Calendar of Events

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Knoxville. Get your tickets now to discover your favorite Holiday classics at The Press Room under the gentle glow of candlelight.

General Info
Performers: Listeso String Quartet
Venue: The Press Room
Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector
Duration: 60 minutes (doors open 45 mins prior to the start time and late entry is not permitted)
Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
Accessibility: this venue is ADA compliant
View the FAQs for this event here
Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone

At The Press Room
730 North Broadway, Knoxville, 37917
https://feverup.com/m/133898

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 | 2PM & 6PM
This Christmas is special. Gather the family close and make it a Holiday to remember with tickets to NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet. A Christmas Gift overflowing with an international cast of stars from across the world from Ukraine, Japan, Italy and Turkey perform with towering puppets, breath taking acrobatics and dazzling costumes.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com

Thursday, December 21 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom

Our Third Thursday public Zoom event is on Dec. 21, and will have a holiday theme, too, with some of the stories we’ll tell in the Maple Hall event, but also some surprises from Christmas 100 years ago, in 1923, when Knoxville was a carnival of unexpected distractions, from well-known jazz bands, to significant boxing matches, as well as a particularly momentous yuletide meeting in a Gay Street law office that resulted in a permanent, nationally significant institution that we now take for granted. Our Zoom will in fact land on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Smoky Mountain Conservation Association. Later known as the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association, it was the primary juggernaut for making the national park happen, long before it was a federal project. The organization survives to this day.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUude2uqjooGNF965Rk5Nm7pNDDMNgvpgiq#/registration

Come sing, eat, drink and be merry!
At Monkey's Bar, 103 W. Depot Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917
Doors 6:30 PM, Sing-Along 7 PM

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

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/