Calendar of Events

2024 MLK CELEBRATION EVENTS

The MLK Commission is the largest consortium of MLK events in East Tennessee and we are especially grateful for the support that we receive annually from our friends and partners as well as the entire community. Without question, it is this tremendous support that has allowed our observance to be recognized as one of the nation’s best King commemorations. Please join with us! Events include:

Interfaith Prayer Service
Leadership Educational Symposium
Thomas "Tank" Strickland Leadership Awards Luncheon
Community Forum
Juneteenth Celebration
MLK Youth Symposium
Jack and Jill Oratorical Contest
Night With the Arts Tribute
Memorial Tribute Service
Teacher In-Service Training

https://www.mlkknoxville.com/2024-mlk-events/

Details TBA

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. Information: 865-436-5860, https://www.arrowmont.org

A series of stitched portraits of famous women by artist Marcia Goldenstein.

“Women artists throughout history often had to make difficult decisions and sacrifices to disregard conventional, societal expectations in order to forge professional careers as painters, sculptors and photographers. Women activists use their voices, their art, their poetry and more to help make positive changes in the world. Representing them in “stitches” is my metaphor for a laugh at the criticism they often encountered, but also ironically uses a form that is historically considered “women’s work”. For this project I was able to combine the traditional craft of embroidery with my professional experience in painting and drawing. I find, not so surprisingly, that the activities demand the same formal, compositional and observational qualities. Building an image with thread is the same as with any mark-making material. I chose “stitches” to depict and honor a few of these extraordinary women artists and activists through what is generally considered a domestic art form—something they eschewed in their own lives.” -Marcia Goldenstein

EXHIBITION-RELATED PROGRAMS:
A Discussion with the Artist | Thursday, February 8 | 6-8pm

ABOUT MARCIA GOLDENSTEIN— Marcia Goldenstein received her B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Painting and Drawing from the University of Nebraska. She taught at the University of Tennessee School of Art for 36 years. She has been a visiting artist at the National Academy of Fine Arts, Bratislava, Slovakia; Sichuan University, Chengdu; Beihang University, Beijing; University of Texas, San Antonio; Arizona State University; University of Indianapolis; Tudor Hall, UK; College of the Ozarks; Knoxville Museum of Art; Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts, Wroclav, Poland and many other schools and museums. She has an international exhibition record and is represented in numerous public and private collections in the US, Europe, and China.

In 2021, she was awarded a Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship. In 2016, she was named Outstanding Alumna at the University of Nebraska Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts. She has also received numerous awards for her paintings. She is currently Professor Emerita of Painting and Drawing at the University of Tennessee School of Art. marciagoldenstein.com

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.

Mid-Mod Mind: Pastels, oils & acrylics by Rhonda Moody and Earth & Elegance: Inspired Adornment in Leather, Fiber, Pearl & Stone by Laura Gasparini

Opening First Friday, Jan 5th 5:00-9:00.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Follow us on facebook and instagram for open hours. By appointment, or when the "open" sign is illuminated. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com and www.facebook.com/broadwaystudiosandgallery/

A First Friday opening reception for the exhibit is planned from 5:30 pm - 9 pm, January 5th, with complimentary refreshments and music.

Curt Imerman’s intricate pencil drawings will be featured during the month of January! Curt considers himself to be a self-taught artist. He started with pencil and paper drawings at an early age. Curt’s interest in drawing lead to a career as a Mechanical Designer for a major US crane manufacturer. While designing cranes, his God given talent was called upon to prepare conceptual drawings of various crane designs and components. In the early 70s Curt began his hobby of drawing barns using pen and ink. His early drawings of barns were produced using a quill-point pen, and ink from a bottle. Now, Curt uses a fine tipped mechanical ink pen. Curt also uses colored pencils to highlight and enhance the subject matter of his drawings. He also produces artwork drawn using just colored pencils. Curt’s main focus is drawing weathered barns he finds while traveling in the Midwest, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Curt has nearly 150 pen and ink drawings of barns in a hardbound journal. He has titled the journal “Palaces on the Prairies”. Curt’s goal is to publish a book containing his collection of those old barns, plus many other barn drawings he has completed. Curt says that, “Barns are disappearing from our country’s landscape at an ever-increasing rate. My journal is my way of memorializing and sharing my fascination of old, weathered barns with others.” Curt is constantly looking for ways to improve is artwork through different mediums, style, and subject matter.

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

We are excited to announce local artist Brian Pittman as our featured artist for the month of January! 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. Please join us at Rala in the Old City for the show's opening ceremony from 6 to 8pm on January 5th. Brian's work will be on display for the month of January.

https://www.facebook.com/events/909304970859163
Shop: https://shoprala.com/collections/brian-pittman-original-art

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Mon-Thu & Sat 11-6, Fri 11-8, Sun 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

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.

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

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

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