can nourish guests and build community relationships.

For more information, contact twiegenstein@gmail.com

Cherokee basketry and Southern Appalachian basket styles are on display now at Pellissippi State Community College’s Strawberry Plains Campus. The “All the Eggs in One Basket” exhibit curated by Art Professor Jeffrey Lockett is free and open to the public through the college’s Appalachian Heritage Project, which is housed in the Strawberry Plains Campus Library. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Appalachian Heritage Project serves as a repository for regional literature, history and folklore and includes programming including exhibits, lectures and workshops. “Abundant river cane in the Southern Appalachians contributes to its widespread use in weaving and basketry,” Lockett said. “The known works of the 17th century Cherokee Indians introduced the unique combination of materials and weave patterns using this cane.”

In the 18th and 19th centuries, storage baskets were used for daily needs such as harvesting, transportation and food preparation, Lockett added. However, as mountain tourism and markets for mountain crafts grew into the 20th century, Cherokee basket makers responded by producing baskets for the tourist trade. Most baskets on display in the "All the Eggs in One Basket” exhibit were made by Jimmy Lawrence of Clinton, Tennessee. Lawrence, born in 1937 in Abington, Virginia, is a Virginia Tech-educated mechanical engineer with a lifelong fascination with Appalachian crafts. He and his wife, Gail, have a regionally known collection of Southern folk art, crafts and utilitarian ware at their home.

“Jimmy says his curiosity for Southern crafts together with his engineering background has allowed him to approach basketmaking and weaving as an artform as well as an achievement in engineering,” said Lockett, who named the exhibit in honor of the variety of Lawrence’s traditional egg baskets that are on display. "Jimmy takes traditional Appalachian styles as well as Cherokee weaving traditions and varies the materials to include slippery elm bark, native cane and white oak.” All works in the exhibit are from the collections of Lawrence or Lockett. The Strawberry Plains Campus Library is open 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday.

Pellissippi State | 865.694.6638 | marketing@pstcc.edu | www.pstcc.edu