Calendar of Events
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Westminster Presbyterian Church: Allen Monsarrat and Joanna Warren exhibition
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event
Allen Monsarrat (oil)
https://www.monsarratart.com
Joanna Warren (leather)
www.Joanna-warren.com
Westminster Presbyterian Church Schilling Gallery, 6500 S Northshore Dr, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-R 9-4:30, Fri 9-12. Information: (865) 584-3957 or www.wpcknox.org
Eugenia Williams House and History Tours
Category: Free event and History, heritage
We’re giving tours, twice a month now, of the 1941 Eugenia Williams mansion on Lyons View. Designed by Knoxville-raised architect John Fanz Staub, it was built for divorcee-heiress Eugenia Williams, who lived there mainly alone for over 40 years. Charitable foundation Aslan is rehabbing the house and 24-acre grounds, which reach down to the river, to be a community asset, more broadly open by the end of 2025.
Although we know much more about Eugenia Williams and her story than we did when we started working with Aslan on the project three years ago, she still retains much of her mystery, and probably always will.
Tours are free, but you have to sign up in advance. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eugenia-williams-house-and-history-tour-tickets-128265602871
East Tennessee History Center: Unveiling of MIA
Category: Festivals, special events, Free event and Health, wellness
Open House from 1:00-6:00 pm for members of the visually impaired community; Ribbon Cutting for the MIA system at 4:00 pm
East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 and virtually.
MIA: Museums Increasing Accessibility is a project of the Museum of East Tennessee History and is an on-going initiative to increase accessibility in the museum for all.
The East Tennessee History Center is launching a new accessibility program that aids individuals with visual impairments in touring the Museum of East Tennessee History and navigating the various floors of the History Center. The impetus for this new project was Girl Scout Mia Warren, who brought her Gold Award project to East Tennessee Historical Society and Knox County Public Library team members to develop a comprehensive gallery tour for visually impaired guests using interpretive text and written descriptions of key objects. Mia was inspired to pursue this as her Gold Award project after visiting museums with her friend Campbell Rutherford, who is visually impaired. “It would be nice not to rely completely on someone else, so if I wanted to stay back and finish looking at an exhibit, while someone else went on ahead, I could have that freedom,” remarked Campbell.
Approximately 20 million Americans (or 8% of the US population) have some degree of visual impairment. Museums across the country offer varying degrees of access for visually impaired guests, from Braille handouts to audio tours. Campbell recommended an innovative method that allows visually impaired visitors to utilize screen readers on their personal devices. Instead of being asked to carry an audio stick, download a separate application, or use other unfamiliar technology, the MIA system allows guests to scan QR codes placed strategically throughout the History Center. These codes open webpages that contain a comprehensive written description of the space. Specially optimized for screen readers, the guest’s device then reads the description to the guest, providing them cues on how to safely navigate the space and in-depth descriptions of what is displayed that space. The webpages may also be used by guests with restricted eyesight, who may choose to adjust the font size and contrast of the text, or by deaf-blind guests, who may access the same content via a portable Braille reader.
“It’s all about thinking of others,” said Mia. “We can help a lot of people who just want to get the full experience out of a museum.” The East Tennessee History Center is grateful for to Mia and Campbell for helping move this new accessibility initiative from discussion to action. The History Center is also indebted to Mia for the countless hours she expended in organizing the museum’s interpretive text, measuring distances between displays, and writing descriptions of objects.
601 S. Gay Street | Knoxville, TN | (865) 215-8824
www.eastTNhistory.org
Knoxville Walking Tours
Category: Festivals, special events and History, heritage
Storyteller Laura Still helps you live the stories of pioneers, soldiers, outlaws, and even fictional characters who walked these streets before you.
Knoxville has a rich history full of colorful characters and famous, and infamous, figures whose lives have been the inspiration for books, movies, and works of art. Take a stroll through history in beautiful downtown Knoxville while listening to true tales of the heroes, heels, and hardened criminals that are part of the hidden lore of this unique East Tennessee town.
A portion of the proceeds for downtown tours go to help fund the work of the non-profit Knoxville History Project. Many stories are based on the books and stories of award-winning journalist and writer Jack Neely. Knoxville Walking Tours opens a window to Knoxville’s varied past and leads you on a journey through both hard times and high times of a city growing through over two centuries of history.
Tours include:
• Knoxville: The Early Years
• Misbehaving Women
• Civil War
• Gunslingers
• Musical History
• Literary Heritage
• Side Street Shadows Ghost Tours
• Knoxville Botanical Garden
• Old Gray Cemetery
• Side Street Shadows Ghost Tours
Tour on Your Schedule! Rather than posting a calendar, we’re letting you pick the tour and time — subject to availability. Call (865)309-4522 or visit http://knoxvillewalkingtours.com/
Capoeira Fundo da Mata: Trainings
Category: Classes, workshops, Dance, movement and Health, wellness
Capoeira Fundo da Mata is the Knoxville chapter of UCA. We train at the Sustainable Future Center (map) on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30. Classes are $5 and the first class is free.
The classes are led by Instructors Bode and Odisseu who have over 15 years of experience each in capoeira and are under the instruction of Mestre Avestruz who has nearly 40 years of experience. Capoeira is a great combination of exercise, mobility, fun movement and expression, as well as music and Brazilian culture.
Contact us at info@capoeiraknoxville.org.
https://capoeiraknoxville.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/10676755862/
Sustainable Future Center, 201 Ogle Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-294-0154, https://www.sfcknox.org/
TVUUC Gallery: Carole Quinn and Megan Wolfkill
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
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.
Lilienthal Gallery: Flow: Mastering a Brushstroke
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
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/
Rala: Works by Brian Pittman
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
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
Tri-Star Arts: Greetings From Vestal III
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
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
Knoxville Museum of Art: 18th annual East Tennessee Regional Student Art Exhibition
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts, Free event and Kids, family
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.
Pivot Point Gallery: Featuring Alessandra Page
Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event
Opening Thursday November 16 5-7pm
I'm a primarily self-taught pastelist who moved to Tennessee in the late autumn of 2020 after decades on the coast of Maine I paint both en plein air and in the studio. My work unabashedly steps away from social commentary. I paint calm. I fall in love with the light and let it define what I'll paint. Because of that emotion I often think of my paintings as intimate portraits of the subject.
https://www.apagefineart.com/
Pivot Point Gallery, 15 Emory Place, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-248-0050, www.pivotpointgallery.com
The District Gallery: The Big Tiny Show
Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event
THE BIG TINY SHOW - A SMALL WORKS EXHIBIT
We are excited to announce the Big Tiny Show is back! The Big Tiny Show is a national juried exhibition of small 2D works, opening Friday, November 10, 2023. The Big Tiny Show will include works from established and emerging artists, in a variety of subject matter, media, and expression. The focus of the Big Tiny Show is to celebrate the power of delightfully tiny original art. Each original work of art has a history and a story that we’re excited to share with our clients. It is our aim to make these tiny, but mighty, original works accessible to anyone and everyone.
GALLERY HOURS: Tues – Fri: 10:00 – 5:30 and Sat: 10:00 – 4:00
5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919, 865-200-4452
https://www.thedistrictgallery.com/bigtinyshow/