Calendar of Events

8/1 • Knoxville Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
8/2 • Knoxville Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
8/3 • Knoxville Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
8/4 • Self-Care Sunday Yoga
8/4 • Knoxville Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Matinee)
8/4 • Knoxville Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
8/6 • Big Fun Tuesday: End of Summer Blast

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The Knoxville Writers' Guild is excited to announce a unique and enlightening evening of creativity and exploration with "STEM and Poetry," featuring the acclaimed poet and spoken word artist Rhea Carmon. This special program will take place on August 1 at 7:00 PM at Addison's Bookstore, located in the heart of Knoxville. Admission is free and open to the public.

Rhea Carmon, known for her powerful and evocative poetry, will lead an engaging discussion and presentation on the intersection of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the arts. As a published poet, motivational speaker, and math educator, Carmon brings a unique perspective that bridges the analytical and creative realms, showcasing how poetry can illuminate the often technical world of STEM.

This event offers a rare opportunity for attendees to experience the fusion of two seemingly disparate disciplines, exploring how mathematical concepts and scientific themes can be expressed through the art of poetry. Carmon's work often highlights the beauty and complexity of both fields, making this a must-attend event for lovers of poetry, science enthusiasts, and educators alike.

Addison's Bookstore provides an intimate setting for this evening of spoken word and conversation, encouraging an interactive and thought-provoking experience. The Knoxville Writers' Guild invites everyone to join in this celebration of words and ideas, where poetry meets science in unexpected and inspiring ways.

Information: www.KnoxvilleWritersGuild.org

“Songs of Summer Insects,” a Virtual Program by Naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales, Thursday, August 1, 7 pm EDT

Join education coordinator Michelle Campanis and naturalist Stephen Lyn Bales via Zoom for "Songs of Summer Insects” on Thursday, August 1st at 7 pm EDT. We will look at our local insects and just how they make all that racket. The August Nature Supper Club presentation is hosted by the UT Arboretum Society.

We are well into summer now. Spring is over, most of the birds have raised their families and they are much quieter. They are also staying out of the heat, but not some insects. The male crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers and katydids are making themselves known with loud mating calls. Night times can get loud. We can’t call them vocalizations because insects use other parts of their bodies to make the sounds.

The program is free, but you must register to be sent a link to watch the live presentation and the recording at your convenience. Register at utarboretumsociety.org under Programs. Please contact Michelle at mcampani@utk.edu for any questions or registration issues. To contact Stephen Lyn Bales or buy one of his UT Press books, email him at hellostephenlyn@gmail.com. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.

Join us at the Old City Performing Arts Center for River & Rail's 4th annual Trivia Night!

The event includes lots of trivia, a putting contest, ping pong, and prizes including R&R merch, memberships, and drink tickets to shows throughout the season, as well as tickets to our Summer Experience II!

Trivia will be on shows for our upcoming season: Our Town, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, and Stuck Elevator.

$50 per person
$300 per team

Tickets include open bar, snacks, trivia, putting contest, ping pong, and prizes!

Old City Performing Arts Center, 111 State Street, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
https://www.simpletix.com/e/river-rails-fourth-annual-trivia-night-tickets-179102

BY LESLIE KIMBELL
Directed by Jill Stapleton Bergeron

Polly Porter, famous 1970s gospel singer of the group Polly Porter & the Praise His Name Singers, has gone on up to heaven. Her daughter, Caroline, has come home to Savannah, Georgia, to pack up Miss Polly’s house, but there is just one little problem (or two or three): Miss Polly was an extreme hoarder of epic proportions, Caroline’s useless siblings are totally MIA, and her three best friends from high school, former co-cheerleaders, have all shown up… unannounced! Lizzy now owns the Miss Georgia Belle Pageantry system, Donna Jo is the local community theatre diva, and Becca is having a late-in-life geriatric pregnancy with baby girl number five. The gospel music plays and the margaritas pour as the four ladies laugh, cry, scream and come together to pack up Miss Polly’s house, heal old wounds, and make new plans for their future.

With humor, wit and vulnerability, Packing Up Polly delves into themes of forgiveness, acceptance and the transformative power of letting go… unpacking the layers of our own lives to find healing and redemption.

Performances are Thu-Sat 7:30 PM and Sun 3 PM

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

July 18 - Aug. 11, 2024, details TBA

Join Tennessee Stage Company and Ijams Nature Center for the time-honored tradition of outdoor Shakespeare with Knoxville Shakespeare on the lawn at Ijams.

https://tennesseestage.com/

50–75% OFF Select Fine Furniture, Accessories, Gifts & Art
Come for the Sale, Stay for Coffee, Lobster, Flowers, and Ice Cream (Special Kick-Off Event on Fri. and Sat.)
Sale Starts Friday, July 12 and continues through August 17

July 12 - Friday Fun • 10am–2pm
Travelin‘ Tom‘s Coffee Truck

July 13 - Saturday Celebration • 11am–2pm
Lobster Dogs • Flourish Flower Truck • Happy Dog Creamery

https://www.greenvelope.com/card/qeoMEd4/0

Bennett, 5308 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: M-Sa 10-5:30. Information: 865-584-6791, https://bennetthome.com/

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

Exhibition: Paintings by Lucie Gilot
Gestural Portraits and Seasonal Drawings with her sons

Schilling Gallery at Westminster Presbyterian Church
6500 Northshore Dr
(865-584-3957)
www.wpcknox.org
Hours: Monday thru Thursday, 9 AM to 4 PM, Friday 9 AM to noon

A two-person show, Outta Time, featuring recent works by artists Joshua Bienko (Knoxville, TN) and Lester Merriweather (Memphis, TN). Curator: Brian R. Jobe.

A preview reception will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm. Additionally, there will be an artists’ reception on Friday, July 19, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artists in attendance). There will be an artist talk by Bienko and Merriweather beforehand on July 19 at 3:30pm.

Joshua Bienko (b. 1978, NY) received his MFA from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in 2008, and his BFA from the University of Buffalo in 2000. He has exhibited at NADA (NY), Dallas Contemporary (TX), Artpace (TX), Labor Ebertplatz (Köln), Vox Populi (PA), Big Medium (TX), OUTERSPACE (Facebook) and the Guggenheim Museum (in collaboration with YouTube Play Biennial). Most recently he has shown in New York, Portland, Baltimore, Brooklyn and Pittsburgh. He has also curated shows in Brooklyn, Queens, Seattle, and Gainesville and is one of the founding members of the artist-run space Ortega y Gasset Projects in Gowanus, and C for Courtside in Knoxville. He is a 2009 Tanne Foundation recipient, and a Hambidge Residency and V.C.C.A Fellow. Bienko is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at the University of Tennessee, where he teaches Drawing and Painting. “Who’s the G.O.A.T.? Jordan! Or maybe J.M.W. Turner. Yeah, Either Jordan or Turner.”

Lester Julian Merriweather (b. 1978) is a Memphis-based visual artist. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. He holds an MFA from Memphis College of Art and a BA from Jackson State University. Merriweather has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. at various venues such as the Studio Museum (New York, NY), CAM (St. Louis, MO), TOPS Gallery, Crosstown Arts, and Powerhouse (Memphis, TN), Diverseworks (Houston, TX), Stella Jones Gallery (New Orleans, LA), and Atlanta Contemporary (Atlanta, GA). He has also exhibited internationally at the Zacheta National Gallery (Warsaw, Poland). Merriweather served as the first Curatorial Director of the Jones Gallery & the Martha & Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Memphis from 2010-2016. He worked on the Board of Directors for Number, Inc. independent journal where he created the Art of the South exhibition series. He is a founding member of the ArtsMemphis Artist Advisory Council and the artsAccelerator Grant Panel. He served as the Curatorial Consultant for the PPF Contemporary Art Collection (Memphis, TN). He is Emeritus for the Advisory Panel of TONE Memphis. Merriweather is participating in Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage. Originating at The Frist Art Museum (Nashville, TN), the exhibition travels to The Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX) and The Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.).

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

This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell.

A preview reception will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm. Additionally, there will be another reception on Friday, July 19, 2024 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artist in attendance).

Michael Giles is a Venezuelan-American artist working primarily in painting and drawing. He has exhibited nationally including SITE: Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY), Core New Art Space (Denver, CO), Channel To Channel (Nashville, TN), William King Museum (Abingdon, VA), Crosstown Arts (Memphis, TN), Walters State Community College, Carson Newman University, and Fluorescent Gallery (Knoxville, TN). Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, at the age of five he immigrated with his family to Baltimore, OH. He studied as part of the Reciprocal Exchange Program at Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia, 1996) and received a BFA from The Ohio State University in 2000, and an MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2007. He is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN. He lives and works in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and son and various furry animals.

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

June 1 - August 3, 2024
First Friday Receptions | June 7, July 5, August 2, 5-9pm
UT Downtown Gallery

In Southern Black communities, our stories aren't simply passed down from one generation to the next—they serve as maps with markers for our future. This truth is evident in The Bottom, a neighborhood in East Knoxville, Tennessee. Despite its demolition in the 1950s due to urban renewal and systemic racism, its legacy lives on.

Curated by Good Black Art and grounded in the research of Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin, a local sociologist specializing in race, place, and Black communities, The Bottom: Stories from the Neighborhood is an exhibition that delves into life in the neighborhood beyond its destruction. While it highlights the narrative of Knoxville, it resonates with Black, Brown, Indigenous, and underprivileged communities across different times and places. The exhibition presents both familiar and imaginative interpretations by two Southern artists through a dialogue of folklore and futurism, drawing from oral histories of former residents and archival sources from The Bottom.

AHMAD GEORGE is a painter and multimedia artist from Memphis, Tennessee. They’ve shown at NADA Miami as well as national and international group and solo exhibitions. Through their work, they explore the liminal space between reality, mythology, folklore, and self. Their worldbuilding thins the veil of this world by mixing imagery of the American South (mostly scenes from Tennessee and Mississippi) with local and sourced myths from different parts of the world. Oftentimes, they use people from their own life to be the protagonists of these narratives. Major themes they explore in their paintings currently include generational history, transformation, consequence, and spiritual alchemy.

ERIN LEANN MITCHELL is a textile artist from Birmingham, Alabama. Her work is an expansion of the southern quilting tradition, using a mixture of textiles and collage gathered in textile markets and fabric stores. These multidimensional assemblages render the realities of southern Blackness into radical new imaginings. Repositories of history, rampant with particulars, my quilt-based pieces are storytelling vehicles. They liberate imaginative territory, creating a home-place for full subjectivity and resistance. They indicate a way forward. Quilting is a dynamic, evolving artform linking Africans in the diaspora and those on the continent. She honors tradition as she reshapes it, paying homage while challenging convention. Her needlework moves Black women’s legacy off the clothesline and onto museum walls.

This exhibition is in partnership with Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin, The Bottom, and Good Black Art. Funding for the UT Downtown Gallery is generously provided by the Arts & Culture Alliance, Knox County, and the Department of the Treasury.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay Street. Hours: W-F: 11am - 6pm, Sat: 10am - 3p. For more information: ewing@utk.edu | https://downtown.utk.edu