Calendar of Events

1327 Circle Park Drive, Knoxville, TN,

Join the Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) Research Seminar for a screening of the documentary film, ᏓᏗᏬᏂᏏ (We Will Speak), then stick around for a discussion with the film makers, Michael McDermit and ᎨᎳᏗ (Keli Gonzales)!

Reception: 5 pm
Film Starts: 6 pm

About the film: The Cherokee language is deeply tied to Cherokee identity; yet generations of assimilation efforts by the U.S. government and anti-Indigenous stigmas have forced the Tri-Council of Cherokee tribes to declare a State of Emergency for the language in 2019. Language activists, artists, and the youth must now lead the charge of urgent radical revitalization efforts to help save the language from the brink of extinction. Through intimate interviews, vérité footage of community gatherings, and extensive archival materials, the film explores the nuanced ways the Cherokee language is vital to maintaining a unique cultural identity and relationship with the world.

https://www.facebook.com/events/960300655677459/

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “And yet … There’s still Joy: Joy as an Act of Resistance in Poetry,” a workshop led by Barbara Fant on April 10th, 2024, from 6:00-7:30 PM. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: safta).

Throughout this workshop, participants will learn how other poets over time have experienced and explored joy in their writing. We will read and listen to poems and discuss how joy shows up in poetry, from the small joys in everyday life to healing through trauma. We will specifically explore the work of Toi Derricotte, her usage of “joy as an act of resistance,” and how we can use our writing to explore and experience more deeply the small moments of joy in our daily lives. We will also explore how to lean into writing when healing through pain, trauma, and grief, and ultimately, finding joy in the midst of it all. Participants will experience the poetry of contemporary poets, receive writing prompts, be offered time and space to write, and then receive the invitation to share with others.

While there is no fee to participate in this workshop, those who are able and appreciate it may make donations directly to Barbara Fant. Barbara Fant is the author of two poetry collections, Paint, Inside Out (2010) and Mouths of Garden (2022). Her work has been featured in the Academy of American Poets, Electric Literature, McNeese Review, The Ohio State University Press, Button Poetry, and Def Poetry Jam, amongst others. She has received residencies in Havana, Cuba and Senegal, West Africa. She has competed in nine National Poetry Slams and placed 8th out of 96 poets in the 2017 Women of the World Poetry Slam. She is a certified Healing Centered Engagement specialist and holds an MFA in Poetry and a Master of Theology.

https://www.facebook.com/events/429738149612164

Journalist and comedian Charlie Berens brings his Good Old Fashioned Tour to the Bijou Theatre on Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM.

Tickets at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006133BDFD770F

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

EXPERIENCE HENDRIX, Thursday, April10, 2025, 7:30 PM at the Tennessee Theater.

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B006157BAF653B8

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

Saturdays and Sundays, 12-5 PM, April 6 - 28 (or for appointment call 636-256-6555)

Come talk with the artist and explore examples of his fine art, sculpture, and furniture throughout his gallery home. Mr. Denninger is an internationally known artist, designer, and author. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Open houses are free. http://georgedenninger.com/

At 2109 Manor Road, Knoxville, TN 37920.

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present the next exhibition in their Main Gallery at the historic Candoro Marble Building. A two-person show, Extended Materiality, featuring recent works by artists Mie Kongo (Evanston, IL) and Althea Murphy-Price (Knoxville, TN) opens Friday, April 5 and will run through Saturday, June 1, 2024. Curator: Brian R. Jobe.

https://www.miekongo.com/
https://www.altheamurphyprice.com/

An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 5, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artists in attendance). There will be an artist talk by Kongo and Murphy-Price beforehand at 3:30pm. The address is 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 and admission is always free of charge.

The artists will also appear at an event at the Beck Cultural Exchange Center on Friday, April 5, 2024 from 12:00—1:00 pm. Attendees are welcome to bring their own brown bag lunch. The address is 1927 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37915.

Mie Kongo grew up on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan, and now lives and works in Evanston, IL. She creates multidisciplinary works that have been exhibited nationally and internationally. This includes two solo exhibitions at 65Grand in Chicago, IL, a recent two-person Exposure booth represented by 65Grand at EXPO Chicago, and participation in NADA Miami represented by The Landing Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Her other selected solo and group exhibitions were held at Harper College in Palatine, IL; Charlotte Street Foundation in Kansas City, MO; Audible Gallery at Experimental Sound Studio in Chicago, IL; Devening Projects + Editions in Chicago, IL; Arts and Literature Laboratory in Madison, WI; and 4th Ward Project Space in Chicago, IL. She completed residencies at Shigaraki Ceramics Cultural Park in Shiga, Japan, and the European Keramic Work Center in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Mie Kongo received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA in Ceramics from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Currently, she serves as an Associate Professor, Adjunct, in the Ceramics Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Fellowship in 2021.

Althea Murphy-Price began her studies in Fine Art at Spelman College before receiving her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting from Purdue University, and later studying at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University where she earned her Master of Fine Arts. Murphy-Price maintains an active exhibiting practice. She has exhibited in venues throughout the country and abroad such as the Weston Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; Howard Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; Wellesley College, Boston, MA; Wade Wilson Art Gallery, Houston, TX; Indiana University Art Museum; The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA; The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, SC; and the Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN. International exhibits include the International Printmaking Exhibition, Jingdezhen China; the American Youth Printmaking Exhibition, Lui Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai, China; and Print Resonance, Musashino Art University, Tokyo, Japan. In addition to her exhibition record, she has been an artist-in-residence at the Frank Lloyd Wright School; University of Hawaii, Hilo; the Vermont Studio Center; and the Venice Printmaking Studio. Her writings and work have been featured in such publications as Art Papers Magazine, CAA Reviews, Contemporary Impressions Journal, Art in Print, Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials and Process, and Printmakers Today.

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

DUSK BY SHAHNAZ LIGHARI
Project Space, Apr. 5 - Jun. 1, 2024

Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present the next exhibition in their Golden Chain Gallery project space located at the historic Candoro Marble Building. Dusk by Shahnaz Lighari (Nashville, TN) opens Friday, April 5 and will run through Saturday, June 1, 2024, with a thematic focus on the transitional moment between day and night. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell.

https://shahnazlighari.com/

Shahnaz Lighari is an artist based in Nashville, TN. She is self taught as a painter but attended Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film where she became inspired by art history and film. Incorporating a cinematic time-based approach to 2D media her work embodies the process of creation highlighting the many phases and layers involved in the evolution of each piece. Her work has been featured in publications and has shown in galleries nationwide, especially in the southeast. She has taught painting and printmaking at Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center and recently attended a workshop on Byzantine Iconography and sacred arts.

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

Featuring nearly 40 pieces
Join the artist on First Friday, April 5.
115 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902

Patsy Ferrell White/Ferrell White Creative
https://www.ferrellwhitecreative.com
www.instagram.com/ferrellwhitecreative
https://www.facebook.com/patsyferrellwhite

Rala is preparing for our April First Friday show, with featured artist Cynthia Markert. The opening reception will be from 6-8 on April 5.

Her show is titled, "The Librarian, Circus Sisters, Hello and Other Portraits at Seventy".
Shop Cynthia's Work: https://shoprala.com/collections/cynthia-markert-original-art
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1vx4Oez2u

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

Friday, April 5, from 6-8 Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for artist Lyndsey Ullom.

A native Knoxvillian, Lyndsey is a wildlife and portrait artist who finds inspiration in the beauty and biodiversity of East Tennessee. Lyndsey loves to bring to life the personalities hidden in our local flora and fauna through colorful acrylics, inks, and pen. She enjoys creating heartfelt depictions, whether her subject is human, a pet, or wildlife.

Please join us for light refreshments, new artwork and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Open daily. Information: 865-951-0427, www.instagram.com/awaken_coffee or www.facebook.com/awakencoffeeoldcity/

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from April 5-27, 2024. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, April 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features music by Marble City Opera.

Janis Proffitt is a native Knoxvillian. Her roots run deep in the Smoky Mountains. Her great-great-grandfather owned a sawmill in the Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For over 25 years, she and her sister ran their father’s woodshop in Pittman Center, Tennessee. In the 1980s she taught herself wood burning that she incorporates on to her pieces. With her rich Southern Appalachian Heritage, she creates both traditional and contemporary wood turnings, and her work comes from the head, the heart, and hands.

This new exhibition is in honor of my dad, Ellis Proffitt, for showing me the love of wood and working with it in all the different ways it can be used, from building a house to building a fire and all that's in between.

Instagram @janis1709
https://www.facebook.com/janis.proffitt.7

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and 5:00-7:00 PM on Thu Apr 11, Thu Apr 18, and Fri Apr 26 for Gallery 1010 openings. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at https://www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.

The Arts & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from April 5-27, 2024. A free gathering with the artists will take place on Friday, April 5, from 5:00-9:00 PM and features music by Marble City Opera.

Stephen Brayfield has lived and worked in Knoxville since 2008 but is originally from Chicago where he studied drawing/printmaking, scientific illustration, and anatomical rendering at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also studied illustration and fine art at the American Academy of Art, The School of Representational Art, and the Palette and Chisel in Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in studio art from Northeastern Illinois University where he discovered watercolor and has since painted in this medium.

While I am influenced by surrealism, I am more a representational realist with an Americana element that I refer to as "southern gothic". I paint with transparent watercolors on 300 lb. Arches paper. Gradually layering light to dark, I avoid the use of opaque white or black paint. The darker tones you see are made by mixing less diluted complimentary colors and the white areas are simply the white of the paper carefully painted around or masked off. Recently I have started mounting some of my work on cradled panels and sealing them with cold wax medium, giving them an appearance similar to egg tempera. These watercolors can be hung without a frame, mat and glass. Contact the artist at stephen.brayfield@gmail.com to discuss requests for a pet or human portrait commission.

https://stephenbrayfield.com

The exhibitions will be on display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM; and 5:00-7:00 PM on Thu Apr 11, Thu Apr 18, and Fri Apr 26 for Gallery 1010 openings. Most of the works on exhibition will be for sale and may be purchased by visiting in person or the online shop at https://www.knoxalliance.store. For more information, please see www.knoxalliance.com or call (865) 523-7543.