Calendar of Events

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Tennessee Artists Association: Annual Show at Clayton Center for the Arts

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Blackberry Farm Gallery & William “Ed” Harmon Gallery
Gallery Hours 10AM - 5PM Monday - Friday
Free Admission

Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Knoxville Museum of Art: Carmen Winant A Brand New End: Survival and its Pictures

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Artist Carmen Winant’s large-scale collages and installations illuminate the often-invisible experiences of women, as well as feminist strategies for survival, revolt, and self-determination. She explores these themes through objects drawn from and inspired by the archives of Women in Transition (WIT) and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).

“I am a photographer who no longer makes her own images. My work revisits and recontextualizes the feminist histories that preceded my own, reaching backward as an attempt to understand the space between our lived experiences, and the larger, if nuanced and sometimes contradictory, aims of women’s liberation. As such the found photographs that run throughout my work — integrated into books, installations, billboards, or discrete objects — are not evidence of a history, but in fact its very living residue. These projects, all of which work to unravel foreclosed histories, often take the form of ad hoc archives and pay particular interest to women’s power, pleasure, labor, and self-actualization. Lately I’ve turned towards imagination, optimism, and joy as shared, necessary tools of the artist and the revolutionary.” —Carmen Winant (December 2020)

Content warning: please be advised that this exhibition contains adult content, including depictions and descriptions of domestic violence.

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.

Knoxville Museum of Art: Clothesline Project with YWCA Knoxville & the TN Valley

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Free event and Health, wellness

Inspired by Women in Transition's "Clothesline Project", the YWCA worked with their clients to make their own t-shirts, which are on display in the 3rd floor lobby.

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.

Ewing Gallery: 77th Annual Student Art Competition

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

Begun in 1947 by C. Kermit Ewing, founder of the University of Tennessee School of Art, the annual student exhibition has become one of the oldest competitions in the country and one of the highlights of the Ewing Gallery’s exhibition season. This competition has been an outlet for UT’s talented students for 77 years, wherein countless works of art of every form have been displayed and applauded by the university and Knoxville community.

Reception Thu Jan 25, 5-7 PM

This exhibition was jurored by Stacey Robinson, Associate Professor of Graphic Design & Design for Responsible Innovation at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Location: The Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture, 1715 Volunteer Boulevard
Times: M, T, W, F: 10am - 5pm, Thur: 10am - 7:30pm, Sun: 1-4pm
For more information: ewing@utk.edu | https://ewing-gallery.utk.edu

Tri-Star Arts: One Solitude Speaking by Mandy Cano Villalobos

  • January 19, 2024 — March 30, 2024

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

PROJECT SPACE
special reception Jan. 19, 2024
https://tristararts.org/the-gallery/f/one-solitude-speaking

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit

Circle Modern Dance: Classes

Category: Classes, workshops and Dance, movement

CLASS SCHEDULE 2024
January 14 - May 19 - Spring Semester classes
July 14 - Aug 18 - Summer Session classes
September 8 - November 24 - Fall Semester classes

OPEN LEVEL BALLET, Sundays, 1:00 – 2:30 PM
This ballet class is open to students of all levels of experience and ability. This class will be a comfortable pace for students with some experience in any form of dance. Warm-up exercises will prepare the class for a focus on center work like petit allegro, adagio, turns, and leaps.

OPEN-LEVEL MODERN, Sundays, 2:30 – 4:00 PM EST
This class is open to anyone interested in building their creative and technical capacity as a dancer. No previous experience in dance is required. Class will include a warm-up, modern dance technique exercises, across-the-floor movement, and a short combination.

OPEN-LEVEL IMPROVISATION, Sundays, 12:00-1:00 PM EST
Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of movement. When you hear a song you like and begin to move to it, you are improvising. This class is open to students of all levels. Improv class helps dancers explore their own personal movement vocabulary and learn to relate with other dancers in the form of free or structured improvisation exercises. This class will also teach important choreographic concepts such as dynamics, use of space, sampling, flocking, and more! Some light contact may be involved depending on vaccination status and student comfort.

Classes are held at the Tennessee Conservatory of Fine Arts, 2906 Tazewell Pike, #A, Knoxville, TN 37918.
https://www.circlemoderndance.com/

Rarity Bay Art Gallery: Making Our Marks by Judy Lavoie

  • January 14, 2024 — March 30, 2024

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

Scratchboards and more fine art by Judy Lavoie
Also featuring scratchboards by some of her students.
website: https://judylavoieart.com

Opening reception Jan 14, 2-4 PM

Rarity Bay Art Gallery, Community Activity Center, 150 Rarity Bay Pkwy, Vonore, TN

McClung Museum: Coming into View: Oil Paintings from the Permanent Collection

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Free event and History, heritage

The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is excited to announce the special exhibition, Coming into View: Oil Paintings from the Permanent Collection. The exhibition will feature several artworks never before displayed to the public alongside pieces that have been the focus of recent research.

Aligned with the museum’s newly implemented strategic plan, this exhibition underscores the significance of the museum’s ongoing collaboration with students, the university, and external partners. Coming into View explores three key themes—student research, collaboration, and coursework—providing an insider’s perspective on the research efforts conducted behind the scenes on the museum’s permanent collection.

Featuring both beloved “fan favorites” and previously unseen works, the exhibition spotlights paintings central to coursework, internships, and student research projects at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Beyond a mere display of art, Coming into View demonstrates the integral role of students, faculty, and the campus community in deepening the museum’s understanding of its collections.

The exhibition also provides a peek behind the metaphorical museum curtain into the importance of conservation of the museum’s permanent collection. Learn more about the exhibition and stay up to date with exhibition-related programming by visiting https://tiny.utk.edu/ComingIntoView.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-2144. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday 12–4 p.m. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts: Trapp Fellow Permanent Collection Exhibition

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Fine Crafts and Free event

Details TBA

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

Knoxville Walking Tours

  • January 1, 2024 — December 31, 2024

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/

Lilienthal Gallery: Flow: Mastering a Brushstroke

  • December 1, 2023 — February 28, 2024

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/

East Tennessee Historical Society: They Sang What They Lived: The Story of Carl and Pearl Butler

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, History, heritage, Kids, family and Music

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

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