Calendar of Events

THE BEST THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS - THE MUSICAL
DEC 19 & 20 | TWO PERFORMANCES
“Dylan moves his family to Nashville with dreams of people singing his songs by heart but a tragic December accident takes his oldest daughter from him and destroys his love of Christmas. Needing a miracle to pull him from the brink he is inspired to begin writing the stories and songs that surround him which reignites his dreams for his music to matter. Emerging from the shadows of her big sister, Dylan's talented and intuitive daughter Sadie becomes a conduit towards healing and renewed faith. With wisdom beyond her years, and help from her special angel sister Molly, Dylan re-discovers a love for Christmas and a peace about the past. With God’s grace, support from an amazing wife and faithful family, and a gritty never give-up attitude, he realizes that his most important dreams are right in his own living room and to trust God’s plan for his life.”

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, https://knoxbijou.org/

Ijams Nature Preschool Open Houses
12/13 from 6-7:30 PM (In Person)
12/18 from 6-7 PM (Virtual)
Looking for a part-time or full-time preschool? Join us for an open house!
 
Geminid Meteor Shower - Guided Night Program
12/15 • 11:00 PM
Witness the marvelous Geminid Meteor shower during its peak with Ijams naturalists & uncover the wonders of the woods and the beautiful night sky!

Winter Tree ID: Beginner Workshop
12/16 • 11:00 AM
Having trouble identifying local trees without their leaves? With a little guidance, you won't be-leaf how easy it can be! Join an Ijams naturalist to learn the basics of tree ID and species histories, and leave with a larger understanding of tree phenology.
 
Tracks & Scat! Animal Signs in Winter
12/16 • 3:00 PM
During this 2-hour workshop, you'll learn to identify common tracks, scat, and types of animal homes, and read the landscape for other signs of activity and wildlife. This program will be spent entirely outside exploring; please come dressed for the weather!
 
Self Care Sunday Yoga with Hope Irwin
12/17 @ 1:00 PM
Join Hope Irwin for a weekly Ijams yoga class on Sunday. Release all the holiday stress from the past week and get centered for the week ahead.
 
East Tennessee Bluegrass Association Monthly Jam
12/17 @ 2:00 PM
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 in the Visitor Center.
 
Winter Solstice Wander
12/21 @ 6:00 PM
Join Ijams on the longest night of the year to wander through the woods and celebrate the promise of longer days to come with hot chocolate, s'mores, and friends by a campfire.

Winter Break Camp • Ages 7-12
12/21-22 from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Join us for Winter Break Camp and explore the wonders of nature in cold weather! Campers will search for signs of animal activity and celebrate the the season by learning basic winter survival skills and winter ecology.

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

Art Exhibit at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
Free and open to the public
When: Reception Friday, January 12, 2024, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Artists’ talk at 6:30 p.m.
Show: December 10, 2023 – February 7, 2024
Gallery hours: 9:30-4:30 Monday through Thursday, 10-12:30 Sunday
2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

Carol Quinn has painted and exhibited for decades, mostly in the Southeast and in New York City. She began as a watercolorist painting mostly nature and then moved into various mixed media, larger creations, and more abstraction in design. Her work is mainly from experimentation with the mediums and from a passion for exploring color and textures. Her degrees are in Human Ecology from the University of Tennessee. She has been a member of Art Market Gallery since 2018.

Megan Wolfkill explores the nature of queerness as a fractured amalgamation of experiences, expectations, and personal truths. Her paintings tap into her sense of touch and include experimentation with two-sided paintings, mirroring, and iridescent and reflective materials. Wolfkill is pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting + Drawing at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, and will graduate in May 2024. She is a finalist in the 2024 Miami University Yeck Young Painters Competition, and recently presented at SECAC in Richmond, VA. Megan has had artwork in numerous juried exhibitions across four states and in many online galleries.

Adapted by Joe Landry
'It's a Wonderful Life' is based on the story, 'The Greatest Gift' by Philip Van Doren Stern

This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

December 3-20: Foothills Craft Guild
Open house on Dec 3, 2-4 PM

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

OPENING NIGHT
December 1, 5 - 9 pm

Lilienthal Gallery cordially invites you to the opening of Flow: Mastering a Brushstroke, which contemplates the meditative dance through which the energetic flow of creativity is transmitted by poetic forms of ink and motion.

ARTIST TALK at 6:30 pm
German artist Sigrid Artmann will discuss her calligraphic process of Absolute Writing, a practice which delves into the intuition of body-soul connection.

DRESS CODE - Minimalistic composition of black and white.

Launching an exclusive, limited-edition brew by Crafty Bastard featuring the work of Sigrid Artmann.

Flow is the synthesis between action and awareness— a state by which all else falls away in favor of the fullest moment of subjective creativity.

CURATED BY ILANA LILIENTHAL AND KELLY FERGUSON
PRESENTING ARTWORKS BY SIGRID ARTMANN, GUO HAI-JIANG, AND ANTHONY HUANG

23 Emory Place
Knoxville, Tennessee 37917
https://lilienthalgallery.com/flow/

The opening reception will be from 6-8pm December 1st. Brian, aka "The Cathedral Guy", creates highly detailed work that is recognizable throughout Knoxville. An architect by trade, he designs each cathedral, castle, floor plan, and rose window from his imagination. Brian's work will remain on display from December 1st - January 31st.

https://shoprala.com/collections/brian-pittman-original-art
https://www.facebook.com/events/1720889741656518

FRIDAY, DEC. 1, 5:00—8:00 pm
TRI-STAR ARTS RECEPTION feat. Tri-Star Arts resident studio artists Rachel Sevier Dallery, Casey Field, Lisa Flanary, Risa Hricovsky, and Ashley Pace
MAIN GALLERY
Friday, December 1, 2023 (5-8pm) and will run through Saturday, January 27, 2024. Curator: Brian R. Jobe.

Hop by Gabrielle Barnhart (Knoxville, TN)
PROJECT SPACE
opens Friday, December 1, 2023 (5-8pm) and will run through Saturday, January 15, 2024. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell.

The Lottery by Melissa Catanese (Pittsburgh, PA)
curated / organized by Mauro Antonio Barreto (Nashville, TN)
CARRIAGE HOUSE
Friday, December 1, 2023 (curator in attendance). One night only.

Root by Jason Sheridan Brown (Knoxville, TN)
GROUNDS
on view through Tuesday, December 31, 2024

The Tri-Star Arts Gallery and Studios are located in the historic Candoro Marble Building, 5 minutes from downtown Knoxville at the corner of Maryville Pike and Candora Avenue.
4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920
This exhibition is open to the public regularly from Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, alongside iconic spaces within the Candoro Marble Building — located in the Vestal neighborhood of Knoxville. Photo: Bruce Cole.
https://tristararts.org/visit

First Friday Reception: December 1th, 5:30 – 9:00 pm with complimentary refreshments and music

Ed Lewis’s innovative woodworking will be featured during the month of December. Ed's woodworking journey spans a lifetime, transitioning to woodturning in 2017 after retiring. A standout member of the Smoky Mountain Woodturners, he's won multiple club challenges, showcasing his dedication and skill. He began with traditional pieces but quickly delved into segmented turnings, creating diverse works like wood snakes, moonshine stills, and lighthouses. Ed generously shares his expertise by teaching woodturning to students at Wears Valley Ranch. His innovative segmented pieces earned him spots at the prestigious Master Woodworkers Show in Knoxville in both 2019 and 2023, where his talent dazzled audiences.

Kate McCullough’s stunning watercolor paintings will be featured. Kate McCullough began painting in watercolor about 18 years ago after a 35-year hiatus from art. Initially her studies at Villa Marie College and SUNY College at Buffalo included general design, art history and oil and acrylic painting. When she returned to painting, she decided that watercolor was a medium that she would like to explore. Kate immediately fell in love with it and hasn't looked back. She has studied art at UT and has attended many workshops. Kate is the former president of the Knoxville Watercolor Society and a member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society.

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

Join us in The Gallery this December as we celebrate new work by Denise Stewart-Sanabria in her exhibit Epicurean Indulgences. The exhibit opens on December 1 and runs through December 29.

We will kick off the exhibit with a Champagne Open House on Saturday, December 2nd from 11–4, with meet the artist from 12–3. Stop by!

Bennett, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30; Sundays in December 1-5. Information: 865-584-6791, https://bennetthome.com/

"From an Eastern Tennessee Point of View"
442 W 2nd N St., Morristown, TN 37814
open Mondays - Fridays. 9am-5pm, and Sat. Dec 2nd 9am-4pm
Opening Reception, Friday, December 1st, 6-8 PM
Exhibit open December 1st - December 21st, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/knoxville.watercolor.society/

Welcome to the 18th Annual East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition, presented by the Knoxville Museum of Art. The ETRSAE showcases the strength and diversity of art education programs in East Tennessee, celebrates talented middle and high school students, and supports arts education. This annual exhibition provides the opportunity for students to participate in a juried exhibition and to have their artworks displayed in a professional art museum environment. We are so delighted by the quality of the artworks, the dedication of the teachers, and the commitment of the museum staff to establish a museum/school tradition for our community.

Public, private, and home schools grade 6–12 in 32 East Tennessee counties were invited to submit up to 15 artworks per teacher. Categories for the competition include ceramic, drawing, digital imagery/video production, mixed media, painting, computer graphics, sculpture, photography, and printmaking. Each participating school is represented by one work of art.

The Best-in-Show winner receives a Purchase Award of $500, and the artwork becomes a permanent part of the collection of Mr. James Dodson, on loan to the Knoxville Museum of Art’s Education Collection. The Best-in-Middle School winner receives $250. If you are a NAEA/TAEA member and the teacher of the student who is selected as this year’s Best-in-Show and Best in Middle School, you will receive a $100 Art Educator Award from the Knoxville Museum of Art. Each student in the exhibition receives a certificate of participation and the “Best” in each of the 10 categories. The winners receive a cash award and a museum family membership.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tu-Sa 10-5, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org. Admission and parking are free.