Calendar of Events

Online, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

The Sundress Academy for the Arts is excited to present “Before and After: Taking the BIPOC Road to Literary Taxidermy,” a workshop led by Denise Ervin on Wednesday, July 10th, 2024, from 6-7:30 PM EST. This event will be held over Zoom. Participants can access the event at tiny.utk.edu/sundress (password: safta).

Many contemporary poets find inspiration in the words of others. Sometimes, that inspiration takes the form of an “after” poem, where the writer imitates the form, rhythm, cadence, anaphora, etc. of another poet to pay homage to the original idea. In this workshop, we will take this idea beyond the flattering imitation by generating new work that borrows old lines. Specifically, we will examine several sample poems by BIPOC writers and vote for a consensus of our favorite lines from each. Workshop participants will then be charged with literary taxidermy, using two of the lines we’ve chosen as the first and last lines of a new poem and packing the middle with an original poem to bring it to life. Participants will have an opportunity to share their work with the group and will leave with multiple first drafts that they can continue to build on in future writing.
Denise R. Ervin is a creative writer hewn from the streets, classrooms, and boardrooms of Detroit. She has spent two decades as a teaching artist, performing poetry around the country, and leading workshops for the likes of Midnight & Indigo and Room Project. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in AADUNA, Harbinger Asylum, Third Wednesday Magazine, and others. Most recently, she was selected as a Graduate Fellow by The Watering Hole and a semifinalist for America’s Next Great Author. She also serves as Literary Arts Director for SAFTA and manages a youth writing program in her hometown.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1438846390088130

The Unlikely Trio Songwriter Series is hosted by Trisha Gene Brady, formerly of The Black Lillies, and brings together famed songwriters from different backgrounds and genres to swap songs and stories in a true listening room environment!

Originally from Knoxville with occasional stints overseas, Todd Steed has been writing and recording music since Jimmy Carter was president. About every seven years he changes bands, these have included Real Hostages, Smokin' Dave, Opposable Thumbs and The Suns of Phere. Each of these bands average about three records, with each one accumulating more debt than the previous one. Todd was inducted into the East Tennessee's Writer's Hall of Fame in 2023 and bought a tie just for the occasion. He also likes dogs.

Singer. Songwriter. Concert Organizer. Social Activist. Actor. Festival Organizer.
There are few hats Americana troubadour Justin Fedor hasn't worn since the early 2000s; touring the U.S. on his own, fronting his group The Denim Denim and the now defunct The New Familiars, touring and recording as bass player with Ancient Cities as well as spending two tours as bass player for The Shinn Band (no, not The Shins) alongside Rock n' Roll Hall of Famer Dave Krusen (Pearl Jam) and Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon). Fedor has shared the bill with many legendary artists over the years including Gregg Allman, Levon Helm, Taj Mahal, Billy Joe Shaver, and Del McCoury to name a few, as well as performed at some of the nation's most prestigious music festivals including Newport Folk Festival (RI), SXSW (TX), Master Musicians Festival (KY), Merlefest (NC), Bristol Rhythm & Roots (TN/VA), Shakori Hills (NC), FloydFest (VA) and beyond. In 2013, Fedor created Tribute to Benefit, a concert series based out of Charlotte's hsitorical Neighborhood Theatre that now, for over a decade has continued to raise thousands of dollars annual for Levine Children's Hospital and in recent years, Roof Above, Charlotte's frontline nonprofit combatting homelessness. In 2021, Fedor was national recgonized by Matthew McConaughey and Wild Turkey for Tribute to Benefit and they donated $10,000 to support Fedor's endeavors. In 2023, Fedor released a series of singles recorded at the famed Sioux Sioux Studio in Charlotte, NC with renowned and respected product Chris Walldorf at the helm. Fedor's song "No Chorus" released in March of 2023 features legenedary blues guitarist Bob Margolin (Muddy Waters) alongside his band The Denim Denim. To this very day, Fedor makes Charlotte his home wehre he lives with his loving wife, children, and two dogs as we he continues to write, record, and perform the music he loves.

Wednesday, July 10 · 7 - 9pm at Maple Hall, 414 South Gay Street Knoxville, TN 37902

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-unlikely-trio-trisha-gene-brady-todd-steed-justin-fedor-tickets-935777484647

Yee-Haw Brewing Company is gearing up for the highly anticipated return of the WDVX Summer Nights concert series, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have you join us for another season of foot-stomping, heartwarming americana and bluegrass performances at our outdoor stage located at 745 N Broadway in North Knoxville.

WDVX Summer Nights sponsored by ORNL Federal Credit Union is free, open to the public, and family-friendly. Upcoming dates include:
July 10th
August 14th
September 11th
October 9th

Each event promises to be a celebration of music, culture, and community that you won’t soon forget. Don’t forget to stay connected with us on social media @yeehaw_knoxville and @wdvx for all the latest updates and announcements.

So grab your friends, grab a cold one, and join us for a summer filled with great tunes and even greater memories! The concerts will be held at 7pm on select Wednesdays, weather permitting. The excitement here at Yee-Haw Brewing Co. is brewing as we gear up to bring back this series after the overwhelming support we received from the Knoxville community during last year’s Americana and Bluegrass Concert series!

https://www.facebook.com/events/921782649701597/921782656368263/

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and to acknowledge the great sacrifices undertaken by the “greatest generation,” the East Tennessee Historical Society is holding a three-day conference on the Second World War from 8th of July until the 10th of July at the East Tennessee History Center (601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902). The conference will include talks from East Tennessee scholars of the Second World War and will feature international speakers such as Prof. Richard Toye of University of Exeter and our keynote speaker Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives of the University of Cambridge.

Reserve tickets online at: https://easttnhistory.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/easttnhistory/event.jsp?event=548&

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

This amazing collection spans a lifetime, from his childhood drawings to his work as a muralist for the Tennessee Valley Authority. One of those large murals, over 40’ long, will be brought to the Art Center by TVA from Chattanooga for the show. His work ranges from delicate portraiture to vibrant abstraction, the latter of which he often used to depict downtown Knoxville. ORAC is honored to host this must-see show!

Opening is July 6, 1-4, with a gallery talk at 2:30.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tu-F 9-5, Sa-M 1-4. Information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

First Friday Reception: July 5th, 5:30 - 9 pm

Brenda Mills is a water-media painter and pastel artist with a BFA from the University of Tennessee. She has also studied under various other well known artists. Mills is a signature member of the Tennessee Watercolor Society, a member of the Knoxville Watercolor Society, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club in New York, NY, the Southeast Pastel Society, the Art Market Gallery, Oak Ridge Art Center, and Art Group 21 in Knoxville. She has been juried into and won awards in many national and regional exhibitions. Although Brenda has lived in Tennessee her entire life and its beauty has influenced her art, she has also spent a lot of time in, on, and around the ocean and that has sparked ideas for much of her artwork. “I enjoy working on a series of paintings of images that have had a memorable impact on my life and I hope that people can imagine their own story in my work. I particularly love painting our ocean friends and believe very strongly in protecting our oceans.”

Johnny Glass began his glass career in Los Angeles, CA, where he was first introduced to glass at Santa Monica College. In 2008 he formed Glass by Glass LLC, and began traveling the west coast art show markets. In 2012, Johnny decided to expand his market and finish his BFA and returned to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he grew up. He then opened Glass by Glass’s east coast mobile hotshop. Johnny received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Majoring in Glass from Tennessee Technological University's Appalachian Center for Crafts in 2016, Graduating Cum Laude with his body of work “Self in Reflection”. Glass by Glass studios is a bi-coastal glassblowing Mobile Hotshop Extravaganza. Glass by Glass has made it their mission to bring a new awareness and interest back to the art of glass. Johnny has designed and constructed all his own studio equipment to be completely mobile. In addition to being a producer of fine handcrafted glass works of art that can be found at 20 plus museums and galleries around the nation. He is currently works in his home studio in Rockford TN, and will be giving live glassblowing demos for the entire month of October at the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair, in Gatlinburg TN.

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

Friday, July 5, from 6-8 Awaken Coffee will host an opening reception for the painting group 3 Dames which includes Marcia Shelly, Cheryl Massey, and Linda Blair.

“Art comes from the best part of ourselves and is among the best common denominators we have of one another. Sharing it is a true joy and privilege.”

Please join us for some amazing art, light refreshments, 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/

As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance and City of Knoxville, the Alliance is pleased to open five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville on Friday, July 5, 2024. A free event featuring the artists both inside the Emporium and out will take place from 5:00-9:00 PM.

A vast array of colors in my mind – that’s what I see when I listen to music. I have synesthesia. Simply put, I see different colors based on the music I hear. There is a kinship between color and music – both can say what words cannot. I paint because there are no words to describe the way music makes me feel. I am a Pop Art artist painting in clear tonal contrasts with varying shapes and strong lines. After drawing a portrait, I add acrylic colors and mediums according to what I see and hear. The paintings come together like puzzle pieces as I focus on the shapes of the shadows and highlights. Painting has allowed me to address iconic events, cultural shifts, body confidence and the intimate lives of songwriters, delving deep into everything from the Women’s Rights movement and to the madness behind Pink Floyd’s founder Syd Barrett.

Kara Lockmiller is a regionally exhibiting artist living in Knoxville. Recent solo shows include rek Gallery in Atlanta, Art Market Gallery in Knoxville and John C. Hodges Library on the University of Tennessee campus. Lockmiller was chosen to join eight other artists worldwide in creating the first ever Banjo All-Star Premium Trading Cards. She has also participated in many art shows/festivals such as Dogwood Arts Festival, Knoxville; Artsclamation hosted by Peninsula Behavioral Health in Knoxville; and Artsplosure in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2020, Lockmiller garnered the virtual public vote at Dogwood Arts Festival. She also brought home Artist of the Year from the Fun With Friends community in 2021. Lockmiller regularly donates her work to charity auctions such as St. Joseph School, Friends of the Smokies, and Lakeshore Community Action Program. Before becoming a working artist, Lockmiller was an award-winning journalist at The Daily Times in Maryville. She was also a board member of the Society for Professional Journalists.

www.KLockmillerArt.com
www.facebook.com/KlockmillerArt
Instagram @KLockmillerArt

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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday. 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.

As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance and City of Knoxville, the Alliance is pleased to open five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville on Friday, July 5, 2024. A free event featuring the artists both inside the Emporium and out will take place from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Victoria May is an artist who works in painting, mixed media, charcoal, and photography. Mark making, textures, vintage ephemera, and focused color are important elements in her artwork. In most primary works, she often incorporates found objects and recyclable materials to mixed media pieces that form an abstracted figurative language. May responds to the materials she has collected and enjoys creating atmospheric and textural scenes. She is also a visual art educator who loves to share the art making process with her students.

This exhibition includes pieces I have worked on for the last year; I have experimented with different ways of working in materials I had never previously done. I enjoy trying new textures and adding marks in the abstracts and collaged floral pieces, which eventually led me to incorporating more found and personally created images and photographs. The finished pieces are dreamy, fantastical landscapes, some of which remind me of my travels, while others have become their own invented worlds – a new fantasyland. Flowers emerging from these structures are still revealing their meaning, which could be love, friendship, and passion. In traditional art, flowers have represented religious or spiritual themes and represent the beauty of nature in general. By having these flowers emerge from the dwellings, they may represent a spiritual and visual imagery of rebirth and of sharing beauty back to the worlds in which they exist.

These works are a culmination of the progress so far of this artist finding her visual voice again. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did in making them.

Instagram @victoriamayartist

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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday. 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.

As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance and City of Knoxville, the Alliance is pleased to open five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville on Friday, July 5, 2024. A free event featuring the artists both inside the Emporium and out will take place from 5:00-9:00 PM.

Cara Rose is a ceramic artist working in a small home studio as Adobe Rose Works in Oak Ridge. Her pieces are a dance between function and whimsy. She often creates using a pottery wheel and hand builds and alters pots after they are formed. Her pottery is often highly decorated, utilizing underglazes and colored slips for sgraffito and mishima embellishment. She also uses newsprint underglaze transfers and has experimented with water etching in some of her work. Originally from Chicago, Rose has lived in East Tennessee long enough to be a native. She has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.S. from the University of Tennessee. After years in Information Technology, she retired from the Y-12 National Security Complex as a technical writer/editor. She has also played organ at church for more than 35 years. Rose is a juried (and board) member of Foothills Craft Guild, Oak Ridge Art Center, Mountain Potters Network, and Locally Grown Gallery in Oak Ridge. Her work is also available in the Knoxville Museum of Art Gift Shop.

Variations on a Theme is a collection of my most recent stoneware and porcelain work, some of which may still be warm when the exhibition opens! The hanging plates/platters are food and dishwasher safe as well as decorative. I hope that my love for clay seeps through my fingers and lives in my pots for you to appreciate.

www.adoberoseworks.com
www.facebook.com/adoberoseworks
Instagram @cara.c.rose

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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday. 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.

As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance and City of Knoxville, the Alliance is pleased to open five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville on Friday, July 5, 2024. A free event featuring the artists both inside the Emporium and out will take place from 5:00-9:00 PM.

This new, juried exhibition celebrates Tennessee Artist’s Association 52nd anniversary as the area’s oldest member-supported arts organization. Tennessee Artists Association (TAA) is a volunteer organization created by artists for artists of all levels and abilities. The purpose is threefold: to provide for fellowship and encouragement by associating with other artists; to assist in the development of art skills through monthly meetings, programs, workshops and classes; to develop a market by collaborating in shows of our artwork in exhibits throughout Tennessee. They will announce numerous cash and other awards at the opening at 6:00 PM.

TAA began in 1972 and continues to meet monthly at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville. These meetings are free and open to anyone and include practical art demonstrations, discussions, and opportunities for individual artists to get involved in learning, community and shows.

www.tnartists.org
Instagram @tn_artists
www.facebook.com/TNArtistsAssociation

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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday. 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.

As part of a special First Friday Block Party sponsored by the Arts & Culture Alliance and City of Knoxville, the Alliance is pleased to open five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville on Friday, July 5, 2024. A free event featuring the artists both inside the Emporium and out will take place from 5:00-9:00 PM.

The Arts & Culture Alliance presents the 12th annual Knoxville Photo juried exhibition featuring selected works from 39 artists throughout the region. The exhibition encompasses photographs depicting all subjects and genres, including streetscapes, cityscapes, landscapes, environmental portraiture, portraits, abstracts, and more. Michelle Burdine served as juror for the exhibition and viewed more than 361 images to select the exhibition. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Ohio State University and a Master of Humanities from Wright State University. She is currently Assistant Professor of Art at Centre College in Danville, KY.

The following artists’ works will be shown:
+ Valentino Constantinou of Pasadena, CA
+ Bonnie Cooper of Asheville, NC
+ Sam Hill of Matthews, NC
+ Mandy Wilson of Charleston, TN
+ Marc Ward of Dandridge, TN
+ Colleen J. Hefferen of Gatlinburg, TN
+ Adam J. Trabold of Johnson City, TN
+ Melinda Adams, Sandra Ange, David Boruff, Michelle Carr, Barbara Bolton Cornett, David W. Denton, Stefan Dopatka, Katharine Emlen, Taryn Ferro, Marianne Gansley, Elena Ganusova, Gary Heatherly, Andreas Koschan, David G. Liles, Ezra Purdy, Julie L. Rabun, Sean Sparbanie, Clay Thurston, Kurt Weiss, Owen H. Weston, Katie Wood, Tonya Wade Wunder, and Steve Zigler of Knoxville, TN
+ David Hardin and Dan Podsobinski of Loudon, TN
+ Yvonne Dalschen and Kelli Thompson of Oak Ridge, TN
+ Julie Oglesby and Nicholas Russell of Seymour, TN
+ Amanda Long of Signal Mountain, TN
+ David Gilliam of Walland, TN
+ James Meldrum of Beloit, WI

Over $1,000 in cash awards will be announced at the opening at 5:30 PM. For information on past Knoxville Photo exhibitions, please visit https://www.knoxalliance.com/knoxville-photo.

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. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Thursday, July 4 for the holiday. 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.